For Immediate Release

Grand Rapids Art Museum Welcomes New GRS Music Director Marcelo Lehninger

Showcasing a selection of portraits by Andrew Terzes

GRAND RAPIDS, MI, January 24, 2017 – Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) welcomes the Grand Rapids Symphony’s recently appointed Music Director, Marcelo Lehninger, to the Grand Rapids community.

In partnership with the Symphony, GRAM presents a selection of portraits of Lehninger by Grand Rapids photographer Andrew Terzes, which will be unveiled during a private reception at the Museum on January 30. The photos will be on view to the public from January 31 – February 5 in GRAM’s upper lobby Secchia Gallery.

We’re thrilled to welcome Marcelo to Grand Rapids,” commented GRAM Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen. The Grand Rapids Symphony is a treasured cornerstone of the arts community, and we look forward to his dedicated leadership, energy, and talent as we continue the tradition of arts excellence in Grand Rapids.”

Lehninger, who served as Assistant Conductor, and later as Associate Conductor, of the Boston Symphony Orchestra under James Levine, was appointed GRS Music Director in June 2016 — after a four-year term as Music Director of the New West Symphony in Los Angeles, California.

Lehninger has guest conducted around the world, leading orchestras of Chicago, Houston and Seattle, plus the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. in the United States, as well as orchestras in Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland.

We’re excited to welcome Marcelo Lehninger to Grand Rapids as our new music director,” said Grand Rapids Symphony Interim President and CEO Peter Perez. We’re eager to introduce him to the wonderful community that he soon will call home, and we’re grateful the Grand Rapids Art Museum has given us this opportunity to help Marcelo become a familiar face and a well-known name in West Michigan.”

The photographs, taken by photographer Andrew Terzes, are a series of five black and white portraits that capture the spirit and artistry of Lehninger as conductor. Each photograph is 5‑feet tall by 4‑feet wide.

I wanted to do something that would be very noticeable, very eye-catching, very different,” Terzes said. I wanted a variety of looks, not necessarily just typical portraits.”

I think they’re all fun, and they’re all him,” said Terzes, a graduate of East Grand Rapids High School and Grand Valley State University.

Andrew Terzes owns a photography studio, Terzes Photography, in the Heartside district of downtown Grand Rapids. He specializes in photography for commercial clients and the film industry. Notable personalities he’s photographed include Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State; Anderson Cooper, anchor Anderson Cooper 360” on CNN; and retired NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, a veteran of the St. Louis Rams, New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.

He formerly was the official photographer for Grand Rapids Ballet and served on its board of directors.

The presentation of photographs at GRAM in conjunction with the Grand Rapids Symphony’s new appointment helps foster a seamless and dynamic artistic community in Grand Rapids,” stated GRAM Senior Communications Coordinator Elizabeth Payne. With the addition of Lehninger to our creative community, we look forward to continued conversation and collaboration in the arts.”

About the Grand Rapids Art Museum
Connecting people through art, creativity, and design. Established in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, the Art Museum is internationally known for its distinguished design and LEED® Gold certified status. Established in 1910 as the Grand Rapids Art Association, GRAM has grown to include more than 5,000 works of art, including American and European 19th and 20th century painting and sculpture and more than 3,000 works on paper. Embracing the city’s legacy as a leading center of design and manufacturing, GRAM has a growing collection in the area of design and modern craft.

About the Grand Rapids Symphony
Organized in 1930, the Grand Rapids Symphony is nationally recognized for the quality of its concerts and educational programs. Led by Music Director Marcelo Lehninger, Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt and Associate Conductor John Varineau, nine concert series are presented, featuring a wide range of music and performance styles. More than 400 performances are given each year, touching the lives of some 200,000, nearly half of whom are students, senior citizens and people with disabilities all reached through extensive education and community service programs. Affiliated organizations include the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus; Grand Rapids Youth Symphony and Classical Orchestra; and Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Choruses. GRS provides the orchestra for performances by Opera Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Ballet and sponsors the biennial Grand Rapids Bach Festival, which returns in March 2017.

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