‘Be amazed and moved’

Symphonic Beats - Photo by Jeri Love

Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Music Director Julian Kuerti conducts as Monica Washington Padula, on keys, accompanies Jessica “Jess” Ivey during a rehearsal for Symphonic Beats. Photo by Jeri Love.

By Jeri Love | NowKalamazoo | Explore & Connect | March 3, 2026

The second annual “Symphonic Beats” performance – a collaboration between the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and Kalamazoo hip-hop culture makers – features dozens of artists ranging from 7 years old to 60.

Symphonic Beats returns to the stage of Kalamazoo Central High School on Friday, March 6, featuring a genre-melding collaboration between hip-hop and spoken-word artists, backed by the DC Quintet and a cohort of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO).

Read the full article at NowKalamazoo.org.