Bargain hunting in Southern California

Classical music

The Santa Monica Symphony plays in a barn (the Civic Auditorium), but the orchestra is more than respectable, and the price is always right: Concerts are free. Every program offers standard repertory but also rarities, and the soloists are emerging artists for whom you might have to shell out a lot of money in a few years. www.smsymphony.org.-- Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer