Jeannette Sorrell will lead DSO musicians including soloists Hannah Hammel Maser, Amanda Blaike, Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy, and Hai-Xin Wu in program featuring works by Bach, Telemann, and Vivaldi
Performances will take place in Southfield, Plymouth, Grosse Pointe, and Beverly Hills
Tickets on sale now at dso.org
Detroit, (January 7, 2025) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) launches its 2025 William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series with Bach’s Coffeehouse, a program paying homage to Johann Sebastian Bach’s time performing at Zimmermann's Coffeehouse in Leipzig. The program will be led by conductor Jeannette Sorrell and feature DSO flutists Hannah Hammel Maser and Amanda Blaike and violinists Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy and Hai-Xin Wu.
Highlighting works by three of the most notable composers of the Baroque era, the concert opens with selections from Georg Philipp Telemann’s Don Quixote Suite. The program continues with works by J.S. Bach (Orchestral Suite No. 1 and Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, BWV 1049) and Telemann (Grillen-Symphonie), and concludes with Antonio Vivaldi’s La Folia arranged by Jeannette Sorrell.
The performances will take place on Thursday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield; Friday, January 24 at 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Plymouth; Saturday, January 25 at 8 p.m. at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe; and Sunday, January 26 at the Seligman Performing Arts Center in Beverly Hills.
The William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series is made possible by a generous grant from the William Davidson Foundation. WRCJ 90.9 FM also supports the series.
Tickets for these performances start at $20 and can be purchased at dso.org or by calling the Box Office at 313.576.5111, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Thursday January 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield
Friday, January 24 at 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Plymouth
Saturday, January 25 at 8 p.m. at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe
Sunday, January 26 at 3 p.m. at Seligman Performing Arts Center in Beverly Hills
Jeannette Sorrell, conductor
Hannah Hammel Maser, flute
Amanda Blaike, flute
Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy, violin
Hai-Xin Wu, violin
J.S. Bach liked to let his hair down at Zimmermann's Coffeehouse in Leipzig, where he performed his own music as well as works by his most admired colleagues: Telemann and Vivaldi. The Detroit Symphony under guest conductor Jeannette Sorrell takes on the role of the Leipzig Collegium Musicum–Bach's lively coffeehouse orchestra.
TELEMANN Selections from Don Quixote Suite
BACH Orchestral Suite No. 1
BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, BWV 1049
TELEMANN Grillen-Symphonie (Whimsical Symphony)
VIVALDI ARR. SORRELL La Folia
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About Jeannette Sorrell
GRAMMY®-winning conductor Jeannette Sorrell is recognized internationally as one of today’s most compelling interpreters of Baroque and Classical repertoire. The daughter of a European immigrant father and an American mother, she grew up as a musician and dancer and is credited by BBC Music Magazine for “forging a vibrant, life-affirming approach to early music.” She is the subject of the documentary by Oscar-winning director Allan Miller, titled PLAYING WITH FIRE: Jeannette Sorrell and the Mysteries of Conducting, commercially released in 2023.
Bridging the period-instrument and symphonic worlds from a young age, Sorrell studied conducting under Leonard Bernstein, Roger Norrington, and Robert Spano at the Tanglewood and Aspen music festivals; and studied harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam. She won First Prize in the Spivey International Harpsichord Competition, competing against over 70 harpsichordists from four continents.
As a guest conductor, Sorrell made her New York Philharmonic debut in 2021 and Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2022, both to rave reviews. She has repeatedly conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque in San Francisco, and New World Symphony; and has also led the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (Bach’s St. John Passion), the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Opera St Louis with the St. Louis Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic (Canada), Royal Northern Sinfonia (UK), and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (Spain), among others.
Sorrell has been featured on Living the Classical Life and has attracted national awards for her creative programming. Her “storytelling” approach to early music has attracted many new listeners to the genre. As the founder and artistic director of Apollo’s Fire, she has led the renowned period ensemble in sold-out concerts at many of the world’s major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall and London’s BBC Proms. With over 14 million views of their YouTube videos, Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire have released 30 commercial CDs, including 11 bestsellers on the Billboard classical chart and a 2019 GRAMMY® winner.
Her CD recordings of the Bach St. John Passion and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons have been chosen as best in the field by the Sunday Times of London (2020 and 2021). Her Monteverdi Vespers recording was chosen by BBC Music Magazine as one of “30 Must-Have Recordings for Our Lifetime” (September 2022). Her discography also includes the complete Brandenburg Concerti of Bach (Billboard Classical Top 10 in 2012), four discs of Mozart, Handel’s Messiah, and five creative multicultural projects, including Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain (Billboard Classical #3, and named “Festive Disc of the Year” by Gramophone). Sorrell received an Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory, an honorary doctorate from Case Western University and an award from the American Musicological Society.
About Hannah Hammel Maser
Hannah Hammel Maser joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Principal Flute in January 2020. Before joining the DSO, Maser held the position of Principal Flute of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2019. An active chamber musician, she frequently curates and performs recitals with her DSO colleagues and has performed with chamber music organizations including Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings and New Music Detroit.
As an orchestral musician, Maser has performed as guest Principal Flute with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and also as a guest in the sections of the New York Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Richmond Symphony, New World Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra, including as a guest with them on a tour to Austria. Maser has attended summer festivals including Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, Pacific Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Round Top Music Festival.
Maser joined the Flute Faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2024 and served as acting Assistant Professor of Flute at Michigan State University during the spring semester of 2023. Maser is a sought-after teacher and orchestral excerpt coach and has been invited to teach for the Oberlin Conservatory, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of North Texas, University of Alabama, University of Michigan, and Interlochen Arts Academy. Maser regularly coaches flutists through the Sphinx Organization and was a coach for Sphinx's 2022 Audition Intensive with the New World Symphony. Maser maintains an active private studio in Detroit and a robust virtual flute studio, consisting largely of advanced flutists auditioning for professional orchestras. Maser is also enthusiastically involved in DSO community engagement performances and educational outreach programs, including regularly working with youth orchestra members of the Civic Youth Ensembles and adult flutists in the Detroit Community Ensembles.
Maser has been featured as a soloist with the DSO on numerous occasions, including performances of Carl Reinecke's Flute Concerto, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, and a world premiere of Jeff Scott's Paradise Valley Serenade for wind quintet and orchestra. As a student, Maser won first prize in the National Flute Association's Young Artist Competition, with special distinction given for the Best Performance of the Newly Commissioned Piece, and the Orchestral Excerpt & Masterclass Competition and is the only flutist in NFA history to have won all three honors. She also won first prize in the Houston Flute Club Byron Hester Competition, the Atlanta Flute Association Young Artist Competition, the Central Ohio Flute Association Collegiate Division Competition, and second prize in the Mid-South Flute Society Young Artist Competition. An active member of the National Flute Association, she now serves as the Competition Coordinator for their Orchestral Excerpt & Masterclass Competition.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Maser began studying the flute with her mother, Alice Hammel. She holds a Bachelor of Music in flute performance and a minor in music theory from the Oberlin Conservatory (2015) where she studied with Alexa Still. She graduated with a Master of Music in flute performance in 2017 from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music as a student of Leone Buyse.
About Amanda Blaikie
Amanda Blaikie is known for her sparkling tone and sensitive, expressive musicality. She was appointed Second Flute of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra by Leonard Slatkin in 2015, previously holding the position of Principal Flute with the Michigan Opera Theatre orchestra and the Sarasota Opera in Florida. Other orchestral appointments include Principal Flute with the Miami City Ballet and the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed extensively with the New York Philharmonic, including for a Live from Lincoln Center television broadcast, Carnegie Hall performances, and a European tour.
Blaikie regularly performs chamber music with organizations including Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, New Music Detroit, Cut-Time Players, and the WRCJ Classical Brunch Series. Her highlights as a soloist include performing concertos with the Allegro Chamber Orchestra, a solo performance at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, and numerous solo performances at the 2018 National Flute Association Convention in Orlando.
Blaikie earned a Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Robert Langevin, Principal Flute of the New York Philharmonic. She also received a Master in Music in flute performance from the University of Miami where she studied with Christine Nield-Capote and Jenny Robinson, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Principia College where she studied with flutist and pianist Dr. Marie Jureit-Beamish.
A passionate music educator, Blaikie is an Applied Instructor of Flute at Oakland University and is actively involved in the DSO’s community and educational outreach programs. She teaches advanced flutists through audition preparation processes and regularly presents masterclasses on orchestral excerpts. In the summer of 2019, Blaikie was a flute faculty member at the Pacific Music Institute in Hawaii, where she taught and performed.
About Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy
Kimberly Ann Kaloyanides Kennedy won her coveted position as a violinist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the age of 22. In 2003, Kennedy further realized her dream when she became Associate Concertmaster.
Kennedy began her study of the violin at the age of 5 in Dayton, Ohio. Being the daughter of a Minister of Music and church organist allowed her many chances to share from her heart in front of congregations. Her love of music became what undoubtedly would be her career as she pursued her studies at Brevard Music Center and Interlochen Arts Camp as the Governor’s Scholar for the state of Ohio. She continued her studies at the Sarasota Music Festival; spent four summers at the Aspen Music Festival on fellowship as Associate Concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra; spent three years at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida with Sergiu Schwartz; and finally landed at the University of Michigan with Paul Kantor. It was halfway through her senior year at Michigan in 1998 that her hard work paid off, when she joined the first violin section of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Throughout her training, she won several prizes in competitions around the country, including the Grand Prize in the National MTNA competition and first prize in the Greek Women’s National Competition in Chicago; the Skokie Valley Concerto Competition, where she performed Barber's Violin Concerto; the University of Michigan Concerto Competition, where she performed Ravel’s Tzigane; and the Harid Conservatory Concerto Competition, where she performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Kennedy was one of the few Americans invited to the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis in 1998. She solos regularly with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Kennedy enjoys performing chamber music regularly around Michigan with various groups including the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, and on series such as Chamber Music North, Fairlane Concert Guild, Pro Mozart, Classical Brunch in Birmingham, and the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival.
Kennedy is passionate about serving others through her music, both at church and around the community. Kennedy and her husband Bryan Kennedy, who previously served in the DSO’s horn section, are strongly committed to this orchestra and to this region, working diligently to ensure that it remains internationally renowned and artistically revered.
About Hai-Xin Wu
Violinist Hai-Xin Wu joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra violin section in July 1995 and was appointed Assistant Concertmaster of the DSO in June 2004. He previously performed throughout the United States, Europe, and his native China.
At the age of 12, Wu was selected as the violin soloist of the Chinese Young Artists group to tour the former Yugoslavia. In May 1995, he made his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City performing Paganini’s Violin Concerto with the New York Concert Senior Orchestra. Wu was also featured as soloist with the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra for its 25th Anniversary Gala Concert in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center; with the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra on its recording and Midwest tour; and with the Bergen Philharmonic in New Jersey, among others.
Wu has won competitions including the Waldo Mayo Violin Competition, the Friends of Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Competition, and the Manhattan School of Music Concerto Competition. He also won a special prize in the 2002 Lipizer International Competition. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music as a scholarship student of Ariana Bronne.
In addition to performing with the DSO, Wu often plays with various chamber groups including the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings and the Cuttime Players. From 1998–2001, he was a member of the Sonnet String Quartet, the quartet-in-residence at Oakland University. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University and a violin and chamber music coach with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Civic Youth Ensembles program.
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.