Public radio from Western Michigan University 102.1 NPR News | 89.9 Classical WMUK
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Conversations with creators and organizers of the arts scene in West Michigan, hosted by Cara Lieurance

Battle Creek concert preview: “Symphony 5: A Gilmore Concert Bonus”

 Battle Creek Symphony conductor Anne Harrigan
Alsa Photography
/
Battle Creek Symphony conductor Anne Harrigan

The Overture to the Barber of Seville, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 will bring home the Battle Creek Symphony’s season at 7:30 pm on Saturday, May 6 at W.K. Kellogg Auditorium.

The Brahms has arrived at long last, says Anne Harrigan in an interview with Cara Lieurance. She was prepared to lead a performance in the spring of 2020, but had to cancel the concert due to the pandemic. “It’s one of the few times I feel I was robbed!” she says.

2022 Gilmore Young Artist Janice Carissa, who wowed audiences at the 2022 Gilmore Piano Festival, will return to West Michigan as the soloist in the Mozart concerto. In an excerpt from an earlier interview, she talks about what it was like to learn she had won the award, and about her school life at the Curtis Institute. Anne Harrigan adds that this concerto has a connection to birdsong, and tells the story of how Mozart adopted a starling that could sing the main melody.

Cara Lieurance covers local music with live morning interviews, and produces WMUK's Let's Hear It weekday mornings at 10 am Mon-Fri, showcasing local interviews and performances. She also produces The Pure Drop, an hour of Celtic music, with musician Dave Marlatt.