Viktor Uzur and Andrej Kurti are familiar to Jackson Symphony Orchestra audiences.  But not playing Led Zeppelin.

Uzur, a cellist with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, and Kurti, a violinist who played with the JSO before moving to Athens, Ga., will bring their arrangements of rock, folk and ragtime to the JSO's rehearsal hall at 8 p.m. Saturday.

The concert is part of the JSO's chamber music series, but Viktor and Andrej, as they call themselves, won't restrict themselves to chamber music. They play rock songs and ragtime tunes as well as the Eastern European folk music they both grew up with, and the classical music that they play for a living.

Uzur said they both were raised in Serbia-Montenegro, part of the former Yugoslavia, and they met at the Moscow Conservatory in 1989.

"We had a classical education, but all the time you hear these things ... it's in your heart," Uzur said of the Eastern European folk music that forms one-quarter of their repertoire.

Uzur does the arranging for the duo, but he said he never has to research the folk music.

"We choose tunes we like," he said.

It's a little more complicated when it comes to rock. Uzur said he looks for "how great the song is," but he also has to consider whether it'll sound good when played by cello and violin.

"We've tried some arrangements that didn't work," he said. "We had to get rid of them."

One that does work, he said, is Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."

"It's the way it was written," he said.

They also play songs by Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Led Zeppelin.

"Led Zeppelin is a little harder to arrange because it's more oriented to rhythm and groove," Uzur said.

But that's OK with him.

"It's a lot of fun," he said. "Our point is to make those pieces sound like classical arrangements, but not to lose the power of rock or folk music."

Uzur said he and Kurti often played rock and folk music on guitars, just for fun, but it took them until 1999 to realize they could play the same music on cello and violin.

"We can use all the knowledge and the classical craft to express these other pieces," he said. "That's what attracted me, personally."

They've played clubs and other rock-style venues over the years, Uzur said, but that's just made him appreciate the fine acoustics that classical musicians enjoy.

So, he said, he wants to see the duo perform in concert halls and other places where they don't need microphones to get the music across to the audience.

They've recorded one CD and plan to record another, after each finishes a solo CD.

Uzur remains in Lansing where he's working on his doctorate at Michigan State University, while Kurti has moved to Athens, Ga. That distance means a few surprises when they get together to play, Uzur said.

"A very important part of our performance is improvisation," he said. "There's always something surprising when we play. ... Usually, the surprise is nice."

-- Reach reporter Mary Barber at 768-4971 or mbarber@citpat.com.