The heading "new music" doesn't quite do justice to what's on offer this season. Although the 2007–08 concert calendar includes state-of-the-art noisemaking from Japan and a superb overview of avant-garde guitar, it will also encompass inventive treatments of 14th-century Persian texts and an updated version of an ancient Balinese temple ceremony. Intercultural collaborations are particularly strong this year, and if you don't find something wonderful from the following list, it's probably time to consult an otologist.

PARTO (September 15 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre and September 16 at the Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre) Conceived in Iran but brought to completion in Vancouver, Parto unites four of the Persian-Canadian community's best musicians with an array of guest performers. The new ensemble's repertoire runs the gamut from playful improvisation to classical song to impressionistic chamber compositions, the latter courtesy of pianist Farshid Samandari. (See profile on page 57.) The Draw: Amir Haghighi's immaculately expressive singing. Target Audience: Intercultural explorers and devotees of the Persian poetic tradition.

ENCHANTED MUSIC OF GRACE JONG EUN LEE (September 16 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts) Another major figure in Vancouver's growing intercultural scene is celebrated in this gala 10th-anniversary concert. A masterful performer on the zitherlike kayagum, Korean-born Grace Jong Eun Lee is also well versed in the western orchestral tradition. Here, she'll take on the soloist's role with the Metropolitan Orchestra, conducted by the sprightly and insightful Ken Hsieh–and there'll be an interdisciplinary element, too, with both modern Canadian and traditional Korean dancers in attendance. The Draw: Lee's mastery of her two different crafts. Target Audience: Those who appreciate that Vancouver's horizon faces west.

SOME CATS FROM JAPAN (September 21 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre) Forget the retro title, with its Ziggy Stardust implications: these cats are among the latest sonic renegades to emerge from Japan's seething underground. Curated by composer and media artist Aki Onda, Vancouver New Music's season opener will find instrument inventor Atsuhiro Ito playing his fluorescent-light-based Optron, Kanta Horio exploring the musical potential of electrified paperclips, and Fuyuki Yamakawa setting Tuvan-style overtone singing to his own amplified heartbeat. The Draw: A voyage beyond the edge of the known universe. Target Audience: Bored by the Boredoms? You're it!

GUITARS! GUITARS! (October 17 to 20 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre) This year, Vancouver New Music's annual festival focuses on the guitar in all of its postmodern splendour. The only big-ticket artist on the bill is Seattle's influential Bill Frisell, but those in the know will recognize a plethora of major innovators, from sound sculptor Keith Rowe to avant-baroque specialist Rolf Lislevand. The Draw: Truly remarkable programming, and a chance to hear where the world's most popular instrument is heading. Target Audience: Anyone aware that Jimi Hendrix, adventurous though he was, did not have the last word on his instrument's evolution.

GAMELAN CUDAMANI (November 12 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts) Between the efforts of UBC's Gamelan Gita Asmara and a constant flow of visiting artists, Vancouver is quite familiar with the music of Bali. But Gamelan í‡udamani's only Canadian appearance offers devotees of this fast and often florid style a chance to experience a traditional odalan temple ceremony, mixed with new compositions from some of the Indonesian island's cutting-edge creators. The Draw: Spectacular music and subtle dancing from an unusually large cast of 26 performers. Target Audience: Anyone looking to be transported to a lush and musically adventurous Eden.

UZUME TAIKO & MEARINGSTONE (November 23 at the Norman Rothstein Theatre) The only unnatural thing about this innovative pairing of Japanese and Scottish traditions is that it's taking place indoors: Mearingstone founder Michael O'Neill's expansive compositions deserve to be heard on a windswept beach or in some scenic glen. Nonetheless, his fusion of taiko drumming and bagpipes is uniquely stirring. The Draw: Minimalist techniques that result in maximum-impact music. Target Audience: Brave hearts and samurai.

TURNING POINT ENSEMBLE (November 25 at Ryerson United Church) Boldly opting to celebrate one of its own, Vancouver's Turning Point Ensemble has commissioned a concerto from founding member and clarinetist Franí§ois Houle. The as-yet-unnamed work will share a bill with infrequently performed masterpieces by Bent Sí¸rensen, Henryk Gí“recki, and LeoÅ¡ Janá?ek, reflecting Turning Point's twin mandates of celebrating the music of the past century and advancing that of this. The Draw: Houle's virtuosity–and that of his equally gifted bandmates. Target Audience: Listeners unafraid of the notion that this sleepy port is home to global art stars.

STANDING WAVE (December 9 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre) Having scored an artistic triumph with Bradshaw Pack's Palimpsest, Vancouver's finest small chamber ensemble attempts to reproduce that format, this time with Giorgio Magnanensi running the show. The Vancouver New Music artistic director will contribute new work, along with a selection of personal favourites, all melded into one "seamless continuous flux". The Draw: Standing Wave's reliable virtuosity and Magnanensi's wild imagination. Target Audience: Seekers after musical mind-movies.

VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (January 18 at the Roundhouse Community Centre) The VSO's annual new-music series kicks off with work by Omar Daniel, Brian Cherney, and Harold Meltzer, but the piece that's really going to excite audience curiosity is Pictures in the Smoke, by the ensemble's widely respected conductor, Bramwell Tovey. The Draw: A chance to see whether maestro Tovey wields a pen as gracefully as he does a baton. Target Audience: Symphony lovers who'd like a stretch.