Kalamazoo Symphony Celebrates 100th Anniversary With Familiar Faces on June 18th

It'll be a reunion of sorts on Saturday night, June 18th, when the Kalamazoo Symphony celebrates its 100th anniversary with a concert at Miller Auditorium, that will use historic visuals in addition to a production that will feature some of classical music's "greatest hits", including Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous Symphony No. 9 and Franz Schubert’s Eighth and “Unfinished” Symphony.

The KSO says every piece in the program has a significance, whether it's from the orchestra's history or maybe it was selected by a particular guest artist.

KSO Music Director Emeritus Raymond Harvey will join the orchestra to conduct an excerpt from Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Concertmaster Emeritus (and former assistant conductor) Barry Rosswill will be front and center for Jules Massenet’s Méditation from the composer’s opera Thaïs. The longest-standing member of the orchestra, Principal Tuba Robert Whaley,will perform a movement of Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Tuba Concerto.

As it is the 100th anniversary, the KSO will also be celebrating its founder, Leta Snow.

"The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra's history begins with its founder, Leta G. Snow, local civic leader and founder of the national League of American Orchestras. Snow felt that a local symphony orchestra was essential for developing a community with an attractive quality of life....What began as one woman's dream a century ago has become an integral part of the region's cultural life through the unwavering support of the Kalamazoo community. The Symphony's first concert featured an all-volunteer orchestra on December 21, 1921, at the Masonic Temple under conductor Chester Z. Bronson. Now, 100 years later, the Symphony is achieving artistic and institutional growth and excitement with more than 80 professional musicians under the leadership of Music Director Julian Kuerti." Kalamazoo Symphony

Concert tickets are available at KalamazooSymphony.com.