Ben Folds will be following up his scheduled Lollapalooza appearance this summer by sitting at his piano with a few of the leading symphony orchestras in the country.

On September 24, the quirky songwriter/singer will be appearing in Washington, DC with National Symphony Orchestra, on October 2 in Boston with Boston Pops, and October 31 with Minneapolis Orchestra in Minneapolis. In 2005-2006 Folds toured with symphony orchestras. In 2007 he also played with Boston Pops.

Folds is continuing to support “Way to Normal,” his third album released in September. It hit the No. 11 spot on Billboard’s 200. “You Don’t Know Me,” the lead track on the album that features Regina Spektor made Triple A radio’s Top 30 list. That single along was a few others off the album can be found streaming on the MySpace page of Ben Folds.

Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) was the producer of “Way to Normal.” The set features Ben Folds on piano and vocals, Sam Smith on drums and Jared Reynolds on bass.

In April “Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella” was released by Folds. It’s a compilation of different Folds songs being performed by US college vocal troupes. Folds said to NPR.com that in the process he gained a new appreciation for that genre.

Folds said, I can play chords on piano or guitar that falls into my hands, however that doesn’t mean I know always what I am doing. When arranging for a capella you need to understand theory, chords and voice leading. Everybody that’s part of the group needs to understand. It is very cerebral. It’s performed live. It’s truly an event which is how music should be.