Muskegon, Michigan, November 30, 2023—It’s a Wonderful Life. Home Alone. Elf. Babes in Toyland. Polar Express. Meet Me in St. Louis. A Christmas Carol. It’s all on the bill when Music Director Scott Speck leads the West Michigan Symphony and guest vocalist Holly Payne in the beloved annual Home for the Holidays concert at 7:30pm […]
Muskegon, Michigan, October 18, 2023— A Jazzthetik review captured the essence of Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh’s music: “It’s not Arabia, not jazz, not classical—it’s all of the above.” The genre-bending improviser and composer has been hailed as “intensely soulful” by The New York Times and “spellbinding” by the New Yorker. Azmeh will make his regional […]
Muskegon, Michigan, October 3, 2023—Acoustic guitar “ninja” Trace Bundy must be seen, not just heard. His music is poetry in motion, using harmonics, looping, multiple capos, and his unique banter and stage presence to deliver an unforgettable live concert experience. Bundy will open the 2023/24 Season at The Block at 7:30pm Saturday, October 14. For […]
Muskegon, Michigan, September 18, 2023—She left us just five years ago, but Aretha Franklin remains one of the most influential singers of all time. West Michigan Symphony will present a concert tribute to the Queen of Soul at 7:30pm Friday, September 29. Music Director Scott Speck will lead the performance featuring Franklin’s greatest hits, including […]
Muskegon, Michigan, June 20, 2023—The typical jazz drummer is a hip but restrained figure, seated behind a trap set keeping the beat. He and the bass player are the core rhythm section; their job is to remain out of the spotlight, providing a solid but unobtrusive backing for the band, the pianist, or whoever is […]
Muskegon, Michigan, May 31, 2023—Concertgoers will take a musical journey from the ocean to the cosmos when Music Director Scott Speck and the West Michigan Symphony present the 2022-2023 Season Finale, culminating with Gustav Holst’s epic work The Planets. The concert will open with Peter Maxwell Davies’s An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise, complete with solo […]
Edward “Kip” Hickman will perform rarely heard work for trombone and orchestra Muskegon, Michigan, May 3, 2023—Edward Hickman has been the Principal Trombone of the West Michigan Symphony since 2013 and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Trombone since 2001. He is a familiar face to West Michigan concertgoers, and the low brass section he fronts […]
Children from 36 schools in six area counties will play recorders along with West Michigan Symphony MUSKEGON, MI, April 26, 2023—Few things in life are more impressive than getting to play along with a 60-piece live orchestra, no matter what your age. For a fourth grader, it’s more than impressive—it’s life changing. Couple that with […]
Muskegon, Michigan, December 20, 2022— WMS Principal Percussionist Matthew Beck returns to The Block with a program featuring music by Steve Reich, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Igor Stravinsky, among others, at 5:00pm Saturday, January 14. Joining him will be CMU faculty member and former WMS timpanist Andrew Spencer, along with pianists Patrick Johnson from MSU and […]
Muskegon, Michigan, November 22, 2022— West Michigan native, pianist, and consummate performer Rich Ridenour will lead the West Michigan Symphony during its Home for the Holidays concert, putting a fresh twist on a beloved local tradition of joyful, heartwarming family fun, seasonal favorites, and a carol sing-a-long. Joining him for this year’s performance—scheduled for 7:30 […]
