Program will include screening of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther film, accompanied live by the DSO through support from the Gilbert Family Foundation
Tickets for Friday and Sunday performances on sale April 27 at dso.org
Detroit, (April 26, 2023) – This June, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will present Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in Concert featuring a screening of the complete film with the musical score performed live to picture at Orchestra Hall. The concert will be led by former DSO resident conductor Thomas Wilkins and is presented through support from the Gilbert Family Foundation.
In 2018, Marvel Studios’ Black Panther quickly became a global sensation and cultural phenomenon, showing a new dimension of what Super Hero films could be. Rolling Stone raved, “The film lights up the screen with a full-throttle blast of action and fun. That’s to be expected. But what sneaks up and floors you is the film’s racial conscience and profound, astonishing beauty.” Now, audiences can relive the excitement of T’Challa becoming king and battling Killmonger all while the DSO performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar®-winning score live to picture.
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in Concert will take place on Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 24 at 3 p.m., and Sunday, June 25 at 3 p.m. at Orchestra Hall. Please note: the Saturday performance is not open to the general public; tickets for that performance have been reserved for select DSO community partners at no charge.
Tickets for the Friday and Sunday performances start at $59 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.
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.
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MARVEL STUDIOS’ BLACK PANTHER IN CONCERT
Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 24 at 3 p.m. (Please note: tickets for Saturday’s performance have been allocated to select community partners of the DSO; not open to the general public)
Sunday, June 25 at 3 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Experience Black Panther in Concert performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra through support from the Gilbert Family Foundation. In 2018, Marvel Studios’ Black Panther became a cultural phenomenon. Now, you can relive the excitement of T’Challa becoming king and battling Killmonger as the DSO performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar®-winning score live to picture for the very first time.
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About Disney Concerts
Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras, choruses and presenters on a worldwide basis. Disney Concerts' concert packages include a variety of formats, such as "live to picture" film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts and range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choir. Current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series, Toy Story, Aladdin, Disney Princess - The Concert, Coco, The Lion King, Up, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Muppet Christmas Carol.
About Thomas Wilkins
Devoted to promoting a life-long enthusiasm for music, Thomas Wilkins brings energy and commitment to audiences of all ages. He is hailed as a master at communicating and connecting with audiences. Wilkins is Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; the Boston Symphony’s Artistic Advisor, Education and Community Engagement; Principal Guest Conductor of the Virginia Symphony; and holds Indiana University’s Henry A. Upper Chair of Orchestral Conducting, established by the late Barbara and David Jacobs as a part of the university’s “Matching the Promise” campaign. He completed his long and successful tenure as Music Director of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra at the close of the 2020-21 season. Other past positions have included resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Florida Orchestra (Tampa Bay), and associate conductor of the Richmond (VA) Symphony. He has also served on the music faculties of North Park University (Chicago), the University of Tennessee (Chattanooga), and Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond).
Following his highly successful first season with the Boston Symphony, the Boston Globe named him among the “Best People and Ideas of 2011.” In 2014, Wilkins received the prestigious “Outstanding Artist” award at the Nebraska Governor’s Arts Awards for his significant contribution to music in the state. In 2018, Wilkins received the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society conferred by Boston’s Longy School of Music. In 2019, the Virginia Symphony bestowed Wilkins with their annual Dreamer Award. In 2022, the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award for Music; the Boston Conservatory awarded him an honorary Doctor of Arts degree; and he was the recipient of the League of American Orchestras’ Gold Baton Award.
During his conducting career, he has led orchestras throughout the United States including the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Cincinnati Symphony, and the National Symphony. Additionally, he has guest conducted The Philadelphia Orchestra; Cleveland Orchestra; the symphonies of Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, San Diego, Seattle, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Utah; and the Buffalo and Rochester philharmonics; as well as at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago.
His commitment to community has been demonstrated by his participation on several boards of directors, including the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, the Charles Drew Health Center (Omaha), the Center Against Spouse Abuse (Tampa Bay), the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Academy Preparatory Center (St. Petersburg, FL). He currently serves as chairman of the board for the Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund and as national ambassador for the non-profit World Pediatric Project headquartered in Richmond, VA, which provides children throughout Central America and the Caribbean with critical surgical and diagnostic care.
A native of Norfolk, VA, Wilkins is a graduate of the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music (Boston). He and his wife Sheri-Lee are the proud parents of twin daughters, Erica and Nicole.
About the Gilbert Family Foundation
The Gilbert Family Foundation’s strategic institutional investments include support for the DSO, Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), Detroit Historical Society, Motown Museum, and many more. These investments seek to strengthen the operations of the organizations as well as ensure that their programming is serving the broader community, particularly lower-income residents and those who don’t have access to traditional arts and culture programming through subsidized ticket costs, and more.
The Foundation also seeks to support institutions in developing unique programming that reflects the diversity and vibrancy of the Detroit community.
The Gilbert Family Foundation has been a longstanding partner to the DSO, funding creative and diverse endeavors, responding to the needs of our community to enable greater access to, and participation in, the arts including the DSO’s African American Orchestra Fellowship Program and Classical Roots Celebration.
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.