News & Updates

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk -

Detroit’s own Aretha Franklin, whom Rolling Stone magazine dubbed the “Greatest Singer of All Time,” truly was the “Queen of Soul.” An evening of her music would satisfy most people.

But add songs by Tina Turner, Adele, Alicia Keys and Amy Winehouse into a show, and you really have something. You might say it’s a show fit for a queen.

Grand Rapids Symphony opened its 2019-20 Fox Motors Pops Series with Queens of Soul an amazing evening of great songs by all of the above plus Etta James, Whitney Houston and more.

Guest vocalist Shayna Steele summed it up simply: “This is the soundtrack of my life.”

Three great singers, all capable of being either Gladys Knight or the Pips, were on stage for along with Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt and the Grand Rapids Pops.

“Queens of Soul” repeats at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, in DeVos Performance Hall. Tickets start at $18 adults, $5 students.

Three fabulous singers – Shayna Steele, Brie Cassil and Kelly Levesque – joined the Grand Rapids Symphony for the evening of songs including “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “New Attitude” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

The show began with all three taking on the lead vocals for “Proud Mary.” In the best Tina Turner fashion, it started slow and ended rough, and left the audience hungry for more.

The dynamic Shayna Steele returned for her third appearance with the Grand Rapids Symphony. She made her debut at the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops with Women Rock! in 2017 and returned to Cannonsburg Ski Area this past summer with Dancing in the Streets: Music of Motown, She’s welcome back any time.

Shayna Steele's powerful voice and strong stage presence lit up the auditorium with songs made famous by Aretha Franklin including a ringing version of “Respect” and a driving performance of “Freeway of Love” that had the house screaming for more. Her old-school interpretation of Etta James’ “At Last” was honest and heartfelt, and she had the audience clapping along on Thelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way.”

Kelly Levesque  blessed with a dark voice and a dramatic stage presence, belted out a powerful version of songs such as “Rolling in the Deep,” made famous by Adele and an exciting performance of Alicia Keys’ “Fallin.’” Even better was when she channeled the late, great Amy Winehouse with classics such as a tender interpretation of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and a sultry swing through the Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good.”

Brie Cassil, a sassy singer, delivered a bright and bouncy version of Patti LaBelle’s “New Attitude,” an exciting rendition of Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire.” Her flirty performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” was memorable, and her version of Adele’s “Hello” packed an emotional wallop.

Saxophonist Ed Clifford was the fourth star of the night, contributing several great solos including a wicked solo on “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.”

The show began with all three taking on the lead vocals for “Proud Mary.” In the best Tina Turner fashion, it started slow, it ended rough, and it left the audience hungry for more.

It ended with all three once again sharing leads for “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman.”

“I hope you’re having as much fun as we are up here,” Bernhardt told the audience on Friday. “We’re having a blast.”

There never was a doubt. The audience was having a blast, too.

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk -

For 90 years, the Grand Rapids Symphony has welcomed some of the greatest musicians of the past century to town.

Cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Janos Starker, pianists Van Cliburn, Emanuel Ax and Stephen Hough, and violinists Midori and Itzhak Perlman, the latter of whom returns to the Grand Rapids Symphony stage in November for the first time in 35 years.

Each, in its own way, was a memorable event. But the opening of the Grand Rapids Symphony’ 90th anniversary season met, matched, and, possibly, surpassed those concerts.

Grammy Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich returned to the Grand Rapids Symphony stage for a record sixth appearance to open the 2019-20 season on Friday with a breathtaking performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto.

Music Director Marcelo Lehninger leads the first concerts of the season, Hadelich plays Beethoven, which repeats at 8 p.m. tonight in DeVos Performance Hall. Tickets for the first concert of the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical series start at $18 adults, $5 children, and remain available at the door.

Lehninger, who begins his fourth season as music director, promised “a very special season” for the orchestra’s 90th anniversary. The opening concert with music including Samuel Barber’s Overture to The School for Scandal and Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor met that standard.

Since we’re coming up on the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven in 2020, it’s only fitting to begin with music by Beethoven plus Brahms’ First Symphony, which soon was dubbed “Beethoven’s 10th” following its premiere.

Twelve years ago, following from his Gold Medal at the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Augustin Hadelich made his local debut in 2007 for the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Rising Stars Series at St. Cecilia Music Center. His star has risen ever since.

In writing his only work for solo violin and orchestra, Beethoven composed, perhaps, the Mount Everest of concertos. Its challenges for the soloist aren’t merely technical. It calls for a violinist to bare his soul, reveal hidden thoughts, and share deep emotions in a performance.

Hadelich, Musical America’s 2019 Instrumentalist of the Year, is a consummate musician. On Friday, he played with great clarity, pure emotion, an innate sense of melody and a commitment to sharing the spotlight with the orchestra as an equal. It’s a long wait, almost frustratingly so, before the soloist joins the first movement. But when Hadelich entered with a bold flourish, it was simply wonderful to be there.

Time seems to stand still in the beautiful second movement, and the serenity of Hadelich’s performance left the audience wishing time had stopped entirely so we could enjoy it longer.

Lehninger led a performance grounded in a firm pulse and sharp attention to transitions and modulations, never clearer than in the third movement Rondo. Hadelich’s final cadenza, performed with awe-inspiring technique, was amazing.

Called back for applause three times, his encore couldn’t have been different. In fact, it was a violin transcription of Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Spanish composer Francisco Tarrega, a piece that’s among the most frequently performed works for classical guitar. What, no doubt, is a challenging piece for six-string guitar is an even greater challenge for four-string violin that Hadelich dashed off effortlessly. It was a jaw-dropping send off for the German-American musician.

Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C minor is intimately connected to Beethoven. The German composer was widely talked about as the successor to Beethoven who had composed nine symphonies before he died in 1827. Brahms, who was born five years later, was so intimidated by the shadow of his predecessor he later declared it had taken him 21 years, from initial sketches to its debut in 1876, to compose his first symphony. It was worth the wait.

Lehninger led a performance of power and richness, clearly emphasizing the connections with the music of Beethoven, yet letting Brahms be Brahms.

The opening’s emphatic polyphony was nicely accomplished to produce majestic music. The gentle second movement was warm and satisfying, thanks in part to the capable solos by Associate Concertmaster Christina Fong and Principal Oboist Ellen Sherman.

The finale was glorious and expansive with an energy accumulating into an impressive culmination that put a satisfying capstone on the evening.

The evening was music of “The Three B’s” only in this case, the first ‘B’ was Samuel Barber in place of Bach. The pleasure of Barber’s Overture to The School for Scandal is, not only was it written for a full-size, modern symphony orchestra, it also was composed when Barber was just 21 years old. In short, it’s a youthful piece for a young season, and almost everyone in the orchestra gets to play.

Following the traditional playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” to open the new season, Lehninger led a performance of bite and polish, with rhythmic verve and sumptuous melodies.

The Grand Rapids Symphony’s 90th anniversary season opened in a big, bold way. There’s even more to come.

Twenty-five years ago, the Grand Rapids Symphony transformed a ski slope into the hottest spot in town.

Just west of the village of Cannonsburg, along Bear Creek, the Grand Rapids Symphony gave birth to the Picnic Pops, and a new West Michigan summer tradition was born.

The D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops celebrates its Silver Anniversary Season with music inspired by the best shows, the most popular music, and the all-time fan favorites of the past 25 years.

Four weeks’ worth of music begins July 11-12 at Cannonsburg Ski Area.

“Four incredible programs,” said Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt, who returns for his fifth summer of “Symphony under the Sky” at Cannonsburg.

The Grand Rapids Pops’ summer series opens much as it began a quarter of a century ago. Guest pianist Rich Ridenour played George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for the series premiere in July 1995, and the Grand Rapids-born pianist returns 25 years later to play it once again for Classical Fireworks: Salute to America on July 11-12.

The next three weeks of the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops features music from Liverpool, Detroit and Nashville with Classical Mystery Tour: 50 Years of The Beatles’ White Album on July 18-19, followed by Dancing in the Street: The Music of Motown on July 25-26.

Capping off the summer is Nashville: The Songwriters. Their Stories. The Symphony, starring the Music City Hit-Makers for one-night only on Friday, Aug. 2. The concert stars the singer-songwriters who wrote the hits that made Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw famous.

Season tickets offering substantial discounts, as well as single tickets are on sale now. Call the Grand Rapids Symphony at (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 during business or go online to PicnicPops.org.  

Classical Fireworks: Salute to America, at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, July 11-12, features Rich Ridenour, a frequent performer in the early years of Picnic Pops, back at Cannonsburg to play Rhapsody in Blue. Associate Conductor John Varineau will lead the orchestra in such patriotic melodies as John Williams’ Liberty Fanfare, John Phillip Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever and an Armed Forces Salute along with music by Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture leading to a fireworks finale.

“Rich happens to be the first guest performer at the very first Picnic Pops 25 years ago,” Bernhardt said.

Classical Mystery Tour: 50 Years of The Beatles’ White Album, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, July 18-19, welcomes Classical Mystery Tour, the world’s best Beatles show with symphony orchestra, to Cannonsburg for its fourth Picnic Pops appearance. Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt, a huge Beatles fan himself, will lead music from the Fab Four’s celebrated White Album with songs including While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

“The Beatles’ White Album is maybe the greatest rock and roll album ever made,” Bernhardt said. “It’ll be an incredible tribute to the Beatles.”

Dancing in the Streets: The Music of Motown, at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, July 25-26, features such songs as Diana Ross’ Touch Me in the Morning, Stevie Wonder’s Superstition, The Four Tops’ Reach Out/I’ll Be There and Martha Reeves’ Dancing in the Street. The special guest vocalists include Shayna Steele, who wowed the Picnic Pops audience in 2017 for Women Rock!

“It features three fabulous singers, and the show celebrates all the Motown singers you can imagine,” Bernhardt said.

Nashville: The Songwriters. Their Stories. The Symphony starring the Music City Hit-Makers, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, stars three singer/songwriters who have racked up more than 15 songs that reach No. 1 on the music charts.  Brett James who wrote The Truth for Jason Aldean, and Hillary Lindsey who wrote Blessed for Martina McBride also collaborated on Jesus, Take the Wheel for Carrie Underwood. Along with James and Lindsey, the show stars Rivers Rutherford who wrote Living in Fast Forward for Kenny Chesney and Real Good Man for Tim McGraw. The three will join the Grand Rapids Pops to sing the songs and share stories about the singers and the scene where the Music City Hit-Makers reign supreme.

“They perform the megahits that they wrote for the great country stars, and they talk about the songs,” Bernhardt said. “It’s like you’re right there in their living room for the entire evening.”

“If you’re a country music fan, you’ve got to be there,” he added.

Twenty-five years ago, the inaugural Picnic Pops concert, hosted by WZZM-TV 13 anchors Juliet Dragos and Lee Van Ameyde, was one of the hottest days of the summer.

“It was hot enough to fry an egg on the back of a viola,” reported The Grand Rapids Press.

“Stay cool however you can do it,” Van Ameyde told the audience as he removed his tuxedo coat and tie on stage even before saying hello.

But the scorching heat – 97 degrees and 81-percent humidity – didn’t deter the audience. More than 3,000 were on the hills of Cannonsburg for the debut led by former Music Director Catherine Comet, which opened with The Star Spangled Banner and ended with John Phillip Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever followed by fireworks.

The Picnic Pops from the start was laid back, relaxed entertainment in the great outdoors.

“I requested that they parachute me in for my part, but they turned me down,” Ridenour told The Grand Rapids Press in 1995 just before the series opened. “I guess they were afraid I’d land on my hands.”

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk-

Some concerts are full of surprises.

Great works of music give you ample opportunities, and when Music Director Marcelo Lehninger decided to end the Grand Rapids Symphony’s 2018-19 season with sensuality from Ravel, sparkle from Chopin, and substance from Brahms, there were plenty of opportunities, guaranteed.

Then there are the moments you could not have imagined. Such as three encores.

Pianist Sonia Goulart, with her son on the podium, made her Grand Rapids Symphony debut with an artfully accomplished performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor that drew a fervent standing ovation on Friday, May 17 in DeVos Performance Hall.

The animated reception inspired the Brazilian pianist to return to the stage for an encore with a virtuosic performance of Chopin's Waltz in E minor (published posthumously). Afterward, out came a second piano bench, and Lehninger joined his mother for a spellbinding performance of Rachmaninoff’s Romance for Piano Four Hands, Op. 11.

And if that wasn’t enough, Goulart returned on Friday for a surprising third encore with an exhilarating performance of Domenico Scarlatti's Keyboard Sonata in C minor, K. 22.

Moments like that seldom happen, though there’s reason to believe Grand Rapids Symphony’s audience can expect more of the same at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 18. Tickets for Chopin and Brahms, starting at $18 adults, $5 students, remain available at the door or online at GRSymphony.org.

The concerts ending the 2018-19 season also recognized musicians in the orchestra celebrating anniversaries and acknowledged a couple who were departing. Most significantly, violinist Lenore D’Haem marked her 50^th year of playing with the Grand Rapids Symphony as well as her final performance in DeVos Hall. She’ll retire from the Grand Rapids Symphony at the end of this summer’s D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops.

Goulart, a native of Brazil, trained in Germany, has had an important career as a pianist in South American and Europe. She performed little in the United States because, for many years, she had all the concerts she wanted. Things changed when her son, Marcelo launched his career with the Boston Symphony Orchestra nearly 10 years ago.

Goulart has since played with Lehninger and the New West Symphony in Los Angeles, and on Friday, May 17, she made her Midwest debut with the Grand Rapids Symphony.

Chopin was one of the greatest pianists who ever lived. Those who would perform his concertos must be the crème de la crème. It’s also an interesting challenge to perform for everyone. The pianist is the star, by far, with the orchestra playing a supporting role. The rubato the pianist employs can give conductors fits. But Lehninger grew up listening to his mother play the piece. It shows. In fact, the two hardly looked at each other, yet were together every step of the way through the 30-minute performance.

Goulart’s ample technique fueled a luminous performance with cascading notes that glistened with poise and precision. The slow movement had its dramatic moments punctuating the delicacy. The finale hinted at flash and dash but remained charming, elegant and satisfying.

The concert opened with Maurice Ravel’s Ma mère l'Oye, a suite the French composer wrote inspired by a set of stories from Tales of Mother Goose. It’s a work the Grand Rapids Symphony has performed only a handful of times and just once in the last 30 years.

On that basis, it was fascinating on Friday to watch Lehninger conduct. Though it has many subtle colors and plenty of exposed passages – including an important contrabassoon solo deftly handed by Andrew Genemans, Lehninger led a handsome performance with sumptuous strings decorating delicate harmonies.

Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 filled the second half of the concert. Haunted by the shadow of Beethoven, Brahms spent 20 years composing his First Symphony. Buoyed by the success, he took a summer vacation and dashed off his sunny Second Symphony in D Major.

Later in life, Brahms declared it to be his favorite of his four symphonies. It’s occasionally referred to as pastoral, but Brahms still is Brahms, so it must have its dark moments.

Lehninger led a performance of rich textures and sturdy sonorities. The opening was sunny but substantially so. The Adagio was smooth and flowing and even a little magisterial at the end. Woodwinds were especially delightful in the charming Allegretto, which had a pleasant kick to it.

For the finale, Lehninger slowly warmed up the engine before unleashing the orchestra into a controlled explosion. The wild ride and rip-roaring conclusion, not only to the piece, but to the 2018-19 season was well deserving of the enthusiastic standing ovation.