- Music Director Jader Bignamini conducts ten programs on the PVS Classical Series with major works including Stravinsky’s Firebird and Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony and new DSO-commissioned works by Michael Abels, Anna Clyne, and Carlos Simon; plus soloists Emanuel Ax, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Anne Akiko Meyers, Kian Soltani, and Daniil Trifonov
- Music by living composers Anthony Davis, Helen Grime, and Anna Thorvaldsdottir highlight 18 works by women and people of color, including new works by Tania León, Jessie Montgomery, and Brian Raphael Nabors as part of New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices commissioning project
- Renowned guest conductors include Han-Na Chang, JoAnn Falletta, Jonathon Heyward, Enrique Mazzola, Matthias Pintscher, and Leonard Slatkin; with soloists including Augustin Hadelich, Stephen Hough, Leila Josefowicz, Anthony McGill, Garrick Ohlsson, Yeol Eum Son, and Davóne Tines
- Subscriptions on sale now at dso.org/subscribe
Detroit, (March 15, 2022) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) today announced the 2022-2023 season of its PVS Classical Series and PNC Pops Series. The new season, which begins September 30, 2022, will mark the second full season for DSO Music Director Jader Bignamini, who will conduct ten of the season’s 20 classical weeks in 2022-2023.
Music Director Jader Bignamini’s programs include DSO commissioned or co-commissioned new works from Michael Abels, Jessie Montgomery, and Carlos Simon (a world premiere Trombone Concerto with DSO Principal Trombone Kenneth Thompkins). Bignamini also conducts lesser heard symphonic gems by Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges (Second Symphony), Dora Pejačević (Symphony in F-sharp minor), and Florence Price (First Symphony); and orchestral favorites by Beethoven (Eighth Symphony), Debussy (La mer), Lalo (Symphonie espagnole), Mahler (“Resurrection” Symphony), Mozart (“Prague” Symphony), Mussorgsky (Night on Bald Mountain), Prokofiev (“Classical” Symphony), Ravel (Boléro), Still (Festive Overture), Strauss (Also sprach Zarathustra), Stravinsky (The Firebird), and Tchaikovsky (Fourth Symphony).
Bignamini welcomes acclaimed guest soloists to his programs, including pianists Emanuel Ax, Alexander Gavrylyuk,Isata Kanneh-Mason, George Li, and Daniil Trifonov; cellist Kian Soltani; violinists María Dueñas and Anne Akiko Meyers; soprano Janai Brugger; and mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges.
“Detroit has long been a city of outstanding musical innovation,” said Bignamini. “Our orchestra continues that legacy by bringing to the stage masterpieces of the concert repertoire, plus lesser-known works by voices that should be heard more often and new works by some of today’s most exciting composers. I look forward to bringing these new concerts to life with our incredible DSO musicians for our wonderful audiences.”
“Few things allow us to live in the moment better than the collective experience of a concert,” said DSO President and CEO Erik Rönmark. “Hearing great music performed by our exceptional DSO musicians, with inspired leadership from Music Director Jader Bignamini, creates a space for us to pause amid the world’s uncertainties, reflect on who we are, and connect to our shared humanity. The DSO’s 2022-2023 season features a wide, inclusive range of composers and styles, as well as talented guest conductors and soloists from around the globe, and we can’t wait for audiences to join us on this journey.”
In addition to the works by Abels, Montgomery, and Simon that Bignamini will conduct, the DSO presents music by several more living composers. These include new works by Tania León and Brian Raphael Nabors, which, along with the Montgomery piece, are co-commissioned by the DSO as part of New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices project to support racial and gender equity in classical music. Other major contemporary music highlights are the world premiere of Anna Clyne’s Saxophone Concerto conducted by Han-Na Chang with soloist Jess Gillam and Helen Grime’s Violin Concerto with soloist Leila Josefowicz conducted by Daníel Bjarnason. Next season’s 45th annual Classical Roots concerts, conducted by Joseph Young, feature performances of Anthony Davis’s You Have the Right to Remain Silent with clarinetist Anthony McGill and Concerto No. 1: SERMON, a collection of music and literary texts conceived by bass-baritone Davóne Tines and featuring poet jessica Care moore.
Additional highlights of the 2022-2023 PVS Classical Series: Matthias Pintscher conducts Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with violinist Benjamin Beilman and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”; Enrique Mazzola conducts Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with violinist Baiba Skride; Jonathon Heyward conducts the new work by Tania León, Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony, and Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Yeol Eum Son; Tabita Berglund conducts a program featuring Nordic music with cellist Edgar Moreau; Music Director Laureate Leonard Slatkin conducts Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with pianist Garrick Ohlsson; Markus Stenz conducts Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with pianist Stephen Hough and Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony; and JoAnn Falletta conducts violinist Augustin Hadelich in Chevalier de Saint-Georges’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Stravinsky’s Concerto for Violin & Orchestra.
The DSO also announced its 2022-2023 PNC Pops Series, which will bring favorites from Broadway, film and TV, rock, pop, and more to the Orchestra Hall stage. DSO Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik will lead three programs: Prohibition, a multimedia musical journey through the era with music channeling Rudy Vallée, Josephine Baker, Kurt Weill, and King Oliver; Sci-Fi Spectacular: Star Wars, Star Trek, and Beyond!, with music from iconic sci-fi film scores; and Twist & Shout: The Music of the Beatles, a program celebrating The Beatles in America. Other PNC Pops Series highlights include tributes to ABBA (with conductor Michael Krajewski and vocal ensemble Rajaton), Elton John (with pianist and vocalist Michael Cavanaugh), and Aretha Franklin (with vocalists Tamika Lawrence, Coco Smith, and Blaine Krauss and pianist John Boswell); a journey through the music of Latin America and the US with the Mambo Kings conducted by Robert Bernhardt; a program of music by Frank Sinatra and more conducted by Enrico Lopez-Yañez and featuring Tony DeSare (pianist and vocalist) and Capathia Jenkins (vocalist); music by Stephen Sondheim and friends conducted by Andy Einhorn with vocalists Andrea Ross and Ryan Vona; and iconic songs from memorable movies conducted by Stuart Chafetz with vocalists Julie Reiber and Bryce Ryness. The beloved Home for the Holidays program, a holiday favorite that sells out year after year, will also return with conductor Michelle Merrill.
See below for a notable repertoire list, guest artist list, and complete program listings.
The DSO will also present family programming in its Young People’s Family Concerts and Tiny Tots series, and continue its Paradise Jazz Series (Terence Blanchard, Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair) and William Davidson Neighborhood Concerts Series. More details on these series will be announced as they are confirmed. Programming in the Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube, the DSO’s venue for curated arts programming that spans musical and artistic genres, returns later this month and will also continue in the new season.
The DSO, an industry leader in digital programming, will continue its Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series with live streams of every PVS Classical Series and select PNC Pops Series, Paradise Jazz Series, Educational Concert Series, and Civic Youth Ensembles programs in the 2022-2023 season, available on dso.org.
Subscriptions are on sale now for the 2022-2023 PVS Classical Series and PNC Pops Series. Patrons can purchase subscriptions at dso.org or by calling the Box Office at 313.576.5111. Single tickets will be available for purchase later this year.
The title sponsor of the DSO’s PVS Classical Series is PVS Chemicals, Inc. The title sponsor of the DSO’s PNC Pops Series is PNC Bank. DSO Live is presented by Ford Motor Company Fund and made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Digital programming is produced from the Al Glancy Control Room.
For more information, visit dso.org/subscribe.
Commissions, Premieres, and Contemporary Music
The DSO will perform 14 works by living composers during the 2022-2023 season, which include two world premieres and six DSO-commissioned works (noted with *).
MICHAEL ABELS Emerge*
OLGA NEUWIRTH Masaot
TANIA LEÓN New Work*
ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR Metacosmos
ANNA CLYNE Saxophone Concerto (World Premiere)*
ANTHONY DAVIS You Have the Right to Remain Silent
VARIOUS COMPOSERS “Concerto No. 1: SERMON” devised by Davóne Tines
ARTURO MARQUEZ Fandango
ARTURO MARQUEZ Danzon No. 2
BRIAN RAPHAEL NABORS Upon Daybreak*
CARLOS SIMON Trombone Concerto (World Premiere)*
DANÍEL BJARNASON Blow bright
HELEN GRIME Violin Concerto
JESSIE MONTGOMERY Snapshots*
Additional Major Orchestral Works
BÉLA BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1
JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 4
JOHANNES BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Haydn
ANTON BRUCKNER Symphony No. 4
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2
SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Ballade
CLAUDE DEBUSSY La mer
ERNŐ DOHNÁNYI Variations on a Nursery Tune
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8
EDVARD GRIEG Concerto for Piano & Orchestra
JOSEPH HAYDN Cello Concerto No. 1
ARAM KHACHATURIAN Adagio from Spartacus
ZOLTÁN KODÁLY Dances of Galánta
ÉDOUARD LALO Symphonie Espagnole
GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”
GIUSEPPE MARTUCCI Nocturne No. 1
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No. 1
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3, “Scottish”
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Symphony No. 38, “Prague”
MODEST MUSSORGSKY arr. RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Night on Bald Mountain
DORA PEJAČEVIĆ Symphony in F-sharp minor
FLORENCE PRICE Symphony No. 1
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Classical Symphony, (Symphony No. 1)
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Sinfonia concertante for Cello & Orchestra
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 2
MAURICE RAVEL Boléro
CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES Symphony No. 2
CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES Violin Concerto No. 2
ROBERT SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish”
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 2
JEAN SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1
WILLIAM GRANT STILL Festive Overture
RICHARD STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra
IGOR STRAVINSKY Concerto for Violin & Orchestra
IGOR STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments
IGOR STRAVINSKY The Firebird
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4
Classical Series Guest Conductors and Soloists
Artists marked with an asterisk (*) will be making their DSO PVS Classical Series conducting or solo debut.
Tabita Berglund, conductor*
Daníel Bjarnason, conductor*
Han-Na Chang, conductor*
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Jonathon Heyward, conductor*
Enrique Mazzola, conductor
Na'Zir McFadden, conductor*
Matthias Pintscher, conductor*
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Markus Stenz, conductor*
Joseph Young, conductor
Edgar Moreau, cello*
Kian Soltani, cello*
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Emanuel Ax, piano
Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano*
Stephen Hough, piano
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano*
George Li, piano
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Yeol Eum Son, piano*
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Jess Gillam, saxophone*
Kenneth Thompkins, trombone
Benjamin Beilman, violin
María Dueñas, violin*
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Leila Josefowicz, violin
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Baiba Skride, violin
Davóne Tines, bass-baritone*
Janai Brugger, soprano
J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano*
jessica Care moore, poet*
About Jader Bignamini
Jader Bignamini was introduced as the 18th music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in January 2020, commencing with the 2020-2021 season. He kicked off his tenure as DSO Music Director with the launch of DSO Digital Concerts in September 2020, conducting works by Copland, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Georges. His infectious passion and artistic excellence set the tone for the season ahead, creating extraordinary music and establishing a close relationship with the orchestra. A jazz aficionado, he has immersed himself in Detroit’s rich jazz culture and the influences of American music.
A native of Crema, Italy, Jader studied at the Piacenza Music Conservatory and began his career as a musician (clarinet) with Orchestra Sinfonica La Verdi in Milan, later serving as the group’s resident conductor. Captivated by the symphonies of greats like Mahler and Tchaikovsky, Jader explored their complexity and power, puzzling out the role that each instrument played in creating a larger-than-life sound. When he conducted his first professional concert at the age of 28, it didn’t feel like a departure, but an arrival.
In the years since, Jader has conducted some of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras and opera companies in venues across the globe including working with Riccardo Chailly on concerts of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in 2013 and his concert debut at La Scala in 2015 for the opening season of La Verdi Orchestra. Recent highlights include debuts with the Houston, Dallas, and Minnesota symphonies; Osaka Philharmonic and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo; with the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, and Dutch National Opera (Madama Butterfly); Bayerische Staatsoper (La Traviata); I Puritani in Montpellier for the Festival of Radio France; Traviata in Tokyo directed by Sofia Coppola; Andrea Chénier at New National Theatre in Tokyo; Rossini’s Stabat Mater at Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy; Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle at Teatro dell’Opera in Rome; return engagements with Oper Frankfurt (La forza del destino) and Santa Fe Opera (La Bohème); Manon Lescaut at the Bolshoi; Traviata, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot at Arena of Verona; Il Trovatore and Aida at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera; Madama Butterfly, I Puritani, and Manon Lescaut at Teatro Massimo in Palermo; Simon Boccanegra and La Forza del Destino at the Verdi Festival in Parma; Ciro in Babilonia at Rossini Opera Festival; and La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Elisir d’amore at La Fenice in Venice.
When Jader leads an orchestra in symphonic repertoire, he conducts without a score, preferring to make direct eye contact with the musicians. He conducts from the heart, forging a profound connection with his musicians that shines through both onstage and off. He both embodies and exudes the excellence and enthusiasm that has long distinguished the DSO’s artistry.
About the DSO
The most accessible orchestra on the planet, 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.
2022-2023 PVS CLASSICAL SERIES AND PNC POPS SERIES
Artists and programming subject to change
PVS CLASSICAL SERIES
Classical 1
Opening: Chopin, La mer, & Bolero
Friday, September 30 at 8 PM
Saturday, October 1 at 8 PM
Sunday, October 2 at 3 PM
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
MICHAEL ABELS Emerge (DSO commission)
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2
CLAUDE DEBUSSY La mer
MAURICE RAVEL Boléro
Jader Bignamini opens the season with orchestral favorites: Debussy’s sonorous evocation of a day at sea and Ravel’s dance that swirls its gradual crescendo with inexorable force. Beloved pianist Emanuel Ax performs Chopin’s virtuosic showcase, and a new work by Michael Abels, well known for his film scores to Get Out and Us, opens the program.
Classical 2
Jader Conducts Mozart's Prague Symphony
Thursday, October 13 at 7:30 PM
Friday, October 14 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, October 15 at 8 PM
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Kian Soltani, cello
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Classical Symphony, (Symphony No. 1)
JOSEPH HAYDN Cello Concerto No. 1
CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES Symphony No. 2
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Symphony No. 38, “Prague”
Mozart’s Prague Symphony, a lively three-movement work, premiered to adulation in the city that bears its name. Haydn’s buoyant Cello Concerto No. 1 is performed by Kian Soltani, hailed by Gramophone for the “sheer perfection” of his playing. The concert begins with Prokofiev’s thrilling combination of the styles of Haydn and Mozart with his own 20th Century sensibility. Also on the program is a symphonic gem from the time of Mozart and Haydn by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Classical 3
Beethoven's Third & Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
Friday, October 21 at 8 PM
Saturday, October 22 at 8 PM
Sunday, October 23 at 3 PM
Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Benjamin Beilman, violin
OLGA NEUWIRTH Masaot
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor remains one of the most popular works in the repertoire for its melodic richness, and is played here by Benjamin Beilman, whom The New York Times has praised for his “handsome technique, burnished sound, and quiet confidence.” Beethoven’s “Eroica” is a stirring musical depiction of a heroic figure. The composer famously rededicated it to “the memory of a great man” after its original dedicatee, Napoleon Bonaparte, proved to be a tyrant like any other. The piece by Olga Neuwirth that opens this program was inspired by her grandfather’s Eastern European Jewish musical heritage and reflects on how her complex family history informs her identity.
Classical 4
Trifonov Performs Brahms' Second Piano Concerto
Thursday, November 3 at 7:30 PM
Friday, November 4 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, November 5 at 8 PM
Jader Bignamini conductor
Daniil Trifonov, piano
WILLIAM GRANT STILL Festive Overture
FLORENCE PRICE Symphony No. 1
JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2
Hear superstar pianist Daniil Trifonov, a master of sensitive expression, in Brahms’s tour-de-force of lyrical and technical prowess. Florence Price combines elements from the Romantic symphonic tradition with hymn-like melodies and the rhythms of Black music to create a distinctly American style. Brass fanfares and exuberant percussion enliven the march-like atmosphere of the opening piece by William Grant Still.
Classical 5
Jader Conducts Mahler's Resurrection Symphony
Friday, November 11 at 8 PM
Saturday, November 12 at 8 PM
Sunday, November 13 at 3 PM
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Janai Brugger, soprano
J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano
Performers from Opera MODO and Audivi, choir
GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”
With an enormous orchestra, deep bells, offstage brass and percussion, vocal soloists, and a large chorus, Mahler fashions a sound world all his own, exploring themes of afterlife and the resurrection of the dead. Soprano Janai Brugger and mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges join the tremendous musical forces required to perform this symphony — all under the baton of Jader Bignamini.
Classical 6
Shostakovich's Violin Concerto & Schumann
Thursday, December 1 at 7:30 PM
Friday, December 2 at 8 PM
Saturday, December 3 at 8 PM
Enrique Mazzola, conductor
Baiba Skride, violin
Program to include:
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 2
ROBERT SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish”
Baiba Skride, lauded by The New York Times for her “impetuous energy and impressive precision,” is the soloist in a work that churns with brooding pensiveness before launching into a furious finale. Schumann’s glorious celebration of the Rhineland is by turns stately and enigmatic, and features a moving brass chorale inspired by the cathedral at Cologne.
Classical 7
Mendelssohn's First Piano Concerto & Dvořák's Eighth's Symphony
Friday, December 9 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, December 10 at 8 PM
Sunday, December 11 at 3 PM
Jonathon Heyward, conductor
Yeol Eum Son, piano
TANIA LEÓN New Work (DSO co-commission)
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No. 1
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8
Dvořák’s Eighth remains one of his most popular symphonies; its uplifting, dance-like melodies are inspired by the folk songs of his native Bohemia. The Times of London has called Yeol Eum Son “a model of clarity and fleetness” — qualities that shine in her performance of Mendelssohn’s spellbinding work for piano and orchestra. The program opens with a world premiere by Pulitzer Prize–winner Tania León.
Classical 8
Sibelius' First Symphony & Prokofiev
Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Friday, January 20, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 8 PM
Tabita Berglund, conductor
Edgar Moreau, cello
ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR Metacosmos
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Sinfonia concertante for Cello & Orchestra
JEAN SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1
Experience Nordic marvels — Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir seeks to balance the beauty and chaos of nature on a knife’s edge, and Finnish icon Jean Sibelius nearly sweeps the listener away in a tide of sound. In between is Prokofiev’s supremely virtuosic and profoundly expressive masterpiece for cello and orchestra, played by the young French cellist Edgar Moreau — praised by Gramophone for his “commanding presence” and “robust, singing tone.”
Classical 9
Brahms' First Piano Concerto & Bartók
Friday, February 3, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Friday, February 3, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 8 PM
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
IGOR STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments
BÉLA BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1
Brahms’s First Piano Concerto is vast in its scope, requiring dexterity, power, and grace from the soloist — the phenomenally versatile Garrick Ohlsson in these performances — as well as storms of expression from the orchestra. It is a concerto in which the orchestra and soloist are truly equal partners in storytelling. Two 20th Century classics, both with unusual instrumentation, open this concert. Music Director Laureate Leonard Slatkin conducts.
Classical 10
Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony & Saxophone Concerto World Premiere
Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 8 PM
Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 3 PM
Han-Na Chang, conductor
Jess Gillam, saxophone
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture
ANNA CLYNE Saxophone Concerto (World Premiere)
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5
From the riveting street fight between the Montagues and Capulets to the ravishing love theme, Tchaikovsky’s overture is beloved by audiences for its musical depictions of scenes from Shakespeare’s tragedy. British saxophonist Jess Gillam performs the world premiere of a concerto written for her by f, whom The New York Times has called “a composer of uncommon gifts.” The Fifth Symphony by Shostakovich is his most popular; its deep sorrow contrasts with unassailable optimism, though not without a heavy dose of satire.
Classical 11
Night on Bald Mountain & Gavrylyuk Plays Grieg
Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Friday, February 24, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 8 PM
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano
MODEST MUSSORGSKY arr. RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Night on Bald Mountain
EDVARD GRIEG Concerto for Piano & Orchestra
DORA PEJAČEVIĆ Symphony in F-sharp minor
Eerie strings, careening woodwinds, and foreboding brass portray a witches’ sabbath in Mussorgsky’s tone poem, expertly arranged after the composer’s death by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Grieg’s Piano Concerto opens with a famous and forceful descending motif before exploring melodic ideas influenced by the folk music of the composer’s native Norway. Dora Pejaečvić, a member of a Croatian noble family, broke gender barriers in classical music in the early 20th Century; her magnificent Symphony in F-sharp minor concludes this concert.
Classical 12
Classical Roots
Friday, March 3, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 8 PM
Joseph Young, conductor
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Davóne Tines, bass-baritone
jessica Care moore, poet
ANTHONY DAVIS You Have the Right to Remain Silent
VARIOUS COMPOSERS “Concerto No. 1: SERMON” devised by Davóne Tines
Anthony Davis’s concerto-like work for clarinet and orchestra was inspired by the composer’s experience of an unjust incident with the police. The soloist is Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, who has championed this work in recent years. Bass-baritone Davóne Tines has assembled an array of music and literary texts into a piece he describes as a “devised concerto for voice and orchestra.” Musical selections are by Anthony Davis and John Adams, along with a piece Tines co-wrote with Igée Dieudonné and Matthew Aucoin; the texts include excerpts by James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and jessica Care moore.
Classical 13
Brahms Fourth & Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
Friday, March 24, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 8 PM
Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 3 PM
Jader Bignamini conductor
George Li, piano
SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Ballade
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 2
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 4
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is full of passionate melodies, lush harmonies, and displays of blistering speed at the keyboard. Our soloist is George Li, who has been praised by Bachtrack for playing this piece “with a sense of discovery, as if the music were quite new.” Brahms’ final symphony shows the German composer at the height of his inventive powers. We open with an exceptionally confident work by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, written when the composer was only 23; it combines a spirit of grand adventure with passages of lilting tenderness.
Classical 14
Jader Conducts Stravinsky's The Firebird
Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Friday, March 31, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 8 PM
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
ARAM KHACHATURIAN Adagio from Spartacus
ARTURO MARQUEZ Fandango
ARTURO MARQUEZ Danzon No. 2
IGOR STRAVINSKY The Firebird
Stravinsky’s Firebird, awash in orchestral colors, crackles with wild rhythms and an iridescent finale. Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers commissioned Arturo Márquez — one of today’s leading Mexican composers — to write Fandango, a mariachi-inspired concerto, for which he drew on his childhood immersion in that style (his father was a mariachi musician). Inspired by a visit to a ballroom in Veracruz, Márquez’s Danzón No. 2 sways with animated dance rhythms. The program opens with a dramatic selection from Khachaturian’s ballet about the gladiator who led a slave uprising in ancient Rome.
Classical 15
Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto & Bruckner's Fourth
Friday, April 14, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 8 PM
Sunday April 16, 2023 at 3 PM
Markus Stenz, conductor
Stephen Hough, piano
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3
ANTON BRUCKNER Symphony No. 4
Stephen Hough, whom The Guardian calls “a whole orchestra in himself,” performs Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto. It is a piece full of stunning moments, such as the first movement’s tempestuous chords giving way to ethereal trills in the piano’s high register. Markus Stenz leads the orchestra in Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, almost overwhelming in its grandeur, with majestic horn calls and mesmerizing themes.
Classical 16
Hadelich & Stravinsky
Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Friday, April 28, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 8 PM
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
BRIAN RAPHAEL NABORS Upon Daybreak (DSO commission)
CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES Violin Concerto No. 2
IGOR STRAVINSKY Concerto for Violin & Orchestra
ZOLTÁN KODÁLY Dances of Galánta
Augustin Hadelich, a violinist whose rhapsodic expressiveness has gained worldwide attention, solos in not one but two works for violin and orchestra. Stravinsky’s concerto blends neoclassical clarity and proportion with rich, playful textures. The second violin concerto by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George, is a delicate work by a contemporary of Mozart and Haydn. JoAnn Falletta also conducts a new piece by Brian Raphael Nabors, as well as Kodály’s work infused with the sounds of Central European folk music.
Classical 17
Beethoven 8 & Simon Trombone Concerto
Friday, May 5, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 8 PM
Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 3 PM
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Kenneth Thompkins, trombone
JOHANNES BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Haydn
CARLOS SIMON Trombone Concerto (World Premiere)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony is one of his most jovial works, and contains some of the composer’s cleverest musical humor as well as bouncy dance rhythms with unexpected accents. Our principal trombonist Kenneth Thompkins performs the world premiere of a concerto written for him by Carlos Simon, based on Underground Railroad conductor William Still’s account of the hardships and struggles of the enslaved seeking freedom at any cost. The program opens with Brahms’s imaginative variations on a majestic theme.
Classical 18
Leila Josefowicz & Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3
Friday, May 19, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 8 PM
Daníel Bjarnason, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
DANÍEL BJARNASON Blow bright
HELEN GRIME Violin Concerto
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3, “Scottish”
Mendelssohn was struck by the rugged landscape of Scotland during a walking tour there, and later infused his Third Symphony with hints of Scottish dances and reminiscences of the countryside. Helen Grime’s Violin Concerto is a study in contrasts — from the frenzy of wild virtuosity to sensitive, reflective melodies — and is played here by Leila Josefowicz, a leading performer of new music for the violin. Conductor and composer Daníel Bjarnason begins with one of his own pieces, inspired by the energy and brightness of the Pacific Ocean.
Classical 19
Jader Conducts Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony
Friday, June 2, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8 PM
Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 3 PM
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
GIUSEPPE MARTUCCI Nocturne No. 1
ERNŐ DOHNÁNYI Variations on a Nursery Tune
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4
From the opening horn calls signaling unstoppable fate to the delirious ending full of cymbal crashes and orchestral fireworks, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony serves, in the composer’s words, as a “faithful echo” of an intense emotional journey. Martucci’s Nocturne No. 1 employs gentle, beautiful melodies to portray nighttime calm, and Dohnányi’s set of variations humorously transforms a familiar childhood melody through a variety of musical styles.
Classical 20
Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra & Dueñas Performs Lalo
Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Friday, June 9, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 8 PM
Jader Bignamini, conductor
María Dueñas, violin
JESSIE MONTGOMERY Snapshots (DSO commission)
ÉDOUARD LALO Symphonie Espagnole
RICHARD STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra
On our final classical program of the season, the rhythms and harmonies of Spain infuse Lalo’s exciting work for solo violin and orchestra. The soloist on these concerts is the young Spanish violinist María Dueñas, winner of the 2021 Yehudi Menuhin Competition. Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra, the first minute of which features prominently in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, is a lush, thrilling tone poem inspired by Friedrich Nietzchse’s book of the same name. The concert opens with Jessie Montgomery’s episodic new piece, a DSO commission.
PNC POPS SERIES
Pops 1
Prohibition
Friday, October 7 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, October 8 at 8 PM
Sunday, October 9 at 3 PM
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Travel back to the moody cabarets and speakeasies of old New York, Paris, Berlin, London, and Atlantic City. It was a time influenced by prohibition, gangsters, ingénues, and intrigue. Join the DSO and a stellar cast of vocalists for a multimedia musical journey through the era, from Rudy Vallée and Josephine Baker to Kurt Weill and King Oliver.
Pops 2
Hot Latin Sounds with the Mambo Kings
Sunday, October 16 at 3 PM
Robert Bernhardt, conductor
Mambo Kings, band
Take a thrilling journey through the music of Latin America and the U.S with the Mambo Kings and musicians of the DSO. From the sultry melancholy of Astor Piazzolla to the burning Afro-Cuban jazz of Tito Puente, Mambo Kings will be your guide on a Latin jazz tour of the Pan-American experience.
Pops 3
The Music of ABBA
Friday, October 28 at 8 PM
Saturday, October 29 at 8 PM
Sunday, October 30 at 3 PM
Michael Krajewski, conductor
Rajaton, vocal ensemble
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! The sensational Finnish vocal ensemble Rajaton pays tribute to the Swedish supergroup that soared to stardom in the 1970s. You’ll hear all your favorite ABBA hits performed live by the DSO — “Mamma Mia,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Dancing Queen,” and more!
Pops 4
Sci-Fi Spectacular: Star Wars, Star Trek, and Beyond!
Friday, November 18 at 10:45 AM
Saturday, November 19 at 8 PM
Sunday, November 20 at 3 PM
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Travel to new worlds, distant galaxies, and back to the future with music from your favorite sci-fi movies including Star Wars, Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and more. The DSO performs highlights from these iconic film scores under the direction of Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik.
Pops 5
Home for the Holidays
Friday, December 16 at 10:45 AM
Friday, December 16 at 8 PM
Saturday, December 17 at 3 PM
Saturday, December 17 at 8 PM
Sunday, December 18 at 3 PM
Sunday, December 18 at 7 PM
Michelle Merrill, conductor
Thrill to the spectacle of the season and share Detroit's favorite holiday musical tradition with family and friends. Michelle Merrill returns to lead the DSO in a sparkling celebration with carols and classics that sells out year after year — and yes, Virginia, there will be a Santa Claus!
Pops 6
Twist & Shout: The Music of the Beatles. A Symphonic Experience.
Friday, January 6, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Friday, January 6, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 8 PM
Sunday, January 8, 2023 at 3 PM
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Twist & Shout celebrates The Beatles in America, beginning with their 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and following their journey across the country as Beatlemania won the hearts of Americans everywhere. Relive the British invasion as the DSO plays hits like “Love Me Do,” “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Eight Days a Week,” “Ticket to Ride,” “Help!,” “Yesterday,” and many more, accompanied by hundreds of rare and unseen photos.
Pops 7
Frank & The Great Ladies of Song
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, February 11, 2023 at 8 PM
Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 3 PM
Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor
Tony DeSare, piano and vocalist
Capathia Jenkins, vocalist
Broadway brass meets old-school class in a fresh take on songbook classics with award-winning vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Tony DeSare. Enrico Lopez-Yañez leads the DSO in a panoply of hits, including “This Could Be the Start of Something Big,” “Love Is Here to Stay,” “Come Fly With Me,” “Hallelujah I Love Him So,” “Night and Day,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” “New York, New York” and more.
Pops 8
Sondheim & Beyond
Friday, March 10, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Friday, March 10, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 8 PM
Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 3 PM
Andy Einhorn, conductor
Andrea Ross, vocalist
Ryan Vona, vocalist
You’re invited to join the DSO in a joyous celebration of the life and work of composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, including favorites from Broadway legends and selected collaborators like Stephen Schwartz, Jule Stein, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Leonard Bernstein, and more. Broadway musical director and conductor Andy Einhorn leads the orchestra.
Pops 9
Hollywood Rocks
Friday, April 21, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Friday, April 21, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 8 PM
Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Julie Reiber, vocalist
Bryce Ryness, vocalist
Hear the DSO perform iconic songs from memorable movies and binge-worthy series, all in one concert. Featuring music from A Star Is Born, Tommy, Stranger Things, Rocketman, Bohemian Rhapsody, Back to the Future, Rock of Ages, Mad Men, and Yesterday.
Pops 10
The Music of Elton John Featuring Michael Cavanaugh
Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 8 PM
Na'Zir McFadden, conductor
Michael Cavanaugh, piano and vocalist
The New York Times calls him “amazing.” Variety says he’s “brilliant.” You stood and cheered after his Music of Billy Joelshow with the Symphony. Now, Michael Cavanaugh returns to the DSO to perform the music of the other great piano man, Elton John. Beloved tunes include “Your Song,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man,” and many more. Whether you loved his last show or missed it, be sure to join Michael and the Symphony for a Crocodile Rockin’ night.
Pops 11
A Tribute to Aretha Franklin
Friday, May 26, 2023 at 10:45 AM
Friday, May 26, 2023 at 8 PM
Saturday, May 27, 2023 at 8 PM
Sunday, May 28, 2023 at 3 PM
Na'Zir McFadden, conductor
Tamika Lawrence, vocalist
Coco Smith, vocalist
Blaine Krauss, vocalist
John Boswell, piano
The story of Aretha Franklin is the story of America in the second half of the twentieth century. Her music, her activism, her faith, and her strength are woven into the fabric of our history. Celebrate the singer, the icon, the leader, and the woman with her greatest hits, including “Respect,” “Chain of Fools,” “Natural Woman,” “Think,” and “Amazing Grace.” The DSO is joined by superb vocalists Tamika Lawrence, Coco Smith, and Blaine Krauss.