By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, Grand Rapids Symphony

J.S. Bach’s “Air on the G String” is an all-time audience favorite melody. It’s a sure bet you’ve heard it before.

 

It’s part of a larger work, Bach’s Orchestra Suite No. 3, which the Grand Rapids Symphony performs on Friday, Oct. 12, in St. Cecilia Music Center’s Royce Auditorium.

 

Principal Oboist Ellen Sherman is soloist on The Baroque Concert: Bach and Beyond, which includes music from the Baroque plus a contemporary piece by Brazilian’s most famous composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos, that’s inspired by the music of Bach. It’s the first of four concerts in the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Great Eras series.

 

Marcelo Lehninger leads the Grand Rapids Symphony at 8pm Oct. 12 in Grand Rapids plus a repeat of the entire concert at 8pm Saturday, Oct. 13 in Holland at the Jack Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College.

 

The Grand Rapids Symphony also plays a shorter version of the concert at 10am Oct. 12 at St. Cecilia for the Coffee Classics series. The one-hour concerts are held without intermission, and doors open at 9am for complementary coffee and donuts.