Arts & Entertainment:
Event Spotlight
Celebrate the Holidays
with The Grand Rapids Symphony, Wolverine Worldwide Holiday Pops and Old National Bank Cirque de Noël WORDS AND PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE GRAND RAPIDS SYMPHONY
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he Grand Rapids Symphony once again presents the Wolverine Worldwide Holiday Pops on Dec. 5-8 followed by the Old National Bank Cirque de Noël on Dec. 18-19, both in DeVos Performance Hall. Principal Pops conductor Bob Bernhardt will lead the orchestra in such timeless melodies as Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride and such modern classics as music from films Home Alone and The Polar Express in this year’s Wolverine Worldwide Holiday Pops.
WOLVERINE WORLDWIDE HOLIDAY POPS
OLD NATIONAL BANK CIRQUE DE NOËL
Capathia Jones, star of stage and screen, joins the Grand Rapids Pops to sing such songs as “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” for Grand Rapids’ favorite holiday tradition. Guest Artist Sponsor is Jim Jurries. Joining the Symphony in favorites such as the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah and music from the 1990 film Home Alone are the joyful voices of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus and the Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Chorus. The adult Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, led by director Pearl Shangkuan, will sing traditional and modern songs for the season and will lead the audience in a Christmas Carol Sing Along. The Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Chorus, co-directed by Sean and Leah Ivory, will sing a traditional Irish song, “The Darkest Midnight” in December, arranged by Sean Ivory; and an original song titled, “Sewa! (Joy!)” by Leah Ivory. Cirque de la Symphonie will once again bring the wonder of cirque and the delight of live holiday music to DeVos Performance Hall. Shows in the Gerber SymphonicBoom series are at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 1819. The company of acrobats, jugglers, contortionists and aerial artists will make merry with amazing feats of agility and strength, accompanied by beloved Christmas songs classical favorites.
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Returning this year with Cirque de la Symphonie for the first time since 2014 is aerialist Christine Van Loo, a native of Grand Rapids. The seven-time National Champion acrobatic gymnast, named Athlete of the Decade for the 1980s by the U.S. Sports Acrobatics Federation, has performed throughout the world from Sydney Opera House to Madison Square Garden, sharing stages with Paul McCartney, Aerosmith, Josh Groban, Aaron Neville and Earth, Wind and Fire. Van Loo will perform a solo aerial silk routine to Debussy’s Clair de Lune and an aerial duet with Benjamin Lerman to Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker. Purchase tickets at grsymphony.org.
What: Wolverine Worldwide Holiday Pops and Old National Bank Cirque de Noël When: Dec. 5-8; Dec.18-19 Where: DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave NW Cost: Wolverine Worldwide Holiday Pops-starting at $18/adults, $5/students; Old National Bank Cirque de Noël-starting at $18
Women’s LifeStyle Magazine • December 2019