Grand Rapids Symphony Unveils 2016-17 Season

Grand Rapids, MI - Your Grand Rapids Symphony's 87th annual season, offers classical blockbusters; classic pop and rock shows plus family friendly entertainment; and cinematic special events plus seasonal celebrations that'll bring a galaxy of eminent artists and guest conductors to Grand Rapids, all paving the way for the orchestra's next music director, who will be selected in the months ahead.

The GRS will play all-time orchestral favorites including Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Beethoven's Eroica Symphony No. 3, and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

The Grand Rapids Pops season promises cinematic thrills you can't experience anywhere else with Dreamworks Animation in Concert, a 20th anniversary salute to the studio that created Shrek, Madagascar andHow to Train Your Dragon. A full-length screening of the heartwarming film, E.T the Extra-Terrestrial follows in November with its memorable score by John Williams, the five-time Oscar-winning film composer whose music is yet to come this season on May 6-8.

Ann Hampton Callaway, who wrote and sang the theme from TV's The Nanny, returns to DeVos Hall in January 2017 with a salute to Barbra Streisand, including songs such as At the Same Time that Callaway wrote especially for Babs.

Beatlemania is back with the Fox Motors Pops Series with the tribute group Classical Mystery Tour joining the Grand Rapids Pops in April 2017 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fab Four's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Highlights on the Classical Series include Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, featuring the enchanting variation that served as the love theme for the movie Somewhere in Time, filmed at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, starring Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour.

World-class artists coming to town for the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series include Michigan's own Ralph Votapek, the first gold medal winner of the inaugural Van Cliburn International Piano Competition to open the series in September; and Fabio Bidini, a finalist in the 1993 Van Cliburn Competition.

Familiar faces coming to town include pianist Jim Witter from The Piano Men, a past performer with the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops. He returns with The Music of Billy Joel and Elton John in September to open the six-concert Fox Motors Pops Series together with Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt on the podium.

The GRS' 2016-17 season promises the return of music director laureate David Lockington in November to lead soloists and the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus in Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, featuring prayers, biblical stories, and texts by poet Walt Whitman.

There's still more to come! Stay tuned for further announcements in the days and weeks ahead.