Courtesy Photo The Keweenaw Symphony orchestra with the Choirs of Michigan Tech will perform Mahler's Resurrection Symphony.

HOUGHTON — At 7:30 p.m. April 18 the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, Choirs of Michigan Tech, musicians from the Upper Peninsula and Upper Midwest, and soloists Lara Neves and Kathryn Summersett, will combine for the Upper Peninsula’s first-ever performance of Gustav Mahler’s transcendent Resurrection Symphony.

In celebration of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Art’s 25th Anniversary Season, more than 175 musicians will take the stage to perform one of the most ambitious pieces of music ever composed. Conductor Joel Neves, professor of music and director of orchestral activities at Michigan Technological University, has wanted to bring this experience to our local community for a long time. “The Mahler Resurrection Symphony I think, is the G.O.A.T. of all symphonies, the greatest of all time.”, says Neves. “When you experience Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony it is an emotional thing. No other symphony takes you on such a journey like this one.”

This rare event will be a fitting capstone to the Rozsa Center’s 25th Anniversary Season which welcomed tens of thousands of people through its doors.

“This year has been a celebration, and a reminder of how important it is to be in this space together as a community,” said Kiersten Birondo, executive director of the Rozsa Center. “With so much talent from across the Upper Peninsula coming together, this concert represents the kind of collaboration, coordination, trust, and willingness to build something together that makes our surrounding community and the Rozsa Center so special.”

According to a Michigan Tech press release, this will be the first time Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony has ever been performed in the Upper Peninsula, and is possibly the most number of performers that have ever graced the Rozsa stage. “The Resurrection Symphony is a life changer. If you’ve never been to a symphony before, this is the one to go to.”, suggests Neves. “It will alter you. You will remember it for a long time. It takes you on a beautiful emotional journey that forces you to think about life and what it’s about in all its pain, tragedy, beauty and triumph. You don’t want

to miss it.”

Tickets may be purchased at https://mtu.universitytickets.com/