Detroit, (September 18, 2018) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is pleased to welcome three new full-time musicians to its ranks beginning this month for the 2018-2019 Season.
In a new announcement, Mike Chen, viola, will join the DSO after seven seasons as Associate Principal/Acting Principal Viola of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Chen began his professional viola career with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2003.
Chen joins two other new DSO musicians that were announced in May. Abraham Feder will join the DSO this season as Assistant Principal Cello (Dorothy and Herbert Graebner Chair). Feder was most recently a member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and served as Assistant Principal Cello of the Santa Fe Opera this summer. Nicolas Myers, bass, will also join the DSO this fall. A Michigan native, Myers won his audition while completing his graduate studies at The Juilliard School.
As announced in April, the DSO welcomes two new African-American Orchestra Fellows for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons: Michael Gause, trumpet, and Adam Sadberry, flute. The Fellowship, inaugurated in 1990 (though similar initiatives were created in the 1980s), aims to enhance the career development of African-American orchestral musicians and, in the long-term, the diversity of professional orchestras. Gause and Sadberry will perform regularly with the DSO at Orchestra Hall and in the community, receive mentorship from tenured musicians, and participate in mock auditions to gain experience in the competitive orchestra field. Thanks to generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the number of African-American Orchestra Fellows has increased from one to two beginning this season.
The DSO’s 2018-2019 Classical Series begins October 5-7, 2018, with a weekend of concerts conducted by Leonard Slatkin (who will be returning as Music Director Laureate) and featuring violinist Gil Shaham.
Prior to the Classical Series kickoff, the DSO will perform in northwest Detroit, Waterford, Monroe, and Sterling Heights on September 20, 22, and 23 in free community concerts presented by DTE Energy Foundation. The orchestra will also trek time and space with two sci-fi film presentations: a screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey in Ann Arbor on September 21, and three Orchestra Hall screenings of Star Wars: A New Hope on September 28-30.
Learn more about the entire season at dso.org. Read biographies of all DSO musicians—including these five new faces—at dso.org/orchestra.
About the DSO
Hailed by the New York Times as “cutting edge,” the internationally acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, visionary maestros, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and an ardent commitment to Detroit. As a community-supported orchestra, generous giving by individuals and institutions at all levels drives the continued success and growth of the institution. Esteemed conductor Leonard Slatkin, called “America’s Music Director” by the Los Angeles Times, became the DSO’s 12th Music Director, endowed by the Kresge Foundation, in 2008. The 2017-2018 Season marked Slatkin’s tenth and final year in the role, and in 2018-2019 he returns as Music Director Laureate. Acclaimed conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik serves as Principal Pops Conductor, while celebrated trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair. With growing attendance and unwavering philanthropic support from the Detroit community, the DSO’s performance schedule includes Classical, Pops, Jazz, Young People’s, and Neighborhood concerts, and collaborations with high profile artists from Steven Spielberg to Ben Folds and Lang Lang. In July 2017, the DSO embarked on its first international tour in 16 years, making its debut in China and first visit to Japan in 19 years. A commitment 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. Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, one of America’s most acoustically perfect concert halls, the DSO actively pursues a mission to embrace and inspire individuals, families, and communities through unsurpassed musical experiences.