Andrew Koehler

This Saturday, the Kalamazoo Philharmonia concludes its season with a program of two works: Debussy's 1899 Nocturnes,  and the 1911 one-act opera Duke Bluebeard's Castle by Bela Bartok, featuring soprano Rhea Olivacce as Judith and David Govertson as Bluebeard. Conductor Andrew Koehler sets the scene in an preview with Cara Lieurance.

The Kalamazoo Bach Festival kicked off on May 5  with "Bach And Beyond," a program featuring the Arcato Ensemble and countertenor soloist Terry Barber, led by Andrew Koehler. Festival director Cori Somers, conductor Andrew Koehler, and organist Kory Heitzig joined Cara Lieurance to preview the first five days of the festival, which includes performances by Carl Witt and the Red Sea Pedestrians, and a first-time program, "Inside the Organ," a guided tour of the inner workings of an organ installation.

Historically, music can be divided into two broad categories: music based on song, and music based on dance, according to Andrew Koehler, director of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra.  The conductor joined Cara Lieurance to preview folk-dance inspired works of Grieg, Delius, and De Falla, as well as arias by Mozart and Handel, which will be performed by of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra's 2016-17 season, called "Spirit of the Dance." Performing the arias is baritone Alex Smith, the winner of the 2017 KJSO Concerto Competition.

Three works by three Czech composers form the program "Between Worlds" which will be performed by the Kalamazoo Philharmonia on Saturday. Although Dvorak's 'New World' Symphony overshadows Suk's Fantastic Scherzo and Janacek's Sinfonietta ​in popularity, music director Andrew Koehler deftly ties them together with stories about their composition and histories.

The Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra will celebrate Valentine's Day with an abundance of romantic favorites, including the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture by Tchaikovsky, and Wagner's Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde. Austin Haley Berman, winner of the bronze medal in the 2016 Stulberg International String Competition, will also join the KJSO to perform the famous Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky. Conductor Andrew Koehler shares the stories behind these iconic works.