Julian Kuerti, the music director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, spent seven years working to restore a 1921 symphony by Chilean composer Enrique Soro. It will receive its North American premiere at 7:30 pm on Friday, March 4 in Miller Auditorium, in a program called "Music of the Americas."
Kuerti tells Cara Lieurance he became fascinated by Soro's music when he led the Orquesta Sinfónica Universidad de Concepción. He says the Sinfonia romantica was written by Soro after studying music in Milan, Italy. Dedicated to his new bride, it was the first symphony ever by a Chilean composer.
Bass-baritone Derrick Parker, who will sing Copland's Old American Songs, talks about his journey in the world of classical music. Both an opera singer and a church musician who can play by ear, Parker brings wide experience to Copland's witty settings of real folk songs.