“Pure Tchaikovsky” highlights symphony concert midst of a “Pure Michigan” winter
Muskegon, MI, February 6, 2025—In the heart of midwinter comes a West Michigan Symphony concert featuring the beloved Peter Tchaikovsky’s “Winter Dreams” Symphony. According to Music Director Scott Speck, in this first of the great composer’s symphonies, “you’ll hear the beginnings of the sound we have come to know as ‘pure Tchaikovsky.’” Also on the program, to be held at 7:30pm Friday, February 28, will be Wagner’s Overture to Rienzi and Kodály’s Dances of Galanta. Sponsored by Bank of America, the performance takes place in the Frauenthal Center, 425 W. Western Avenue in Muskegon. Mike and Kay Olthoff are the 2024-2025 Season Sponsors; Blue Lake Public Radio is the Media Sponsor. Tickets starting at $19 for adults, $10 for students, click HERE or call 231.727.8001 for more information.
If Tchaikovsky’s symphony represents an early emergence of his distinctly Russian Romantic sound, the Overture to Rienzi is a correspondingly youthful Wagner that moves back and forth between the ethos of a light-hearted bouncy Italian opera and the uber-dramatic German sound he came to be known for. Kodály took his inspiration from the folk music he encountered in rural Hungary. His countryman Béla Bartók called him “the perfect embodiment of the Hungarian spirit.”
Audience members and the general public are invited to learn more at a free Lunch ‘n Learn event held at 12 noon Wednesday, February 26 in The Block. Sponsored by Embark Financial Partners, the event will be hosted by Music Director Scott Speck and includes Q & A and conversations with WMS Principal Flute Jill Brown and cellist Grace Mockus. A complimentary lunch will be provided by Kuntry Cookin’. Space is limited; advanced reservations required, register HERE to secure your spot today.
Free shuttle transport is available from Muskegon Farmer’s Market to the door of the Frauenthal, and back again after the concert. A post-concert gathering is held in the lower-level Frau Lounge, an opportunity for the audience to mingle with conductor and musicians. Beverages, desserts and charcuterie will be available for purchase.
Audience Choice Concert. WMS invites the public to get involved by voting for their favorite overture, piano concerto and symphony from a selection of choices. The top votes will be chosen for the opening Masterworks concert for the 2025/26 Season. Voting is open now, through May 15, 2025. One vote per person. Results will be unveiled at the 2024/25 season finale, May 30, 2025 and via the WMS website. All participants can also enter a drawing to win one of three prizes: Coffee with Music Director Scott Speck; pair of tickets for May 30, 2025 season finale; pair of tickets for the Audience Choice Concert Nov 14, 2025. For more information, click HERE
About the WMS An anchor cultural organization headquartered in Muskegon celebrating its 85th Anniversary Season this year, West Michigan Symphony led by Music Director Scott Speck is a resident presenting group at the Frauenthal Center, where its eight-concert season is the most visible part of a larger artistic enterprise of far-reaching community benefit. WMS concerts and education events bring 16,500 people—more than 30% of whom are children and students—downtown annually, making it the largest performing arts organization on the West Shore. ###
