Mission

The Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Society serves as the parent organization for the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra, its ensemble program, and the Prep and Training String Orchestras, serving students from age 10 to 18. The KJSS’s mission is to:

Encourage and develop artistic excellence among young musicians in southwest Michigan by providing a diversity of quality orchestral experiences; and to enhance the cultural environment of the families and communities it serves.

In support of that mission, the orchestras of the KJSS host several concerts each year, and the chamber ensembles perform for community organizations that serve still younger students and vulnerable populations.

History

One of the oldest and finest youth symphony orchestras in the United States, the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra (KJSO) was founded in 1939 by Eugene Andrie, its first conductor. In 1941 the orchestra came under the direction of Julius Stulberg, who remained its conductor until his death in 1974. The late Herbert Butler directed the orchestra until 1978, when Dr. Robert Ritsema assumed the conductor’s podium. Dr. Ritsema directed the orchestra for the next twenty-two years until his retirement in 2001. Steven Ward replaced Dr. Ritsema and led the orchestra until the spring of 2006. After a year-long conductor search, Andrew Koehler joined the elite core of dedicated Kalamazoo Junior Symphony conductors in June 2007.

The KJSO has been accorded many national and international honors. ... view more »

Contact information

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The Community Box Office Hours:

Box office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 am - 6 pm, with closing for lunch from 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm. You may contact the box office at: 269.250.6984.

ACGK Office Hours:

ACGK offices are open to the public Tuesday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. 

You may also contact us at: 269.342.5059 or email us at: info@kalamazooarts.org.