Jerome Summers, conductor emeritus of the International Symphony Orchestra (ISO,) is returning for concerts Friday in Port Huron, Mich., and Saturday in Sarnia.
Jerome Summers, conductor emeritus of the International Symphony Orchestra, is returning for concerts Friday in Port Huron, Mich., and Saturday in Sarnia.
Summers, who retired in 2012 after 14 years as conductor and musical director of the semi-professional orchestra based on both sides of the St. Clair River, pitched in during the pandemic shutdowns when in-person concerts couldn’t be performed.
With the border closed to non-essential travel, Summers came out of retirement to help with the orchestra’s Nexus series of online concerts.
“He was conductor in the empty halls and churches on the Canadian side,” said executive director Anthony Wing.
Those performances, held without in-person audiences, were video recorded on each side of the border with US-based conductor Douglas Bianchi handling duties on the Michigan side.
“We had two film crews, two smaller orchestras and the two conductors, and we would not have been able to accomplish the whole series were it not for Jerry agreeing to come out of retirement,” Wing said.
The concerts – Friday at the Port Huron Northern Auditorium and Saturday at 7:30 pm at the Great Lakes secondary school auditorium in Sarnia – are being held to honor Summers and thank him for his help, Wing said.
The program, Mysterious Mountain, is centered on Brahms’ 4th Symphony and also includes Hovhannes’ Mysterious Mountain Symphony, Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture and Dvorak’s Romance for Violin & Orchestra, featuring Michigan soloist Florina Petrescu.
“It’s great to be back with the (orchestra),” Summers said in a news release. “I haven’t had a chance to guest conduct the orchestra since the diamond anniversary year, so I was excited at the opportunity to program challenging works.”
The program is a special addition to the orchestra’s regular six-concert “comeback” season following the lifting of pandemic restrictions on cross-border travel.
“Somehow we made it through,” Wing said.
The first performances of the season were held in October on both sides of the border.
Livestreams will be available for all performances of the 2022-2032 season.
Ticket information can be found online at theiso.org and by calling 519-337-7775.
“For this special bonus concert honoring one of the great (International Symphony Orchestra) conductors, students are admitted free at the door with parents getting 50 per cent ticket discounts,” Wing said.
The orchestra’s new website also launched this week.
“We’re super excited about it,” Wing said. “It was in design for almost three months.”
The International Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1958 when groups in Sarnia and Port Huron came together to create a cross-border orchestra.