Cara Lieurance

Director Chris Ludwa and Cara Lieurance highlight several musical selections of the Kalamazoo Bach Festival Chorus' upcoming Holidays With The Bach Festival Chorus concert, including the familiar carols "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "O Holy Night," to "Ose Shalom," a nod to the Hannukah holiday, and John Rutter's setting of the Gloria, a modern classic. They also preview Holiday Beer Choir, an event where anyone can sing along. It will be held at 7:30 pm Thursday, Dec 19 at Old Dog Tavern. 

The Kalamazoo Ringers' Martha Matthews, the Kalamazoo Male Chorus' Erik Jacobson, and the Kalamazoo Youth Jazz Orchestra's Benje Daneman join Cara Lieurance for a musical preview of the 11th annual Christmas in Kalamazoo, which will be held at 7:30 pm Tuesday, Dec 3 at Centerpoint Church in Kalamazoo. While each group will perform some pieces solo, the directors say their favorite selections are the unique arrangements for combinations of two or all three groups together.

The concert is free, but a freewill offering will be accepted.

A founding member of the Americana band The Corn Fed Girls, and co-host of Grassroots on WMUK, singer-songwriter Darcy Wilkin will soon release her first solo album, Bristol. She'll feature music from the new project in an album release concert at 8 pm on Saturday, Feb 8 at Bell's Eccentric Café.

Western Michigan University's Gold Company will add seasonal shine to the annual Kalamazoo Concert Band's holiday concert at 8 pm on Friday, Dec 6 in Miller Auditorium. "Unwrap The Season" will feature a variety of music, including a fun Bond-style piece called Secret Agent Santa, and the festive Rhapsodic Celebration by Robert Sheldon. Two singers from Gold Company will sing solos with the band, and the full group will sing an Al Burt carol medley and New York Voices settings of Christmas favorites. Kalamazoo Concert Band director Tom Evans and Gold Company Greg Jasperse fill in the details in an interview with Cara Lieurance.

Scottish percussionist Colin Currie is one of the central soloists in new music in the classical world. It's a place he's held over a career of collaboration, world premieres, and virtuosity. At 7:30 pm Friday, Nov 22 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall, presented by Fontana, Currie will join the equally innovative JACK Quartet for a program of works ranging from a Xenakis "classic"  to a world premiere by Andy Akiho. In an interview with Cara Lieurance, Currie talks about his collaboration with JACK Quartet as well as other recent projects, including a new release of music by Stephen Mackey with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. 

In an interview-within-an-intervew, Lieurance also checks in with JACK Quartet violist John Richards.