Community Engagement
Music in Communities
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an inclusive and culturally relevant community where all people can experience their world through music. To further this vision, the DSO focuses on engagement efforts, bringing unsurpassed musical experiences to community gathering spaces, hospitals, schools, and everywhere in between throughout the Metro Detroit area.
Health and Wellness
Listening to music has been proven to help manage pain, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve recovery. In partnership with healthcare and wellness providers, patients and their care partners can experience music, reconnecting them to an activity often lost to them after receiving a life-changing healthcare diagnosis. Staff also have the chance to engage and connect with music, providing for moments of peace and solitude during the workday.
DSO on the Go
DSO on the Go brings DSO pop-up performances to Detroit-based organizations that serve the community, right in their offices or gathering spaces. DSO on the Go also supports two community partnerships, a family music group with families at COTS and songwriting sessions with Alternatives for Girls. DSO on the Go is presented with support from the Ford Motor Company Fund.
Detroit Strategy
Detroit Strategy is our commitment to expanding the DSO’s participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit. Learn more about the many programs facilitated under this umbrella.
Corewell Health
DSO musicians proudly perform at all 16 hospitals within Corewell Health (formerly Beaumont), including senior engagements at Beaumont Commons, Dearborn, and Farmington Hills, and partnership with Beaumont Children’s Hospital.Through this program, the DSO is able to share the healing power of music with patients, doctors, and Corewell staff.
Funding for this program is generously provided by Beaumont's Arts for the Spirit program.
Alzheimer’s Association Greater Michigan Chapter
The DSO first partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Michigan Chapter in 2016, providing free social and cultural opportunities through the Bruce H. and Rosalie N. Rosen Community Connect Program, including chamber music performances at the Alzheimer’s Association Southfield office, exclusive open rehearsals at Orchestra Hall, and an annual event at The Henry Ford Museum featuring a lecture by a museum curator, performance by DSO musicians, and a walk-through of a special exhibit.
Gesher Human Services
Building from a partnership that began in 2018 with Kadima Mental Health Services, programs with Gesher Human Services serve adults with disabilities and chronic mental health challenges. The Creative Expressions Program provides clients with the opportunity to explore their musical talents through a supportive group music setting, with support from two Board-Certified Music Therapists and DSO musicians. A second Skill Building group was established in 2022, with the goal of using music as a tool to build proficiency in professional skills.
More information about the Creative Expressions Program can be found here.
Relaxed Open Rehearsal
At the beginning of each season, the DSO holds an open rehearsal for individuals who may appreciate a more relaxed atmosphere rather than a traditional concert experience, including individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder or those who experience hypersensitivity to visual, auditory, and/or tactile stimuli. This relaxed open rehearsal removes barriers, allowing everyone to be themselves and enjoy a musical experience in a judgement-free environment.
Michigan Alliance for Cultural Accessibility
The DSO is proud to be a part of the Michigan Alliance for Cultural Accessibility (MACA), which is a consortium of professionals working together in order to enhance the accessibility of Southeast Michigan’s cultural institutions for people with all abilities. For more information, please visit miculturalaccess.org.
