Category Archives: News

October 31, 2011 The Crescendo Trio, Sarah Hedlund (violin), Luke Cook (cello) and Mark Portolese (piano) will be performing a benefit concert to support the Kalamazoo Philharmonia on Sunday, November 13, 2 PM at the Fine Arts Building at Kalamazoo College. The concert will feature the music of Bolcom, Brahms, and Schubert. More information about the Kalamazoo Philharmonia can be found here.

October 17, 2011 Crescendo Academy of Music announces a new guitar scholarship program:   The Ehrnstrom/Daniels Memorial Musician’s Fund. Eric Elsasser, who grew up in Kalamazoo, created the Fund in 2011 by making a lead gift in honor of his friends Robert Ehrnstrom and Gerry Daniels.

Mr. Elsasser said “Robert Ehrnstom was a great friend as well as an outstanding guitar player. Gerry Daniels was a great friend as well and a hot harmonica player with a passion of acting. These two men were great musicians who would be happy to know that others are benefitting from their love of music.” The funds main priority is to provide needs-based financial assistance to a child or teenager with a passion for guitar. The monies in the Fund may also be used to provide materials students may need such as books, string replacements, etc. Read the complete press release.

Applications for the scholarship program can be found here. Donations to the fund may be made online here.

October 7, 2011 The Kalamazoo Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra’s performed at the Carnegie Center for the Arts in Three Rivers, MI on September 30th. The program once again featured Crescendo instructor Mark Portolese on violin and tenor Ron Cleveland.

Reviewer Olga Bonfiglio writes: “How long I have lived in Kalamazoo and yet didn’t know about the Kalamazoo Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra.  What a terrible deprivation!

Last night I attended their Three Rivers concert at the beautiful Carnegie Center for the Arts (one of the old Andrew Carnegie Foundation-funded small town library buildings that dot our nation and Canada) and was utterly charmed by their performance. They played an eclectic program of music from Europe, Greece, Russia, Japan and even Michigan (which sounded so much like our state).”

The complete review can be found here.

The KMGO will present the Bulgarian classical mandolin quartet Seasons in concert on Wednesday, October 26th at Foundry Hall (422 Eagle St., South Haven) at 7pm and Saturday, October 29th at the Ladies Library Association (333 S. Park Street) 7pm.  For more information, call 269-345-6664.

September 26, 2011 Fall Music Together held on Thursdays 5 and  6 pm at Crescendo Academy of Music, and on Tuesdays at 10 am at Excel Dance Centre (6675 W. Q Avenue). Regular Music Together classes begin the week of September 26th.

Call/email now to arrange to attend a free demonstration class! More about Music Together can be found here.