Summer Sessions outdoor programming continues in DSO’s Sosnick Courtyard
Tickets on sale now at dso.org
Detroit, (May 9, 2023) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) today announced summer programming in Sosnick Courtyard, the DSO’s outdoor community green space located at 51 Parsons Street in Midtown Detroit, adjacent to the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center.
First introduced in August 2020, Summer Sessions concerts will once again be held in Sosnick Courtyard. The DSO will welcome guest artists from around the world including the Urban Art Orchestra and Dames Brown (May 26), The Miracles (June 3), Ozay Moore and the Kris Johnson Group (June 10), BLKBOK (June 19), Make Music Day feat. Dreamcastmoe (June 21), Shigeto (June 23), Planet D Nonet (July 7), Grace Gibson (July 15), the National Arab Orchestra (July 20), and the Detroit City Jazz Orchestra Plus (July 29) for genre-defying music experiences, plus Poetry & Music: Nothin’ But the Blues with spoken word artist La Shaun phoenix Moore, Emmy Award-winning writer and poet Scott Woods, and vocalist Thornetta Davis (June 30) and Poetry & Music: Summer Grand Slam hosted by Moore (July 28). The DSO will also continue its Yoga & Music outdoor programming this summer in Sosnick Courtyard with weekly sessions on Thursday evenings in June and July led by Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructors. See below for full program information.
General admission tickets for these events are available for $20 per person and can be purchased at dso.org. A limited number of VIP experiences are also available for $100 (2 people), offering reserved seating near the stage with a patio table. All events are general admission and limited folding chairs will be provided on a first-come first-serve basis; patrons are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets.
Sosnick Courtyard Summer Sessions performances are made possible with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
May 26: The Urban Art Orchestra presents Dames Brown in Sosnick Couryard. Join us for a summer evening of music with Detroit’s Urban Art Orchestra featuring live arrangements of the music of Detroit’s First Ladies of Soul, Dames Brown, and other Detroit techno classics.
Hailing from Detroit, Dames Brown—aka Athena Johnson, Teresa Marbury, and LaRae Starr—are a trio of dynamic singers who have over the last few years featured on everything from soulful house to R&B to techno. They have been on a steady career ascent with regular appearances at Glitterbox, a performance at the Motown 50th anniversary dinner, and vocals with some of the scenes biggest hitters including Amp Fiddler, Soul Clap, and Meli'sa Morgan.
June 3: The Miracles featuring Mark Scott will take the Sosnick Courtyard stage with a special guest DJ set by Deon Jamar. Flint, Michigan native Mark Scott was a natural fit to assume the role of lead singer when The Miracles’ founding member Bobby Rogers was searching in 2003. Now in a position once held by Smokey Robinson and Billy Griffin, Scott is gifted with a singing voice perfect for "The Miracles Sound." After 60 years, The Miracles featuring Mark Scott, along with new members Hassan Watkins and Damon Trice, are still attracting enthusiastic audiences around the world by performing legendary songs such as Shop Around, I Second That Emotion, The Tears Of A Clown, Ooo Baby Baby, and many more.
June 10: Ozay Moore and The Kris Johnson Group will present a Dr. Seuss Sensory-Friendly Family Performance at 11 a.m. Through this program, students will delve into the life and works of Dr. Seuss, exploring his whimsical stories and characters that have captured the hearts of generations. Through engaging activities and discussions, participants will gain a deeper understanding of Dr. Seuss's creative process and his impact on children's literature. Adding to the experience is a captivating original score by Kris Johnson, bringing the stories to life in a fun and interactive way.
The same day, Moore and The Kris Johnson Group will present an additional concert in Sosnick Courtyard at 8 p.m., featuring songs from their album Translation Please. This record is a timeless piece of work, fusing together the perfect blend of hip-hop and jazz. Their collaboration will undoubtedly speak to lovers of music in a dialect not only understood, but felt.
June 19: BLKBOK, neo-classical piano renegade and culture innovator, returns home to Detroit to headline his first annual Juneteenth Celebration as a part of his Mixtapes & Counterpoint 2022 Tour. BLKBOK's live, high-energy performance is culturally reflective and seeks to entertain with a live piano-based performance like nothing you have ever seen before.
June 21: Part of the renewal of Make Music Day in Detroit, superNATURAL will be a night of music celebrating the qualities that set Detroit apart from all the rest: creative authenticity, courageous innovation, and human connection. Curated by Vespre and free to attend, this evening will feature some of the best live acoustic and electronic acts and DJ sets that will keep audiences dancing into the night. Prepare to be transported to a new sonic universe while enjoying a familiar feeling of home. This concert is a unique and special opportunity to honor the old and the new by experiencing phenomenal contemporary artists in a setting known for its great legacy and history in Detroit.
Make Music Detroit is part of Make Music Day, a global music celebration that takes place on the summer solstice each year and brings people of all ages and skill levels together to make music. This year, over 100 US cities will host thousands of Make Music performances across the country as part of the world’s largest annual music event.
June 23: Shigeto Live comes to Sosnick Courtyard to present an evening full of cool shades of ambient music, stuttering early IDM, dubstep sub-bass, and jazz melodicism. Wielding a painterly attention to detail, he continues to be prolific with a complex constellation of sounds and ideas that we have come to expect from the producer/drummer. His compositional focus and restraint grounds songs that are otherwise cosmically inclined.
June 30 and July 28: Poetry & Music returns to Sosnick Courtyard this summer with two events both hosted by spoken word artist La Shaun phoenix Moore. The first, Nothin’ But the Blues, will take place on June 30 and will feature an evening of poetry and live music featuring Emmy Award-winning writer and poet Scott Woods with a musical performance by Detroit’s Queen of the Blues, Thornetta Davis. The second will take place on July 28 and will be a Summer Grand Slam poetry slam competition. By invitation only, poets will compete for a $1000 grand prize. Come hear this competition first-hand and enjoy musical sets by Cube soul/R&B favorite Johdi and spins by DJ Stayce J.
July 7: Ten-time Detroit Music Award-winning jazz band Planet D Nonet will present their critically acclaimed project, Blues to Be There. The band revives music from Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s more obscure catalog. The band has breathed new life into forgotten jazz and blues classics over the past 15 years.
July 15: New Orleans-based rising rockstar Grace Gibson takes the Sosnick Courtyard stage. Gibson melds and evolves musical worlds that straddle genres, influenced by the roots of rock, Delta blues, and modern soul. An electrifying live performer, songwriter, and arranger, she’s leading the next wave of women Black rockers while twirling her signature tambourines and strumming her guitar like you’ve never seen before.
July 20: The National Arab Orchestra returns to present a special free performance for Detroit’s 31st Annual Concert of Colors festival. In collaboration with Detroit’s leading cultural institutions, this festival celebrates three decades of free outdoor, live music, and arts events throughout Detroit’s Cultural Center.
July 29: Back by popular demand, the Detroit City Jazz Orchestra Plus returns following their sold-out performance in The Cube to present their second installment of the Music of Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder has a deep catalogue of music spanning decades, and DCOP pays homage to the living legend with a diverse selection of favorite familiar tunes and more obscure selections.
Visit dso.org/summer for a current list of performances. Additional program information will be announced as it is confirmed.
2022-2023 SEASON DSO SAFETY POLICIES: The DSO no longer requires audiences to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend performances. Masks are optional although strongly recommended at DSO performances, particularly when Wayne County and surrounding communities are in the high or "red" category as defined by the CDC. The DSO asks audience members to do their part to create a safe environment for everyone and encourages those who are not feeling well to stay home.
Sosnick Courtyard Summer Sessions overview
- Friday, May 26 at 8 p.m. Urban Art Orchestra Presents Dames Brown. Join us for a summer evening of live music with Detroit’s Urban Art Orchestra featuring live arrangements of the music of Detroit’s First Ladies of Soul, Dames Brown, and other Detroit techno classics.
- Thursday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music: DSO ensemble. Practice yoga outdoors led by a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor to live music performed by DSO musicians.
- Saturday, June 3 at 8 p.m. The Miracles, featuring Mark Scott with Special Guest DJ set by Deon Jamar. This program will feature legendary songs such as Shop Around, I Second That Emotion, Tears Of A Clown, Ooo Baby Baby, and many more.
- Thursday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music: Ahya Simone. Practice yoga outdoors led by a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor to live music performed by harpist Ahya Simone.
- Saturday, June 10 at 1:30 p.m. Ozay Moore with the Kris Johnson Group: Dr. Seuss Sensory Friendly Family Performance. Join us for a special performance of "Who is Dr. Seuss" by Kris Johnson and The Learning Express and discover the amazing world of Theodor Seuss Geisel, the beloved children's book author.
- Saturday, June 10 at 8 p.m. Ozay Moore with the Kris Johnson Group will perform songs from their album Translation Please.
- Thursday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music with Dan Kolton and Al Ayoub. Practice yoga outdoors led by a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor to live music performed by bassist Dan Kolton and guitarist Al Ayoub.
- Monday, June 19 at 7 p.m. BLKBOK New Single Release and Juneteenth Celebration. BLKBOK, neo-classical piano renegade and culture innovator, returns home to Detroit for his first headline Juneteenth Celebration, and as part of his Mixtapes & Counterpoint 2022 Tour. BLKBOK's live, high-energy performance is culturally reflective and seeks to entertain with a live piano-based performance like nothing you have ever seen before.
- Wednesday, June 21 at 7 p.m. superNATURAL featuring Dreamcastmoe: A Make Music Day Celebration Curated by Vespre. This evening is free to attend and will feature some of the best live acoustic and electronic acts and stay for DJ sets that will keep you dancing into the night.
- Thursday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music: DSO Ensemble. Practice yoga outdoors led by a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor to live music performed by DSO musicians.
- Friday, June 23 at 8 p.m. Shigeto Live. Cool shades of ambient music, stuttering early IDM, dubstep sub-bass, and jazz melodicism color Shigeto’s palette, which he wields with a painterly attention to detail. He continues to be prolific with a complex constellation of sounds and ideas that we have come to expect from the producer/drummer.
- Thursday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music: Ambient Guitar Flow. Practice yoga outdoors led by a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor to live music performed by guitarist Sasha Kashperko.
- Friday, June 30 at 8 p.m. Poetry & Music: Nothin’ But the Blues. Spoken word artist La Shaun phoenix Moore hosts an evening of poetry and live music from Sosnick Courtyard featuring Emmy Award-winning writer and poet Scott Woods with a musical performance by Detroit’s Queen of the Blues, Thornetta Davis.
- Thursday, July 6 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music: Six Mile Strings. Practice yoga outdoors led by a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor to live music performed by Six Mile Strings.
- Friday, July 7 at 8 p.m. ten-time Detroit Music Award-winning jazz band Planet D Nonet presents their critically acclaimed project, Blues to Be There.
- Thursday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music: Ahya Simone. Practice yoga outdoors led by a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor to live music performed by harpist Ahya Simone.
- Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m. New Orleans based rising rockstar Grace Gibson is performs an exciting program melding and evolving musical worlds that straddle genres across the Atlantic influenced by the roots of rock, the delta blues, and modern soul.
- Thursday, July 20 at 6 p.m. The National Arab Orchestra will present a special free performance in Sosnick Courtyard for Detroit’s 31st Annual Concert of Colors festival.
- Thursday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music with Dan Kolton and Al Ayoub. Practice yoga outdoors led by a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor to live music performed by bassist Dan Kolton and guitarist Al Ayoub.
- Thursday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music: Six Mile Strings. Practice yoga outdoors led by a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor to live music performed by Six Mile Strings.
- Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m. Poetry & Music: Summer Grand Slam. LaShaun phoenix Moore hosts a special invitation only $1000 Grand Prize poetry slam with musical sets by Cube Soul/R&B favorite Johdi and spinning by DJ Stacye J.
- Saturday, July 29 at 8 p.m. Detroit City Jazz Orchestra Plus: The Music of Stevie Wonder Vol. 2. The Detroit City Orchestra Plus returns following their sold-out performance in The Cube to present the second installment of the Music of Stevie Wonder.
About Sosnick Courtyard
The DSO’s Sosnick Courtyard is an outdoor, flexible seating venue located on Parsons Street between Woodward Avenue and Cass Avenue, just south of Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. This venue serves as a dynamic, innovative, open-air “fourth stage” that strives to bring together diverse communities in a highly collaborative and inclusive performing arts and green space. The courtyard covers about 15,000 square feet, with lawn area, small gardens, paved walkways, and moveable seating. Audience members have the option to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets in a first-come-first-served open seating area or reserve VIP picnic tables.
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. As a community-supported orchestra, generous giving by individuals and institutions at all levels drives the continued success and growth of the organization. In January 2020, Italian conductor Jader Bignamini was named the DSO’s next music director to commence with the 2020-2021 season. Celebrated conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik is the orchestra’s Principal Pops Conductor, while Oscar-nominated trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair.
Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, the DSO offers a performance schedule that features PVS Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. One of the world’s most acoustically perfect concert halls, Orchestra Hall celebrated its centennial in 2019-2020. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in seven metro area venues, as well as a robust schedule of 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, which also reaches tens of thousands of children with the Classroom Edition expansion. With growing attendance and unwavering philanthropic support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to embrace and inspire individuals, families, and communities through unsurpassed musical experiences.