- This Thursday and Friday, also catch Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 on the Classical Series
- This weekend’s three performances kick off an exciting month of programming on DSO Digital Concerts
Detroit, (December 2, 2020) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s (DSO) 2020-2021 Paradise Jazz Series will begin with a live performance of music from A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Cyrus Chestnut Quartet at Orchestra Hall. The concert will air via DSO Digital Concerts this Sunday, December 6 at 4 p.m. ET exclusively on dso.org.
Enjoy Vince Guaraldi's classic score from A Charlie Brown Christmas infused with the soulful sound of pianist Cyrus Chestnut and band members Steven Carrington (saxophone), Eric Wheeler (bass), and Chris Beck (drums). The program includes all the great music from the beloved holiday special, including "Linus and Lucy," "Christmas Time is Here," "O Tannenbaum," and more. To view the concert or purchase tickets, click here. Please note: the DSO does not appear on this performance.
Currently in its 21st season, the Paradise Jazz Series is named for and honors the legacy of the Paradise Theatre, the historic Detroit jazz venue that was on the site of Orchestra Hall from 1941-1951 after the DSO moved to the larger Masonic Auditorium. The DSO is one of few major American orchestras to present regular jazz programming on its main stage. Learn more about the series at dso.org/jazz
Also this week, the Classical Series continues with DSO Digital Concerts on Thursday and Friday as conductor Enrique Mazzola leads the orchestra in a program of Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princess and Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale, the story of a soldier who trades his violin to a shadowy figure in return for wealth beyond belief. On Friday, Mazzola returns to conduct the DSO and acclaimed pianist Inon Barnatan in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. The performance also features Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll.
Other December DSO Digital Concert highlights include programs of Strauss, Beethoven, and Jessie Montgomery conducted by Music Director Jader Bignamini on December 10 and 11, a CUBE | Digital Poetry Showcase on December 15, and the return of Home for the Holidays concerts on the PNC Pops Series on December 17 and 18.
A trailblazer in the world of orchestral webcasting since 2011, the DSO launched a new streaming series, DSO Digital Concerts, on September 10, available exclusively on dso.org to view both live and on-demand for two weeks. Subscribers and select donors receive access to all DSO Digital Concerts, with individual tickets available for $12.
The DSO Classical Series is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals, Inc. The title sponsor of the DSO’s PNC Pops Series is PNC Bank. The Paradise Jazz Series is made possible with support from TCF Bank and MGM Grand Detroit.
For a full schedule of DSO Digital Concerts, visit dso.org/fall2020.
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DECEMBER DSO DIGITAL CONCERTS
Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 PM ET
ENRIQUE MAZZOLA, CONDUCTOR
Friday, December 4 at 7:30 PM ET
ENRIQUE MAZZOLA, CONDUCTOR
INON BARNATAN, PIANO
CYRUS CHESTNUT QUARTET: A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
Sunday, December 6 at 4:00 PM ET
CYRUS CHESTNUT, PIANO
STEVEN CARRINGTON, SAXOPHONE
ERIC WHEELER, BASS
CHRIS BECK, DRUMS
Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 PM ET
JADER BIGNAMINI, CONDUCTOR
ALEXANDER KINMONTH, OBOE
Friday, December 11 at 7:30 PM ET
JADER BIGNAMINI, CONDUCTOR
DIGITAL POETRY SHOWCASE: THIS WOMAN’S WORK
Tuesday, December 15 at 7:00 PM ET
LA SHAUN PHOENIX MOORE, SPOKEN WORD ARTIST
LULU FALL, VOCALS
SASHA KASHPERKO, GUITAR
Thursday, December 17 at 7:30 PM ET
THOMAS WILKINS, CONDUCTOR
KISMA JORDAN, VOCALIST
Friday, December 18 at 7:30 PM ET
THOMAS WILKINS, CONDUCTOR
KISMA JORDAN, VOCALIST
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About Cyrus Chestnut
Cyrus Chestnut is a pianist, composer, and educator who crosses the boundaries of jazz, classical, and gospel music with ease. Chestnut first encountered the piano when he was three years old and began playing at Baltimore’s Mount Calvary Star Baptist Church at age five. Later on, he attended Berklee College of Music, where he earned a degree in jazz composition and arranging. Chestnut currently serves as Professor of Jazz Piano and Improvisation at the prestigious Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Chestnut has performed with Jon Hendricks, Terence Blanchard, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Benny Golson, Regina Cater, Chick Corea, Kathleen Battle, Betty Carter, and many others. Aretha Franklin, the late Queen of Soul, even asked him to join her on a Christmas concert in 2013. Chestnut also has an impressive career as a bandleader, beginning with the self-released albums There’s a Brighter Day Coming and The Nutman Speaks. His most recent recording is Kaleidoscope, released in August 2018 on the HighNote label. His music has been featured in Robert Altman’s film Kansas City (in which Chestnut also made a cameo appearance) and the TV special Piano Grand: A Smithsonian Celebration.
In addition to touring, recording, and teaching, Chestnut’s busy schedule includes composition of jazz, choral, and gospel works. His most recent composition, “The Saga of the Cross,” was created for jazz quintet and choir, and premiered at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on Good Friday in 2017.
About Enrique Mazzola
Renowned as an expert interpreter and champion of bel canto opera and a specialist in French repertoire and early Verdi, Italian conductor Enrique Mazzola is in demand worldwide as both an operatic and symphonic conductor. He is Music Director Designate at the Lyric Opera of Chicago from the 2019-20 season, commencing as Music Director in September 2021, Principal Guest Conductor at Deutsche Oper Berlin from the 2018-19 season, and served as Artistic & Music Director of the Orchestre National d’Île de France from 2012-13 to 2018-19. In October 2018 he was made a Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres, in recognition of his significant contribution to musical life in France.
About Inon Barnatan
“One of the most admired pianists of his generation” (New York Times), Inon Barnatan is celebrated for his poetic sensibility, musical intelligence, and consummate artistry. He inaugurated his tenure as Music Director of California’s La Jolla Music Society Summerfest in July 2019. He has recently released a two-volume set of Beethoven’s complete piano concertos, which he recorded for Pentatone with Alan Gilbert and London’s Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Barnatan’s 2019-20 concerto collaborations included Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 with Nicholas McGegan and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Ravel’s G-major Concerto with the Chicago Symphony, Rachmaninov’s Third Concerto with Gilbert and the Royal Stockholm Symphony, Clara Schumann’s Concerto with the New Jersey Symphony, and a recreation of Beethoven’s legendary 1808 concert, which featured the world premieres of his Fourth Piano Concerto, Choral Fantasy, and Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, with Louis Langrée and the Cincinnati Symphony. Barnatan also played Mendelssohn, Gershwin, and Thomas Adès for his solo recital debut at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and reunited with his frequent recital partner, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, for tours to London’s Wigmore Hall and other venues in England, and the Netherlands and Italy for Brahms and Shostakovich. In May 2020 Inon Barnatan was presented in a virtual recital by Shriver Hall Concert Series. The concert was streamed to audiences around the world.
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 eight 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.