Akron Life February 2022

PAGES

R A D A R

by Kelly Petryszyn photo provided by Akron Symphony Orchestra

20 YEARS

AKRON LIFE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS!

THEN & NOW: AKRON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

seen + heard

Holiday 2002, by Tara L. Pecic: Each year the Akron Symphony Orchestra strives

to create concert programs that not only entertain but also provide cultural enrich ment, bringing people and families together with a new sense of appreciation for each other and the arts. Gospel Meets Symphony will cel ebrate community spirit when over 200 voices from area churches join the orchestra to create a powerful and mesmer izing program dedicated to prais ing God. Every year the Akron Symphony Orchestra continues to expand its musical offer ings, to embrace diverse interests and to stretch its repertoire and technical capabilities. March 5, 2022: In addi tion to continuing the tradition of Gospel Meets Symphony, which falls on June 18 this year, the Akron Symphony Orchestra continues to embark on groundbreaking collabora tions, including pairing orches

GO FIGURE Get inspired by figuring skat

FREEDOM FIGHT While Ohio was an Underground Railroad hotbed where residents helped thousands of freedom seek ers escape slavery, it was also rife with slave catchers, many from neighboring Kentucky. Released in January, “The Reverse Underground Railroad in Ohio” book (History Press, $21.99) by David Meyers and Elise Meyers Walker presents detailed stories of thwarted break aways and stopped captures. Read about 600 Oberlin-area abolition ists who helped freedom seeker John Price escape his captors at a Wellington hotel. Among heart breaking failed escapes, these tales of resistance make this book a testa ment to Ohioans standing up for justice. arcadiapublishing.com

tra musicians with effects pedals from Akron based EarthQuaker Devices for a specially commissioned work, “Confluence,” composed by Jon Sonnenberg and Jake Gunnar Walsh. During the piece, orchestra musi cians on piccolo, cello, horn, violin and more play through handmade elec tronic EarthQuaker devices to create effects like changes in pitch, delays, distortions and echoes. Collaborations with different parts of the community are at the heart of the Akron Symphony Orchestra’s programming, says conductor Christopher Wilkins. “It enriches the community that we live in,” he says, “but community also enriches the musical experi ence. When you share it with people, that’s when it’s most alive.” See the cutting-edge classical, electric mashup in a March 5 show, which also features pieces by other inno vative composers, including Haydn’s “Earthquake” and Dawson’s “Negro Folk Symphony.” E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St., Akron, akronsymphony.org

ing star Alysa Liu while watching the Winter Olympics Feb. 4-20, and take a spin on a new local ice rink. Glide through the frosty air with free skate rentals outside the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center through Feb. 28. Break at a nearby food truck or the hotel’s indoor Zamboni Cafe snack bar to complete your winning winter outing. Weather-permitting, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, East Erie Street, Kent, kent.edu/ kentskates, Other downtown rinks: Akron through Feb. 21, Canton through February, Cuyahoga Falls through Feb. 21

10

a k r o n l i f e . c o m | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2