“The West Michigan Symphony has canceled all live performances through the summer, the organization announced Monday,” writes Anya Wagtendonk in Tuesday’s (5/19) Muskegon Chronicle (Michigan). “While the Muskegon-based orchestra will transition some performances to a video stream, some highly anticipated programming—such as William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony and Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from the musical ‘West Side Story’—has been canceled…. The symphony had already postponed several performances, [moving] ‘our four remaining concerts into summer,’ the symphony’s executive director, Andy Buelow, said in a press release. ‘Since then, the projected trajectory of the pandemic has lengthened.’ … Some symphony programming will be moved online. This includes a July performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ by violinist Chee-Yun. Trumpeter Byron Stripling will also give a concert, and members of the symphony’s string section will perform works by Samuel Barber and Mozart in June. All concerts will take place from the stage of the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts … with the musicians socially distanced and no audience in the seats. Video streams of the performances will be free for subscribers and ticketholders. The general public may stream portions of the concerts for free on the symphony’s Facebook page.”
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