Music Director Jader Bignamini conducts DSO in concert on July 22 and Interlochen’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra in a side-by-side with DSO musicians on July 24
Among Interlochen Arts Camp participants are 20 students from DSO’s Civic Youth Ensembles; DSO musicians to lead master classes for Interlochen students
Detroit, (July 7, 2022) – Building on the long and storied history between the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and Interlochen Center for the Arts, the orchestra and Music Director Jader Bignamini will be in residence at Interlochen Arts Camp from July 22 to 24. DSO musicians will lead master classes and Bignamini will conduct concerts by the DSO on July 22 and Interlochen’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra in a side-by-side performance with DSO musicians on July 24 as part of the 95th season of Interlochen Arts Camp. The DSO’s residency will be the first in-person since 2019 following two years of virtual instruction during the pandemic.
The DSO will kick off its residency on Friday, July 22, with a concert at Kresge Auditorium featuring Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Symphonic Variations on an African Air, Op. 63 under the direction of Bignamini.
On Saturday, July 23, DSO musicians will lead master classes in each orchestral instrument for Interlochen Arts Camp high school students. Additionally, DSO musicians will play a side-by-side rehearsal with members of Interlochen’s flagship musical ensemble, the World Youth Symphony Orchestra (WYSO). On Sunday, July 24, DSO musicians will join WYSO for a second rehearsal and evening concert, which will feature Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27 conducted by Bignamini. Like all WYSO performances, the concert will be broadcast by Interlochen Public Radio and webcast live at interlochen.org.
Taking part in the 2022 Interlochen Arts Camp are twenty DSO Civic Youth Ensemble (CYE) students, with five students in the High School Division, 10 in the Intermediate Division, and five in the Junior Division. CYE students had the opportunity to audition for Interlochen Arts Camp at Orchestra Hall this past year when the DSO opened the building to Interlochen representatives during a CYE rehearsal day. Out of the 20 CYE students attending Interlochen this summer, 17 have been awarded a merit-based scholarship to attend.
Additionally, four students from the DSO’s Senza program will attend Interlochen this summer including Seth Banks (trumpet), Ethan Banks (trumpet), Isaiah Thomason-Redus (horn), and Milan Forrester (violin). Three out of the four students will be attending Interlochen Arts Camp for the first time. Introduced by the DSO in the 2020-2021 season, Senza is a professional development music program that offers a personalized curriculum of courses, mentorship, cultural experiences, community engagement, practical experience, and networking for selected high school students.
The students are eager to attend Interlochen to build upon the skills they have acquired through CYE. “I have been a member of CYE as a violinist for the last 5 years,” said Forrester. “One of my favorite parts of my CYE experience has been being part of a quartet. The opportunity to be coached by a DSO musician and work with other musicians at my level has been so much fun! The people I have interacted with at CYE have taught me and encouraged me as I pursue my goal of becoming a professional musician. While I have grown as a musician, I have also learned valuable leadership and teamwork skills through CYE that help me in all areas of my life.”
Interlochen’s world-renowned multidisciplinary arts camp attracts thousands of students, faculty, and distinguished guest artists from across the globe for immersive training in dance, theatre, creative writing, visual arts, music, and film. Surrounded by peers who share their artistic passion and curiosity, students forge cross-cultural friendships that last a lifetime and find reflection, rejuvenation, and inspiration on Interlochen’s pristine, 1,200-acre campus. With a global alumni base that includes creative leaders in the arts and many other fields, Interlochen Arts Camp has been at the forefront of arts education for nearly a century.
The DSO’s association with Interlochen dates back to 1926, when Detroit’s Orchestra Hall hosted the National High School Honors Orchestra, the ensemble that evolved two years later into the founding orchestra of Interlochen Arts Camp. The relationship flourished over the decades with numerous summer performances and master classes by the DSO on the campus of Interlochen Center for the Arts. Today, 21 members of the DSO are alumni of Interlochen Arts Camp or Interlochen Arts Academy.
The DSO will perform at Interlochen’s iconic Kresge Auditorium on Friday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET as part of the 2022 Interlochen Arts Festival. Tickets start at $51 and can be purchased here.
The DSO at Interlochen is supported by Nancy and Arn Tellem, Nicole and Matt Lester, Eleanor and Bernard Robertson, and a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
About Civic Youth EnsemblesPart of the Wu Family Academy of Learning and Engagement, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Civic Youth Ensembles (CYE) provide musicians of all ages and financial backgrounds with a comprehensive music education experience. CYE’s mission is to cultivate every student's artistic and creative potential through rewarding musical experiences while developing meaningful skills outside the arts. Across fourteen classical and jazz ensembles, students learn from dedicated music directors and DSO musicians. In the 2020-2021 season, CYE celebrated 50 years of music education at the DSO.
About SenzaIntroduced by the DSO in the 2020-2021 season, Senza is a professional development music program that offers a personalized curriculum of courses, mentorship, cultural experiences, community engagement, practical experience, and networking for selected high school students. Senza, meaning “without” in Italian, is designed to create a space for students without limitations. To that end, Senza has been designed for and with students who hold a broad range of experiences. Senza prioritizes the inclusion and participation of students from communities currently underrepresented in classical music, with a goal of building a strong cohort of students who learn, lead, and grow together through the program. Senza is generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
About Jader BignaminiJader 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 DSOThe 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.