Bringing musical legacies to the next generation

It’s always fun when a new generation is introduced to the classics. Before Lizzo and Kendrick Lamar, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald were taking music to new heights. Introducing young people to the musical greats of the past century can be pretty special, says Byron Stripling, an ​acclaimed jazz trumpeter.

“If you want to be lifted, watch young people experiencing a legacy they can't find when they listen to radio or watch videos,” Stripling says. “This was a different experience for them. This lifted my heart so much because we know music is so powerful for them.” 

Byron Stripling, on trumpet, and Sydney McSweeney perform with the Holland Symphony Orchestra during their "Pops at the Pier" concert at Eldean Shipyard in Macatawa, Michigan, June 16, 2022.

He performed “Blues, Rag & All That Jazz!” as part of the Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Pops on the Pier on June 16 at Eldean Shipyard. Afterward, students from I Am Academy came up to talk with him and his special guest Sydney McSweeney.

McSweeney shared how her music career began in middle school with a clerical error. She was signed up for choir instead of the class she requested, and decided to stay a week to see if she liked it. Several years later, she had graduated from high school and Otterbein University, where she studied classical voice.

Byron Stripling conducts the Holland Symphony Orchestra during their "Pops at the Pier" concert at Eldean Shipyard in Macatawa, Michigan, June 16, 2022.

This year, the orchestra’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiative used the concert to do outreach to the local African American community. HSO partnered with I Am Academy, providing the enrichment program's students with front-row seats and time to visit with Stripling and the symphony musicians.

Program fit with Juneteenth message

The concert came as I Am Academy co-founders Henry and Lindsay Cherry hosted several days of community events commemorating Juneteenth. The Pops on the Pier program fit in with the activities celebrating Black history and culture.

Along with engaging rapport, jazzy vocals, and virtuosic trumpet sounds, Stripling delivered an important history lesson about ​​the important role African American spirituals, gospel, and folk music played in the Civil Rights Movement.

Members of the I AM Academy organization observe Sydney McSweeney's performance with the Holland Symphony Orchestra while attending the "Pops at the Pier" concert at Eldean Shipyard in Macatawa, Michigan, June 16, 2022.

“It’s all about story,” says Stripling. “The best way for people to understand things is through a story, especially a personal story.”

The Pops on the Pier concert takes place annually at the Eldean Shipyard’s boat shed. This year’s performance dedicated the Louis Armstrong classic, “Oh When the Saints Go Marching In,” to former owner Herb Eldean, who passed away in May. 

I Am Academy students and their parents gather for a photo with Byron Stripling after the concert.


The concert wouldn’t be possible without the Eldean family, who not only provide the space but help with setup. The cavernous boat shed was newly painted. With the doors open, the audience could feel the breeze coming off Lake Macatawa across the road.

“We so appreciate this partnership,” says HSO President Kay Walvoord. 

The concert was made possible with the generous sponsorship of the University of Michigan Health - West and the MillerKnoll Foundation.

Shandra Martinez contributed to this photo essay.