Ripon College to host Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for 50th Appearance on Campus

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will return to Ripon College Sunday, Sept. 15, for its 50th appearance on campus. The free performance will be presented by the Caestecker Fine Arts Series and the first family of Ripon College, President Victoria N. Folse and Dick Folse.

The concert will begin at 3:15 p.m. in the field house of Willmore Center, corner of Thorne and Union streets. No tickets are required, and admission is free and open to the public.

The concert will be conducted by Assistant Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Ryan Tani while Ken-David Masur will serve as the music director. Selections for Ripon’s concert include “Slavonic Dances,” Opus 46 and 72 by Antonín Dvořák; “Carmen Suite” by Georges Bizet; and “Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 73,” by Johannes Brahms.

For the last several years, the performances at Ripon College have been offered as a gift to the greater Ripon community for its continued support of the College’s fine arts programming. The performances are supported by the late Honorary Life Trustee Thomas E. Caestecker as part of the Caestecker Fine Art Series Endowment. The Fund was created to establish and enhance a reputation for excellence in the fine arts by hosting events available to the campus community as well as the general public. President Folse and her husband became co-sponsors of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performance upon their arrival in 2022.

“Dick and I are honored to support the fine arts at Ripon College and to provide opportunities for the entire region to experience a performance by one of the nation’s most vibrant professional orchestras. We are excited to showcase the golden anniversary of the Ripon College partnership with the MSO,” stated Dr. Folse.

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is Wisconsin’s largest cultural organization and is among the finest orchestras in the nation. Since its inception in 1959, the orchestra has found innovative ways to give music a home in the region and develop music appreciation and talent among area youths. The full-time professional musicians perform more than 135 classics, pops, family, educational and community concerts each season in venues throughout the state