West Michigan Symphony - 2009-2010 Season

November 20 & 21, 2009
¡FIESTA! - “Lighting Fire with Fire”
Pablo Sáinz Villegas, guitar

Ticket Prices:
Adult- $38.00 / $31.00 / $25.00 / $16.00
Seniors (65+) - $36.00 / $29.00 / $23.00 / $14.00

Falla - Ritual Fire Dance from El Amor Brujo
Vivaldi - Guitar Concerto, Pablo Sáinz Villegas, guitar
Piazzolla - Tangazo
Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez
Pablo Sáinz Villegas is a phenomenon. Winner of 28 international guitar competitions, he was recently named Musician of the Year in his native Spain. Pablo has performed with orchestras all over the world, and now he joins the West Michigan Symphony in two contrasting guitar concertos. The Vivaldi Concerto in D became the soundtrack to the film Kramer vs. Kramer.  And Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez is the most famous guitar concerto ever written. The West Michigan Symphony complements these concertos with two other fiery works, including a soulful and smoldering tango from Argentina.

December 11 & 12, 2009
Holiday Pops - “Yuletide Spectacular”

Ticket Prices:
Adult- $42.00 / $35.00 / $29.00 / $20.00
Seniors (65+) - $40.00 / $33.00 / $28.00 / $18.00

Diane Penning, soprano
Scott Speck, conductor
Grand Haven High School Chamber Choir
Muskegon Chamber Choir
Shirley Lemon, director

West Michigan’s own honey-voiced songstress, Diane Penning, and the stunning Grand Haven High School Chamber Choir are our guests as the West Michigan Symphony serves up a bowlful of holiday cheer. We present all your favorite carols, hilarious Christmas pops tunes, a sing-along, moving and inspiring spirituals, great classics of Rimsky-Korsakov, Vaughan Williams and Tchaikovsky... and of course, Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride.

February 26 & 27, 2010
BEETHOVEN AND BLUE JEANS - “Catch a Rising Star”
Marc Yu, piano

Ticket Prices:
Adult- $38.00 / $31.00 / $25.00 / $16.00
Seniors (65+) - $36.00 / $29.00 / $23.00 / $14.00

Scott Speck, conductor

Rossini - Overture to Cinderella 
Mozart - Symphony no. 41 “Jupiter”
Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 1, Marc Yu, piano

Just ten years old and already a veteran of Carnegie Hall and the Proms in London, Marc Yu is a bright rising star of classical music. He has shared his artistry with the world multiple times through his appearances on Oprah, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Ellen. Marc joins us for Beethoven’s spirited and delightful Piano Concerto no. 1, in a concert that also includes the greatest symphony by another prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Throw on some jeans and join us– we’ll be wearing jeans as well.

March 26 & 27, 2010
Broadway Pops - “Three Phantoms in Concert”

Ticket Prices:
Adult- $42.00 / $35.00 / $29.00 / $20.00
Seniors (65+) - $40.00 / $33.00 / $28.00 / $18.00

Three Phantoms in Concert highlight the individual talents of three artists who have all played the Phantom, featuring solo numbers from the shows that made them stars!  The concert features solos, duets and trios, all from the Broadway male repertoire. Featuring songs from Les Misérables, Miss Saigon and The Phantom of The Opera, the program also includes numbers from Guys and Dolls, Company, Kiss Me Kate, Most Happy Fella, The Secret Garden, Nine, Damn Yankees, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sweeney Todd and many more.

April 16 & 17, 2010
WATER MUSIC - “Experience the Lake Effect”
Jennifer  Walvoord, WMS concertmaster

Ticket Prices:
Adult- $38.00 / $31.00 / $25.00 / $16.00
Seniors (65+) - $36.00 / $29.00 / $23.00 / $14.00

Scott Speck, conductor

Mendelssohn – The Hebrides Overture “Fingal’s Cave”
Handel - Water Music Suites nos. 1 and 2 (excerpts)
Kenji Bunch - Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Jennifer Walvoord, violin
Mendelssohn - Symphony no. 4 “Italian”

Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony is one of the sunniest, happiest masterpieces ever composed; its lilting melodies and propulsive rhythms formed the soundtrack for the bicycle races in Breaking Away. Our watery surroundings also take a starring role in this performance, which includes Handel’s much-loved Water Music. And this concert features the West Michigan Symphony’s own concertmaster, Jennifer Walvoord, playing a lush and romantic showpiece for violin and orchestra.

June 4 & 5, 2010
BY GEORGES!-“Waving the Red, White & Rhapsody in Blue”
Andrew Le, piano

Ticket Prices:
Adult- $38.00 / $31.00 / $25.00 / $16.00
Seniors (65+) - $36.00 / $29.00 / $23.00 / $14.00

Scott Speck, conductor

Enesco - Romanian Rhapsody no. 1
Bizet - Carmen Suites no. 1 and no. 2 (excerpts)
Gershwin - An American in Paris
Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue, Andrew Le, piano

Three composers, all named George, in one stunning season finale. Enesco’s Romanian Rhapsody is a thrilling ride; Bizet’s Carmen bursts with passion. Two of Gershwin’s greatest masterpieces round out the program.  An embarrassment of melodic riches, this concert features enough catchy tunes to leave you humming all the way home.