Symphony in the Summer
New Concerts All Summer!

June - August, 2021
Live Music Returns!

Symphony in the Summer, the KSO Summer Festival, brings new concerts celebrating summer & music in our centennial year. From June through August, we will cover the area in music: from full, ticketed concerts at the Gilmore Car Museum, to free community celebrations in Bronson Park, to pop-up ensemble Serenades.

Discover the Symphony outdoors this summer. We can't wait to share music in person with you again!

CONCERT TICKETS

SUMMER FLYER

Ode to Joy
Joyous Close to Summer Concerts

SAT, AUG 14 | 8 P.M. | Gilmore Car Museum

Our summer Centennial Celebration closes with energy and joy, including guest soloists and local singers joining us for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and his uplifting Ode to Joy.

The concert opens with Aaron Copland’s majestic Fanfare for the Common Man, then we will treat you to the breathtaking "Coronation Scene" from Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov before closing with Beethoven's inspiring and uplifting Ninth Symphony.

INFO & TICKETS

New Season is Coming Soon
Coming Soon: Our New Season!

Season Announcement & Subscription Ticket Sales Coming in Mid-August

Live KSO concerts performed for you in concert halls return in October! We are putting the final touches on the programming, confirming soloists, and working with the concert venues on health and safety guidelines to ensure the safest and most enjoyable season possible.

We plan to announce the season in mid-August with subscription ticket sales open from that time through Labor Day. Single-concert tickets will be available after Labor Day.

Here are three concert dates to hold while you wait for the full line-up:

  • Sat., Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m.: Masterworks Opening Night
  • Fri., Dec. 17, at 7:30 p.m. and Sat., Dec. 18, at 3 p.m.: Sounds of the Season holiday concert (two showtimes!)
  • Fri., Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in Concert

SAVE-THE-DATES FLYER

  • KSO Artists in Residence
    KSO Artists in Residence

    In 1995, as part of the 75th anniversary celebration of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, a commitment was made to develop four full-time positions that would both enable the orchestra to create community service and education programs and strengthen the orchestra ensemble.

    To this end, the Artists in Residence program began with the KSO's Burdick-Thorne String Quartet. Since that time, the Artists in Residence program has grown to eight positions; including oboe, clarinet, trombone, and timpani, along with the original strings. As a result, the artistic level of the orchestra has soared, and the KSO's education and community programs have expanded to reach more than 26,000 students and their teachers annually with 20+ programs in more than 100 schools throughout Southwest Michigan.

    Our current Artists in Residence are:

    Julia Neckermann, Violin I
    Lisa A. Williams, Violin II
    Nicholas Jeffrey, Viola (not pictured)
    Igor Cetkovic, Cello
    Gabriel Renteria, Oboe
    Georgiy Borisov, Clarinet
    Edward "Kip" Hickman, Trombone
    Mark Guthrie, Timpani

  • Get to Know the Orchestra
    Get to Know the Orchestra

    Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra musicians are the heart of our organization.

    Learn more about our talented musicians; KSO's Music Director, Julian Kuerti; Resident Conductor, Daniel Brier; and our Music Director Emeritus, Raymond Harvey.

  • KSO in your community
    KSO in your Community

    We LOVE our community. You will find your KSO musicians peforming free public concerts in venues such as Bronson's Garden Atrium, Borgess' Atrium Lobby, First Presbyterian Church of Kalamazoo, Sarkozy Bakery, and Kalamazoo Public Library...and that is just to name a few!

    We also are excited to bring our beloved Instrument Petting Zoo to many local events throughout the year. Fun for kids of all ages!

    Check out our Community Events Calendar for a complete calendar of events.  

  • KSO On The Go
    KSO On The Go

    Through education programs and partnerships, KSO has unique and exciting opportunities to support school music programs through “KSO On The Go” and other in-school programs.

    We bring live performances, classroom visits, artist residencies, and symphony field trips, accompanied by great curriculum materials, to provide formative learning experiences for students of all ages.

Discover the KSO


Experience our 100th season

Create shared, live musical experiences with your Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra during our 2020-21 concert season. 

KSO100 
Our 100th concert season celebrates the KSO's first 100 years and anticipates our next century of bringing musical experiences to the community. This season will be unlike any previous year as we find new ways to share music from safe distances. Initially, our concerts will be streamed to your home. Our musicians sometimes will performing from their homes, and when possible, they will perform together while wearing masks and remaining physically distant. The orchestra may look different, but the outstanding music continues!

We hope you will take a few moments to explore our site and learn more about our history, education programs, concert series, our Music Director and, of course, our talented musicians. We’re committed to ensuring symphonic music is part of everyday life in our community through outstanding musical listening and learning experiences. We look forward to seeing you online...and in the concert hall when it's safe to gather!