Symphony Announces 23/24 Season!

Kalamazoo Symphony’s 23/24 Season Shares Stories Through Extraordinary Music

KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra launches into the 2023/24 season with programming built around sharing compelling stories through extraordinary music. Presented by Zhang Financial, the 23/24 season will take audiences on a journey through the lives, emotions, and experiences of both composers and the characters their music portrays.

“Stories, like music, bring people together,” said KSO Executive Director Jessica Mallow Gulley. “For the 23/24 season, we focus on the stories woven throughout every concert we perform. From the magic of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake to the tragic love story of Puccini’s Tosca, the 23/24 season is filled with timeless tales – along with new stories, from new voices – portrayed through soul-stirring performances.”

RETURNING FAVORITES:

• The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks Series returns with six concerts in Miller Auditorium. From Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the series is brimming with staples of the classical repertoire. Equally important are the five featured works by living composers highlighted throughout the series, including Michigan-born Jonathan Bailey Holland and industry trailblazer Jessie Montgomery.
• In its second season, the Chamber Music Series features four concerts with programming from jazz to classical…all on Sunday afternoons.
• The Symphony will return to Bell’s Eccentric Café for three Craft Music performances led by Western Michigan University’s Bruce Uchimura.

NEW AND EXCITING:

• Legendary musician Branford Marsalis returns to Kalamazoo when the Symphony gives the world premiere of a piece he wrote specifically for the Kalamazoo Symphony.*
• In the largest production of the season, the KSO brings opera back to Kalamazoo for the first time since 2017 with a symphonic-staged production of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca. This performance is a part of the six-concert Masterworks Series.
• Partnering with Ballet Arts Ensemble,** the Symphony brings to life the magic of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker to kick off the holiday season in Miller Auditorium.
• In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the KSO will partner with members of the Kalamazoo arts community to introduce a special event honoring his legacy and impact.
• The 23/24 season features an expanded partnership with Miller Auditorium for the return of a film with orchestra concert. Additional details will be announced at a later date.

“Alongside favorites like Mozart’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony are meaningful collaborations with guest artists, composers like Branford Marsalis, and community partners, a true diversity of musical offerings — large, small, well-loved, and brand new, next season has it all,” said KSO Music Director Julian Kuerti. “And thanks to a very generous gift from Betty Upjohn Mason we are able to present the greatest form of musical storytelling with Puccini’s beloved Tosca. Opera returns to Kalamazoo!”

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS:

Building community partnerships is an integral part of the Kalamazoo Symphony’s mission to serve our community through outstanding musical listening and learning experiences. Every season the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra shares the stage with a wide variety of community partners.

2023/24 Season Community Partners include:

• Ballet Arts School of Dance
• Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra
• Stulberg International String Competition
• Gilmore Piano Festival
• Kalamazoo Children's Chorus
• Western Michigan University
• University of Michigan

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The numerous education programs that occur throughout every Kalamazoo Symphony season will be announced at a later date. From the Kalamazoo Kids in Tune after-school program to Orchestra Rouh, which works to bring immigrant students together through music, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra impacts nearly 30,000 local students annually. A listing of educational programs will be announced later and available at KalamazooSymphony.com.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION

Tickets for individual concerts will go on sale in August. Currently, tickets are available to KSO season subscribers and those interested in purchasing season ticket packages for the 2023/24 season. For more information or to buy a ticket package, visit KalamazooSymphony.com or call 269.349.7759.

ABOUT THE KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Making symphonic music a part of everyday life for 100 years, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra shares lifelong musical experiences and learning throughout our community. The KSO actively collaborates with other Kalamazoo area organizations to inspire, care for, educate, and connect people through the arts. As the state’s third-largest orchestra, the KSO serves Michigan’s sixth-largest metropolitan area with a professional roster of more than 80 musicians and a dedicated staff, creating exceptional symphonic music, hosting world-class guest artists, and nurturing vibrant educational programming.

The KSO receives significant support from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, and is supported by the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. Recognitions, awards, and grants include a major Ford Foundation grant to establish an innovative Artists in Residence program and recognition from Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. The KSO also receives generous support from other local, state, and national foundations and private and corporate support.

*Branford Marsalis will not be performing with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. He will travel to Kalamazoo for the world premiere performance of a piece the Kalamazoo Symphony commissioned from him as a part of a multi-year residency project.

** This is a correction from a previously released document.