SENSORY-FRIENDLY CHAMBER CONCERT

NOVEMBER 7, 2025

Doors open at 9:30AM | Music starts at 10AM

WEATHERWAX HALL

General Admission: FREE

Reservation is required

This sensory-friendly concert experience has been designed for those with sensory sensitivities, including neurodiverse audiences and those with communication, movement, and learning needs.

Upon entering the JSO, attendees will have the chance to feel and touch real instruments in our lobby prior to the concert. This concert features the softer instruments from our orchestra performing as two small ensembles/chamber groups. There is a string trio with violin, viola, and cello then there is a wind quintet with clarinet, bassoon, horn, flute, and oboe. They will take turns sharing their unique sounds with the audience in a lower-lighting setting.

Audience members will be encouraged to use scarves to flow with the sound of the music and maracas to feel the beat. The venue will allow for moving or sitting during the performance as well as include accommodations like those listed below.

Please feel free to call our Box Office at (517) 782-3221 or email us at info@jacksonsymphony.org to talk about any specific needs or accommodations.

Accommodations:

Abundant Handicap Seating
Quiet Rooms
Medium Quiet Rooms
Standing Room
Additional Viewing Areas
Earplugs
Headphones
Fidgets
Scarves
Maracas

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

George Frideric Handel and Jean-Joseph Mouret
La Rejouissance and Rondeau

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Alleluja

Norman Hallam
Dance Suite for Wind Quintet

Denys Vignon
Trio a Cordes

Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3

arr. Kazimierz Machala
American Folk Suite

Malcom Arnold
Three Shanties for Wind Quintet

Bruno Mars
Marry You

John W. Bratton Arr. David C. Larrick
The Teddy Bear’s Picnic

George Frideric Handel
Entrance of the Queen of Sheba

Zequinha Abreu arr. Sjoerd van der Veen
Tico Tico

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

RUNTIME: 1HR

GUEST ARTISTS

Clyde McKaney
violin

Clyde McKaney, principal violist of the Jackson symphony, is a Jackson resident and native. He began his musical studies in the Jackson Public School’s 6th grade string program, playing the violin. Four years later, in 1981, he joined the Jackson Symphony at age 15.

A short while after joining the symphony Clyde fell in love with the sound of the viola and decided to major in viola performance at the University of Michigan. While attending U of M, Clyde studied with renowned viola soloist Donald McInnes and principal violist of the Detroit symphony Nathan Gordon. He also attended and majored in viola performance at Michigan State University where he studied with Robert Dan, violist of the New World string quartet. While attending Michigan State, Clyde was invited to study at the Juilliard School of Music with one of history’s great violinists Joseph Fuchs.

Mr. McKaney was appointed principal violist of the Jackson Symphony in 1984 and has held principal viola positions and been viola soloist in many symphony orchestras in and around the mid-Michigan area including Lansing, Battle Creek, Hillsdale, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and the Interlochen Arts Academy.

Mr. McKaney now enjoys living in Jackson, playing in the symphony, teaching at the JSO’s Community Music School, directing the JSO’s Community String Ensemble, cooking, and training dogs and horses!

John DeBiase
oboe

John DeBiase is an oboist and educator from North East, Maryland. He now resides in the Lansing area pursuing his Doctoral of Music Arts degree at Michigan State University under the tutelage of Dr. Nermis Mieses. John serves as the teaching assistant to the oboe studio at MSU as well as oboe instructor at the MSU Community Music School and Alma College. John received his Bachelor’s degree from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 2022 where he studied with Dr. Henry Grabb and Master’s Degree from Michigan State University. John keeps an active performance life with regional orchestras such as the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Adrian Symphony Orchestra.

Jennifer Pepper
horn

Jennifer is a freelance horn player based in Michigan. She received her Bachelors of Music in Horn Performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music located at California State University Long Beach and studied under Jenny Kim and a Masters of Music in Horn Performance at Michigan State University under Corbin Wagner. As a Los Angeles native, she’s performed for many ensembles of varying genres such as MTV’s Teen Wolf and venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In chamber music, Jennifer has performed for wind quintets, brass quintets, horn quartets, and has performed works such as Beethoven’s Sextet and Septet, Poulenc’s Sextet, and much more. As a private teacher, her students have successfully scored high for festivals and competitions and have even moved on to pursue degrees in music. As a coach, she’s worked for marching band and concert band seasons coaching all brass for high school programs.

Ivo Shin de Souza
flute

Ivo Dae-Seong Shin de Souza grew up playing popular and classical music with his family. His first instrument was the cello which he started studying at the age of eight. Half a decade later, however, Ivo fell in love with the flute after one fateful hide-and-seek match with his siblings when he found an old flute in his mother's wardrobe. After a couple of years of having lessons with his aunt Regina Lima, he entered the pre-college program at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), where he studied with Rodrigo Gouveia.

He continued his studies at the UFRN and pursued a Bachelor of Music with Alexandre Johnson dos Anjos at the same university. During this time, he performed in the university's symphony orchestra and chamber ensembles and played in master classes for Rogerio Wolf (Baccarelli Institute), Toninho Carrasqueira (ECA-USP), and Philippe Bernold (Paris Conservatory). Soon after graduating, he returned to the UFRN and served as visiting assistant professor, acting as a sabbatical replacement for Jose Estevam de Oliveira, where he taught applied flute to students pursuing performance and music education degrees.

Ivo started his graduate studies at the University of Arizona (UofA) when he received a Teaching Assistantship offer for the Fall of 2017. In his four years in Arizona, Ivo taught music education and performance majors, won several solo and concerto competitions, co-directed the Premiere flute ensemble Flutefinity, performed with Arizona Symphony Orchestra and the award-winning Fred Fox Graduate Wind Quintet. In the Spring of 2022, Ivo started his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at Michigan State University, also serving as one of the flute studio Teacher Assistants under the guidance of critically acclaimed flutist Richard Sherman. During his time in the U.S., he played in masterclasses for Katherine Kemler (LSU) Ge Xu (Wuhan Conservatory), Hannah Hammel (DSO), and Jasmine Choi (International Soloist).

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