The arts are not a luxury. They are essential. Such is my view, not because I write a performing arts column, but because throughout my life I have observed this to be true. The arts can renew and inspire. They ignite imagination and creativity and offer respite for the weary. They expand our understanding of who we are, who we have been and who we may become. Without them, I think we lose something of our humanity and our connection with one another. The arts may not be a universal medicine for wholeness, but they come close and we need them most during times of change and upheaval.

In a speech on this theme, filmmaker Richard Attenborough once noted that a crucial difference between us and our mammalian forbears must lie in what we call soul and creativity: “From the very earliest of times,” he said, “the arts have been an instinctive essential of our humanity. They are a miraculous sleight of hand which reveals the truth and a glorious passport to greater understanding between the peoples of the world. The arts not only enrich our lives, but also grant us the opportunity to challenge accepted practices and assumptions. They give us a means of protest against that which we believe to be unjust; a voice to condemn the brute and the bully; a brief to advocate the cause of human dignity and self-respect … They are as crucial to our well-being, to our very existence, as eating and breathing.”

In July of 2005, the Carmel Bach Festival’s concertmaster Elizabeth Wallfisch, from the UK, joined me to discuss the music planned for that summer. She was deeply distraught by deadly terrorist bombs that had just been detonated in three busy London subways and one bus during the morning rush hour. It was the largest attack on Great Britain since World War II. When our conversation turned to music, she expressed her gratitude for the Bach Festival as a way back to herself, to equilibrium, after the tragedy in her home city. We discussed the importance of art during dark times, and she told me about her mother-in-law who survived the Holocaust because she could play the cello. The impact of that conversation stays with me as a reminder of why we need the arts. And why they’re especially necessary in times of unrest, confusion and anguish, like medicine is for a troubled body. You may understand why I’m moved to write these words at this moment.

Coming up

The next two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving bring a lively mix of choices for you, listed here in order of appearance.

The Monterey Symphony opens its 79th season this weekend with a celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Music director and conductor Jayce Ogren leads the orchestra in a concert showcasing rising-star pianist Adam Golka in the Gershwin masterpiece, which is paired with Symphony No. 9, From the New World, Antonin Dvorák’s much-loved tribute to America. Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman” add more zest to the program.

Concerts take place Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at Carmel’s Sunset Center. Special delights await ticket holders for both performances. For details, tickets and information see www.montereysymphony.org or call (831) 646-8511.

MPC String Orchestra, directed by David Dally, will perform a program of works by Antonin Dvorák, Gerald Finzi and Serge Koussevitzky on Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Monterey. Tickets at the door only.

Ensemble Monterey’s Season of Dreams continues this month led by its esteemed founder and conductor John Anderson. Their second concert, “A Dream Fondly Remembered,” reprises music from programs of long ago. Anderson considers Henryk Górecki’s “Little Requiem for a Polka” to be one of the most spiritually significant compositions he knows. A Chamber Symphony by the brilliant and prolific local composer Stephen Tosh, who died in 2016, will be featured, a work he wrote for and dedicated to Ensemble Monterey. “Octandre,” by Edgard Varèse, is another favorite of the ensemble, incorporating the principles of nuclear fission in music. Charles Ives’ popular “The Unanswered Question” concludes this concert, a great musical inquiry into the perennial questions of existence.

“A Dream Fondly Remembered” takes place Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Monterey. A Nov. 24 performance in Santa Cruz is given at Peace United Church in Santa Cruz at 5 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.ensemblemonterey.org or at the door. For more information call (831) 333-1283.

Aria Women’s Choir presents “Sacred Words for Sacred Hearts” Nov. 23 and 24 at the First United Methodist Church of Pacific Grove. The popular 35-member choir, guided by Sean Boulware, presents choral music set to texts of various faiths and traditions. “This concert will truly touch the soul as we weave together sacred words from diverse traditions into a tapestry of music that uplifts, inspires and connects us all,” says Boulware. Associate conductor, Jon-Mark Hurley, debuts his arrangement of Beethoven’s timeless “Joyful, Joyful,” and Boulware will guide the choir in 11 sacred choral settings. Both concerts begin at 4 p.m. For tickets and information see www.AriaMonterey.org

Carmel Music Society presents violinist Siwoo Kim, cellist Michelle Djokic, & pianist Daniel Fung Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. at Carmel’s Sunset Center. The trio will perform Chopin’s Introduction and Polonaise Brillante in C major for Cello and Piano, William Grant Still’s Suite for Violin and Piano, Carlos Simon’s “Be Still and Know,” John Wineglass’s Piano Trio No. 1: “Death of a Princess,” and Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor by Felix Mendelssohn. Djokic enjoys a versatile career as chamber orchestra musician, soloist, and orchestral player throughout North America. She is the founder and artistic director of Sandbox, the marvelous new multidisciplinary performing arts venue located in the heart of the warehouse district of Sand City. Siwoo Kim has received critical international acclaim for his performances, including appearances at Carnegie Hall and concerts with renowned artists worldwide. Fung enjoys a multifaceted career as musician, collaborative artist, educator, and administrator. He is currently executive director of Youth Music Monterey County. For tickets and information see www.carmelmusic.org or call (831) 625-9938.