Dr. Robert Ritsema led the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra from 1978 to 2001. When news came of his passing last year, current director Andrew Koehler acknowledged the loss in remarks during the spring program, but the upcoming concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb 15 at Chenery Auditorium will be a more complete tribute, Koehler tells Cara Lieurance.
The carefully programmed concert opens with the Allegretto from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. There’s a Philadelphia Orchestra tradition from the Eugene Ormandy era, where this movement served as an internal memorial when orchestra members passed away. Koehler learned of the tradition during his formative years as a young violinist in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.
The program goes on to feature several works connected to Ritsema’s tenure. Dmitri Kabalevsky’s Colas Breugnon Overture opens the second half—the same piece that launched Ritsema’s first concert as music director. Anne Francis, a professional cellist who played under Ritsema, suggested including Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze,” which Ritsema frequently programmed to “settle” the players…