The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra resumed in-person concerts this summer by holding outdoor performances in Bronson Park and at the Gilmore Car Museum. The series will end at 8 pm Saturday, Aug 14 at the Gilmore Car Museum with a program filled with historic and contemporary meaning. Cara Lieurance welcomed music director Julian Kuerti, mezzo-soprano Melody Wilson, tenor Ben Gulley, and bass Scott Connor to the studio to talk about it.
Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, the Coronation Scene from Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Choral" make up the program. It's Kuerti's hand-picked re-creation of a 1962 Kalamazoo Symphony concert, a nod to the symphony's 100 seasons. The message of unity Beethoven draws from Schiller's poem "Ode To Joy" is especially relevant during difficult times, according to Kuerti. Soloists Gulley, Connor and Wilson discuss ways they prepare to perform operatic roles and reveal some of their most meaningful musical experiences.
The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra will announce its new season on August 24.
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