Choreographer

“I grew up performing in floor shows in Black neighborhoods in a segregated Kansas City in the 1950s & 60s. My mother was a dancer and a jazz singer, and my father sold real estate and ran a bar called Al and Bud’s. During this era, Black businesses were booming, and there was great hope for upward mobility after World War II.

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SCAT!

Fisher Center at Bard

There are tectonic forces at play here: In December, the FWSO will give the world premiere performance of American composer Jake Heggie and Librettist Anita Amirrezvani’s, Earth 2.0 — a work exploring ecology and the environment in music — featuring star counter-tenor Key’mon Murrah and in partnership with the New York-based dance troupe Urban Bush Women. The orchestra’s Music Director Robert Spano will conduct the premiere before turning to one of the most universal works in the classical canon, Beethoven’s “Eroica” symphony.

Spano Conducts Beethoven and Jake Heggie

Sundance Square

Experience the culmination of the Grand Rapids Symphony's landmark 95th season with the awe-inspiring performance of "Death & Transfiguration." Under the baton of Maestro Marcelo Lehninger, with the extraordinary talents of countertenor Key’mon Murrah, and the visionary direction and choreography of Jawole Zollar alongside the Urban Bush Women, this event promises an unforgettable evening of music and dance.

The concert will premiere Jake Heggie’s "Earth 2.0," a co-commission with the Fort Worth Symphony that delves into themes of nature and conservation. This piece, alongside R. Strauss's "Tod und Verklärung" (Death and Transfiguration), will offer audiences a thrilling and epic finale to the season. The performance will be enriched by the choreography and movement of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and the Brooklyn-based dance company, Urban Bush Women, ensuring a spectacle of auditory and visual artistry.

Join us at DeVos Performance Hall for this monumental event on Friday, May 9, 2025, and Saturday, May 10, 2025, both evenings at 7:30 PM. Secure your tickets now for a night that celebrates the power of music and dance to reflect on our relationship with nature and the transformative journey of life and beyond.

This performance is made possible thanks to our generous sponsors, including the Series Sponsor: Richard and Helen DeVos, with Marcelo Lehninger occupying the Daniel & Pamella DeVos Music Director Chair, and the Guest Artist Sponsor: Edith I. Blodgett Guest Artist Fund.

Don't miss this pinnacle of the Grand Rapids Symphony's 2023-2024 season. Buy your tickets today and be part of a historic celebration of music, movement, and the human spirit.

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar

Choreographer

Events

Upcoming events

6 - 8 Dec, 2024

Spano Conducts Beethoven and Jake Heggie · Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

9 - 10 May, 2025

Death & Transfiguration · Grand Rapids Symphony

Past events

28 - 30 Jun, 2024

SCAT! · Bard College

About

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