Taiko, Steel Pan Drummers Plan Concert

A new Kalamazoo College student organization will participate in the winter term’s International Percussion concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, in Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts. 

The Steel Drum Club—dedicated to classic rock, modern pop and calypso music—will play mainstream songs such as Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana and Story of My Life by One Direction. 

Separately, the music department’s Taiko Drums group, led by International Percussion Ensemble Director Carolyn Koebel, also will perform. The Taiko ensemble unites individuals with varied musical backgrounds from K, nearby institutions and the general community. The ensemble’s performances regularly include solos, group drumming and collaborations with other complementary instruments. 

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information on this event and others sponsored by the Department of Music, visit music.kzoo.edu/events, call 269.337.7070 or email Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu.  

International Percussion Taiko Drummers perform
Taiko drummers will be among the performers featured Wednesday, Marc 11, during the winter International Percussion concert.

Philharmonia Slates Saturday Concert

The Kalamazoo Philharmonia will spotlight three composers in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9, in Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts. All three are known for taking the smallest components of their music and transforming them in brilliant ways to show how contrasting passages can share many of the same fundamental features. 

The performance will include music from mid-20th century Czech composer Miloslav Kabeláč, who developed inspiration from a divine cosmic order of stars into The Mystery of Time; German composer Johannes Brahms who looked to the stately St. Anthony Chorale of Joseph Haydn for his inspiration in the piece Variations on a Theme by Haydn; and American composer Samuel Barber, who took the contrasts of a four-movement symphonic form and combined them into a unified piece titled Symphony in One Movement

The Philharmonia, conducted by Music Director Andrew Kohler, unites students, faculty, amateur musicians and professional musicians of a variety of ages to perform symphonic music. Having grown since its inception in 1990, the ensemble has been recognized as an arts organization of high importance in greater Kalamazoo. 

Tickets are available at the door and cost $7 for general admission, $3 for students, and are free for students of Kalamazoo College. For more information, contact Susan Lawrence in the Department of Music at 269.337.7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu.  

Andrew Koehler directing the Kalamazoo Philharmonia
The Kalamazoo Philharmonia will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9, in the Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts.

Bayati Ensemble, College Singers Slate Concert

Two Kalamazoo College music ensembles, the Bayati Ensemble and College Singers, will blend their instrumental and vocal talents in a unified concert this Sunday, February 25. 

The Bayati Ensemble specializes in Middle Eastern music. Its members range from people who grew up with Middle Eastern music and culture to others who are learning about it for the first time. The group is co-directed by Associate Processor of Music Beau Bothwell and Ahmed Tofiq. The College Singers, led by Associate Professor of Music and Director Chris Ludwa, includes about 30 students who are music majors and non-music majors, offering a different approach to choral singing with a focus on social justice.  

The free concert is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Dalton Theatre. For more information, contact Susan Lawrence in the Department of Music at 269.337.7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu.   

Bayati Ensemble
The Bayati Ensemble was created from the Bahar Ensemble, a group of five professional members, who played Middle Eastern music and performed frequently at events in Kalamazoo.

Jazz Band to Perform Friday at Dalton Theatre

A handful of musical classics such as The Girl from Ipanema, Unforgettable, Red Clay, Nutville and Dat Dere will highlight the Kalamazoo College Jazz Band winter concert—themed “Inside the Night Café”—this Friday, February 23. 

The ensemble, directed by Professor of Music Thomas Evans, pulls together an expansive collection of contemporary and classic jazz arrangements to provide the students participating and audiences with an electric experience. This group varies in size each year, making the music selections continuously diverse and exciting. 

The concert, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Dalton Theatre, is free and open to the public, although free-will donations are gratefully accepted. 

For more information on the concert, contact Susan Lawrence in the Department of Music at 269.337.7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu.  

Jazz Band poster says "Inside the Night Cafe," Friday, February 23 at 7:30 p.m., Dalton Theatre, Light Fine Arts Building, Free Admission

Academy Street Winds Theme Addresses Time

Help an audience honor the career of Kalamazoo College Director of Bands and Professor of Music Tom Evans at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the winter concert for the Academy Street Winds. 

Evans, the ensemble’s director, plans to retire at the end of the academic year. Friday’s concert theme, “It’s About Time,” reflects his own feeling regarding retirement and affirms musical selections that will explore teaching or the ephemeral values of time. The ensemble’s website says the program will present a delightful mix of music, sometimes whimsical and sometimes poignant, that will put a smile on your face, a song in your heart, and a bit of melancholy in your soul as you consider the fleeting quality of time. 

Evans’ career began on the podium and in the classroom in 1976. He has been with K for 29 years and leads groups such as the College’s Symphonic Band, Jazz Band and Pep Band in addition to the Academy Street Winds. He also teaches the popular Beginning Band class, which—in about eight weeks every spring—teaches students who have never learned a band instrument the basics of playing one of their choice. In 2020, he and Department of Music Chair Andrew Koehler both received the Community Medal of Arts from the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, recognizing their contributions to the city’s arts scene. 

Academy Street Winds Director Tom Evans with a student
Music Professor Tom Evans rehearses his trombone with Rushik Patel ’22 at Light Fine Arts. Evans, the director of the Academy Street Winds, will retire at the end of the 2023–24 academic year.

The Dalton Theatre concert is free and open to the public, but goodwill donations are gratefully accepted. 

“Finding the right words to express my gratitude to my students, my colleagues, and the College is difficult,” Evans said. “Clearly, they’ve been some of the best experiences and years of my life. I am sincerely grateful to all who have supported me. And I am especially grateful for those with whom I’ve had the pleasure of making music. While my years at K were meaningful and momentous for me, I also hope that they were meaningful and momentous for those who shared my journey. How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” 

Relic Music Ensemble to Perform Saturday at K

A national tour featuring a period chamber orchestra without a conductor will make its final stop in the Great Lakes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts, 1140 Academy St. 

Relic connects with audiences through intimate, imaginative and dramatic representations of early music. This performance’s instrumentation will include violins, violas, cellos, bassoon, basses, theorbos and harpsichords in a concert titled Enchanted Forest

As a whole, the ensemble will tell stories of dancing elves, frolicking nymphs, marching trolls and more through drama and curiosities through English and French baroque. General admission tickets are available for $10 through EventBrite. Kalamazoo College students will be admitted free. 

For more information, contact the Department of Music at 269.337.7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu

Relic will bring its “Enchanted Forest” tour to Kalamazoo College on Saturday night.

International Percussion Ensemble Performs Wednesday

Kalamazoo College’s International Percussion ensemble will conclude the music department’s fall season of concerts at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts. 

Several displays of solos, group drumming and collaborations will highlight Taiko and steelpan performances with other complementary instruments from these cultures. International Percussion Ensemble Director Carolyn Koebel will lead the Taiko group. Visiting Instructor of Music Jean Raabe will direct the steelpan performers. 

The ensemble unites individuals with varied musical backgrounds from K, nearby institutions and the general community. The concert is free and the public is invited. For more information on this event and others sponsored by the Department of Music, visit music.kzoo.edu/events, call 269.337.7070 or email Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu

International Percussion Taiko Drummers perform
Taiko drummers will be among the performers featured Wednesday, November 15.

Jazz Band, Philharmonia Offer Concerts

Bring your dancing shoes to swing and sway in the aisles for the Kalamazoo College Jazz Band fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 10, in Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts.

The free performance’s theme will be Giants Walk Among Us, which is also the title of the first song. The opener, by Rich Woolworth, features a trumpet and saxophone solo. The concert then will spotlight more songs by the “giant” composers of jazz and eight other solos for saxophone, both alto and tenor, while featuring Isabella Pellegrom ’25, a guest vocalist, with favorites such as Scarborough Fair.

Afterward, make plans to attend the Kalamazoo Philharmonia fall concert, titled In the Bloom of Youth, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 12, in the Dalton Theatre. The performance will feature the works of composers who died young including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Othello Suite; Lili Boulanger’s Psalm 129; and Vasily Kalinnikov’s Symphony No. 1 in G.

The Philharmonia unites students, faculty, amateur musicians and professional musicians of a variety of ages to perform symphonic music. Having grown since its inception in 1990, the ensemble has been recognized as an arts organization of importance in greater Kalamazoo.

For more information on both concerts and ensembles, contact Susan Lawrence in the Department of Music at 269.337.7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu

Kalamazoo Philharmonia concert
The Kalamazoo Philharmonia fall concert, titled “In the Bloom of Youth,” is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 12, in the Dalton Theatre.

Philharmonia Preview

College Singers Slate Fall Concert

Join the College Singers for an eclectic mix of great songs by Queen, Prince, Beyonce and more while exploring music from the Renaissance to today. The open-to-the-public fall concert, titled Casino Royale, is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday in the Dalton Theatre lobby.  

The ensemble, led by Associate Professor of Music and Director Chris Ludwa, includes about 30 students who are music majors and non-music majors, offering a different approach to choral singing with a focus on social justice. 

The concert is free, although donations are appreciated. For more information on the performances, contact Susan Lawrence in the Department of Music at 269.337.7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu

Kalamazoo College Singers Performing a fall concert at Light Fine Arts
The College Singers will perform in their fall concert from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday in the Dalton Theatre lobby.

Academy Street Winds Slates Season’s First Concert

The Academy Street Winds will open its 2023–24 season with an all-Celtic program titled Celtic Mist and Magic at 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 27, at Dalton Theatre. 

Some of the programmed tunes will include Loch Lomond, Danny Boy, Irish Washer Woman and Riverdance. The Scottish and Irish Societies of Kalamazoo will also be on hand to display an array of kilts, plaids, flags and information booths. Plus, a piper will call the concert to order followed by the Academy Street Singers in a candlelight procession performing Skye Boat Song

The Academy Street Winds, formerly known as the Kalamazoo College Symphonic Band, functions as a beloved creative outlet for woodwind, brass and percussion students. Community musicians joined the ensemble in winter 2016 to expand the group’s sound and capabilities. Director of Bands and Professor of Music Thomas Evans serves as the group’s conductor. 

The concert is free and open to the public. The Department of Music recommends that attendees arrive by 7 p.m. to experience pre-show activities and reserve seats. For more information, contact the music department at 269.337.7070 or susan.lawrence@kzoo.edu

Image of castle in fog for Academy Street Winds concert
The Academy Street Winds will conduct its first concert of the season, titled “Celtic Mist and Magic,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Dalton Theatre.