Executive Director

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Cori Somers was appointed Executive Director of the Bach Festival of Kalamazoo in August of 2015. Ms. Somers is dedicated and passionate about managing programming and the implementation of the Kalamazoo Bach Festival's season with over 12 events annually. She is a creative community organizer and engages and enjoys planning and program development for education and outreach initiatives. With more than 15 years of experience in arts administration, she is a seasoned administrator with broad experience in marketing, development, finance, operations, and educational programming.

 

Prior to joining the Bach Festival, among her many accomplishments, she has served with distinction within the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra as Director of Educational Partnerships.  In addition, she is the Artistic Manager and violinist for the Red Sea Pedestrians and has served at other arts organizations in Michigan including Fontana Chamber Arts, The Gilmore Keyboard Festival, and the Crescendo Academy of Music.  Cori has been a very active member of the performing arts community of Kalamazoo since the late '90s. She is an established violinist and a member of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Somers obtained both her BA in 1999 and her MM from WMU in Violin Performance in 2002.