Get ready, Kentucky. 2023 is set to become a very musical year in the Commonwealth as the Louisville Orchestra plans to launch a tour unlike any other--one that will cover the Bluegrass State, east to west and top to bottom.

"In Harmony--The Commonwealth Tour of the Louisville Orchestra"--which will begin May 17th through May 19th in the eastern Kentucky cities of Prestonsburg, Pikeville, and Harlan--doesn't figure to be a typical concert tour, according to the orchestra's website:

These concerts will include full orchestra performances as well as bring orchestra musicians for intimate, collaborative engagements in schools, community centers, and libraries in dozens of communities.

Additionally...

In each community the Louisville Orchestra will serve, there will be proactive and meaningful outreach to work with schools, libraries, and community centers to introduce music and the musicians, and where possible to make music together with local musicians steeped in the traditions of the region. Free, full orchestra concerts in the evenings will showcase local talents, together with orchestra members and special guests, showing what bonds exist and what bridges are possible.

Those communities the orchestra will serve include Glasgow, Covington, Bowling Green, Ashland, and Bardstown in July; Henderson, Owensboro, and Madisonville in September; and Danville, Frankfort, Georgetown, and Fort Knox in February and March of 2024.

And before the tour officially launches, legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma will begin a five-performance residency with the Louisville Orchestra INSIDE Mammoth Cave on April 29th. In addition to the orchestra, Ma will be joined by the Louisville Chamber Choir and a solo percussionist for what figures to be a once-in-lifetime experience. Imagine how THIS would sound resonating throughout the largest cave system in the world.

Although the 67-year-old musician's first album was released 45 years ago, he's been performing his entire life. In 1962, he was welcomed to the White House to play for President John F. Kennedy.

How exciting to have an iconic musician like Yo-Yo Ma join one of Kentucky's finest ensembles to help launch what promises to be a fulfilling year-and-a-half of wonderful music AND musical education.

And for my money, let's have MORE concerts inside caves. The acoustics, right?

I Bet You Didn't Know These Celebrities Were Kentucky Colonels

See Incredible Photos from Inside Kentucky's Mammoth Cave

The world's longest cave system is located in Kentucky, and it is absolutely worth the short drive from the Tri-State to take a tour and see these incredible sights. Here are some photos taken by Photo by Kevin L. Bruner during a trip to Mammoth Cave.

More From WOMI-AM