Tonight, a group of 10 musicians will take listeners on an evening-long journey from a black hole in space to turn-of-the-century France.

Two professional quintets, the Sylvan Winds and the Pennsylvania Quintet, begin performing at 8 p.m. in Esber Recital Hall.

The Sylvan Winds, based in New York City, will perform "Startling Stories" by Robert Dick, which takes its title from a pulp science fiction magazine from the 1940s and '50s. Then, the two groups will both contribute performances to three pieces by French composers from the late 19th century.

Svjetlana Kabalin, flutist for the Sylvan Winds, said the piece by Dick was commissioned for the group in 2007.

She said the piece is reminiscent of the music from The Twilight Zone. The group is also supposed to create the feeling of travel through a black hole at one point in the piece, she said, which adds to the science fiction theme.

Dick, a flutist as well as composer, uses what are called "extended techniques" to explore contemporary flute, Kabalin said, such as methods of playing more than one note at a time and creating effects with the instrument.

"He's very much into experimenting and trying to expand the sonic qualities of the flute," she said.

The second half of the concert will include a piece by Andre Caplet, "Suite Persane," or "Persian Suite," performed by all 10 musicians from both quintets.

Daryl Durran, a Penn State School of Music professor and bassoonist for the Pennsylvania Quintet, called the melody of the suite "a European's idea of Arabian music."

Durran said the three French pieces, also including works by Edouard Flament and Theodore Dubois, were typical of chamber music played by New York instrumental societies at the turn of the 20th century that found inspiration in Parisian music.

"The style still has influence on American wind playing," he said.

Sylvan Winds, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, comprises five musicians who freelance throughout New York City in addition to performing in the Sylvan Winds.

The Pennsylvania Quintet, which is made up of five School of Music professors, including Durran, has been performing for 23 years, with between four and six concerts each year.

Durran said this is the first time the Pennsylvania Quintet and the Sylvan Winds have performed together.

"Both groups have been aware of the activities of the other for years and years and years," he said. "I think it will be a very happy collaboration."

Timothy Hurtz, a School of Music professor and oboe player with the Pennsylvania Quintet, said the Sylvan Winds are talented performers that often take on lesser-known pieces, like those the two quintets will collaborate on tonight.

"Every one of the players in that group is a master player in their field," he said.