KSO News

“Gerald felt so wonderful his mouth was open wide. ‘I am dancing! Yes, I’m dancing! I AM DANCING!’ Gerald cried” (Andreae & Parker-Rees, 2012). The narrator beams, holding out the storybook for everyone to see as the quartet begins to play a jaunty rhythm. The children excitedly shake their paper giraffes, making them dance along…

On September 19, the Kalamazoo community came together to witness a never-before-seen musical event: the world premiere of the brand-new musical storybook Jammin’ in Kalamazoo! Through the generous support of the John Stites Jazz Awards and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra was able to commission a new storybook for our popular…

On Saturday, November 11, the Kalamazoo Symphony hosted the 23/24 Jane Rooks Ross & Barry Ross Youth Soloist Competition in Miller Auditorium. The competition welcomed 10 young musicians from Southwest Michigan to the stage, playing a piece of their choice. Isaac brought home the win after performing the third movement of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto…

Features local music students from the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra and choruses from Kalamazoo Central and Loy Norrix High Schools KALAMAZOO, Mich.– On Sunday, Jan. 21, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO) shares the stage with members of the Kalamazoo arts community in a concert honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr….

Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 (1937) by Dmitri Shostakovich (St. Petersburg, 1906 – Moscow, 1975) What to Know: Shostakovich wrote his Fifth Symphony at a very difficult period in his lifeHis Fifth Symphony was written as a response to the harsh criticisms of previous worksWhile accepted by the government, it is often…

Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (1929-31) by Maurice Ravel (Cibouew, France, 1875 – Paris, 1937) On Saturday, March 23, pianist Yekwon Sunwoo joins the Kalamazoo Symphony for a performance of Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. Fun Facts: Inside Scoop: For the Paris premiere of his Piano Concerto for the Left Hand,…

The idea for Thea Musgrave’s compelling composition The Seasons was sparked during a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As Musgrave toured the various artwork, she saw the images as related to the four seasons or cycles in a person’s life. The first work Thea focused on, Piero di Cosimo’s Caccia…

The Marsalis Residency:In the summer of 2021, Branford Marsalis performed in Kalamazoo for a Symphony summer performance at the Gilmore Car Museum. So began a multi-year residency project that would include the creation of a brand-new Musical Storybook, “Jammin’ in Kalamazoo,” and the commission of an orchestral work written by Marsalis to premiere in March…

ACT I Castel Sant’Angelo Cesare Angelotti, a political fugitive, has just escaped from the Castel Sant’Angelo and enters the church of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. He is trying to find the Attavanti chapel, where his sister, the Marchesa Attavanti, has hidden women’s clothes in which he hopes to continue his flight to freedom. No…

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra launches the 24/25 season with over 20 mainstage performances, including An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma on June 2. Presented by Zhang Financial, the 24/25 season brings world-renowned artists, local community partners, and exhilarating symphonic music to Kalamazoo.