Community Events
Grand Rapids Symphony Performs at Festival!The Grand Rapids Symphony will be performing at Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts. A chamber orchestra made up of Grand Rapids Symphony musicians will be performing Saturday, June 7 at 6 p.m. in the former Grand Rapids Art Museum. The performance will be led by Associate Conductor John Varineau.
The Grand Rapids Symphony was officially organized in 1930 and is recognized as one of America’s leading regional orchestras. Culminating its 75th Anniversary Season, the Symphony made its debut in New York City’s Carnegie Hall to a full house on May 21, 2005. The New York Times wrote, “The orchestra is what it ought to be and gives a glimmer of hope for all of us in the music world.” A two-disc recording of this performance is titled Live! at Carnegie Hall. The Symphony’s DVD and CD, Invention & Alchemy, features “Hip Harpist” Deborah Henson-Conant’s performance with the Symphony during its 2005 Pops Series. The CD was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album.
The Symphony’s tenth CD, released in 2007, features the orchestra’s performance of Adolphus Hailstork’s Second and Third symphonies and was released on the Naxos label. Hailstork’s Symphony No. 3 was commissioned by the Grand Rapids Symphony in 2003. Also commissioned by the Symphony is an orchestral tribute to President Gerald R. Ford, “One of Us, Portrait of a Humble Healer.” Performed in DeVos Performance Hall during its Fox Motors Pops Series in May, a CD recording of the work will be available in September of 2008.
Eight concert series are presented to the community with performances designed for young children through adults, featuring a wide range of repertoire. These include the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series, Fox Motors Pops Series, SymphonicBoom, Rising Stars Series, Edward Jones Coffee Classics, Lollipop Concerts sponsored by Target Stores, DTE Energy Foundation Family Series and Chase Picnic Pops.