KSO Announces 2022 Summer Season
The KSO’s Symphony in the Summer Concert Series Returns in June!
The KSO will perform throughout the community, including a return performance at the Gilmore Car Museum
KALAMAZOO, Mich.– In the summer of 2021, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO) took to the outdoors for the first time in over a decade. After a successful centennial summer series, the KSO will once again continue its music-making into the summer of 2022, appearing throughout the region with the full orchestra and chamber ensemble groups. Highlights of the upcoming Tyler Family Symphony in the Summer Series will include full orchestra performances at the Gilmore Car Museum and Bronson Park. The Summer Series is presented by Zhang Financial.
Full Orchestra Events:
- Patriotic Pops
- Bronson Park
- Saturday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m.
- Admission is free and open to the public
- Concerts in the Park are presented by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo through the Summertime Live series.
- Gershwin & Dvořák’s New World
- Gilmore Car Museum
- Saturday, July 16 at 7 p.m.
- Tickets at: KalamazooSymphony.com
Additional Summer Events:
- KSO at Overlander
- Overlander Band Shell
- Thursday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.
- Admission is free and open to the public
- KSO Musical Storybooks – Octopus’ Garden
- Huss School
- Saturday, June 25 at 10 a.m.
- Admission is free and open to the public
- KSO Musical Storybooks – Peter and the Wolf
- Huss School
- Saturday, July 9 at 10 a.m.
- Admission is free and open to the public
- KSO Musical Storybooks – Hum and Swish
- Huss School
- Saturday, July 23 at 10 a.m.
- Admission is free and open to the public
- KSO at Portage Senior Center
- New Portage Senior Center
- Thursday, July 28 at 3 p.m.
- Admission is free and open to the public
- KSO at the Zoo!
- Binder Park Zoo
- Sunday, July 31 at 1 p.m.
- Admission is free and open to the public
“After last summer’s incredible success, we are thrilled to be able to offer our Symphony in Summer Series again,” says Jessica Mallow Gulley, KSO executive director. “Bringing the sounds of the KSO to our region year-round is something we are proud to do for our community. We are thankful to the Tyler Family for endowing this tradition for years to come.”
Gilmore Car Museum
Grab a blanket and chair and join us under the stars for a night of symphonic music as the KSO returns to the Gilmore Car Museum. Saturday, July 16 will find the sounds of the KSO filling the open summer air of the Gilmore Car Museum for an evening complete with cars and stars. Concert tickets include access to the Gilmore Car Museum, which will stay open until 7 p.m.
The KSO’s performance at the Car Museum includes George Gershwin’s lively An American in Paris and soprano Rhea Olivaccé (faculty at Western Michigan University) performing Gershwin tunes like “I Got Rhythm.” Closing the program will be one of the most well-known works in orchestra repertoire, Antonín Dvořák’s luscious and dramatic Ninth Symphony, “From the New World.”
Concert tickets are available online at KalamazooSymphony.com or by calling The Community Box Office at 269.250.6984.
Bronson Park
KSO joins Concerts in the Park once more on Saturday, July 2 for a reprise of its new annual tradition, Patriotic Pops, presented by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo through the Summertime Live series. This performance will feature favorite tunes from the marches of John Phillip Sousa to Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s roaring 1812 Overture. The full symphony will be joined by the Legends Drum and Bugle Corps. Admission is free, and tickets are not required.
Musical Storybooks
One of the KSO’s most popular education programs, Musical Storybooks, takes audiences deeper into family-friendly books while musicians of the KSO paint a musical soundscape. Musical Storybooks bring stories to life by immersing them in music. These programs are a fantastic way to engage children of all ages in literacy, storytelling, and music-making. All performances are in partnership with St. Joseph County ISD and Three Rivers Library and occur between 10-11 a.m. Admission is free, and tickets are not required.
KSO at the Zoo!
Lions, tigers…and violins! Musicians of the KSO travel to Binder Park Zoo to take audiences on a musical adventure while highlighting favorite zoo animals. Concert participation is subject to Park Admission.
Overlander Band Shell
A KSO Chamber Ensemble makes its way to Portage for a performance at another one of our region’s favorite outdoor venues. Admission is free, and tickets are not required.
Portage Senior Center
Southwest Michigan’s newest Senior Center will be host to a Chamber Ensemble featuring KSO Artists in Residence.
Concert, Tickets & Information
For concert updates, tickets, and additional information about the Tyler Family Symphony in the Summer Series, visit KalamazooSymphony.com.
Sponsors
The KSO thanks the Tyler Little Family Foundation for endowing the Symphony in the Summer Series.
The Tyler Family Symphony in the Summer Series is presented by Zhang Financial and sponsored by the Kalamazoo | Battle Creek International Airport.
Gershwin & Dvořák’s New World is sponsored by Friendship Village and the First National Bank of Michigan.
Music Connects Us 100th Anniversary Campaign
The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s Music Connects Us 100th Anniversary Campaign is an $8.8 million community effort to ensure a vibrant future for the KSO's next 100 years. This bold initiative will enhance the Symphony's artistic excellence, community engagement, and financial sustainability. Gifts to the Music Connects Us campaign can be made online at www.kalamazoosymphony.com/100th-Campaign-draft.
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 is on the stage—and online—actively collaborating with other Kalamazoo area organizations to inspire, care for, educate, and connect people through the arts. The KSO is the state’s third-largest orchestra, serving Michigan’s sixth-largest metropolitan area with a professional roster of more than 80 musicians and a dedicated staff through exceptional symphonic music, world-class guest artists, and a vibrant educational program.
The KSO receives significant support from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, and the Stryker Johnston Foundation and is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. 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.
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