Han-Na Chang conducts world premiere of Anna Clyne's Saxophone Concerto with Jess Gillam, plus works by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky, February 18-19

February 19 performance webcast for free at dso.org and via Facebook Live as part of DSO’s Live from Orchestra Hall series

Tickets on sale now at dso.org

Detroit, (January 26, 2023) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will welcome conductor Han-Na Chang and saxophonist Jess Gillam to Orchestra Hall for a program including the world premiere of a new work by Anna Clyne, plus music by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. The two concerts will take place February 18-19 at Orchestra Hall as part of the PVS Classical Series.

The program will open with Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture, beloved by audiences for its musical depiction of scenes from Shakespeare’s tragedy. Next, Gillam is featured soloist in the world premiere of Anna Clyne’s Glasslands. which conjures an imaginary world of three realms governed by the banshee—a female spirit who, in Irish folklore, heralds the death of a family member, usually by wailing, shrieking, or keening in the silence of the night. The program concludes with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, the composer’s most popular work that contrasts deep sorrow with unassailable optimism, and a heavy dose of satire.

Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony & Saxophone Concerto World Premiere will take place Saturday, February 18 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 19 at 3 p.m. at Orchestra Hall.

The February 19 performance will also be webcast for free at dso.org and via Facebook Live as part of the DSO’s Live from Orchestra Hall series.

Tickets for Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony & Saxophone Concerto World Premiere start at $25 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.

The title sponsor of the DSO’s Classical Series is PVS Chemicals, Inc. DSO Live is presented by Ford Motor Company Fund and made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Digital programming is produced from the Al Glancy Control Room

SHOSTAKOVICH’S FIFTH SYMPHONY & SAXOPHONE CONCERTO WORLD PREMIERE
PVS Classical Series
Saturday, February 18 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 19 at 3 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Han-Na Chang, conductor
Jess Gillam, saxophone
From the riveting street fight between the Montagues and Capulets to the ravishing love theme, Tchaikovsky’s overture is beloved by audiences for its musical depictions of scenes from Shakespeare’s tragedy. British saxophonist Jess Gillam performs the world premiere of a concerto written for her by Anna Clyne, whom The New York Times has called “a composer of uncommon gifts.” The Fifth Symphony by Shostakovich is his most popular; its deep sorrow contrasts with unassailable optimism, though not without a heavy dose of satire.
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture
ANNA CLYNE Glasslands (World Premiere)
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5

About Han-Na Chang
Artistic Leader and Chief Conductor of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester & Opera in Norway since 2017, and newly appointed Erste Gastdirigentin (Principal Guest Conductor) of the Symphoniker Hamburg—Laeiszhalle Orchester commencing 2022-2023 season, Han-Na Chang’s prestigious and unique international career spans nearly three decades. She first gained international recognition for her precocious musical gifts at the age of 11, when she won the First Prize and the Contemporary Music Prize at the Fifth Rostropovich International Cello Competition in Paris in 1994, awarded unanimously by the jury led by Mstislav Rostropovich. Her international career took off, taking her to all the major concert halls around the world and the world’s top orchestras as an in-demand recitalist and soloist. Having developed an intense interest in and deep passion for the symphonic repertoire during her late teens and early twenties, she made her formal conducting debut in 2007, at the age of 24, and has since focused her artistic output exclusively on conducting.

Chang started her tenure as the Artistic Leader and Chief Conductor of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester & Opera in 2017. Prior to this appointment, she served as the orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor from 2013-2017. She served as the Music Director of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra from 2013-2014, culminating in their successful and critically acclaimed performance at the 2014 BBC Proms in London. In 2009, she founded and launched the Absolute Classic Festival at Sungnam Arts Center in South Korea and served as its Artistic Director until 2014. The annual summer festival served two purposes: intense orchestral training giving its musicians a broad and deep exposure to all the major symphonic repertoire, and in turn introducing such masterpieces in exciting performances to the local audiences. Chang has also recorded introductions and complete performances of the Beethoven symphonies for the MBC TV in South Korea in 2007-2008.

As a guest conductor, Chang’s will appear with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam and Oslo philharmonic orchestras, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Singapore, Atlanta, Vancouver, Detroit, and Milwaukee symphony orchestras, and others. She has frequently worked with orchestras including the Oslo Philharmonic, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Bamberger Symphoniker, the Toronto, Hamburg, Singapore, Tokyo, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Seattle, Gothenburg, Malmo, and Iceland symphony orchestras, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra del Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli. As a cellist, Chang has performed with all the major orchestras including the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York and Los Angeles philharmonics, London Symphony Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Münchner Philharmoniker, The Philadelphia Orchestra, l'Orchestre de Paris, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre National de France, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco symphony orchestras. Her cello recordings, exclusively for the Warner Music label, have been nominated for Grammy Awards, and awarded two ECHO Klassik awards, the Caecilia and Cannes Classical awards, as well as a Gramophone Concerto of the Year accolade, among others, and remain worldwide bestsellers.

Chang was born in Suwon, South Korea in December 1982. At the age of 6, she received her first cello lesson. Her family moved to New York in 1993 to support her continuing studies at the Juilliard School, and she has lived in New York since. At the age of 10, she also started studying with Mischa Maisky who remains her most important influence to this day, and she counts Mstislav Rostropovich and Giuseppe Sinopoli among the most influential mentors of her formative years. Chang read Philosophy at Harvard University. Visit hannachangmusic.com for more information.

About Anna Clyne
Described as a “composer of uncommon gifts and unusual methods” in a New York Times profile and as “fearless” by NPR, Grammy Award-nominated Anna Clyne is one of the most in-demand composers today, working with orchestras, choreographers, filmmakers, and visual artists around the world. Clyne was named the 8th most performed contemporary composer in the world and the most performed living female British composer in 2022.

Clyne has been commissioned and presented by the world’s most dynamic and revered arts institutions, including the Barbican, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Los Angeles Philharmonic, MoMA, Philharmonie de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, San Francisco Ballet, and the Sydney Opera House; and her music has opened such events as the Edinburgh International Festival, The Last Night of the Proms, and the New York Philharmonic’s 2021–2022 season.

Clyne often collaborates on creative projects across the music industry, including Between the Rooms, a film with choreographer Kim Brandstrup and LA Opera, as well as the Nico Project at the Manchester International Festival, a stage work about pop icon Nico’s life that featured Clyne’s reimagining of The Marble Index for orchestra and voices. Clyne has also reimagined tracks from Thievery Corporation’s The Cosmic Game for the electronica duo with orchestra, and her music has been programmed by such artists as Björk. Recent projects in collaboration with the dance world have included the world premiere of choreographer Pam Tanowitz’s dance set to Breathing Statues for the Royal Ballet in London and performances of DANCE by the San Francisco Ballet with choreography by Nicolas Blanc.

Several projects have explored Clyne’s fascination with visual arts, including Color Field, inspired by the artwork of Mark Rothko; Abstractions, inspired by five contemporary artworks; and Woman Holding a Balance, a film collaboration with artist Jyll Bradley. In January 2023, Clyne presented a three-part series for BBC Radio 3 called ‘The Art of Music with Anna Clyne.' Other recent collaborators include such notable musicians as Jess Gillam, Martin Fröst, Pekka Kuusisto, and Yo-Yo Ma.

In 2022–2023, Clyne serves as Composer-in-Residence with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra starting in the 2023–2024 season. Past residencies include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Clyne’s music is represented on several labels and her works Prince of Clouds and Night Ferry were nominated for 2015 Grammy Awards. Her cello concerto DANCE, recorded by soloist Inbal Segev, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Marin Alsop, has garnered more than eight million plays on Spotify.

Clyne’s music is published exclusively by Boosey & Hawkes. (boosey.com/clyne)

About Jess Gillam
Hailing from Ulverston in Cumbria, Jess Gillam is animating the music world with her outstanding talent and infectious personality. She has been forging her own adventurous path since she shot to fame as the first saxophonist to reach the finals of BBC Young Musician and the youngest ever soloist to perform at the Last Night of the Proms. Passionate about inspiring and bringing joy to people through music, Gillam invites audiences on journeys of musical discovery through her electrifying performances and eclectic programming. 

As well as performing around the world, Gillam is a television and radio presenter. She became the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3 with the launch of her own weekly show, This Classical Life. The show is in its third year, and in 2020 won the prestigious ARIA Award for Best Specialist Music Show. In July 2021, Gillam presented a special live edition of This Classical Life at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. She has also been a guest presenter for BBC Radio 2 and co-hosted a miniseries for BBC Radio 4​’s Today program. Keen to explore the creative output of her home county, Gillam presented a series of Cumbrian Chats on BBC Radio Cumbria. Television presenting includes appearances on the BBC Proms and BBC Young Musician. 

2022-2023 season highlights include a four-stop US recital tour, featuring her Carnegie Hall debut; her London Symphony Orchestra debut, performing the John Adams saxophone concerto under Gianandrea Noseda; the world premieres of three saxophone concertos: Glasslands by Anna Clyne (with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra), Dani Howard’s Saxophone Concerto (commissioned by the London Chamber Orchestra) and Karl Jenkins’s Stravangaza with the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Further orchestral highlights include performances with Royal Scottish National Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and Manchester Camerata. 

Gillam is the first ever saxophonist to be signed exclusively to Decca Classics and both of her albums reached No.1 in the UK Classical Music Charts. Her debut album was listed in The Times Top 100 albums of 2019. She has been the recipient of a Classic BRIT Award, has been nominated for The Times Breakthrough Award and was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honors list 2021 for Services to Music. She is Founder of the Jess Gillam Ensemble (JGE)—a small group of incredible musicians from a wide range of musical backgrounds—whose programming features a variety of genres, including works by J.S. Bach and Piazzolla, as well as fresh commissions from Will Gregory of Goldfrapp and Ayanna Witter-Johnson.

JGE’s 2021-2022 season featured appearances at Wigmore Hall, Latitude Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Snape Maltings, Mozartfest Augsburg, and Liepe & Co Festival, to name a few, and this season sees them perform at Newbury Spring and West Wicklow Festivals, and venues including Saffron Hall, Sage Gateshead, and Rosey Concert Hall in Switzerland. 

Gillam’s infectious enthusiasm and passion for classical and non-classical music lights up every stage, and she has performed in prestigious concert halls and with world-class orchestras around the globe including the NDR Hannover, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and the UK’s leading orchestras. Gillam has performed live at the BAFTAs to millions of viewers at home. 

Gillam is an Associate Artist of the Royal Albert Hall, a European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) Rising Star Artist (which sees her perform at many of the top concert halls across Europe) and continue to promote her own concert series, bringing international talent to her hometown of Ulverston.

Gillam is a Vandoren UK Artist and became the youngest ever endorsee for Yanagisawa Saxophones at age 13.

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.