1. Regina Spektor: Those comparisons to Bjork, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos are deserved. This Moscow-born singer-songwriter (pictured) might strike some as a little gimmicky with all her vocal effects, but she packs more emotional range and personality into a single song than some performers put into a whole career.

Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 30; Fox Theater, Oakland; $37.50; 800-745-3000, www.apeconcerts.com.

2. "Nosferatu": Catch this classic 1922 German expressionist film adapted from Bram Stroker's "Dracula," accompanied by Dennis James on San Francisco Symphony's 8,264-pipe Ruffatti organ.

Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 31; Davies Symphony Hall, S.F.; $20-$30; 415-864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org.

3. Louis Lortie: This Canadian pianist is a major stud muffin in the classical music world. The London Telegraph recently billed him "One of a half-dozen pianists worth dropping everything to hear," (assuming, of corse, you're not holding a brick of plutonium over a public water supply or something). He's at UC Berkeley this weekend to perform a recital that includes works by Schumann, Ravel and Chopin.

Details: Presented by Cal Performances; 3 p.m. Nov. 1; Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley; $52; 510-642-9988; www.calperformances.org.

4. Nicholas Payton and Don Byron: Payton, the great New Orleans

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trumpeter, and Byron, the heralded New York clarinetist and sax man, get their turns to fill the gorgeous but acoustically daunting Grace Cathedral with music, as part of the San Francisco Jazz Festival's long-running Sacred Space series.

Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 30; $35-$60; 866-920-5299, www.sfjazz.org.

5. "Witness for the Prosecution": Center Repertory Company, which seems to be turning out one winning production after another of late, presents this twist-happy courtroom thriller adapted from the Agatha Christie story.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 21 (additional 2:30 p.m. matinees Nov. 14 and 21); Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek; $36-$41; 925-943-7469, www.lesherartscenter.org., www.centerrep.org.

6. Built to Spill: Fans of daring, occasionally messy, guitar-driven alt-rock should not miss this band.

Details: 9 p.m. Oct. 31, 8 p.m. Nov. 1; Fillmore, S.F.; $25; 877-598-6659, www.livenation.com.

7. "Ghosts of the River": Bay Area playwright Octavio Solis' collection of five vignettes centered around the Rio Grande is sSaged by ShadowLight Productions employing puppetry and shadow theater.

Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 30 and Nov. 4-7, 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 31, 2 p.m. Nov. 1 and 8; Brava Theatre, S.F.; $25-$35; 415-647-2822, www.brava.org., www.shadowlightghosts.org.

8. Ghosts of Electricity: The Bob Dylan tribute band made up of veteran bay Area jam-rockers makes its debut Oct. 31 in a Halloween bash at Berkeley's Ashkenaz. Concertgoers are encouraged to dress up as Dylan or their favorite character from a Dylan song (now that should be interesting).

Details: 9:30 p.m.; $10 advance/$13 day of show; 510-525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com.

9. Dennis Edwards Duet: Edwards, an acclaimed bay Area pianist, joins bassist Steve Webber in a night of classics by Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and more.

Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 30, Front Row Theatre, San Ramon; $15-$20; 925-973-2787, www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/parks/theater.

10. "Halloween in the Castro": This pointed "horror opera" presented by Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco looks back at the days when the Castro's Halloween bash was more than a drunken revelry as well as the factors that led to its downfall. Oh, and there's some murder and mayhem involved, too.

Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 30-31; Metropolitan Community Church, S.F.; $20-$40; 800-838-3006, www.lgcsf.org.

Reach Randy McMullen at 925-943-8262 or rmcmullen@bayareanewsgroup.com