Summer Sessions outdoor programming continues in DSO’s Sosnick Courtyard with a variety of events including Planet D Nonet, Grace Gibson, Detroit’s 31st Annual Concert of Colors festival, Nova Zaii, Poetry & Music, Detroit City Jazz Orchestra Plus, and Yoga & Music
Tickets on sale now at dso.org
Detroit, (July 6, 2023) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) today announced the continuation of its Summer Sessions programming in Sosnick Courtyard (51 Parsons Street), the outdoor community green space adjacent to the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center.
The DSO will welcome guest artists including the Planet D Nonet (July 7), Grace Gibson (July 15), National Arab Orchestra (July 20), Nova Zaii (July 21), La Shaun phoenix Moore with Johdi (July 28), and the Detroit City Jazz Orchestra Plus (July 29) for genre-defying musical experiences. The DSO will also continue its Yoga & Music programming on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. led by Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructors and featuring Six Mile Strings, guitarist Alan Ayoub, bassist Dan Kolton, and harpist Ahya Simone.
On 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. Led by Detroit percussionist RJ Spangler and trumpeter James O’Donnell, the band has spent the past 15 years reviving music from Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Buddy Johnson, and Sun Ra, to Billy Strayhorn's more obscure catalogue, plus forays into South African jazz.
On July 15 at 8 p.m., 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 Black women rockers with the twirl of her signature tambourines and the strums of her guitar.
On 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. In collaboration with Detroit’s leading cultural institutions, the DSO will celebrate three decades of free outdoor, live music, and arts events throughout Detroit’s Cultural Center. Click here for a full list of Concert of Colors events.
On July 21 at 8 p.m., Nova Zaii—a composer, inventor, and overall experience designer—will bring his solo electro-acoustic project and band, The JuJu Exchange, to the Sosnick Courtyard stage. The night will highlight music from Zaii’s upcoming project, which features his patented invention, the Nova Portals (a touchless instrument), in a Detroit techno and jazz-infused context. The JuJu Exchange will present music from their recently released album, JazzRx, a collection of personalized “sonic-prescriptions” inspired by prompts from their fanbase.
On July 28 at 8 p.m., Poetry & Music returns with a Summer Grand Slam in Sosnick Courtyard. LaShaun phoenix Moore hosts this special, invitation-only, $1000 Grand Prize contest, which featuresDetroit’s finest poets competing for the prize and bragging rights. The evening will also include musical sets by Cube soul/R&B favorite Johdi and sets by DJ Stayce J.
On July 29 at 8 p.m., the Detroit City Jazz Orchestra Plus (DCOP) returns following a sold-out performance in The Cube to present their second installment of The Music of Stevie Wonder in Sosnick Courtyard. Wonder’s deep catalogue of music spans decades, and DCOP pays homage to the living legend with a diverse selection of both favorite tunes and more obscure selections.
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.
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
- 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. Planet D Nonet: Blues to Be There. Led by Detroit percussionist RJ Spangler and trumpeter James O’Donnell, the band has spent the past 15 years reviving music from artists including Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, breathing new life into jazz and blues classics.
- Thursday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music: Ahya Simone. A Detroit Yoga Lab-certified instructor leads an outdoor practice featuring live music performed by harpist Ahya Simone.
- Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m. Grace Gibson. New Orleans-based rising rockstar Grace Gibson melds and evolves musical worlds that straddle genres, influenced by the roots of rock, Delta blues, and modern soul.
- Thursday, July 20 at 6 p.m. 31st Annual Concert of Colors featuring the National Arab Orchestra. 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. A Detroit Yoga Lab-certified instructor leads an outdoor practice featuring live music performed by bassist Dan Kolton and guitarist Al Ayoub.
- Friday, July 21 at 8 p.m. Nova Zaii—a composer, inventor, and overall experience designer—brings his solo electro-acoustic project and band, The JuJu Exchange, to the Sosnick Courtyard stage. The night will highlight music from Zaii’s upcoming project, which features his patented invention, the Nova Portals (a touchless instrument), in a Detroit techno and jazz-infused context.
- Thursday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m. Yoga & Music: Six Mile Strings. A Detroit Yoga Lab-certified instructor leads an outdoor practice featuring 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. Come see Detroit’s finest poets compete for the prize and bragging rights and enjoy musical sets by Cube soul/R&B favorite Johdi. DJ Stayce J will be on the 1’s & 2’s through the night.
- 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.