The Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra

CRYSTAL FALLS — Crystal Theatre’s 2024 “Gem of a Season” commences with a performance by the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4.

Composed of Michigan Technological University students, faculty and area musicians, the Keweenaw Symphony is the oldest orchestra in the Upper Peninsula.

Students occupy about 60% of the orchestra; none are music majors. Engineers, scientists, mathematicians, educators and retirees fill the roster.

The KSO presents four to five concerts a year, drawing from choral-orchestral, opera, ballet and pops genres, in the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

Recent concerts featured Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” with the Minnesota Ballet, “West Side Story” with the Michigan Tech Theatre Department, and music by Beethoven and Wagner.

In 2021, the group received second-place honors in the American Prize in Music, awarded to the best college orchestras in the U.S.

Embarking on a concert tour to Chicago, the orchestra makes its first stop at Crystal Theatre. Under the direction of Dr. Joel Neves, professor of visual and performing arts, the ensemble will present a thrilling program of orchestral favorites.

Patrons are invited to enjoy punch and cookies before the concert in celebration of the start of the 2024 “Gem of a Season.”

Advanced tickets for the performance may be purchased online at thecrystaltheatre.org, by calling 906-875-3208 or in person during the mornings from Monday through Friday at Stage Left.

The concert is the first event offered with a flex-pass subscription.