The Story of a Violin That Survived the Holocaust This concert tells a powerful story of a violin recovered from a Nazi concentration camp which now serves as a symbol of remembrance, resilience, and the unifying power of music. The event will further feature live performances of works by Jewish composers, readings of poetry, visual
Bringing Our Carnegie Moment Home! GLCO’s June 8th historical debut at Carnegie Hall marks a defining milestone—not just for the GLCO, but for the entire northern Michigan community that made it possible. Now, we bring that moment home so we can share the music, the pride, and the joy with the people who inspired and
A Red-Carpet Celebration for All Join us for an evening celebrating GLCO’s 25th anniversary with the community that made it all possible! Enjoy iconic music from beloved, award-winning films such as E.T., Star Wars, Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more, in a concert experience that brings generations together through the power of cinematic sound.
Violinist, violist, conductor and professor Dr. Eric Lawson has had a varied career in performance and education. Past performances as a conductor, soloist and lecturer have taken him to Austria, Brazil, China, Germany, Romania and Scandinavia. Before returning to his home state of Michigan, he was based in North Dakota where, in addition to serving as a violin instructor at Bismarck State College, Jamestown College, and the University of Mary, he was also concertmaster of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and established the Bismarck-Mandan Youth Symphony. Other former academic appointments have included Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Central College in Pella, Iowa and the University of North Dakota where he founded the string program and the UND Chamber Orchestra.
Here in Michigan, Dr. Lawson as been very active with the Alpena Symphony Orchestra as its concertmaster, conductor and president of the board. He also performs with many other orchestras in Northern Michigan and participates in the Traverse Symphony as a first violinist, in the Gaylord Symphony as concertmaster and as assistant concertmaster in the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra.
And finally, in what has been one of the most important experiences of his life outside of music, he also served almost four years as an Alpena County Commissioner, representing Ossineke and Sanborn Townships. In addition to serving as chair of the Salary and Personnel Committee, he also served on the Airport, Ambulance, District Court, Circuit Court Management and Jail Committees. He also represented Alpena County in Gaylord with the Northern Michigan Regional Entity Substance Use Disorder Board and continues to serve on the Northeast Michigan Community Mental Health Board. Dr. Lawson resides in Ossineke with his wife and two children.
