Lansing Symphony members fill empty Knapp’s space with music

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THURSDAY, Dec. 12 — From 1937 to 1980, the first floor of Knapp’s Department Store was the place to be in Lansing at Christmastime.

The fancy window displays, perfume counter and toy trains aren’t coming back anytime soon, but a community concert Thursday with members of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, plus food and drink from Troppo, hopes to catch a bit of that old magic.

Four top musicians from the LSO will play, alone and together, on the empty first floor of the refurbished downtown icon. The grazing begins when the doors open at 4 p.m. with craft beer, wine and small plates fom Troppo. Music starts at 5 p.m.

Thursday’s “Traffic Jam” is the first in a planned series of pop-up concerts organized by Downtown Lansing, Inc., to energize vacant downtown spaces.

Cathleen Edgerly, director of Downtown Lansing Inc., said the series is intended to reverse, or at least delay, the daily exodus of downtown workers and bring new visitors downtown.

“Our goal is to bring more energy and excitement to downtown,” Edgerly said.

The nation’s largest Streamline Moderne landmark, once in danger of being torn down, is again full of activity, with penthouse apartments on the top floor and corporate offices in the middle floors. But the Eyde Co., owner of the building, has found a first-floor anchor tenant elusive.

Thursday’s concert offers a chance to go inside a unique space with a lot of history.

“We’re very fortunate to have the approval of the Eyde family to work in that space,” Edgerly said.

The concert is also a first for the LSO. Maestro Timothy Muffitt called it a “happy hour concert.”

“It’s a new time and a non-traditional venue for us,” Muffitt said.

Muffitt and the musicians chose lively and unusual shorter pieces they hope will appeal to a wide range of listeners.

“The main thing is to present very engaging, great music for people who don’t have chamber music at the top of their list of things to do,” Muffitt said. “We want to demonstrate the mass appeal of great music.”

The ensemble itself is unusual: LSO principal percussionist Andrew Spencer, principal clarinetist Guy Yehuda, principal second violinist Flory Petrescu and cellist Tom Sullivan.

“It’s a kind of informal coffee house concert, where the musicians will interact with the audience,” Muffitt said.

The symphony’s new composer in residence, Patrick Harlin, has reworked one of his most appealing scores for this particular group. Also, on the slate are pieces by Argentinian tango master Astor Piazzolla, including his dark and pulsating “Libertango.”

The flow of the evening will oscillate between the full ensemble and solo works from each individual musician.

Part of the draw will be a chance to get up close with Yehuda, who has contributed many memorable solos at LSO concerts in recent years. In addition to playing with the ensemble, Yehuda will play a fiery solo homage to Spanish composer Manuel de Falla.

“Guy plays this with a lot of grace, elegance and character,” Muffitt said.

Spencer, the silver-haired god of timpani thunder stationed at the rear of the orchestra, will get to show another side, as a witty and engaging performer in a more intimate setting.

The concert will be set up in the round, with the audience on all sides of the musicians.

Muffitt has ogled the Streamline Modern curves of the Knapp’s building, the largest commercial building in that style in the world, since before it was refurbished in 2014.

“I just love that building,” Muffitt said. “It’s so exciting to me that it’s full of life again, and for us to bring music into that space seems like a wonderful addition to its rebirth.”

The Eyde Co., owners of Knapp’s, and Downtown Lansing Inc. contacted the symphony with the idea of a pop-up concert about a month ago. Muffitt was already thinking about launching a concert series featuring members of the symphony in non-traditional venues, a trend that is taking increasing hold in the orchestral world.

“One of the next steps for the symphony will be to play more of these kinds of concerts, focusing on music of our time that has broad appeal, inviting a whole new cohort of listeners to great music,” Muffitt said.

Many symphony orchestras across the nation, from San Francisco to New York, have launched one or more series of this kind.

“It’s a recognition that in the 21st century, it’s not enough to sit in the concert hall and say, ‘We’re playing some music, everyone come,’” he said.

“This is a great way to bring what we do to new audiences. The musicians are excited about it, too, because you’ll get to hear a different side of what they do, and you’ll hear from them as they interact with the audience.”

More Traffic Jam concerts will be announced soon, Edgerly said. They will continue to pop up one Thursday evening a month for the next six months, and feature music ranging from classical to blues and jazz, folk and other formats.

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