Programs include Voctave: It Feels Like Christmas, The Snowman, Home for the Holidays, Home Alone in Concert, Noel Night, The Music of the Nutcracker, and Elf in Concert
Cyber Monday sale on dso.org runs November 24–27; features discounts on Main Floor tickets in Orchestra Hall for select concerts and 50% off tickets for all William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series performances
Tickets on sale now at dso.org
Detroit, (November 16, 2023) – This December, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will celebrate the holiday season with programs including Home for the Holidays, film concert experiences, music from The Nutcracker, family concerts, acapella sensation Voctave, and performances by vocal ensemble Audivi as part of Noel Night.
On Friday, December 8 at 8 p.m., Voctave’s eleven-member vocal ensemble will present their holiday spectacular It Feels Like Christmas, bringing incredible harmonies to favorites from the Disney screen to the Broadway stage. This program will consist of a cappella arrangements of popular Christmas songs in a magical evening of music for the whole family. Please note: the DSO does not appear on this performance.
On Saturday, December 2 at 6 p.m., the DSO will once again partner with Midtown Detroit, Inc., community partners, and businesses to celebrate Noel Night, a Cultural Center-wide holiday open house that presents free activities including holiday shopping, family craft activities, and performances by over 80 area music, theater, and dance groups. In the Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube (“The Cube”; located within the DSO’s Midtown Campus of the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center), audiences will enjoy performances at 6 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. by Audivi, Detroit’s professional vocal ensemble directed by Noah Horn, in a program of holiday music. Please note: the DSO does not appear on this performance.
On Saturday, December 9 at 11 a.m., the DSO welcomes winter with a screening of the Academy Award-nominated short film The Snowman, based on the beloved children’s book by Raymond Briggs. The film will be projected on a big screen while the orchestra performs the score live under the baton of Assistant Conductor Na’Zir McFadden as a part of the Young People’s Family Concert Series. Earlier the same morning at 10 a.m., Dave Fox and Will Branch will present a program of music-filled fun with dancing and sing-alongs in a Tiny Tots performance in The Cube.
On Wednesday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, the DSO will present Home Alone in Concert. The beloved John Hughes film will be projected on a giant screen in stunning high definition, accompanied live by John Williams’s captivating score performed by the DSO with conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos.
© 1990 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
The following weekend, Detroit’s favorite holiday tradition returns to the PNC Pops Series with Home for the Holidays. Jason Seber will lead the DSO in a sparkling celebration of carols and holiday classics with vocalist Siri Howard. The performances will take place on Friday, December 15 at 10:45 a.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday, December 16 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday, December 17 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Orchestra Hall.
On Wednesday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, the DSO will celebrate the season with a presentation featuring the music and magic of The Nutcracker. This performance will feature the classic holiday story with narration by James Rose Jr. and Tchaikovsky’s cherished score conducted by Damon Gupton. Please note: This performance does not include dancers. There is no intermission break.
On Friday, December 22 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, December 23 at 3 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, the DSO will present Elf™ in Concert featuring the heartwarming holiday classic film projected on a screen with John Debney’s score played live to picture by the DSO.
ELF and all related characters and elements © & ™ New Line Productions, Inc. (s23)
Tickets for these performances start at $24 for Voctave: It Feels Like Christmas, $29 for Home for the Holidays, $24 for The Music of The Nutcracker, $69 for Home Alone in Concert, and $49 for Elf in Concert. Tickets for the Young People’s Family Concert Series performance start at $20; tickets for the Tiny Tots performance are $12. Tickets can be purchased or reserved at dso.org or by calling the Box Office at 313.576.5111, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Noel Night activities in The Cube are free and open to the public, no ticket reservation is required.
The DSO will hold a Cyber Monday sale on dso.org from Friday, November 24 through Monday, November 27. This sale will feature discounts on Main Floor tickets in Orchestra Hall for select concerts and 50% off tickets for all William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series performances. Limit of 6 tickets per order.
Visit dso.org/holiday for full holiday programming information.
The title sponsor of the DSO’s PNC Pops Series is PNC Bank. The Young People’s Family Concert Series is supported by Sun Communities.
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VOCTAVE: IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS
Special Event
Friday, December 8 at 8 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Voctave, vocal ensemble
Voctave’s eleven-member vocal ensemble brings incredible harmonies to favorites from the Disney screen to the Broadway stage. Experience Voctave’s holiday spectacular with a cappella arrangements of all your favorite Christmas songs. “Voctave bring a cappella music to a new dimension (Jazz Weekly),” which is sure to be a magical evening of music for the whole family.
Please note: The DSO does not appear on this performance.
NOEL NIGHT FEATURING AUDIVI
Special Event
Saturday, December 2 at 6 p.m.
The Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube
Audivi, vocal ensemble (Noah Horn, artistic director)
The DSO is proud to once again partner with Midtown Detroit, Inc., community partners, and businesses to celebrate Noel Night, a Cultural Center-wide holiday open house that presents free activities, including holiday shopping, family craft activities, and performances by over 80 area music, theater, and dance groups, and other special performances. Audiences will enjoy performances at 6 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. by Audivi, Detroit’s professional vocal ensemble directed by Noah Horn, in a program of holiday music in the Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube.
Please note: the DSO does not appear on this performance.
FOX & BRANCH
Tiny Tots
Saturday, December 9 at 10 a.m.
The Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube
Dave Fox and Will Branch, duo
Dave Fox and Will Branch invite your entire family to join them for music-filled fun with dancing and sing-alongs. Anchored in American roots music, this duo’s show is as much a celebration of being together as it is a musical experience.
THE SNOWMAN
Young People’s Family Concert Series
Saturday, December 9 at 11 a.m.
Orchestra Hall
Na’Zir McFadden, conductor
Welcome winter with holiday favorites and the Academy Award-nominated short film The Snowman, based on the beloved children’s book by Raymond Briggs. See the film projected on a big screen while the orchestra performs the score live.
HOME ALONE IN CONCERT
Special Event
Wednesday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor
Enjoy one of the most beloved holiday films of all time accompanied by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performing John Williams's captivating score! Relive John Hughes's charming and hilarious story about family with the young Macaulay Culkin who captured the hearts of audiences worldwide.
© 1990 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
PNC Pops Series
Friday, December 15 at 10:45 a.m.
Friday, December 15 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 16 at 3 p.m.
Saturday, December 16 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 17 at 3 p.m.
Sunday, December 17 at 7 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Jason Seber, conductor
Siri Howard, vocals
It’s one of the most wonderful times of the year! Gather friends and family, one and all, for a celebration of the season featuring your DSO, holiday favorites, and quite possibly, an appearance by Santa Claus.
THE MUSIC OF THE NUTCRACKER WITH THE DSO
Special Event
Wednesday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Damon Gupton, conductor
James Rose Jr., narrator
Celebrate the season with the music and magic of The Nutcracker! The classic holiday story and Tchaikovsky’s cherished score will enchant Orchestra Hall for one night only with live narration and the splendor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
This performance does not include dancers. There is no intermission break.
ELF IN CONCERT
Special Event
Friday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 23 at 3 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. This holiday season relive this heartwarming holiday classic on a giant screen as every note of John Debney’s wonderful score is played live to picture in: Elf™ in Concert!
ELF and all related characters and elements © & ™ New Line Productions, Inc. (s23)
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About the DSO
The acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. Led by Music Director Jader Bignamini since 2020, the DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, offering a performance schedule that features the PVS Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in metro area venues, as well as eclectic multi-genre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a live radio broadcast of a concert and continues today with the groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series of free webcasts.
Since its first school concerts a century ago, and particularly since the founding of the Civic Youth Ensembles in 1970, the DSO has been a national leader in bringing the benefits of music education to students, teachers, and families in Detroit and surrounding communities. The DSO remains committed to expanding its participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit through programs like its Detroit Neighborhood Initiative—cultural events co-created with community partners and residents—and Detroit Harmony, a promise to provide an instrument and instruction to any student in the city who wants to learn. With unwavering support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact lives through the power of unforgettable musical experiences.