Saratoga Orchestra will present “Appalachian Spring for a Whidbey Winter” Jan. 17-18.

The concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18 at the Nordic Lodge in Coupeville.

Seattleite Tim Huling’s composition “The American Northwest” will premiere at these concerts. The piece is inspired by the natural splendor of the Pacific Northwest, according to a recent press release.

Clarinetist Jennifer Nelson and harpist John Carrington will be featured as soloists.

“Having grown up here, I spent many weekends going hiking and camping in the Olympics, Cascades and other areas around the region,” said Huling, according to the release. “When I was approached to write a commission by Saratoga Orchestra’s Music Director Anna Edwards, I knew immediately that I wanted to aurally depict the Puget Sound waterways, wildlife and mountains.”

The result, Huling continued, is a three-movement piece which uses nearly identical instrumentation as the original Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland.

In addition to “The American Northwest,” the concert will feature Mendelssohn’s “Sinfonie No. 7 in D minor,” Arthur Honegger’s “Pastorale d’été” and Aaron Copland’s original ballet score for “Appalachian Spring.” Copland’s “masterpiece of American concert music” includes the Shaker melody, “Simple Gifts.”

General admission tickets cost $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and military. Students under age 18 are admitted free; ages 13 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets for the Langley concert can be purchased at Moonraker Books in Langley or Vino Amore in Freeland. Tickets for the Coupeville concert are available for purchase at bayleaf in Coupeville and Click Music in Oak Harbor. Season Flex Pass holders are encouraged to RSVP toorchestra@whidbey.com. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.sowhidbey.com or call 360-929-3045.