“Destiny.”

It’s the word Adam Riccinto, conductor and music director of the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra, uses to describe the convergence of events that led to the YSO’s very special grand finale concert Sunday afternoon at Pease Auditorium on the Eastern Michigan University campus.

The concert is a partnership with both the Sphinx Organization, which fosters the talents of young African-American and Latino musicians and promotes diversity in the classical music field; and The Henry Ford, which just happened to have a Stradivarius violin—the 1709 “Siberian”—in its collection.

“The Henry Ford came to us, actually,” said Riccinto in a recent phone conversation. “They were looking to expand their reach in Washtenaw Country, and they thought our mission at the YSO, making music accessible to community audiences, was a good fit.”

And they had this instrument, the “Siberian,” that was in good shape but needed to be played.

Funny thing, because Riccinto had a player—violin virtuoso and Sphinx Laureate Gareth Johnson—whom he wanted to bring back to the orchestra again. Particularly in a season devoted to "Voices of the Violin," it seemed a perfect match.

Just how perfect, Riccinto did not yet know.

Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, the maker of Johnson’s 1840 fiddle, just happened to have owned the very Strad that the Henry Ford proposed lending for the concert.

“What are the chances of that happening?” Johnson asked rhetorically when he joined the phone conversation along with Riccinto. “It’s almost like the movie ‘The Red Violin.’”

Johnson, whose main teacher was the noted violinist Elmar Oliveira, is now himself a polished concert artist and a distinguished lecturer and artist in residence at Georgia’s Albany State University. He loves his current Vuillaume instrument. But Strads, he will tell you, having played a few, “are magical instruments.”

“It’s all about the response and the sound,” he said. “They have a golden, silky sound that almost caresses the ear. “The response and the clarity you get, it’s almost as if the instrument and you are connected better, in a kinetic sort of way. Whatever you tell it, it does. It’s the difference between a dull or a sharp pencil. It’s important that artists have this. I’m really looking forward to the experience.”

So can the audience: the program, which includes the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and Sarasate’s violin showpiece “Zigeunerweisen” takes full advantage of Johnson’s virtuosity and the capabilities of the “Siberian” Strad.

The violin repertoire suits both maestro and soloist just fine. When Riccinto asked Johnson what he would like to play if the arrangements for the violin worked out, Johnson responded without a pause “the Tchaikovsky concerto.” Destiny at work again.

The orchestra gets things off to an energized start with Herold’s “Zampa” overture, and continues with Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major.

As part of a weekend of activities, Johnson will also perform a master class for music students at EMU, perform in one or more elementary schools in the Ypsilanti area, and at the museum’s Henry Ford Academy high school in Dearborn.

“We are so excited about what we are doing here,” Riccinto said. “We can wait till our next projects.”

Meanwhile, he noted that tickets to Sunday's concert are a mere $14 for adults, $7.50 for students, seniors and children under 12, and $9 per person for groups of four of more. Said Riccinto: “How amazing is access like that. It’s right in line with our passion for strengthening community ties and offering diverse musical experiences to our audiences.”