The Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra opens its season at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, in Miller Auditorium with Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Overture, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, and Respighi's Pines of Rome. The soloist is 16-year-old violinist Max Ye, silver medalist of the 2026 Stulberg International String Competition.
In a live interview with Cara Lieurance, music director Bruce Uchimura says rehearsals have moved quickly. "The orchestra, like I said this year, is quite advanced and strong," he says. He adds that his students, who have now played with four Stulberg winners, tell him they like Ye best.
Ye, an 11th grader from Tianjin, studies at the Central Conservatory of Music's middle school in Beijing. With Stulberg board member and WMU violin professor Sophie Tang translating at times, he says the concerto's challenge is not technical; Bach and Paganini are harder for him. The difficulty is sustaining the feeling across the whole piece. "Tchaikovsky concerto is my favorite concerto," he says.
Ye first visited the United States in May for the competition. He admits that what he had seen on social media left him worried about safety, but he found Kalamazoo "very safe and very kind." He thanks the residents who drove him around and took him to dinner, and the Chinese family the Stulberg arranged to host him.
Stulberg executive director Garrett Jones says that welcome is deliberate. Volunteer ambassadors are paired with each semifinalist as a home away from home. He calls Kalamazoo "such a supportive community in so many ways." He also notes the competition's ties to WMU, where namesake Julius Stulberg taught for many years.
On Sunday, Ye plays a centuries-old Italian Maggini violin, which he says came on loan with his first prize at this year's Cooper violin competition.
Uchimura says the Russian Easter Overture was among the pieces his students requested most. Pines of Rome follows last season's Fountains of Rome and calls for piano, harp, celesta, and extra brass in the balcony. Percussionists will play nightingale whistles for the birdsong that ends the third movement. "It's a fabulous piece and the orchestra's really enjoying playing it," he says.
Tickets are available at the door or in advance through the School of Music events page.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
