RESPECT in Concert features screening of the 2021 MGM film starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin accompanied live by the DSO with conductor Anthony Parnther
Tickets on sale now at 10 a.m. at dso.org
Detroit, (November 10, 2022) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will celebrate the legendary “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin with the world premiere of RESPECT in Concert on Wednesday, January 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Orchestra Hall. The one-night-only cinematic concert experience will include a screening of the MGM film with a live score performed by the DSO under the baton of conductor Anthony Parnther.
Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice. The film, which was released by MGM in 2021, starred Jennifer Hudson and was directed by Liesl Tommy. The screenplay was written by Tracey Scott Wilson.
Tickets for RESPECT in Concert start at $48 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.
Later this season on the PNC Pops Series, the DSO will again honor the legendary singer with Respect: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin, featuring full performances of many of her greatest hits. These concerts will take place May 26-28 and will be conducted by DSO Assistant Conductor and Philip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador Na’Zir McFadden.
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.
RESPECT in Concert
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Anthony Parnther, conductor
Experience the world premiere of RESPECT in Concert with live score performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The film follows the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a young child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice and become the Queen of Soul.
RESPECT © 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved. RATED PG-13 for mature thematic content, strong language including racial epithets, violence, suggestive material and smoking.
About Anthony Parnther
American conductor Anthony Parnther has forged a singularly unique career that melds his love for the music of all genres with his prowess as a conductor, producer, bassoon soloist, recording artist, opera singer, storyteller, comedian, voice-over artist, and activist.
Parnther is the Music Director of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra in San Bernardino, California. He was appointed Music Director of the historic Los Angeles-based Southeast Symphony & Chorus in 2010. In 2020, Parnther was appointed Conductor of the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra, succeeding its longtime founding conductor, Michael Morgan. He has conducted a long list of the world's greatest artists in virtually every genre, including Joshua Bell, Jessye Norman, Yundi Li, Lynn Harrell, Frederica von Stade, Roderick Williams, The Canadian Brass, Rihanna, Jennifer Holliday, Kanye West, Imagine Dragons, Omar Apollo, Ry X, Zedd, and Alan Walker.
Parnther is in demand to conduct symphonic, opera, contemporary, avant-garde, popular music, and film scores internationally. His recent guest appearances include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera, Chineke! Orchestra, Long Beach Opera, Cleveland Institute of Music, Mann Center Festival Orchestra, The Philly Pops, Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, Jacaranda - Music at the Edge, Hear Now Music Festival, Pittsburgh Microtonal Festival, BrightworkNewMusic, and the World Opera Forum in Madrid, Spain.
In the 2021-2022 season, Parnther will premiere Kris Bowers' Concerto for Horn with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Tamar-kali Brown's We Hold These Truths with the Los Angeles Opera. He will also lead the Long Beach Opera as they record Anthony Davis' Pulitzer Prize-winning opera The Central Park Five. In April of 2022, Parnther will lead the Gateways Festival Orchestra at Carnegie Hall as they premiere I Can for Piano and Orchestra, written by and featuring Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer Jon Batiste.
In addition, Parnther will also appear with the San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Hawaii Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony, Music Academy of the West, Rochester Philharmonic, Phoenix Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Austin Symphony, Grant Park Music Festival, and Charlotte Symphony.
He has premiered and recorded works by Anthony Davis, George Walker, Tamar-kali Brown, Florence Price, Adolphus Hailstork, Zenobia Powell Perry, Errollyn Wallen, John Wineglass, Gary Powell Nash, Marian Harrison, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, James Wilson, Phillip Herbert, Daniel Kidane, Chanda Dancy, and James Newton. In 2015, Parnther was profiled by Los Angeles's KCET/TV as a "Local Hero" for his extensive community outreach and advocacy for the performance of works by Black, Latino, and women artists.
On the scoring stages of Los Angeles, London, Nashville, Budapest, and San Francisco, Parnther has led and conducted recording sessions for many of the top international feature films, television series, and video game franchises in the world.
Recent films include Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Avatar: The Way of Water, Tenet, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Adam Project, Slumberland, The Way Back, Cheaper By The Dozen, Lost City, Little, and The Hunt. He has conducted the scoring sessions for animated features Encanto, Turning Red, Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild, and Diaries of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules. His television series credits include Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Star Wars: Book of Boba Fett, Fargo, The Night Of, and 4400. He led the sessions for video games League of Legends, The Lamplighters League, Guild Wars, and animated series like American Dad, Arcane, and more.
Parnther studied at Northwestern University and Yale University and currently resides in Los Angeles.
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. 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.
About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content as well as the premium pay television network EPIX, which is available throughout the U.S. via cable, satellite, telco and digital distributors. In addition, MGM has investments in numerous other television channels, digital platforms, and interactive ventures and is producing premium short-form content for distribution. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.