Cello, cello, cello. What’s going on here?

The rich sound of the cello will fill the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center when the Newport Symphony Orchestra opens its three-part Jeannette Hofer Chamber Music Series this Saturday, Oct. 10.

Named in honor of the late Jeannette Hofer, a longtime and ardent supporter of the Newport Symphony Orchestra, the series begins with an unusual program showcasing the cello in several different configurations.

Current Newport Symphony cellists Sherill Roberts, Adrienne Welsh and Charmaine Leclair will be joined by retired principal cellist Barbara Johnston for music written and arranged for solo cello, duo, trio and quartet.

The program ranges from the Baroque era to the 20th Century, with works by Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel alongside Ernest Bloch, Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz and George Gershwin.

Selections include Neuen-Rabinowitz’s “Tango” from “Suite Hispanola” for four cellos, Bloch’s “Canzona” from “Suite No. 1” for solo cello, Telemann’s “Canonic Sonata No. 1” for two cellos and Handel’s “Trio Sonata No. 16,” arranged for three cellos. The four musicians will also perform Gershwin’s “Fragment,” a medley of popular tunes arranged for cello quartet.

Saturday’s concert begins at 7:30 pm at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, located at 333 SE Bay Blvd. in Newport. General admission is $45. For more information, go to coastarts.org or call 541-265-2787.