Season’s first weeks to feature dynamic concerts with acclaimed guest artists led by Music Director Jader Bignamini and Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik
Yo-Yo Ma performs at DSO’s Opening Night Gala on Saturday, September 30
Single tickets as well as Subscription and Create Your Own packages on sale now at dso.org
Detroit, (July 25, 2023) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) invites audiences to see, hear, and experience the remarkable of its 2023-2024 season, with performances led by Music Director Jader Bignamini, Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, and Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair Terence Blanchard and featuring an incredible variety of guest artists and special programming. Single tickets for all concerts—including several exciting new programs just added to the DSO’s season schedule—are available starting today at dso.org or at the DSO Box Office.
“Our schedule for this upcoming season represents a powerful collection of outstanding performances meant to engage our audiences and inspire our community,” said DSO President and CEO Erik Rönmark. “The live music we perform brings all of us together for unforgettable experiences, making the DSO and Orchestra Hall a can’t-miss entertainment destination for people to choose again and again.”
The DSO’s Opening Night Gala on Saturday, September 30, welcomes cellist Yo-Yo Ma, one of the most acclaimed artists of our time, performing Dvořák’s Concerto in B minor for Cello and Orchestra. The event will be the DSO’s first Opening Night Gala since 2003, reinaugurating Detroit’s premier black-tie fall gala experience, including a red-carpet entrance with photo opportunities, cocktail reception, and a seated dinner for gala patrons.
Gala tickets to Opening Night with Yo-Yo Ma are on sale now and cost $1,200. Sponsorship opportunities are also available and begin at $10,000. Gala tickets and sponsorships can be reserved at dso.org/openingnightgala. Concert-only tickets start at $99 and are available at dso.org.
Single tickets are also on sale now for several newly announced exciting additions to the DSO’s 2023–2024 season: Ghostbusters in Concert (September 20-21), Stewart Copeland: Police Deranged (October 8), Voctave: The Spirit of the Season (December 8), The Music of Pink Floyd (April 20), and The Goonies in Concert (June 26-27).
On the PVS Classical Series, DSO Music Director Jader Bignamini will conduct ten of the season’s 20 classical weeks. The Opening Night Gala is preceded by the first two concerts of its PVS Classical Series on September 28 and 29 featuring renowned violinist Gil Shaham performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The DSO will perform 10 works by living composers during the 2023–2024 season, which include two world premieres and six DSO-commissioned works. The DSO will highlight 15 works by women and people of color, including new works by Billy Childs, Du Yun, James Lee III, Jessie Montgomery, Arlene Sierra, and Shelley Washington. Renowned guest conductors include DSO Assistant Conductor and Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador Na’Zir McFadden, David Afkham, Joana Carneiro, Kevin John Edusei, Fabien Gabel, Eric Jacobsen, Nic McGegan, Juanjo Mena, Shiyeon Sung, Osmo Vänskä; with soloists including pianist Yuja Wang, cellists Alisa Weilerstein and Sheku Kanneh-Mason, pipa player Wu Man, saxophonist Steven Banks, and many others.
The PNC Pops Series, which begins October 6-7, will bring favorites from Motown, Latin American orchestral hits, The Moody Blues, jazz, film and TV, country, and more to the Orchestra Hall stage. DSO Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik will lead four programs: Let’s Groove Tonight: Motown & The Philly Sound, including Motown and Philly sound hits like “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” and more; Red Carpet Film Scores featuring some of the most memorable scores in cinema by Academy Award-winning composers; Country Hits: Songs from Nashville featuring the songs of Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Kacey Musgraves, and more; and Back To The ‘80s featuring hit ‘80s songs including “Time After Time,” “Material Girl,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Footloose,” “Addicted to Love,” and more. Other PNC Pops Series highlights include a passion-filled celebration of Latin American orchestral hits with Latin Fire; pop and film music icon Vanessa Williams in concert; Go Now! The Music of the Moody Blues; Disney & Broadway Favorites: The Magic of Menken; and the beloved Home for the Holidays program, a holiday favorite that sells out year after year.
The Paradise Jazz Series launches on October 13 with a star-studded double bill featuring drummer Makaya McCraven and bassist Endea Owens. Other jazz highlights include appearances by the Paradise Theatre Big Band led by Kris Johnson, saxophonists Kenny Garrett and Branford Marsalis, DSO Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair Terence Blanchard (on trumpet) with conguero Poncho Sanchez, and prolific Detroit-born bassist Don Was.
Tickets are also available for the orchestra’s Young People’s Family Concert Series and Tiny Tots series, as well as the William Davidson Neighborhood Concerts Series.
The title sponsor of the DSO’s PVS Classical Series is 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 Huntington and MGM Grand Detroit. The Young People’s Family Concert Series is sponsored by Sun Communities. The William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series is made possible by a generous grant from the William Davidson Foundation. WRCJ 90.9 FM also supports the series.
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.