The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents Family Discovery Concert - Beethoven Lives Upstairs - Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 3pm in Chenery Auditorium

    KALAMAZOO, MI, September 22, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- For their first Family Discovery concert of the season, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents Beethoven Lives Upstairs. The KSO is proud to partner with Classical Kids LIVE! this season. The Classical Kids LIVE! concert series is dedicated to fostering an appreciation for classical music and music history, as well as community enrichment through the pairing of professional artists, actors and family-focused programming with local symphony orchestras. The concert will begin promptly at 3pm following the Kushner & Co. Instrument Petting Zoo at 2pm and Meet the Conductor at 2:40pm in the reception room.

"I am thrilled to introduce Beethoven's incomparable music to the young people of Kalamazoo. His life and music are an inspiration for all of us" stated conductor Daniel Brier.

The world famous production of Beethoven Lives Upstairs features a lively exchange of letters between young Christoph and his uncle. Their subject is the "madman" who has moved into the upstairs apartment of Christoph's Vienna home. Through a touching correspondence, dramatically underscored with the composer's most beautiful music, Christoph comes to understand the genius of Beethoven, the beauty of his music, and the torment of his deafness. Musical highlights of the production include the Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, and the great Fifth and Ninth Symphonies. The music is magically woven into the drama as two actors share their anecdotes and observations based on true incidents from the composer's life. Presenting history, drama, music and fun, this engaging concert is an ideal addition to any children's education program or family concert series.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Daniel Brier
Daniel Brier is an emerging conductor who has worked with orchestras and choirs in the United States and abroad. He has conducted the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, Royal Oak Symphony, Detroit Medical Orchestra, Great Lakes Music Festival, Orion Chamber Music Society, University of Michigan Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestras, University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Cantata Singers, Spectrum Orchestra, and the Orpheus Singers. He is currently in his third season as Music Director of the Spectrum Orchestra. An advocate for new music, Mr. Brier regularly collaborates with living composers and displays a commitment to promoting and performing their music. Recent premieres include Shin's Power and Light, Lavender's Battery, Boggs' Wanderlust: Beginnings and May's Essay for Chamber Orchestra. At home on the stage and in the pit, Mr. Brier recently conducted Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro in a semi-staged concert production.

Previous conducting positions include assistant and cover conductor for the Lexington Philharmonic, assistant conductor of the University of Michigan Orchestras, assistant conductor of the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theater, and conductor of the Orpheus Singers. In 2010, Mr. Brier was selected as a Prizewinner for his "exceptional conducting" during the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic's international conducting masterclass and competition. He studied with John Nelson during his engagement with the Orchestre de chambre de Paris and Munchener Bach-Chor. Additionally he has conducted in masterclasses with Giancarlo Guerrero, Hugh Wolff, Jorma Panula, Alexander Polishchuk, Victor Yampolsky, Carl Topilow, and Ragnar Bohlin.

Mr. Brier recently completed his graduate studies as a fellow at the University of Michigan's conducting program where he studied orchestral conducting with Kenneth Kielser. He is also a recipient of the Julian and Vera McIntosh scholarship for promising young musicians and conductors. Previously, Mr. Brier earned a M.M. in Choral Conducting from the University of Michigan under the mentorship of Dr. Jerry Blackstone. During his choral degree, Mr. Brier was a graduate student instructor and recipient of the Dr. Charlene Archibeque and Dorothy Greenwald scholarships.

Paul Pement
Paul serves as Executive and Artistic Director of Classical Kids Music Education, a non-profit arts organization focused on introducing children to the lives and musical masterpieces of the great classical composers. A BFA in theatre from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and professional experience as an actor, singer, dancer, director, choreographer and stage manager have enabled Paul to achieve success with Classical Kids LIVE! programming - the leader in the field of family concert programming presented by orchestras throughout North America and abroad. Over the past decade Mr. Pement has led the organization in processes that include strategic planning, board and committee development, financial accounting, funding development, community engagement, and marketing and communications. Together with the help of dedicated consultants and passionate board and committee members, Paul is proud to have created the organization's newest program, Gershwin's Magic Key - the first-ever symphony concert production that introduces future generations to the legacy of the great American composer, George Gershwin.

Susan Hammond
Susan has created a whole new generation of classical music fans through her innovative and award-winning Classical Kids recordings. She is the executive producer of a 16 title series of children's classical music recordings known collectively as Classical Kids, selling to date nearly 5 million CDs, DVDs and books worldwide, and earning over 100 prestigious awards and honors. Each story entails its own adventure featuring a unique combination of music, history, and theatricality to engage the imaginations of children. Susan holds the philosophy that, "Where the heart goes, the mind will follow." An accomplished concert pianist and music teacher, Hammond searched for recordings about classical music to share with her young daughters. One day, she sat reading to her girls with a classical music radio station on in the background and noticed how they responded to the literature in a different way when enhanced by music. The rest, as they say, is history. Susan is the recipient of Billboard Magazine's International Achievement Award and resides with her husband in Toronto where she is a member of the Order of Canada for her contribution to the arts.

Barbara Nichol
Barbara is an award-winning author and filmmaker. Her book Dippers was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award, and Biscuits in the Cupboard won the Mr. Christie's Book Award. She is also well known as the author and director of the Juno award-winning original recording of Beethoven Lives Upstairs and author of the book by the same title. She was awarded a Genie for Best Short Film for Home for Blind Women and was nominated for an Emmy for her work with Sesame Street. Barbara Nichol has published four books with Tundra, including Safe and Sound, Trunks All Aboard: An Elephant ABC, and Dippers.

Leslie Ann Sheppard
Leslie enjoys performing with Classical Kids as Katarina in Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery, Christoph in Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Karl in Mozart's Magnificent Voyage and as Kid in the new, Gershwin's Magic Key. An actor, musician, playwright and stage combatant, Leslie Ann acquired a BA degree from Illinois State University and is the Artistic Director and a founding company member of the Suitcase Shakespeare Co. Chicago theatre credits include productions at Victory Gardens, Steppenwolf, Northlight, TimeLine, Chicago Children's Theatre, The Artistic Home, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, the Bristol Renaissance Faire, and the Chicago Fringe Festival. Film credits include The Mob Doctor, Powers, I Will Be Waiting, and Skull Speakers. Above all, faith, family, respect and the love of creating and sharing art drive Leslie Ann to strive for excellence. Mrs. Sheppard resides in Chicago with her husband, runs marathons for Team World Vision, and is a member of Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA

Thad Avery
Mr. Avery performs for Classical Kids Live! as both Uncle in Beethoven Lives Upstairs and Tchaikovsky in Tchaikovsky Discovers America. He is based in Chicago with his wife Cheryl, and two children, Spencer and Grace. A proud union member of all three performing unions his first professional show was with Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. He received his training from Wayne State University in Detroit. There he performed in a number of shows ranging from the Classics to many musicals. After graduation, he was a company member of Utah Shakespearean Festival and traveled around the world with an international comedy troupe. The troupe was featured at World Entertainment in Japan and also at the Wintergarten in Berlin. When Thad returned home, he started a long and rewarding relationship with the musical Forever Plaid. The production took him from Door County, WI to the first national tour, to Las Vegas, and back home to Chicago. Other appearances in Chicago include: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, The Wizard of Oz, Charlotte's Web, Alice in Wonderland, and The Nutcracker. Thad gives special thanks to his mentor, the late Robert Hazzard

CALENDAR LISTING
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents
Family Discovery Series
Beethoven Lives Upstairs
Daniel Brier, Conductor
Leslie Ann Sheppard as Christoph
Thad Avery as Uncle

For their first Family Discovery concert of the season, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents Beethoven Lives Upstairs. The world famous production of Beethoven Lives Upstairs features a lively exchange of letters between young Christoph and his uncle. Their subject is the "madman" who has moved into the upstairs apartment of Christoph's Vienna home. Through a touching correspondence, dramatically underscored with the composer's most beautiful music, Christoph comes to understand the genius of Beethoven, the beauty of his music, and the torment of his deafness. Musical highlights of the production include the Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, and the great Fifth and Ninth Symphonies. The music is magically woven into the drama as two actors share their anecdotes and observations based on true incidents from the composer's life. Presenting history, drama, music and fun, this engaging concert is an ideal addition to any children's education program or family concert series.

Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 3pm
Chenery Auditorium

Tickets: $6 - $12

For tickets, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com, call the KSO Box Office at (269) 349-7759 or call Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at (269) 387-2300.

Visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com for up-to-date information, details and schedules. Prices, artists, dates, time and program are subject to change without notice.

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra also receives generous support from other local, state and national foundations, as well as private and corporate support. For more information, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com.

ABOUT THE KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Founded in 1921, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is Southwest Michigan's premier musical organization, providing musical enrichment to over 80,000 adults and youth per year. The third-largest professional orchestra in the state, the KSO has won numerous awards and grants, including the Met Life Award for Arts Access in Underserved Communities, the National Endowment for the Arts for its extensive education programs, and a major Ford Foundation grant to found its innovative Artist-in-Residence program.

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