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Grand Rapids Symphony at Carnegie Hall

The Grand Rapids Symphony is playing Carnegie Hall in New York City.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-The Grand Rapids Symphony is headed to New York City.

The orchestra is playing a concert in Carnegie Hall Friday, April 20.

“It is beyond exciting,” says symphony senior communications manager Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk. “Carnegie Hall is one of the most important concert halls in the world. All of the important orchestras play in Carnegie hall and If you have played in Carnegie Hall you have arrived.”

Under the baton of new music director Marcelo Lehninger and with the help of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, the orchestra is preforming a program of mostly Brazilian compositions.

Between DeVos Hall and other venues, the symphony gives over 400 performances every year, but musicians say this one in Carnegie Hall is special.

“The hall itself is inspiring,” says principal percussionist Bill Vits. “You are playing in a space the world’s greatest musicians have graced.”

“It’s kind of like you are in the Royal Palace or something,” says double bass player Mark Buchner. “It has all of this history to it.”

“I’m just so excited,” says violinist Haijin Choi. “I feel like we won the gold medal in the Olympics.”

The Grand Rapids Symphony first played Carnegie Hall in 2005. About two thirds of the current musicians in the orchestra were on that trip.

“The first one was definitely nervous,” recalls bass player Kevin Flannery. “This one, we are there to do a job and we are going to do the job at the level of our abilities. Which right now is pretty high.”

Last weekend the orchestra played the music planned for Carnegie hall for their home town audience in DeVos Hall.

“It is good the community can see that we are world class,” says Vits. “We are a major orchestra able to play on the world stage.”

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