Percussion, Jazz, Classical Concerts Coming Soon

Three exciting days of concerts will feature music from jazz to percussion to classical collections as Kalamazoo College students showcase their talents in fall performances.

Taiko drummers concerts
The International Percussion Ensemble concert scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 13, will feature Kalamazoo College’s Taiko drummers.

The International Percussion Ensemble will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, in the Dalton Theater at Light Fine Arts. The ensemble unites individuals with varied musical backgrounds from K, nearby institutions and the general community in West African and Japanese Taiko drumming. Carolyn Koebel manages both of the International Percussion Groups. Nathaniel Waller helps instruct the West African group.

Kalamazoo College’s Jazz Band, led by Music Professor Tom Evans, will perform a free concert, themed “Autumn in Madrid,” at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, in the Dalton Theater. The Jazz Band plays contemporary and classic jazz arrangements that deliver an enjoyable musical experience to delighted audiences. Dancing is encouraged by audience members, so have a wonderful time!

The Kalamazoo Philharmonia, under the direction of Associate Professor of Music Andrew Koehler, will perform a concert themed “Among Friends” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, in Dalton Theater. The performance will feature returning guest pianist Weiyin Chen, performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.  The orchestra will also perform works by composers Sir Edward William Elgar and Grażyna Bacewicz. Chen, a Taiwanese-American pianist who has studied with and received accolades from renowned masters such as conductor Leon Fleisher and pianists Richard Goode and Claude Frank, has performed recitals in France, Italy, Denmark, and India abroad, and New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Utah and Chicago in the U.S.

The Philharmonia is an orchestra of Kalamazoo College and the community. The group brings together students, faculty, and amateur and professional musicians. The group won the 2014 American Prize Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award for Orchestral Programming and has produced several CDs. It also has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, and collaborated with the Bach Festival Chorus, as well as many renowned soloists. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for children and free for K students, faculty and staff who present a College ID.

For more information on any of these concerts, contact the Music Department at 269.337.7070 or susan.lawrence@kzoo.edu.