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| | Orchestral Fate
West Ottawa Performing Arts Center
Johannes Müller Stosch, conductor
Ryan Darke, Trumpet (Principal Trumpet of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra)
SCHREKER Tanz from Romantic Suite
ARUTIUNIAN Trumpet Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64
Tchaikovsky’s fifth symphony is a highly personal and emotionally charged unfurling of ominous “fate” themes transforming into exultant triumph. Alexander Arutiunian combined the post-Romantic Russian tradition with Armenian folk elements, qualities readily evident in his beloved 1950 Trumpet Concerto, a cornerstone of brass repertoire for its dance elements and challenging cadenza. Schreker composed his Romantic Suite during his prestigious position as director of the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin and is known for creating impressionistic sound worlds of ever-changing colors and moods. The Tanz (Dance) movement of his suite is a grand finale of orchestral fireworks and mercurial rhythms. | Buy Tickets |
| | Classics II: Heroes & Villains West Ottawa Performing Arts Center
Johannes Müller Stosch, conductor
Moni Simeonov, Violin
MOZART Overture to Don Giovanni, K. 527
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55, “Eroica”
Mozart composed his frenetic overture to his opera Don Giovanni less than 48 hours before the opera’s premiere. Its mixture of dark and light moods prefaces the opera’s contrasting themes of comedy vs tragedy. Prokofiev’s second violin concerto is a whirlwind mix of dance rhythms, angular and athletic passages showcasing the soloist’s skills, with a Spanish flare that pleased the audiences at its premiere in Madrid. Beethoven’s “heroic” third symphony signified a huge step towards romanticism with its grand orchestrations, lush harmonic structure, and bold depiction of the rise and fall of a hero.
Moni Simeonov returns for his third appearance with HSO! He teaches at the Bob Cole Conservatory at California State University Long Beach, where he is a colleague and friend of Johannes. He has concertized around the world and is passionate about music education for young people, coached alongside Midori for her Orchestra Residencies Program American and International tours. https://fromthetop.org/musician/moni-simeonov/ | Buy Tickets |
| | Holland Symphony Orchestra
Johannes Müller Stosch, Music Director & Conductor
Steve & Allison Martin, vocalists
Local favorites Steve and Allison Martin join HSO for festive selections from The Nutcracker, Leroy Anderson’s classic Sleigh Ride, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and some of the Martins’ favorite songs, including “The Prayer,” “O Holy Night,” and “Ave Maria.” Rounding out the family-friendly concert will be the audience favorite “Christmas Singalong,” full of well-known holiday carols!
Steve and Allison are well known in West Michigan, having sung on opera stages and musical productions locally and around the country. Allison received her Masters of Music from Michigan State University. Steve holds a doctorate and master’s in music from Michigan State University. He has taught at the college level and is now Director of Music and Fine Arts at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. | Buy Tickets |
| | Johannes Müller Stosch, conductor
Michelle Areyzaga, soprano
West Ottawa Performing Arts Center
STILL Summerland
DEBUSSY Petite Suite
MAHLER Symphony No. 4 (chamber version)
William Grant Still wrote more than 150 compositions, merging musical aspects of his African American heritage with traditional European classical forms. Originally composed for solo piano, Summerland (1937) is a short, intensely expressive elegy — dreamy and atmospheric, suggesting the summer of its title, with hints of the blues and a nod to his fellow composer Debussy. Motivated by the poems of Paul Verlaine (1844-1896), Debussy’s 1889 Petite Suite (Small Suite) was originally composed for piano duet and later orchestrated by his colleague Henri Büsser. The four movements of this whimsical tone poem paint musical pictures of 18th-century aristocrats on country outings, a romantic boat ride at dusk on a dark lake, a playful menuetto, and a sparkling ballet. Mahler’s fourth symphony is a contrapuntal, folk-tune inspired musical journey from experience to innocence, from complexity to simplicity, and from earthly life to heaven, complete with tender string passages, brass chorales, and lilting soprano lines. Klaus Simon’s 2007 chamber arrangement retains Mahler’s unmistakable orchestral sound in a way that enables chamber orchestras to perform this intimate and tender symphony. HSO audiences first met Chicago-based soprano Michelle Areyzaga at the 2022 holiday concert. Back by popular demand, Michelle Areyzaga makes her second appearance with HSO. “Soprano Michelle Areyzaga sang with a round, clear tone throughout her register. Areyzaga’s luminous soprano plumbed the depths of the text, alternating between plaintive folkishness … to soaring, operatic grandeur.” – Chicago Classical Review | Buy Tickets |
| | Johannes Müller Stosch, conductor
Mikhail Korzhev, piano
West Ottawa Performing Arts Center
AUDIENCE CHOICE 2026
BONDS Montgomery Variations
MARX Romantic Piano Concerto
Audience Choice: Help us choose the opening piece for this concert! Look for details in fall, 2025.
After studying piano and composition with Florence Price in Chicago, Margaret Bonds composed her variations in the wake of the 1963 firebombing of Birmingham, Alabama’s 16th Street Baptist Church. She describes them as “a group of freestyle variations based on the Negro Spiritual theme; I want Jesus to Walk with Me. The treatment suggests the manner in which Bach constructed his partitas – a bold statement of the theme, followed by variations of the theme.” A profound lyricist and yearning optimist, Austrian composer Joseph Marx considered himself a musical poet of happiness. HSO Music Director Johannes Müller Stosch describes his 1919 Romantic Piano Concerto as “the Austrian counterpart of Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto, with lush romantic melodies, harmonies, and plenty of technical fireworks for the soloist.” The piece was resurrected and made popular by famed pianist Jorge Bolet, is a rarely performed gem melding orchestra with piano in a duet of energy and radiant lyricism.
Mikhail Korzzev is one of the few pianists of this generation who has the boldness, technique, and strength to take on Marx’s Romantic Piano Concerto. He “projects strength, atmosphere and the ability to tangle even the knottiest passages…” (International Record Review) | Buy Tickets |
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