For families with children, September means back to school; for the Traverse City Philharmonic, it means back to the concert hall!

Things are busy at the TC Phil Center as we get ready for the start of the concert season and the school year at our Community Music School. It’s been a full year now since we opened our new facility, and in the words of one of our musicians, it’s been “a game-changer.” Coming off of a record-breaking summer season at the Civic Center Amphitheater where we hosted thousands of attendees at our Philharmonic concerts, as well as our community ensemble and educational performances, a record-breaking fundraiser (our first at the TC Phil Center) which celebrated the start of my 25th season, we are ready to start a brand new season with incredible enthusiasm onstage, behind the scenes, and most importantly from our listeners!

Our first performances on the evenings of Sept. 12-13 start our Series at the Center. This first production represents a big departure for us when we turn our center into a relaxed nightclub with a cash bar, including local beer and wine, and a signature cocktail for a knockout cabaret-style evening, featuring four amazing female singer-performers in a revue-style performance called “No Sugarcoating.” Instead of traditional audience chairs in rows, we’ll have flexible chair groupings with small cafe tables for your beverages and food, including complimentary treats from our pastry sponsor, Sweet Tartlette.

The title of the show, “No Sugarcoating,” totally describes the personalities of these four entertainers, three of whom I call good friends, and one I call my wife — Kate Botello, Lynne Church, Cory Goodrich and Jane Rhodes. Audiences will hopefully remember Jane, Kate (also from her IPR days), and Lynne from multiple appearances with the jazz orchestra. Cory is a dear friend who is also a fabulous songwriter and actress based in Chicago. She will be joining us in TC for the first time. I cannot wait to play backup for these performers at our amazing Steinway concert grand piano!

Most people wouldn’t know that I got my start as a music director when I was a youth of 14 and started putting together revue programs for the Ramada Inn showroom lounge near the airport in my hometown. When I was designing the upcoming season, armed with the knowledge of the possibilities in our Philharmonic Center, I decided it would be a blast to return to my roots (in a way … the Ramada Inn certainly didn’t have a first-class Steinway Concert Grand Piano!) and put these four singers together for a unique evening.

Only two weeks later on Sept. 27-28 at the Milliken Auditorium at Northwestern Michigan College, we have the big orchestra season opener, but with a new twist this year. Starting with the music, we are playing what is called the most popular symphony in the world, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, which has undoubtedly the most well-known opening in history with its famous or maybe infamous “da-da-da-DAAAAA.” Every time I start getting ready to perform this work, I feel like it’s the very first time, as I am reacquainted with the special piece of genius. I recently learned that it is among the representations of humankind featured on the “Golden Album” attached to the Voyager Space Probes, one of which is now on the verge of entering interstellar space. It’s somehow a very moving thought that we are playing live in real time, a piece of music which has now gone where no one has gone before.

Our special guest artist is one of my favorite collaborators, violinist Yevgeny Kutik, who will join us for the Violin Concerto No. 2 of iconic American composer, Phillip Glass.

Unlike many concertos, this one also has a descriptive title, “The American Four Seasons,” which is a fun riff on the old Baroque classic title by Vivaldi. It combines some contemporary sounds and rhythms with qualities of the era of Vivaldi’s work, but all along portrays that signature “cool” vibe of Phillip Glass, who is often referred to as the father of minimalism.

We will also be having an Opening Night Reception immediately following the concert, where audience members can meet and greet the performers, have a complimentary drink and a little nosh, as well as celebrate the opening of our orchestra season and our community. I am really excited about this, as this hasn’t been a practical possibility in our other venues!

For our Community Music School, fall includes the start of our long-standing Civic String Orchestra and Chamber Music Ensembles, Encore Symphonic Winds, private lessons, Suzuki lessons, the popular Adult Group Piano lessons, now expanded to three sessions, and the brand new Guitar Club and Parent & Baby classes. There’s something for everyone, and scholarships are available for all of our classes and ensembles. Amateur and professional musicians collide as we bring back the Youth Concerto Competition in September. The winner will perform a movement of their piece with the orchestra at our Oct. 19 concert in Corson Auditorium.

As you can see, fall at the Phil is busy, with a huge variety of great music, lots of fun, and constantly evolving concert and educational experiences. This September is also a perfect time to take us out for a test drive if you’ve never been to one of our concerts before.

With the huge variety of music well-suited for newcomers as well as long-time attendees, this is the moment to jump on board the TC Phil train and enjoy some of the best performances in northern Michigan. Find out more about concerts and educational opportunities for all ages at TCPhil.org

Kevin Rhodes is the artistic director and principal conductor of the Traverse City Philharmonic.