You can check 7x7's concert roll on the right-hand side of the homepage for concerts of the rock, pop and dance varieties, but for the more classical-music inclined, here's our roundup what we're anticipating to be the best performances of the month.

Los Angeles Guitar Quartet

Masters at classical guitar genre-bending (their repertoire jumps from Bach to bluegrass to samba to African drum circle), the Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet plays Herbst Theatre next weekend. Known on Youtube for its deconstructed version of Pachelbel’s Canon (check it out here), the group has been together for thirty years, playing inventive, critically acclaimed music around the world.

January 15. Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue. Tickets are $30-45 at 415-392-2545.

Itzhak Perlman at San Francisco Symphony

Considered the premier violinist of the 20th century, Itzhak Perlman has played at presidential inaugurations, on movie scores, and -  most importantly - appeared on Sesame Street. Born in Tel Aviv and entranced by classical music via the radio waves, Perlman learned the art and debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1963. His inspired renditions of classical masterpieces have carried him on a wave of massive string success ever since. Hearing Perlman live is a must for aficionados. Or anyone, really. 

January 23. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue. Tickets are $40-160 at 415-864-6000. 

Tift Merritt and Simone Dinnerstein

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein is a classical Cinderella. Her independent debut album of Bach’s Goldberg Variations shot to number one on the Billboard Classical chart and briefly outstripped Bruce Springsteen’s new release on Amazon - truly a phenomenon in the classical world, when stars are often chosen while still in the throes of puberty. Dinnerstein is releasing her first album on a major label this year - and she’s appearing at Yoshi’s with vocalist Tift Merritt. They’ll perform songs written especially for them by Patty Griffin and classical composer Philip Lasser. 

January 31. Yoshi’s, 1330 Fillmore Street. Tickets are $30 at yoshis.com.