Harmony in Community
The Greater Kalamazoo area has embarked on a bold path – The Promise of a Greater Kalamazoo. Building upon The Promise scholarship program, this path is a long-term initiative seeking to provide outstanding education to all students, engage the community to ensure every student succeeds, continue to revitalize the urban core, and create a “region of choice” for economic development.
The KSO dedicates itself to walking this path with the Greater Kalamazoo community. To that end, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is committed to:
Comprehensive musical study/experience - The KSO Youth Concerts, attended annually by 13,000 students from 90 schools, explore masterworks of music in thematic concerts, using highly regarded pre-concert materials.
Arts-integrated Curriculum - In the KSO/Gilmore Partner Schools program, classroom, art, and music studies are linked with a sequence of 22 educational and musical events in seven area schools designed to build connections in learning.
Advanced learning opportunities - High School students participating in Education for the Arts Music for Life class receive support from the KSO through musical equipment and faculty. KSO Artists in Residence teach private lessons at the Crescendo Academy of Music. And students in financial need receive private lessons with the help of KSO and KSOL support.
Encouraging musical exploration - KSO ensembles take to the road in our Music on the Move program to bring music into school classrooms throughout a five-county area. Also, at our hands-on traveling exhibit, the Instrument Petting Zoo, children handle and play the instruments of the orchestra.
Providing performance experiences - Student ensembles are invited to perform in our Student Performer Showcase in the lobby of Miller Auditorium, then they attend the KSO Symphonic Series program with complimentary tickets.
Awarding musical achievement - In our Young Composer Competition, budding young composers submit original compositions for adjudication. All entries receive comments and two are chosen to be orchestrated and premiered at our Youth Concerts. Similarly, in our Young Soloist Auditions, advanced-level student performers audition for the opportunity to be a featured soloist with the KSO at our Youth Concerts.
Honoring exceptional achievement - Each season the KSO performs with the Gold Medalist of the Stulberg International String Competition. The KSO also partners with other local arts organizations and WMUK to feature talented students in Bravo.
Presenting concerts throughout greater Kalamazoo to varieties of audiences
The KSO presents a variety of concert series to meet the cultural needs of the Greater Kalamazoo audiences.
Innovative presentation, virtuosic performance, and collaborative spirit make each Symphonic Series concert a unique event tailored to the Greater Kalamazoo Audience.
The World of... series at Kalamazoo College probes the life, times, and music of featured composers. Each concert presents a variety of musical works plus a multimedia commentary on the social, artistic, and cultural realities of the particular time and place in which the composer worked. Maestro Harvey is your guide for each exciting journey to the composer’s world.
The Epic Center (corner of Burdick and Lovell Streets) in downtown Kalamazoo is the destination for your Epic Evenings Series - an intimate evening with the KSO’s Burdick-Thorne String Quartet and other KSO musicians. Bring a friend, grab a table, and settle in with your complimentary coffee for an evening of great music in the cozy Epic Theatre. Audience reception follows!
KSO Pops are the original “sit back and relax” experience. Great artists, familiar music, and engaging shtick make each performance a really big show.
A delightfully entertaining introduction to symphonic music for children ages 4-12, the KSO’s Family Discovery Series at Chenery Auditorium engages children (and adults!) with great music and interactive drama. The concert lasts about one hour, but come early for the pre-concert activities.
Musical Storybook programs at the Epic Center invite children ages 3-6 to explore stories, hands-on activities and music performed by the KSO’s Burdick-Thorne String Quartet.
Collaborating with other arts organizations to present unique performances
Recent artistic collaborations have involved: Ballet Arts Ensemble; Kalamazoo Bach Festival; Kalamazoo Civic Theatre; Kalamazoo Singers; KIA; The Stulberg; The Gilmore; and the WMU Schools of Music and Theatre.
Collaborating with community organizations to celebrate organizational milestones
Recent celebratory collaborations have included: Air Zoo’s inaugural season; American Cancer Society; Kalamazoo Gazette’s new press; Kalamazoo Latvian Association; Kalamazoo Russian Festival; and WMU’s Centennial.
National searches to hire Artists in Residence who come to Kalamazoo to live and work with the KSO and engage the wider arts community of Kalamazoo - KSO Artists in Residence have come to Kalamazoo from Seattle, Boston, San Diego, Ann Arbor, Los Angeles, and elsewhere.
Concert events draw people from several surrounding counties to Kalamazoo - Symphonic Series subscribers come from a seven-county area, and special events often draw patrons to Kalamazoo from a wider area extending into Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.
Major player in an arts culture that makes Kalamazoo an attractive city - The KSO is the largest arts organization in Kalamazoo and a national leader in regional orchestras.