Grand Rapids Bach Festival, multiple dates St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, March 17-19 The Little Engine That Could, March 18 Saint-Saens Piano Concerto, March 24-25 The Emperor’s New Clothes, March 25 Beethoven & Bernstein, April 21-22 Classical Mystery Tour: Sgt. Pepper’s 50th Anniversary, April 28-30 Beethoven’s Eroica, May 19-20
Hope College Great Performance Series 141 E. 12th St., Holland hope.edu/gps, (616) 395-7860
Piano trios, string quartets, jazz quintets, violinist… octuplets? No. It’s octet. The Great Performance Series brings groups of all genres and styles to Hope College. Barrage 8 even includes Eve Panning, a 2015 Hope alum, so you know they’ll be bowing, plucking and striking with everything they’ve got. Limon Dance Company, Sept. 30 Trio Con Brio Copenhagen, Oct. 14 St. Lawrence String Quartet, Nov. 12 Reduced Shakespeare Co., Jan. 20 Dave Douglas Quintet, Feb. 17 Barrage 8, March 30
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
359 Kalamazoo Mall Ste. 100, Kalamazoo kalamazoosymphony.com, (269) 349-7759 The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra continues its tradition of beloved classics and featured guest performers. Also check out unique programs like the collaboration with Wellspring - Cori Terry & Dancers, a musical/dance production taking place four nights in a row. Or, for the libation lovers, Classics Uncorked and Classics On Tap pair the finest wine and beer with your listening experience.
S. Burdick St., Kalamazoo kazoostate.com, (269) 345-6500 Known for bringing Grammy Award-winning artists to Kalamazoo, the State Theatre continues its tradition of big names with Swedish metal group Ghost, the legendary fast-rapping Tech N9ne, and classic rock band Kansas, to name a few. Ghost w/ Popestar, Oct. 4 Loreena McKennitt, Oct. 13 Tech N9ne w/ Krizz Kaliko & JL, Oct. 16 Colbie Caillat w/ High Dive Heart & Justin Young, Oct. 18 Halestorm w/ Lita Ford & Dorothy, Oct. 25 Kane Brown w/ Jordan Rager, Nov. 3 Kansas, Nov. 6 The Robert Cray Band, Nov. 10 The Brian Setzer Orchestra’s Christmas Rocks! Tour, Nov. 16
St. Cecilia Music Center 24 Ransom Ave. NE, Grand Rapids scmc-online.org, (616) 459-2224
This intimate, historic venue in the heart of Grand Rapids is known for its various ongoing series, such as the Acoustic Cafe Series (e.g. Langhorne Slim), the Spectacular Jazz Series (e.g. Cecile McLorin Salvant), and the collaborative Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Series (e.g. Faure & Brahms). Keep your eye on some of these, because the music center only expects the schedule to grow as the year goes on.
Kamasi Washington & The Next Step, Sept. 30 Beethoven’s Quartet Cycle by Takacs Quartet, Oct. 8-9 Denis Matsuev, Oct. 16 Berlin Philharmonic, Nov. 12-13 A Venetian Coronation 1595 by Gabrieli, Nov. 15 Jake Shimabukuro, Nov. 16 Handel’s Messiah, Dec. 3-4 The King’s Singers Christmas Songbook, Dec. 10 Prague Philharmonia, Jan. 19 On Behalf of Nature by Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble, Jan. 20 Beethoven’s Quartet Cycle by Takacs Quartet, Jan. 21-22 Inon Barnatan, Anthony McGill & Alisa Weilerstein, Jan. 29 Bruckner Orchester Linz, Feb. 2 Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Feb. 3 M-Prize Winners: Calidore String Quartet, Feb. 5 Budapest Festival Orchestra, Feb. 10 Jelly and George by Aaron Diehl & Cecile McLorin Salvant, Feb. 19 Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, March 11 Snarky Puppy, March 16 Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, March 18 Mitsuko Uchida, March 24 Beethoven’s Quartet Cycle by Takacs Quartet, March 25-26 DakhaBrakha, March 29 Michael Fabiano & Martin Katz, April 1
Sanam Marvi, April 15 King Sunny Ade, April 21 Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile, April 22 Handel’s Ariodante, April 25
West Michigan Symphony
425 W. Western Ave. Ste. 409, Muskegon wsso.org, (231) 726-3231 The West Michigan Symphony is known for its intensely involved staff, from music director Scott Speck to composer-in-residence Austin Wintory, who wrote EP!C, a tribute to grandiose film scores. Classics like Vivaldi, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff return, along with the WMS Pops series, including Classical Christmas and Heroes & Villains, with music from more than 10 unforgettable films. Heroes & Villains, Sept. 30 EP!C, Nov. 11 Classical Christmas, Dec. 16 Vivalid’s Four Seasons, Jan. 13 Beethoven Triple, Feb. 3 Classical Music for Everyone, March 10 Great Ladies of Swing, April 28 Rachmaninoff No. 3, May 19
Destination Vienna, Nov. 10 Langhorne Slim, Nov. 17 Cecile McLorin Salvant, Dec. 8 Faure & Brahms, Jan. 26 French Virtuosity, March 16 Joey Alexander, March 23 San Francisco Jazz Collective performing Miles Davis, May 4
University Musical Society
Scene Sounds | Sights | Dining | Schedule
Bronfman plays Tchaikovsky 2, Sept. 16 The World of Rossini, Oct. 9 Barber and Bartok, Oct. 29 Ray Charles, Motown & Beyond!, Nov. 5 Terry Riley Collaboration, Nov. 10-13 Emmanuel Ceysson, Nov. 18 Christmas with Angel Blue, Dec. 3 The Night Before Christmas, Dec. 18 The World of Smetana, Jan. 15 Classics Uncorked : Winter Evening, Jan. 27 Classics On Tap: Winter Evening, Jan. 28 Mahler’s 6th Symphony, Feb. 3 Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage, Feb. 19 Disney & Pixar Ratatouille in Concert, March 11 Cameron Carpenter, April 1 Classics Uncorked: Spring Evening, April 14 Classics On Tap: Spring Evening, April 15 Play it again Marvin!, April 28 Don Giovanni, May 26
Kalamazoo State Theatre
Burton Memorial Tower 881 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor ums.org, (734) 764-2538
While outside of our typical West Michigan coverage, the University Musical Society schedule is just too good to pass up. There’s an amazingly diverse lineup of contemporary jazz, world music, string quartets, chamber choirs and so much more. Especially unique is the Takacs Quartet performing the entirety of Beethoven’s Quartet Cycle in one season, a six-day feat only accomplished twice before in UMS’s history.
Kamasi Washington, University Musical Society REVUEWM.COM | September 2016 |
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