"The idea of the program was to collect music that's about rebirth, that's about springtime, that's about highlighting what we love about renewing and becoming new again," explains Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra music director Julian Kuerti, who, with concertmaster Jun-Ching Lin, joins Cara Lieurance to give listeners a taste of the upcoming concert. It's set for 7:30 pm on Saturday, Mar 1 in Miller Auditorium.
The program spans several musical eras, featuring works by composers ranging from the 18th century's Antonio Vivaldi to contemporary composer Valerie Coleman. "There's some aspect of almost every epoch here. And I love programs like this. I think it really shows off what an orchestra can do," Kuerti says.
Jun-Ching Lin, concertmaster of the KSO, will step into the solo role for Vivaldi's "Spring" from "The Four Seasons." It's filled with life sounds, from a thunderstorm to the bark of a dog. "I've actually asked our principal violist, Arturo Ziraldo, to be a more creative dog, and so perhaps sometimes he can bark loudly and sometimes he'll bark quietly."
The first half closes with Aaron Copland's iconic "Appalachian Spring," which famously features the Shaker tune "Simple Gifts." The concert will conclude with Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 1 "Spring," which Kuerti says the composer wrote in an incredibly short period of time — four days — possessed by inspiration from a poem.
More information and tickets are available at the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra website.
