Cellist Paul Tobias will appear with the Virginia Chamber Players at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, in Chandler Recital Hall of the Diehn Fine and Performing Arts Center as part of the F. Ludwig Diehn Concert Series.

The concert is free and open to the public but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tobias, known for his innovation, rich musical lineage and promotion of difficult and interesting cello works, displays a crisp articulation and lightness of touch in his performances, reminiscent of European masters.

In addition to performing with many distinguished conductors and prominent orchestras, Tobias is a frequent soloist in major concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Boston's Symphony Hall, and the Kennedy Center.

Tobias serves as artistic director of the New Heritage Music Foundation, which fosters new compositions that commemorate people, events and themes central to American culture.

A former lecturer in music at Harvard University and for the New York Philharmonic, Tobias also has served on the faculties of the New England Conservatory of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the University of California at Berkeley. He is currently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.

The Virginia Chamber Players, formerly known as Apollo, was founded in 1992 by a group of musicians from the Virginia Symphony. Their first recording, "The Far Country," was composed by John Luther Adams and conducted by JoAnn Falletta.