Updated on April 05, 2021
ASHER FISCH CONDUCTS PAIR OF CONCERTS TO KICK OFF EXCITING MONTH OF DSO DIGITAL CONCERTS; PIANIST JONATHAN BISS STEPS IN FOR LOUIS LORTIE ON FRIDAY, APRIL 9
ACADEMY AWARD-NOMINATED TRUMPETER / COMPOSER TERENCE BLANCHARD PLAYS PARADISE JAZZ SERIES CONCERT ON FRIDAY, APRIL 30
Guest artists include La Shaun phoenix Moore, Natasha T. Miller, Alexis Lombre, James Conlon, Rodney Whitaker, Rockelle Whitaker, Hakim The Prince, Roger Jones, DeSean Jones, Shai Wosner, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Detroit, (April 1, 2021) – This April, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) continues its series of DSO Digital Concerts with Classical and Paradise Jazz Series performances streamed live from the Orchestra Hall stage, including Poetry + Live Music and the Rodney Whitaker Quintet on the CUBE | Digital series and an Educational Concert Series virtual program for school children featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.
First up, conductor Asher Fisch will lead the DSO in a program of Lachlan Skipworth’s Avem asperitas and Alberto Ginastera’s Variaciones concertantes on Thursday, April 8. Fisch returns on Friday, April 9 for Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto and Rossini’s Overture to La scala di seta. Pianist Jonathan Biss—acclaimed for his insightful interpretations of Schumann’s music—performs the concerto, stepping in for originally scheduled guest Louis Lortie who is unable to travel to Detroit.
On Tuesday, April 13, Poetry + Live Music returns on the CUBE | Digital series. Spoken word artist La Shaun phoenix Moore hosts an evening of music and poetry live from The Cube at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. Special guests include Natasha T. Miller, performing poems from her newly published book Butcher, and Chicago-Detroit-based musician, bandleader, and pianist Alexis Lombre. Digital tickets are $9 and can be purchased by clicking here.
On Thursday, April 15, the DSO’s long-running Educational Concert Series continues with a virtual performance featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. The pre-recorded concert—titled What is Jazz?—can be viewed from home or the classroom and is completely free of charge. This educational concert experience includes a complimentary digital copy of the accompanying Teacher Resource Guide, with class activities and much more. To register, please click here.
The same week, DSO Music Director Laureate Leonard Slatkin will conduct two programs on the Classical series on April 15 and 16. The Thursday performance features two folk-infused works: Ginastera's Concerto for Strings and William Grant Still’s Littler Folk Suites (arr. Leonard Slatkin). The following evening brings a program of 20th-century American and British composers including Finzi’s Prelude for String Orchestra, Jennifer Higdon’s Amazing Grace, and Bloch’s Concerto Grosso No. 1 for String Orchestra and piano obbligato.
On April 22 and 23, James Conlon comes to the DSO to conduct Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony (arr. Barshai), Mozart’s Symphony No. 34 in C major, Chevalier Saint-Georges’s / Joseph Bologne’s Symphony No. 2 in D major, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 36 in C major, “Linz”.
On April 24, bassist Rodney Whitaker returns to Orchestra Hall with his new band featuring vocalist Rockelle Whitaker, spoken word artist Hakim The Prince, pianist Roger Jones, and saxophonist DeSean Jones to perform music of Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington, and Gregg Hill. Please note: The DSO does not appear on this program. Digital tickets are $12.
On Thursday, April 29, Pianist Shai Wosner joins musicians of the DSO for an intimate program of chamber music by Dvořák including Legends (arranged for piano, clarinet, and viola by Wosner) and the Piano Quintet in A major. The chamber music continues on Saturday, May 1 with members of the DSO’s wind and brass sections performing Barber’s Summer Music and Jeff Scott’s Startin’ Sumthin’.
Recently Oscar-nominated for his score to Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, trumpeter and DSO Erb Jazz Chair Terence Blanchard performs an eagerly anticipated concert on the Paradise Jazz Series on Friday, April 30, part of the global celebrations marking International Jazz Day 2021.
All DSO Digital Concert performances will be live streamed from Orchestra Hall and are innovatively programmed with health and safety considerations in mind. Subscribers and select donors receive access to all DSO Digital Concerts, with individual tickets available for purchase. Concerts can be viewed exclusively on dso.org or the DSO app via computer, mobile device, or smart TV. Click here to view a full list of digital events.
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. The Educational Concert Series is made possible in part by the Penny and Harold Blumenstein Future Audiences Fund. CUBE | Digital is supported by Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings, Ford Motor Company Fund, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, with additional support from Quicken Loans and the Boston Consulting Group.
--------
Classical
Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Asher Fisch, conductor
Picture the clouds rolling high above Woodward Avenue as you listen to Lachlan Skipworth’s Avem asperitas, a soundscape that tells of a storm that will never quite arrive. Alberto Ginastera shines a spotlight on each section of the orchestra in the Variaciones concertantes, all while evoking the sounds and rhythms of his native Argentina.
LACHLAN SKIPWORTH Avem Asperitas
GINASTERA Variaciones concertantes
Classical
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Asher Fisch, conductor
Jonathan Biss, piano
Pianist Jonathan Biss returns to Detroit to perform Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto, first performed by his wife Clara and featuring a tender melody that spells out the letters of her name. Before that, hear Rossini’s bombastic Overture to La scala di seta. Please note: Originally scheduled guest pianist Louis Lortie is unable to appear in tonight’s concert. The DSO thanks Jonathan Biss for stepping in on short notice.
SCHUMANN Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
ROSSINI Overture to La scala di seta
CUBE
Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at 7 p.m.
La Shaun phoenix Moore, spoken word artist
Natasha T. Miller, performance poet
Alexis Lombre, piano
Enjoy poetry and live music from the comfort of home!
Spoken word artist La Shaun phoenix Moore hosts an evening of music and poetry live from The CUBE in Detroit, MI. Special guests include Natasha T. Miller, performing poems from her newly published book Butcher, and Chicago-Detroit-based musician, bandleader, pianist Alexis Lombre. Please note: The DSO does not appear on this program.
Tickets
Digital General Admission - $9
VIRTUAL WEBCAST: WHAT IS JAZZ?
Educational Concert Series
Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 10:30 a.m.
Join us for a FREE virtual Educational Concert Series performance: What is Jazz? featuring the DSO and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis! Learn how jazz inspired orchestral composers like Leonard Bernstein in his piece Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs, with soloist Anthony McGill. Then, dive deeper into What is Jazz?, a Jazz for Young People Program presented by special guests from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This educational concert experience includes a complimentary digital copy of the accompanying Teacher Resource Guide, with class activities and much more. To register, please click here.
Classical
Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
DSO Music Director Laureate Leonard Slatkin returns to lead the DSO in a program of folk-infused works. William Grant Still, often referred to as the "dean of African American composers" drew from throughout the western hemisphere to compose his folk suites, while Ginastera's Concerto for Strings uses the music of Argentina in a more abstract manner.
STILL/ARR. SLATKIN Littler Folk Suites
GINASTERA Concerto for Strings
Classical
Friday, April 16, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Leonard Slatkin leads the DSO in a program of twentieth-century American and British composers.
FINZI Prelude for String Orchestra
JENNIFER HIGDON Amazing Grace
BLOCH Concerto Grosso No. 1 for String Orchestra and Piano obbligato
SHOSTAKOVICH’S CHAMBER SYMPHONY
Classical
Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
James Conlon, conductor
Originally composed as a string quartet, Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony was born out of a personal crisis, as he reluctantly joined the Communist Party. While officially dedicated in memory of victims of "fascism and war," he privately confessed he composed it in memory of himself, fearing otherwise no one else would.
SHOSTAKOVICH (ARR. BARSHAI) Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a
MOZART Symphony No. 34 in C major, K. 338
Classical
Friday, April 23, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
James Conlon, conductor
Saint-Georges, born Joseph Bologne, was the son of a French plantation owner and his African slave, who rose to prominence in 18th-century France as a champion fencer, violinist, composer, and conductor.
SAINT-GEORGES Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 11, No. 2
MOZART Symphony No. 36 in C major, K. 425, "Linz"
RODNEY WHITAKER QUINTET
CUBE
Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 7 p.m.
Enjoy the music of Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington, and Gregg Hill from the comfort of home!
Internationally renowned bassist Rodney Whitaker returns to the Orchestra Hall stage with his new band featuring vocalist Rockelle Whitaker, spoken word artist Hakim The Prince, pianist Roger Jones, and saxophonist DeSean Jones. Please note: The DSO does not appear on this program.
Tickets
Digital General Admission - $12
Classical
Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Shai Wosner, piano
Pianist Shai Wosner joins musicians of the DSO in an intimate chamber setting for music of Antonin Dvořák. Legends, originally composed for piano duet, is a series of ten smaller works that set a reflective mood, arranged here for piano, clarinet, and viola. His second piano quintet was originally intended as a revision of his first, but became a brand-new work of its own, that would become regarded as one of the masterpieces written for such an ensemble.
DVOŘÁK (ARR. WOSNER) Legends, Op. 59, Nos. 1-3 for Piano, Clarinet and Viola
DVOŘÁK Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81
Paradise Jazz Series
Friday, April 30, 2021 at 8 p.m.
Terence Blanchard, trumpet
Erb Jazz Chair Terence Blanchard is no stranger to the Orchestra Hall stage. With more than 30 albums to his credit, Blanchard is a six-time Grammy Award winner and has received Oscar and Golden Globe nods. Blanchard curates an evening of music to celebrate International Jazz Day.
Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Hannah Hammel, flute
Sarah Lewis, oboe
Ralph Skiano, clarinet
Michael Ke Ma, bassoon
Scott Strong, horn
Members of the DSO’s winds and brass perform works for woodwind quintet featuring Barber’s Summer Music and Jeff Scott’s Startin’ Sumthin’.
RAVEL (ARR. JONES) Le Tombeau de Couperin
BARBER Summer Music for Woodwind Quintet, Op. 31
JEFF SCOTT Startin’ Sumthin’
JULIO MEDAGLIA Suite popular barsileira
--------
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 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.