Joshua Kovac, the silver medalist of the Stulberg International String Competition, will join the Western Michigan University Symphony as a soloist at 3 pm on Sunday, Oct 6 in Miller Auditorium. The program features a rich Russian repertoire, including Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Prokofiev’s Symphonia Concertante (with Kovac as the featured soloist), and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.
In a conversation with Cara Lieurance, Kovac discusses his musical journey, beginning with his studies under Daniel Weiss at Park University, continuing even after his move to Tennessee through Zoom lessons. He reflects on his experience at the Stulberg Competition, where he was surprised by his success, describing how challenging yet rewarding it was to participate and reconnect with friends.
Kovac will play the Sinfonia Concertante by Prokofiev, a work originally poorly received but later revised in collaboration with cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Kovac and Uchimura both share insights into the complexity of the piece, noting its technical challenges and how Rostropovich’s input made certain passages more fitting for cellists.
Uchimura will also conduct Shostakovich's Festive Overture and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade on Sunday, and then helm a "Craft Music" concert later in the week. At 7 pm on Wednesday, Oct 9, he'll lead a 9-member ensemble of Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra artists at Bell's Eccentric Café. The tango-themed program features two guest artists, Peruvian dancers Angela Castillo and Mauricio Salas.
Tickets for the WMU Symphony are available here. Tickets and more information on the "Craft Music" series are at the Kalamazoo Symphony website.
