- DSO to present weekly outdoor concerts in Sosnick Courtyard, plus community, parks, and virtual concerts
Detroit, (July 8, 2021) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) today announced continuing summer programming for July through August at locations in Detroit and surrounding communities. DSO Summer Sessions concerts will continue outdoors at the orchestra’s own Sosnick Courtyard and in several parks and community gathering places. Introduced in August 2020, Summer Sessions concerts are in-person, socially distanced performances featuring small groups of musicians that are open to limited-capacity audiences. See below for more information on upcoming Summer Sessions concerts.
The DSO has already received acclaim for their groundbreaking summer series featuring performances in June by DSO musicians, Grammy-nominated band Tank and the Bangas, and more, plus a sensory-friendly concert in Sosnick Courtyard on June 17. The sensory-friendly concert, We Are a Family, will be rebroadcast as a digital watch party on Sunday, July 18 at 7 p.m. on the DSO’s Facebook page and dso.org.
DSO Summer Sessions Concerts
Summer Sessions concerts are presented Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings through September 2 in the DSO’s Sosnick Courtyard (51 Parsons Street), the outdoor community green space adjacent to the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. Tuesdays will feature Yoga + Live Music with a Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor; Wednesdays offer a variety of DSO chamber ensembles; and Thursdays will feature genre-defying experiences with special guest artists.
General admission tickets for these events are available for $20 per person and can be purchased at dso.org. A limited number of VIP experiences are also available for $100 (2 people), offering reserved seating near the stage with a patio table. All events are general admission and seating will not be provided (except for VIP seating); patrons are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets.
Sosnick Courtyard Summer Sessions performances are made possible by our 2020-2021 Series Sponsors: PVS Chemicals, PNC Bank, Rocket Community Fund, Huntington, and Sun Communities, with additional support from: John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and League of American Orchestras’ Futures Fund.
As previously announced, in partnership with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, DSO musicians will perform on at the Dequindre Cut Freight Yard on July 18 at 12 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Event attendees must register to attend at dso.org.
DSO ensembles will also perform at Huron-Clinton Metroparks throughout the region, including Lake St. Clair Metropark on Tuesday, July 13 at 7 p.m. and Stony Creek Metropark on Thursday, August 5 at 7 p.m. A Metroparks pass is required for entry to the parks. Passes are $10 per vehicle for daily access and $40 per vehicle for annual access and can be purchased by clicking here.
Enjoy genre-defying experiences featuring guest artists from around the world with CUBE Summer Sessions on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Highlights include Madison McFerrin, Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East, Brandon Coleman, Kisma Jordan’s OPERA Soul, a special co-presentation with Concert of Colors, and a live taping of the popular Between 2 Stands web series.
On Wednesday, July 28 at 8 p.m., join The Jazz Gallery All-Stars for an evening of music featuring music by Roy Hargrove and original compositions. The Jazz Gallery celebrates its 25th anniversary with a special ensemble featuring leading creative voices in jazz. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased by clicking here.
The DSO will also present two virtual Watch Parties on Facebook Live and dso.org hosted by DSO musicians. Sunday, August 1 will feature classical music and Sunday, August 29 will feature a pops program. Both performances take place at 7 p.m.
See below or visit dso.org/summer for a current list of performances.
Summer Sessions: Yoga + Live Music (Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at Sosnick Courtyard): Practice yoga outdoors to live music performed by DSO ensembles! A Detroit Yoga Lab certified instructor leads a limited-capacity, socially distanced group yoga session in the DSO’s Sosnick Courtyard open to all skill levels. Experience the bliss of warm summer air and the sense of community that comes from safely enjoying live music and yoga with others. Namaste.
- July 13 – DSO String Quartet: Jiamin Wang (violin), Eun Park Lee (violin), Glenn Mellow (viola), and Robert Bergman (cello)
- July 20 – DSO Chamber Ensembles featuring: Amanda Blaikie (flute), Laurence Liberson (clarinet), Jeremy Crosmer (cello), and Haden McKay (cello)
- July 27 – DSO Flute and Harp Duo: Amanda Blaikie (flute) and Patricia Masri-Fletcher (harp)
- August 3 – DSO String Quartet: Laurie Goldman (violin), Hae Jeong Heidi Han (violin), Shanda Lowery-Sachs (viola), and Robert Bergman (cello)
- August 10 – DSO Percussion Trio: Joseph Becker, James Ritchie, and Keith Claeys
- August 17 – DSO Clarinet Quartet: Ralph Skiano, Jack Walters, Shannon Orme, and Laurence Liberson
- August 24 – DSO Flute Trio: Hannah Hammel, Amanda Blaikie, Jeffery Zook
- August 31 – DSO String Quartet: Rachel Harding Klaus (violin), Marian Tanau (violin), Han Zheng (viola), and Jeremy Crosmer (cello)
Summer Sessions: DSO Outdoors (Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Sosnick Courtyard): Join us for outdoor chamber music performances curated by DSO musicians at Sosnick Courtyard. Experience the incredible artistry of musicians from your Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the bliss of warm summer air, and the sense of community that comes from enjoying live music with others.
- July 14 – DSO String Quartet: Hai-Xin Wu (violin), Alexander Volkov (violin), James VanValkenburg (viola), and Úna O'Riordan (cello) perform Franz Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet, Op. 64, No. 5, “Lark” and Steve Reich’s Different Trains.
- July 21 – DSO Woodwind Quintet - Sharron Sparrow (flute), Sarah Lewis (oboe), Ralph Skiano (clarinet), Michael Ma (bassoon), and Scott Strong (horn) perform works by Adrien Barthe, Malcolm Arnold, Carl Nielsen, Ludwig van Beethoven, August Klughardt, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Julio Medaglia, Valerie Coleman, and Leonard Bernstein.
- July 28 – Great Waters Quartet: Rachel Klaus (violin), Adrienne Rönmark (violin), Shanda Lowery-Sachs (viola), and Peter McCaffrey (cello). Program to include Mozart’s String Quartet in G major; Dvořák’s American Quartet; and Still’s Lyric Quartet (3. The Jovial One)
- August 4 – DSO Percussion Ensemble: Joseph Becker, Andres Pichardo-Rosenthal, and James Ritchie
- August 11 – DSO String Quartet: Hai-Xin Wu (violin), Adam Stepniewski (violin), Eric Nowlin (viola), and Wei Yu (cello)
- August 18 – DSO Trio: Sheryl Hwangbo Yu (violin), David LeDoux (cello), and Jeffery Zook (flute)
- August 25 – DSO Brass Quintet: Hunter Eberly (trumpet), William Lucas (trumpet), Karl Pituch (horn), David Binder (trombone), and James Jenkins (tuba)
CUBE Summer Sessions (Wednesdays or Thursdays at Sosnick Courtyard): Join us for outdoor, socially distanced live music performances at Sosnick Courtyard. Enjoy genre-defying experiences featuring guest artists from around the world!
- July 8 at 7 p.m.– Room 131 (keyboardist Jon Dixon and drummer Marquis Johnson with special guest saxophonist DeSean Jones) presents soul, jazz, and techno fused music and concepts.
- July 15 at 8 p.m. – Keyboard maestro, vocalist, composer, producer, arranger, and astral traveler Brandon Coleman bends the future of sound and takes ivory and ebony to destinations unknown with SPACETALKER, a funk odyssey featuring Coleman on keyboards, keytar, and vocoder.
- July 22 at 7 p.m. – Brooklyn-based independent singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin creates live a cappella arrangements all her own with help from a looping station.
- July 29 at 7 p.m. – Composer, drummer, and dhol player Sunny Jain returns with Wild Wild East, which encompasses myriad facets of his identity both as a first-generation South Asian American and as a global musician, from his own family’s immigration story to his eclectic musical upbringing.
- August 5 at 7 p.m. – Concert of Colors Youth Stage featuring DSO Civic Youth String Ensemble, Mosaic Singers from Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, Heritage Works, InsideOut Citywide Poets, plus the winner and runner-up of Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts Awards solo music competition. This is a FREE limited-capacity event and tickets are required.
- August 12 at 6 p.m. – Between 2 Stands web series live taping hosted by DSO musicians Abe Feder, Andrés Pichardo-Rosenthal, and Scott Strong. This is a FREE limited-capacity event and tickets are required.
- August 26 at 7 p.m.– Spoken word Artist La Shaun phoenix Moore hosts an evening of music and poetry live from Sosnick Courtyard featuring Detroit’s finest poets and a musical performance by soulful singer-songwriter Chantae Cann.
- September 1 and 2 at 7 p.m.– Led by soprano and Detroit native Kisma Jordan, OperaSOUL is a world-class concert experience that seamlessly blends operatic vocals with styles of pop, rhythm & blues, jazz, and gospel.
Summer Sessions: DSO Outdoors throughout Detroit
- Tuesday, July 13 at 7 p.m. – Huron-Clinton Metroparks: Lake St. Clair Metropark
- Sunday, July 18 at 12 p.m. – Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Dequindre Cut Freight Yard
- Thursday, August 5 at 7 p.m. – Huron-Clinton Metroparks: Stony Creek Metropark
Indoor and virtual summer programming (at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center)
- Saturday, July 18 at 7 p.m. – Watch Party: We Are a Family. Join us for a free, online watch party and family-friendly concert that combines storytelling, music, and art. Learn about the string family of instruments and follow a happy bunny family on their fun-filled summer adventure up north, featuring animated illustrations and excerpts from Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major. Watch live on Facebook or dso.org by clicking here.
- Wednesday, July 28 at 8 p.m. – The Jazz Gallery All-Stars featuring the music of Roy Hargrove and More! The Jazz Gallery celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020 with a special ensemble featuring many of the leading creative voices in jazz—all of whom cut their teeth on NYC Jazz Gallery stage. The group comprises Jaleel (alto saxophone), Morgan Guerin (tenor saxophone), Joel Ross (vibraphone), Charles Altura (guitar), Gerald Clayton (piano), Ben Williams (bass), Kendrick Scott (drums), and special guest Renee Neufville (vocals). General admission tickets are $25, VIP experience tickets are $60. To purchase tickets, please click here.
- Sunday, August 1 at 7 p.m. – Join the DSO for a classical virtual Watch Party hosted by a DSO musician, streamed on Facebook Live and dso.org.
- Sunday, August 29 at 7 p.m. – Join the DSO for a pops virtual Watch Party hosted by a DSO musician, streamed on Facebook Live and dso.org.
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. 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 celebrated 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.