DSO PERFORMS WITH THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS, SPECIAL GUEST CLARINETIST ANTHONY MCGILL, AND CONDUCTOR WILLIAM EDDINS ON SATURDAY, MARCH 6
43RD ANNUAL CLASSICAL ROOTS CONCERT AND CELEBRATION GOES VIRTUAL AS DSO HONORS VERA HEIDELBERG, WYNTON MARSALIS, AND MARLOWE STOUDAMIRE
- Classical Roots honors African American contributions to classical music and this year is culmination of weeklong DSO residency by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
- Concert will be streamed live on dso.org, with virtual Celebration to precede
Detroit, (January 26, 2021) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will honor community leader, DSO supporter, and philanthropist Vera Heidelberg, and musician, composer, bandleader, educator, and former DSO Erb Jazz Creative Chair Wynton Marsalis for their legacies as well as pay special tribute to the late Detroit community leader, entrepreneur, and business strategist Marlowe Stoudamire at the 43rd annual Arthur L. Johnson-Honorable Damon Jerome Keith Classical Roots Celebration. Classical Roots honors African American composers, musicians, educators, and leaders for lifetime achievement and raises funds to support the DSO’s African American music and musician development programs.
This year’s Classical Roots concert will be streamed live from Orchestra Hall via DSO Digital Concerts on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. The DSO will perform with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and special guest soloist Anthony McGill (Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic), conducted by William Eddins. The Brazeal Dennard Chorale—a vital part of Classical Roots since its inception—and Artistic Director Alice McAllister Tillman will also be featured.
The concert program includes Marsalis’s Meeelaan, Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto for Clarinet and Jazz Band, and Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs, with McGill as featured soloist in the Stravinsky and Bernstein works. The concert will be the culminating event of a weeklong DSO residency by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which will include educational activities with the DSO’s Civic Youth Ensembles, a recorded performance for the DSO’s Educational Concert Series to be streamed later, and their own DSO Digital Concert with Marsalis on Friday, March 5 at 8 p.m. as part of the DSO’s Paradise Jazz Series. See below for additional details.
The first Classical Roots concert took place in 1978 at Detroit’s historic Bethel AME Church. Co-founded by the DSO’s then-Resident Conductor Paul Freeman, arts patron and civil rights activist Arthur L. Johnson, choral director and artistic administrator Brazeal Dennard, and other prominent African American leaders, Classical Roots soon outgrew Bethel AME and moved to Orchestra Hall in 1981, where it has been a beloved annual tradition ever since. The gala Classical Roots Celebration and lifetime achievement component were added in 2001. The Celebration was named the Arthur L. Johnson – Honorable Damon Jerome Keith Classical Roots Celebration in 2019 following a generous endowment gift from Dr. William F. Pickard who counted Johnson and Keith as his two biggest mentors.
The Celebration raises funds to support the Classical Roots mission and is organized by a dedicated steering committee, co-chaired this year by Jasmin DeForrest and Linda Forte. This year’s Classical Roots Celebration will take place virtually, with guests receiving a variety of benefits to enjoy at home including a commemorative program book, VIP amenity box including a floral arrangement and candles, a three-course meal by Forte Belanger, and wine. Visitdso.org/classicalroots for more information on the Celebration.
About This Year’s Honorees
Vera Heidelberg is a community leader, longtime DSO supporter, and philanthropist. She served as co-chair on the inaugural Classical Roots Steering Committee along with Dr. Arthur L. Johnson and was instrumental in laying the framework for subsequent committees while continuing to serve to expand the mission of Classical Roots. Heidelberg and her late husband, Dr. Robert P. Heidelberg, founded Heidelberg Dermatology in northwest Detroit in 1971. She has a long history of board service and involvement with community organizations including the United Negro College Fund, YWCA USA, Children’s Aid Society, YMCA, and Westminster Church of Detroit.
Wynton Marsalis is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, and educator, and a leading advocate of American culture. He has recorded more than 70 jazz and classical albums that have garnered him nine GrammyAwards. In 1983, Marsalis became the first and only artist to win both classical and jazz Grammy Awards in the sameyear; he repeated this feat in 1984. In 1997, he became the first jazz artist to be awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize inmusic for his oratorio Blood on the Fields, which was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has created and performed an expansive range of music from quartets to big bands, chamber music ensembles to symphony orchestras, and tap dance to ballet, expanding the vocabulary for jazz and classical music with a vital body of work that places him among the world’s finest musicians and composers. Always swinging, Marsalis blows his trumpet with a clear tone, a depth of emotion, and a unique, virtuosic style derived from an encyclopedic range of trumpet techniques. When you hear Marsalis play, you’re hearing life being played out through music. Marsalis’s core beliefs and foundation for living are based on the principals of jazz. He promotes individual creativity (improvisation), collective cooperation (swing), gratitude and good manners (sophistication), and faces adversity with persistent optimism (the blues). With his evolved humanity and through his selfless work, Marsalis has elevated the quality of human engagement for individuals, social networks, and cultural institutions throughout the world.
Marlowe Stoudamire helped guide the mission of Classical Roots and inspired innovation and creativity as a member of the Steering Committee for the past six years. He was an enthusiastic and engaged supporter of the arts and youth development in Detroit and served a mentor to innumerable young professionals and leaders in the community. In 2017, Stoudamire led the Detroit Historical Society’s award-winning and ground-breaking project Detroit 67: Looking Back to Move Forward, which received the 2018 IMLS National Medal—the nation’s highest award bestowed to museums and libraries. A self-described “serial, social entrepreneur,” Stoudamire was most recently principal and founder of the integrated marketing and social impact firm 2050 Partners, Inc., helping people, organizations, and cities stay relevant and connected. He previously served as Chief of Staff at the Skillman Foundation, and for Henry Ford Health System as Community & Diversity Manager and then project director of international business strategy. In March 2020, Stoudamire tragically lost his life to COVID-19 at the age of 43.
About the Artists
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) comprises the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today. Led by Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director, this remarkably versatile orchestra performs a vast repertoire ranging from original compositions and Jazz at Lincoln Center-commissioned works to rare historic compositions and masterworks by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus, and many others. The JLCO has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center resident orchestra since 1988, performing and leading educational events in New York, across the United States, and around the globe. Alongside symphony orchestras, ballet troupes, local students, and an ever-expanding roster of guest artists, the JLCO has toured over 300 cities across six continents. Guest conductors have included Benny Carter, John Lewis, Jimmy Heath, Chico O’Farrill, Ray Santos, Paquito D’Rivera, Jon Faddis, Robert Sadin, David Berger, Gerald Wilson, and Loren Schoenberg.
Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures. He serves as the principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic—that orchestra’s first African-American principal player—and maintains a dynamic international solo and chamber music career. Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (The New York Times), as well as for his “exquisite combination of technical refinement and expressive radiance” (The Baltimore Sun), McGill also serves as an ardent advocate for helping music education reach underserved communities and for addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in classical music. He was honored to take part in the inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece written for the occasion by John Williams and performing alongside violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianist Gabriela Montero. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, McGill previously served as the principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera and associate principal clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In-demand as a teacher, he serves on the faculty of the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Bard College’s Conservatory of Music. He also serves as the Artistic Advisor for the Music Advancement Program at the Juilliard School, on the Board of Directors for both the League of American Orchestras and the Harmony Program, and the advisory council for the InterSchool Orchestras of New York.
William Eddins is Music Director Emeritus of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and a frequent guest conductor of major orchestras throughout the world. Internationally, Eddins was Principal Guest Conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland). Career highlights include taking the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra to Carnegie Hall in May 2012, conducting RAI Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale on Italian television, and leading the Natal Philharmonic on tour in South Africa with soprano Renée Fleming. Equally at home with opera, he conducted a full production of Porgy and Bess with Opera de Lyon both in France and at the Edinburgh Festival. Eddins is an accomplished pianist and chamber musician and regularly conducts from the piano in works by Mozart, Beethoven, Gershwin, and Ravel. He has released a compact disc recording on his own label that includes Beethoven’s Hammer-Klavier Sonata and William Albright’s The Nightmare Fantasy Rag. Eddins has performed at the Ravinia Festival with both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Ravinia Festival Orchestra. He has also conducted the orchestras of the Aspen Music Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, Chautauqua Festival, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Concert Details
DSO Digital Concert: Classical Roots
Saturday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Wynton Marsalis, music director, trumpet
Ryan Kisor, trumpet
Kenny Rampton, trumpet
Kris Johnson, trumpet
Chris Crenshaw, trombone
Vincent Gardner, trombone
Michael Dease, trombone
Walter Blanding, tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet
Kasan Belgrave, alto and soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet
Ted Nash, alto and soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet
Victor Goines, tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet
Paul Nedzela, baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet
Dan Nimmer, piano
Carlos Henriquez, bass
Obed Calvaire, drums
William Eddins, conductor
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Michael Ke Ma, bassoon
Brazeal Dennard Chorale (Alice McAllister Tillman, artistic director)
Program to include:
John Rosamond JOHNSON Lift Every Voice and Sing
Damon DANDRIDGE I Know I’ve Been Changed (Brazeal Dennard Chorale)
Wynton MARSALIS Meeelaan (Michael Ke Ma, bassoon)
Igor STRAVINSKY Ebony Concerto for Clarinet and Jazz Band (Anthony McGill, clarinet)
Leonard BERNSTEIN Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs (Anthony McGill, clarinet)
Presented by Stanley and Judy Frankel, JPMorgan Chase, and DTE Foundation. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. The DSO Classical Series is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals, Inc.
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Related Event
DSO Digital Concert: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Friday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Wynton Marsalis, music director, trumpet
Ryan Kisor, trumpet
Kenny Rampton, trumpet
Kris Johnson, trumpet
Chris Crenshaw, trombone
Vincent Gardner, trombone
Michael Dease, trombone
Walter Blanding, tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet
Kasan Belgrave, alto and soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet
Ted Nash, alto and soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet
Victor Goines, tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet
Paul Nedzela, baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet
Dan Nimmer, piano
Carlos Henriquez, bass
Obed Calvaire, drums
Performing with former DSO Erb Jazz Chair Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra makes its long-awaited return to Orchestra Hall. Please note: The DSO does not appear on this program.
The Paradise Jazz Series is made possible with support from TCF Bank and MGM Grand Detroit, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Digital Ticket Information
Learn more about Classical Roots Celebration packages at dso.org/classicalroots.
All DSO Digital Concert performances are live streamed from Orchestra Hall and are innovatively programmed with health and safety considerations of performers in mind. Subscribers and donors above $125 receive access to all DSO Digital Concerts, with single tickets available to purchase for $12. Concerts can be viewed exclusively on dso.org via computer, mobile device, or smart TV both live and on-demand for two weeks following the original concert performance.
Those with ticket inquiries may contact the DSO Box Office at digitaltickets@dso.org or 313-576-5111, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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. Conductor Leonard Slatkin, who concluded a decade-long tenure at the helm in 2018, now serves as the DSO’s Music Director Laureate, endowed by the Kresge Foundation. Celebrated conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik is the orchestra’s Principal Pops Conductor, while the outstanding trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. 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 Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. One of the world’s most acoustically perfect concert halls, Orchestra Hall celebrates 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 radio broadcast and continues today with the free Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series, 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.