The Grand Rapids Symphony will perform the first concert in a new free Neighborhood Concert Series on July 21 at John Ball Park on Grand Rapids’ west side, the orchestra’s first outdoor performance in the city in twenty years. Associate Conductor John Varineau will lead the event, featuring themes from The Pink Panther and Jurassic Park; Johann Strauss Jr.’s “Blue Danube” Waltz; Jose Pablo Moncayo’s Huapango; and the finale from Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 (“New World”). Also performing will be guest vocalist Edye Evans Hyde and the Terry Lower Trio, a jazz ensemble. The Neighborhood Concert Series was launched with support from the Wege Foundation, which recently awarded the orchestra $1 million to enhance initiatives in diversity, equity, and inclusion to engage a broader audience and share live orchestral music with its community. Planning is also underway to develop a series of community events and a centralized major event, similar to Grand Rapids Symphony’s multi-genre LiveArts performance in 2015, which drew more than 7,000 people.
Posted July 18, 2018
