Performance Magazine - Spring Issue 3 - 2024–25 Season

2024–2025 SEASON

PROGRAM NOTES

LIFE. AMPLIFIED. 2025–2026 SEASON PREVIEW

GOLD RECORD COLLECTIVE: BOLD VISION, MORE MUSIC

LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT

PNC Grow Up Great MEET THE MUSICIAN

Peter Hatch

Music You Feel

SPRING

JADER BIGNAMINI MUSIC DIRECTOR

Your DSO Family REALTOR®

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Review from DSO Musician

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ECHO PUBLICATIONS, INC. Tom Putters, publisher echopublications.com

Cover design by Jay Holladay

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THE COVER: DSO Music Director Jader Bignamini; photo by Marco Mantovani.

Jader Bignamini

WELCOME

Dear Friends,

As our 2024–2025 season draws to a close, we extend our sincere gratitude for your support and enthusiasm. Whether you’re a longtime subscriber, a first-time concertgoer, or a steadfast champion of the DSO, we’re thrilled to share another year of extraordinary music with you.

Looking ahead, we’re delighted to announce our 2025–2026 season, which will kick off in September 2025 with an unforgettable Opening Night Gala. The evening will feature superstar tenor Juan Diego Flórez in a dazzling program of operatic arias conducted by Music Director Jader Bignamini, whose bold artistic vision continues to push our orchestra to new heights. We can’t wait to welcome you back for a season brimming with inspiring performances by the world-class musicians of your DSO, alongside an outstanding lineup of guest artists and conductors. From the return of legendary conductor Herbert Blomstedt to innovative works by Composer-in-Residence Michael Abels, the season promises to amplify your connection to Detroit’s vibrant musical landscape. Read our feature story on page 10 to learn more about what’s in store.

While we anticipate the excitement of the upcoming season, we still have much to look forward to this summer. The DSO continues to extend its presence beyond Orchestra Hall, bringing music to audiences across Michigan. Our annual residency at Interlochen Center for the Arts remains a highlight, offering students valuable training and performance opportunities. Closer to home, we look forward to concerts across Detroit and the metro area, including at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, where we will return in July for a program of music by John Williams under the baton of Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez.

At the core of everything we do is an unwavering commitment to artistic excellence and meaningful engagement. The DSO is more than just an orchestra—it is a vital institution dedicated to fostering inspiration and connection. From exceptional concerts to educational initiatives that nurture the next generation of musicians, we are proud to be an inclusive and culturally relevant community where all people can experience their world through music.

We look forward to celebrating the joys of music with you this summer and welcoming you back for another incredible season in the fall. Until then, enjoy the performances ahead!

With appreciation,

Erik Rönmark

Faye Alexander Nelson President and CEO Chair, Board of Directors

Erik and Faye at Classical Roots 2025

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ

Principal Pops Conductor

Devereaux Family Chair

FIRST VIOLIN

Robyn Bollinger

CONCERTMASTER

Katherine Tuck Chair

Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy

ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER

Schwartz and Shapero Family Chair

Hai-Xin Wu

ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Walker L. Cisler/Detroit Edison Foundation Chair

Jennifer Wey Fang ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Marguerite Deslippe*

Laurie Goldman*

Rachel Harding Klaus*

Eun Park Lee*

Adrienne Rönmark*

William and Story John Chair

Alexandros Sakarellos*^

Drs. Doris Tong and Teck Soo Chair

Laura Soto*

Greg Staples*

Jiamin Wang*

Mingzhao Zhou*

SECOND VIOLIN

Adam Stepniewski

ACTING PRINCIPAL

The Devereaux Family Chair

Will Haapaniemi*

David and Valerie McCammon Chairs

Hae Jeong Heidi Han*

David and Valerie McCammon Chairs

Sheryl Hwangbo Yu*

Sujin Lim*

Hong-Yi Mo *

Marian Tanau*

Alexander Volkov*

Jing Zhang*

VIOLA

Eric Nowlin

PRINCIPAL

Julie and Ed Levy, Jr. Chair

James VanValkenburg

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Janet and Norm Ankers Chair

Caroline Coade

Henry and Patricia Nickol Chair

Glenn Mellow

Hang Su

Hart Hollman

Han Zheng

Mike Chen

Harper Randolph §

ORCHESTRA

JADER BIGNAMINI , Music Director

Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation

TERENCE BLANCHARD

Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair

CELLO

Wei Yu

PRINCIPAL

Abraham Feder ^

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Dorothy and Herbert Graebner Chair

Robert Bergman*

Jeremy Crosmer*

Victor and Gale Girolami Chair

David LeDoux*

Peter McCaffrey*

Joanne Deanto and Arnold Weingarden Chair

Una O’Riordan*

Mary Ann and Robert Gorlin Chair

Cole Randolph*

Mary Lee Gwizdala Chair

BASS

Kevin Brown

PRINCIPAL

Van Dusen Family Chair

Stephen Molina

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Renato and Elizabeth Jamett Chair

Christopher Hamlen*

Peter Hatch*

Vincent Luciano*

Brandon Mason*

HARP

Alyssa Katahara

PRINCIPAL

Winifred E. Polk Chair

FLUTE

Hannah Hammel Maser

PRINCIPAL

Alan J. and Sue Kaufman and Family Chair

Amanda Blaikie

Morton and Brigitte Harris Chair

Sharon Sparrow

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Bernard and Eleanor Robertson Chair

PICCOLO OPEN

OBOE

Alexander Kinmonth

PRINCIPAL

Jack A. and Aviva Robinson Chair

Sarah Lewis

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Monica Fosnaugh

ENGLISH HORN

Monica Fosnaugh

TABITA BERGLUND

Principal Guest Conductor

CLARINET

Ralph Skiano

PRINCIPAL

Robert B. Semple Chair

Jocelyn Langworthy

ACTING SECOND CLARINET

Jack Walters

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

PVS Chemicals Inc./

Jim and Ann Nicholson Chair

Shannon Orme

E-FLAT CLARINET

Jack Walters

BASS CLARINET

Shannon Orme

Barbara Frankel and

Ronald Michalak Chair

BASSOON

Conrad Cornelison

PRINCIPAL

Byron and Dorothy Gerson Chair

Cornelia Sommer

Jaquain Sloan

ACTING UTILITY BASSOON

CONTRABASSOON OPEN

HORN

Patrick Walle

ACTING PRINCIPAL HORN

David and Christine Provost Chair

Johanna Yarbrough ^

Scott Strong

Ric and Carola Huttenlocher Chair

Kristi Crago

ACTING HORN

Ben Wulfman

ACTING HORN

TRUMPET

Hunter Eberly

PRINCIPAL

Austin Williams

James Vaughen

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

William Lucas

TROMBONE

Gracie Potter

PRINCIPAL

David Binder

Adam Rainey

Richard Sonenklar and Greg Haynes

Chair

BASS TROMBONE

Adam Rainey

TUBA

Dennis Nulty

PRINCIPAL

NA’ZIR MCFADDEN

Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador

TIMPANI

Jeremy Epp

PRINCIPAL

Richard and Mona Alonzo Chair

James Ritchie

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSION

Joseph Becker

PRINCIPAL

Ruth Roby and Alfred R. Glancy III Chair

Andrés Pichardo-Rosenthal

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

William Cody Knicely Chair

James Ritchie

Luciano Valdes§

LIBRARIANS

Robert Stiles

PRINCIPAL

Ethan Allen

LEGACY CHAIRS

Principal Flute

Women’s Association for the DSO

Principal Cello

James C. Gordon

PERSONNEL MANAGERS

Andrew Williams

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

Benjamin Tisherman

MANAGER OF ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

STAGE PERSONNEL

Dennis Rottell

STAGE MANAGER

Joe Corless

DEPARTMENT HEAD

William Dailing

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Zach Deater

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Issac Eide

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Kurt Henry

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Matthew Pons

SENIOR AUDIO DEPARTMENT HEAD

Jason Tschantre

DEPARTMENT HEAD

PAST MUSIC DIRECTORS

Leonard Slatkin

MUSIC DIRECTOR LAUREATE

Neeme Järvi

MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS

LEGEND

* These members may voluntarily revolve seating within the section on a regular basis

^ Leave of Absence

§ African American Orchestra Fellow

BEHIND THE BATON

Jader Bignamini

MUSIC DIRECTORSHIP ENDOWED BY THE KRESGE FOUNDATION

Jader Bignamini was introduced as the 18th music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in January 2020, commencing with the 2020–2021 season. His infectious passion and artistic excellence set the tone for the seasons ahead, creating extraordinary music and establishing a close relationship with the orchestra. A jazz aficionado, he has immersed himself in Detroit’s rich jazz culture and the influences of American music.

A native of Crema, Italy, Bignamini studied at the Piacenza Music Conservatory and began his career as a musician (clarinet) with Orchestra Sinfonica La Verdi in Milan, later serving as the group’s resident conductor. Captivated by the music of legends like Mahler and Tchaikovsky, Bignamini explored their complexity and power, puzzling out the role that each instrument played in creating a larger-than-life sound. When he conducted his first professional concert at the age of 28, it didn’t feel like a departure, but an arrival.

In the years since, Bignamini has conducted some of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras and opera companies in venues across the globe including working with Riccardo Chailly on concerts of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in 2013 and his concert debut at La Scala in 2015 for the opening season of La Sinfonica di Milano. Recent highlights include debuts with Opera de Paris, Deutsche Opera Berlin, Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, and the Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Minnesota symphonies; The Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Festival; and at the Grand Teton Festival. He has also appeared with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic; with the Metropolitan Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Vienna State Opera, Dutch National Opera, and Bayerische Staatsoper; in Montpellier for the Festival de Radio France; and had return engagements with Oper Frankfurt and Santa Fe Opera. In Italy, Bignamini has conducted numerous operas at Arena of Verona, Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the Verdi Festival in Parma, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, and La Fenice in Venice. In Asia, he has conducted the Osaka Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and others. Bignamini enjoys working with the next generation of musicians and is a regular guest of Interlochen Center for the Arts with the DSO and of the Asian Youth Orchestra.

When Bignamini leads an orchestra in symphonic repertoire, he conducts without a score, preferring to make direct eye contact with the musicians. He conducts from the heart, forging a profound connection with musicians that shines through both onstage and off. He both embodies and exudes the excellence and enthusiasm that has long distinguished the DSO’s artistry.

Enrico Lopez-Yañez

PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR AND DEVEREAUX FAMILY CHAIR

Enrico Lopez-Yañez is Principal Pops Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He also serves in the same role with the Nashville and Pacific symphonies, and as Principal Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Presents. Lopez-Yañez has quickly established himself as one of the nation’s leading conductors of popular music and become known for his unique style of audience engagement. Also an active composer/arranger, he has been commissioned by prominent orchestras across the United States. Lopez-Yañez has conducted concerts with a broad spectrum of artists from Nas and Patti LaBelle to Itzhak Perlman, The Beach Boys, Kenny G, and more.

An advocate for Latin music, LopezYañez was the recipient of the 2023 “Mexicanos Distinguidos” Award by the Mexican government, an award granted to Mexican citizens living abroad for outstanding career accomplishments in their field.

As Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Symphonica Productions, LLC, LopezYañez curates and leads programs designed to cultivate new audiences. Symphonica’s show offerings range from pops shows to family and educational productions and have been performed by major orchestra across North America.

As a producer, composer, and arranger, Lopez-Yañez’s work can be heard on numerous albums including the UNESCO benefit album Action Moves People United and children’s music albums including The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard and Kokowanda Bay

Follow Enrico online @enricolopezyanez

Terence Blanchard

FRED A. ERB JAZZ CREATIVE DIRECTOR CHAIR

Trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and educator

Terence Blanchard has served as the DSO’s Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair since 2012. He is recognized globally as one of jazz’s most esteemed trumpeters and a prolific composer for film, television, opera, Broadway, orchestras, and his own ensembles, including the E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet. Blanchard’s second opera, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, opened The Metropolitan Opera’s 2021–22 season, making it the first opera by an African American composer to premiere at the Met, and earning a GRAMMY® for Best Opera Recording. With a libretto by Kasi Lemmons, the opera was commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where it premiered in 2019. Fire returned to the Met for a second run in April 2024. Blanchard’s first opera, Champion, premiered in 2013 and starred Denyce Graves with a libretto from Michael Cristofer. Its April 2023 premiere at the Met received a GRAMMY® for Best Opera Recording. Blanchard has released 20 solo albums, garnered 15 GRAMMY® nominations and eight wins, composed for more than 60 films including more than 20 projects with frequent collaborator Spike Lee, and received 10 major commissions. He is a 2024 NEA Jazz Master and member of the 2024 class of awardees for the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and currently serves as the Executive Artistic Director for SF Jazz.

Visit terenceblanchard.com for more.

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, INC.

LIFETIME DIRECTORS

Samuel Frankel◊

Stanley Frankel

David Handleman, Sr.◊

Dr. Arthur L. Johnson ◊

Chacona W. Baugh

Penny B. Blumenstein

Richard A. Brodie

Marianne Endicott

Sidney Forbes

Faye Alexander Nelson Chair

Erik Rönmark President & CEO

Shirley Stancato Vice Chair

James B. Nicholson

Barbara Van Dusen

Clyde Wu, M.D.◊

CHAIRS EMERITI

Peter D. Cummings

Mark A. Davidoff

Phillip Wm. Fisher

Stanley Frankel

DIRECTORS EMERITI

Herman H. Frankel

Dr. Gloria Heppner

Ronald Horwitz

Harold Kulish

Bonnie Larson

Arthur C. Liebler

David McCammon

Marilyn Pincus

OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Laura Trudeau Treasurer

Renato Jamett Secretary

Ric Huttenlocher Officer at Large

Daniel J. Kaufman Officer at Large

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Robert S. Miller

James B. Nicholson

David T. Provost

Glenda Price

Marjorie S. Saulson

Jane Sherman

Arthur A. Weiss

David Nicholson Officer at Large

Dr. David M. Wu, M.D. Officer at Large

Directors are responsible for maintaining a culture of accountability, resource development, and strategic thinking. As fiduciaries, Directors oversee the artistic and cultural health and strategic direction of the DSO.

Michael Bickers

Elena Centeio

Rodney Cole

Dr. Marcus Collins

Jeremy Epp, Orchestra Representative

Aaron Frankel

Ralph J. Gerson

Laura Grannemann

Dr. Herman B. Gray, M.D.

Laura Hernandez-Romine

Rev. Nicholas Hood III

Richard Huttenlocher

Renato Jamett, Trustee Chair

Daniel J. Kaufman

H. Keith Mobley, Governing Members Chair

Xavier Mosquet

Faye Alexander Nelson, Board Chair

David Nicholson

Arthur T. O’Reilly

Bernard I. Robertson

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Shirley Stancato

Scott Strong, Orchestra Representative

Laura J. Trudeau

James G. Vella

Dr. David M. Wu, M.D.

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Trustees are a diverse group of community leaders who infuse creative thinking and innovation into how the DSO strives to achieve both artistic vitality and organizational sustainability.

Renato Jamett, Trustee Chair

Ismael Ahmed

Richard Alonzo

Hadas Bernard

Janice Bernick

Elizabeth Boone

Gwen Bowlby

Dr. Betty Chu, M.D.

Karen Cullen

Joanne Danto

Stephen D’Arcy

Maureen T. D’Avanzo

Jasmin DeForrest

Cara Dietz

Afa Sadykhly Dworkin

Emily Elmer

James C. Farber

Amanda Fisher

Linda Forte

Carolynn Frankel

Christa Funk

Robert Gillette

Jody Glancy

Malik Goodwin

Mary Ann Gorlin

Darby Hadley

Donald Hiruo

Michelle Hodges

Julie Hollinshead

Laurel Kalkanis

Jay Kapadia

David Karp

Joel D. Kellman

John Kim

Jennette Smith Kotila

Leonard LaRocca

William Lentine

Linda Dresner Levy

Gene LoVasco

Anthony McCree

Kristen McLennan

Tito Melega

Lydia Michael

H. Keith Mobley, Governing Members Chair

Sandy Morrison

Frederick J. Morsches

Jennifer Muse

Geoffrey S. Nathan

Sean M. Neall

Eric Nemeth

Maury Okun

Jackie Paige

Priscilla Perkins

Vivian Pickard

Denise Fair Razo

Gerrit Reepmeyer

James Rose, Jr.

Laurie Rosen

Carlo Serraiocco

Lois L. Shaevsky

Elliot Shafer

Shiv Shivaraman

Dean P. Simmer

Richard Sonenklar

Dhivya Srinivasan

Rob Tanner

Yoni Torgow

Nate Wallace

Gwen Weiner

Donnell White

Jennifer Whitteaker

R. Jamison Williams

As the lights dim and the first notes rise from Orchestra Hall, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra invites audiences to embark on an unforgettable journey through music. The 2025–2026 season promises an exhilarating fusion of timeless masterworks, groundbreaking contemporary compositions, and dazzling performances by acclaimed artists. From the return of legendary conductor Herbert Blomstedt to lead performances of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony to the luminescent beauty of the Northern Lights Festival, this season reaffirms the DSO’s place at the forefront of artistic excellence.

JADER BIGNAMINI: LEADING WITH PASSION AND PRECISION

In his fifth season as Music Director, Jader Bignamini will lead nine electrifying programs, setting the stage for another year of extraordinary music-making. The season begins in September with a spectacular opening week: a performance of Verdi’s Requiem at Hill Auditorium, presented in partnership with University Musical Society, followed by the highly anticipated Opening Night Gala at Orchestra Hall, featuring the incompa rable tenor Juan Diego Flórez.

Throughout the season, Bignamini will conduct an array of stunning works on the PVS Classical Series, including Orff’s Carmina Burana, Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F with the virtuosic Hélène Grimaud, and a breathtaking interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 to close the season in June. Following the success of the recent release of the DSO’s first recording with Bignamini—Wynton Marsalis’s Blues Symphony (Pentatone, 2025)—the orchestra will present two works by Marsalis: his Violin Concerto with Giuseppe Gibboni and the dynamic Swing Symphony, the latter performed alongside the Paradise Theatre Big Band under the direction of Kris Johnson. Debuted in 2023, the Paradise Theatre Big Band honors the history of Orchestra Hall as the Paradise Theatre (1941–1951), which hosted some of the eras biggest names in jazz.

Norway. The festival features Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with the acclaimed Christian Tetzlaff, Einojuhani Rautavaara’s haunting Cantus Arcticus, and Stenhammar’s uplifting Excelsior!, among other Nordic gems.

Berglund’s relationship with the DSO continues to deepen, and her fearless, dynamic approach to conducting has captivated audiences worldwide. In addition to the programs as part of the Northern Lights Festival, Berglund will conduct Mozart’s Overture to Le nozze di Figaro, Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, and Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Kirill Gerstein in October.

MICHAEL ABELS: VISIONARY COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE

TABITA BERGLUND & THE NORTHERN LIGHTS FESTIVAL

In April, experience the raw emotional power, shimmering harmonies, and evocative storytelling that makes Nordic music as awe-inspiring as the northern lights. The Northern Lights Festival will be anchored by two DSO programs in Orchestra Hall led by Principal Guest Conductor Tabita Berglund, a native of

Acclaimed for his genre-defying compositions, Michael Abels joins the DSO as Composer-in-Residence for the 2025–2026 season. Widely recognized for his scores to Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us, Abels will present several works including Unbound, Global Warming, and More Seasons. The highlight of his residency comes in February with the world premiere of a new orchestral suite from Omar, a reimagining of his Pulitzer

Jader Bignamini

Prize-winning opera co-composed with Rhiannon Giddens.

Beyond Abels’s contributions, the season continues the DSO’s legacy as champions of contemporary music with commissions by Joan Tower ( A New Day, featuring cellist Alisa Weilerstein) and Samy Moussa (Flute Concerto, featuring Emmanuel Pahud), alongside performances of works by Carlos Simon, Jörg Widmann, Anders Hillborg, Stacy Garrop, Gabriela Lena Frank, Arturo Márquez, and John Adams.

AMERICA AT 250: A CELEBRATION OF MUSICAL HERITAGE

As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, the DSO honors America’s rich musical tapestry with a mosaic of programs showcasing trailblazing composers past and present, including the works by Gershwin and Marsalis. At the annual Classical Roots concerts, which celebrate the contributions of African Americans to classical music, former Resident Conductor Thomas Wilkins will lead the DSO in Carlos Simon’s Troubled Water for Trombone and Orchestra. Premiered by the DSO in 2023, the work features former Principal Trombone Kenneth Thompkins and is inspired by the many stories, accounts, and experiences of enslaved people seeking freedom at any cost on the Underground Railroad. The season also pays homage to Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony, a piece deeply intertwined with the American spirit, presented alongside vibrant works by Ginastera and Márquez.

ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ & THE PNC POPS SERIES: A FEAST FOR THE SENSES

The PNC Pops Series promises to thrill audiences with a dynamic mix of symphonic spectacle and popular favorites. Principal Pops Conductor (Devereaux Family Chair ) Enrico Lopez-Yañez gets in on America’s 250th celebration with a program of Great American Songbook

hits, jazz standards, and Broadway classics with vocalists Melinda Doolittle and Jimmie Herrod. Running the gamut of genres from a high-energy tribute to Billy Joel to a mesmerizing collaboration with acrobats from Troupe Vertigo, PNC Pops Series performances redefine the possibilities of orchestral entertainment. A deeply personal highlight for Lopez-Yañez will be a program with The Three Mexican Tenors in October, featuring his father, Jorge Lopez-Yañez, in a celebration of Mexico’s rich musical heritage.

A SEASON TO REMEMBER

With bold programming, world-class artists, and enduring commitment to artistic excellence and innovation, the DSO’s 2025–2026 season is poised to be an unforgettable celebration of the power of music. Whether you are drawn to the grandeur of the classics, the fresh energy of contemporary works, or the electrifying spectacle of pops concerts, there is something for everyone to experience and enjoy.

Join us as we step into a season where music magnifies every emotion, every connection, every moment. Subscriptions are available now at dso.org, and single tickets go on sale this summer—secure your seat and be part of the magic!

VISIT DSO.ORG TO SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE 2025–2026 SEASON

Enrico Lopez-Yañez

LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT

PNC GROW UP GREAT

BY MARISA JACQUES

In powerful partnership between the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), and the PNC Foundation, the DSO is excited to continue its participation in the PNC Grow Up Great program, which unites music and early childhood education to set students up for success. The DSO has participated in Grow Up Great for many seasons, but this year marks a significant milestone in the program’s growth. Throughout the 2024–25 season, the DSO will visit all 130 DPSCD preschool classrooms for the first time, which is a large leap from the 38 classroom visits last year.

During each school visit, students and teachers welcome a DSO teaching artist and a DSO musician into their classroom. For 45 minutes, students are led on an exciting musical journey that fortifies the established DPSCD curriculum. These interactive visits invite curiosity and encourage students and teachers alike to actively participate by singing, dancing, and clapping. The lesson plan includes activities such as call-and-response with a DSO musician, practicing rhythm with movement and voice, and using the contents of the DSO Music Toolbox, a W.K. Kellogg Foundation sponsored kit that includes a variety of instruments and educational props.

Grow Up Great is as important to the teachers as it is to the students. Teachers are educated on how to implement these musical activities into their daily lesson plans, as music is a catalyst for achieving crucial early childhood education milestones relating to literacy, number recognition, social and communication skills, and more. This functional

practice of music helps teachers deliver lessons in an engaging way while laying the foundation for long-term social, academic, and potential musical success for these young children at such a pivotal time in their development.

There is much to celebrate as the DSO is in the midst of the first season of partnership with all DPSCD schools. Following this expansion, the DSO hired two new teaching artists, adding to the single teaching artist already on staff. Sarah Boyd, Audra Kubat, and Shirel Jones are professionals in different artistic disciplines, but they share expertise in early childhood education. The students now benefit from a wider range of lessons and activities, exposing them to music in ways they may not have experienced before.

The mission of the DSO’s Learning & Engagement team is that of the organization at large—to provide unforgettable musical experiences for our city and the global community. The opportunity to share these experiences and create a lasting impact on every preschool student in Detroit is a tangible realization of this mission, and the DSO looks forward to continuing these connections for years to come.

MEET THE MUSICIAN: PETER HATCH

For Peter Hatch, the bass is more than an instrument—it’s the foundation of rhythm and harmony. As a member of the DSO’s bass section since 2023, he brings a deep, resonant voice to the ensemble, anchoring the orchestra with precision and artistry.

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Hatch began his musical education through the public school system, later studying privately with Lyric Opera of Chicago bassist Andrew Anderson.

“By the time I was twelve, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to pursue a career as an orchestral musician,” says Hatch. “The pivotal moment for me came when I heard the Chicago Symphony negotiating their contract on the radio. That was when I realized that playing the bass could be a full-time career, and the idea of dedicating myself to the orchestra clicked.”

Upon graduation, he was awarded the prestigious Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts in recognition of his outstanding performance and promise.

Hatch studies continued at The Juilliard School, where he earned a Master of Music degree as a Kovner Fellow. Before joining the DSO, he performed with esteemed ensembles including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Minnesota Orchestra.

Shortly after, he experienced his first taste of playing professional-level repertoire as coprincipal bassist of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. He toured internationally with the Blue Lake International Symphony Orchestra and, for two consecutive years, was named Principal Bass of the Illinois All-State Honors Orchestra. Exploring interests in other genres, he also held the bass position in the top Illinois All-State Jazz Band.

“The beauty of being a bass player is that I get to wear so many different hats,” he says. “I’ve always enjoyed the versatility of my instrument, whether I’m working on a classical masterwork with the DSO, laying down grooves in a jazz combo, or contributing to the unique sound of a film score.”

Hatch continued at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, studying under Timothy Pitts.

With such an extensive performance background, what drew Hatch to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra? “The DSO has always been on my radar because of its reputation as one of the finest orchestras in the country,” he says.

“The opportunity to be part of such a distinguished ensemble, surrounded by top-tier musicians, was incredibly exciting for me.”

An avid golfer, Hatch appreciates Detroit’s blend of urban energy and natural beauty. “Shepherd’s Hollow, nestled in the hills, is one of my favorite spots—it’s peaceful and breathtaking, especially during the fall when the colors are just incredible,” he shares. “Beyond golf, I’m always discovering new restaurants and cultural spots in Detroit—it feels like there’s always something exciting around the corner.”

“What I enjoy most about being in the DSO is the sense of community and collaboration—it truly feels like a collective effort to create something special every time we perform. Plus, the energy from the audience here is unlike any other; it’s inspiring to perform for such a dedicated and passionate crowd.”

GOLD RECORD COLLECTIVE: BOLD VISION, MORE MUSIC

BY LATOYA CROSS

In February, the DSO celebrated the launch of a new fundraising initiative, the Gold Record Collective (GRC), with the vinyl pressing of the orchestra’s first recording with Music Director Jader Bignamini — Wynton Marsalis’s Blues Symphony. The album was released commercially (streaming, digital, and CD) on the Pentatone label on March 14.

This release adds to the DSO’s rich history of recordings that dates to 1928 with the orchestra’s first 78 rpm singles with Ossip Gabrilowitsch released on the Victrola label.

Since then, your Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s highlight reel of recordings has included more than 20 releases with Paul Paray, and 27 under the baton of Neeme Järvi. In the 1970s, led by then-Associate Conductor Paul Freeman, the DSO took part in the historic Black Composers Series; and in 2017, the orchestra earned its first GRAMMY® nomination for Copland’s Third Symphony/Three Latin American Sketches, under the direction of Leonard Slatkin.

“I am so proud of all that we have accomplished together, but especially of the outstanding music-making by the musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. We are rising to meet the demands of this new era, and our musicians’ dedication to their craft, and to being the best, makes my job a supreme pleasure as we build something remarkable here in Detroit and beyond.”

— JADER BIGNAMINI MUSIC DIRECTOR

process and opportunities that support a future filled with new DSO recordings, specialty album projects, and distinctively designed events.

As a community that believes in elevated artistic experiences and dreaming BIG with music as the foundation, the Gold Record Collective brings you closer to the music-making

THANK YOU TO OUR FOUNDING MEMBERS FOR ELEVATING THE DSO’S ARTISTIC EVOLUTION:

Aaron and Carolyn Frankel

Phillip and Lauren Fisher

Christine and David Provost

Paul and Terese Zlotoff

Richard Sonenklar and Gregory Haynes

Judy Bowman

By supporting the GRC , you not only champion groundbreaking projects like Blues Symphony but also invest in a legacy of musical excellence that will amplify DSO’s presence on a global stage and inspire future generations.

Join us in this music-filled journey! Your contribution is invaluable and fuels our triumphs, securing a legacy of enduring innovation and history making.

Scan the QR code to learn more about the Gold Record Collective.

ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ

Principal Pops Conductor

Devereaux Family Chair

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

JADER BIGNAMINI , Music Director Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation

TERENCE BLANCHARD

Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair

TABITA BERGLUND Principal Guest Conductor

TITLE SPONSOR:

BEN FOLDS

Friday, May 23, 2025 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 8 p.m. in Orchestra Hall

ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ, conductor BEN FOLDS, vocals

NA’ZIR MCFADDEN Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador

Program to be announced from stage

Flash photography, extended video recording, tripods, and cameras with detachable lenses are strictly prohibited.

PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE | BEN FOLDS

A Man of Many Talents

Ben Folds joins forces with the DSO for a spectacular two-night-only performance of some of his most beloved songs in a fresh symphonic setting. Folds is regarded as one of the major musical influences of his generation. He truly does it all—he has toured with independent bands, as the frontman of Ben Folds Five, and as a solo artist in addition to extensive experience as a collaborator, classical music composer, published author, and arts administrator. Folds will perform hits including “You Don’t Know Me,” “The Luckiest,” “Landed,” and more in collaboration with the DSO under the baton of Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez.

PROFILES

For Enrico Lopez-Yañez’s biography, see page 7.

BEN FOLDS

Folds is widely regarded as one of the major musical influencers of his generation.

The Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter-composer has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and numerous collaborative records.

His latest pop solo album, What Matters Most, was released in 2023 to rave reviews and sold-out performances. He recently released his first Christmas album, Sleigher, in time for the 2024 holiday season and recently recorded a live album with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in D.C., slated for release in 2025.

Folds currently tours as a pop artist, while also performing with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.

A New York Times Best Selling author and former podcast host, Folds is also working on new compositions for film, television, and theatre, and makes frequent appearances as a guest star in films and on television.

In 2022, Folds launched a music education charitable initiative in his native state of North Carolina entitled “Keys for Kids,” which provides funds and keyboards to existing nonprofits that offer free or affordable piano lessons to school-age children from economically disadvantaged households. He continually advocates for improving public policies for the arts and arts education on the national level as a member of Americans For The Arts and the Arts Action Fund.

FORD PIQUETTE AVENUE PLANT

Birthplace of the Model T

A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK

461 Piquette

5 minutes from Orchestra Hall

PUBLIC HOURS

Visit Henry Ford’s original Model T factory built in 1904. Stroll through automotive history at your own pace, or take a guided tour led by museum historians. You’ll learn the amazing story of how Ford revolutionized manufacturing and put the world on wheels. Get up close to more than 65 rare automobiles and T trucks, see Ford’s office, find unique gifts, or host your special event in this landmark building. For private and group tour information, call (313) 872-8759

Wednesday to Sunday 10 am – 4 pm

Closed Holidays

Private tours and school fi eld trips are available Mondays and Tuesdays upon request.

Optional guided tours at 10 am, Noon & 2 pm

ADMISSION

Adults: $20

Seniors (65+) and Veterans: $18

Students (with ID)/Youth: $10

Children (4 & under): Free

Group Tours (15+ guests): $15 ea.

ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ

Principal Pops Conductor

Devereaux Family Chair

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

JADER BIGNAMINI , Music Director

Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation

TERENCE BLANCHARD

TABITA BERGLUND Principal Guest Conductor

Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair NA’ZIR MCFADDEN Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador

PVS CLASSICAL SERIES

Title Sponsor:

SCHUMANN & STRAUSS

Friday, May 30, 2025 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 3 p.m. in Orchestra Hall

JADER BIGNAMINI , conductor STEVEN ISSERLIS , cello

Franz Liszt Les Préludes, Symphonic Poem No. 3  (1811–1886)

Robert Schumann Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1810–1856) in A minor, Op. 129

I. Nicht zu schnell

II. Langsam

III. Sehr lebhaft

Steven Isserlis, cello

Intermission

Richard Strauss Don Juan, Op. 20 (1864–1949)

Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28

Saturday’s performance will be webcast via our exclusive Live from Orchestra Hall series, presented by Ford Philanthropy. Technology support comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Flash photography, extended video recording, tripods, and cameras with detachable lenses are strictly prohibited.

PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE | SCHUMANN & STRAUSS

Bringing Literature to Life

Franz Liszt’s Les Préludes is considered the most successful of the 13 symphonic poems he composed. Based on various works of literature, Liszt explores themes of love, war, death, nature, and more through melodic themes that develop over the course of the work. Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor is more introspective, standing in stark contrast to Richard Strauss’s works to follow. Strauss builds upon the work of composers including Liszt and solidifies the genre of tone poem— Don Juan being his first of this kind. The program concludes with Strauss’s musical portrayal of German folk hero Till Eulenspiegel, guiding the audience though his lively story with unfolding melodic themes. He even shares literary inspiration with the musicians with the addition of special notation in the score: “Es war einmal...” (“Once upon a time...”)

PROGRAM NOTES

Les Préludes, Symphonic Poem No. 3

Composed 1854 | Premiered 1854

FRANZ LISZT

B. October 22, 1811, Raiding, Austria D. July 31, 1886, Bayreuth, Germany

Scored for 3 flutes (one doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings (Approx. 16 minutes).

LesPréludes, which was the third of Liszt’s symphonic poems, the first to be performed, and by a wide margin the most popular and frequently performed of the lot, began its life as the overture to a choral work called The Four Seasons, a setting of poems by the French writer Joseph Autran, which was first performed in Marseilles in 1848. Liszt was dissatisfied with the poetry and asked Victor Hugo to write a new text, but when Hugo declined, Liszt put the work aside. It was Hugo, by the way, whose poem “What One Hears on a Mountain” provided Liszt with the inspiration for his very first symphonic poem. The following year, Liszt decided to revise the overture as an independent concert work, but after frustrating attempts at a first draft, set the work aside once again. At this time Liszt was very unsure of

himself as an orchestrator, and had material help in this area from two well-known composers of the day, August Conradi and Joachim Raff. Then, in 1854, Liszt needed a new work for a pension fund concert with the Weimar Court Orchestra, and turned again to the as-yet unfinished symphonic poem. This time he was able to finish it, and conducted the first performance himself in February of that year.

Les Préludes is unique among the 13 symphonic poems in that program elements were added after the music had been composed. Liszt searched for a literary source that would mirror the original inspiration, and finally found what he was looking for in the New Poetic Meditations by the French writer Alphonse de Lamartine (1790–1869). The text that Liszt used begins with the words, “What is life but a series of preludes to that unknown song whose initial solemn note is tolled by Death?” According to the composer, the opening violin theme represents man, the whole work that of a man’s life, and there are five sections: Man, the Mortal Creature; The Bliss of Love; The Struggle for Life; The return to Nature; and The Final Victory.

The DSO most recently performed Liszt’s Les Préludes in November 2013, conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. The DSO first performed the piece in November 2002, conducted by Thomas Wilkins.

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 129

Composed 1850 | Premiered 1860

ROBERT SCHUMANN

B. June 8, 1810, Zwickau, Germany

D. July 29, 1856, Endenich, Bonn, Germany

Scored for solo cello, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings. (Approx. 26 minutes)

In1850, Robert Schumann and his wife Clara moved to Düsseldorf, where Robert was offered the music directorship of the city’s Music Society. They arrived to fanfare and celebratory concerts on September 2—remarkably, the same date that Schumann completed the draft of his lone cello concerto.

While it was not published for several years and never performed during the composer’s lifetime, the concerto is quite beloved today, and revealing of Schumann’s mature style in the last creative outpouring before his death. Schumann struggled with mental health issues for most of his life and attempted suicide in 1854; however, it would be a mistake to interpret the work as a product of a tortured artist. Rather, the concerto recalls a composer at the height of his prowess and success.

The first movement, Nicht zu schnell, opens with three chords (A minor, D minor, A minor). The gesture establishes a melancholy tone of the movement and provides the opening thematic material for the cello, which enters with these chords as its only introduction. The simplicity of the string accompaniment allows the soloist to shine; complex contrapuntal musical arguments are scarce, although they become more prevalent as the movement continues. Schumann instead relies on harmonic color combined with the soloist’s lyricism. The opening material returns suddenly and the cello solo

becomes more virtuosic, marking the climax of the movement.

The second movement (Langsam) begins seamlessly, its pastoral character signaled by a striking modulation to F major, a rolling triplet accompaniment plucked by the strings, and the beautiful simplicity of the cello melody. Schumann plays with the orchestral texture during this short movement to highlight the soloist’s beauty of tone and phrasing.

Soon the tempo picks up and the ensemble begins the finale. The winds quote melodic ideas from the first movement, while Schumann features the virtuosity of the soloist by requiring fast register changes, quick 16th note and triplet passages, and chromatics.

The DSO most recently performed Schumann’s Cello Concerto in December 2018, conducted by Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and featuring cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras. The DSO first performed the piece in February 1936, conducted by Victor Kolar and featuring cellist Gregor Piatigorsky.

Don Juan, Op. 20

Composed 1888 | Premiered 1889

RICHARD STRAUSS

B. June 11, 1864, Munich, Germany D. September 8, 1949, GarmischPartenkirchen, Germany

Scored for 3 flutes (one doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings. (Approx. 18 minutes)

Theostensible source for Richard Strauss’s tone poem Don Juan is a poem by Nikolaus Lenau, posthumously published in 1851. Here, the poet delves beneath the surface to portray a man driven by his passions, satisfying them briefly, only to thirst for more. The Don reveals himself

in one of the passages Strauss sets at the beginning of his score:

Yes, passion is always wholly new; It cannot be carried from this woman to that one, It can only die here, to spring up again there,

And if it knows itself, it knows nothing of repentance.

Strauss completed the work in the summer of 1888, and brought it with him the next year when he came to Weimar, where, on Hans von Bülow’s recommendation, he was appointed assistant conductor at the opera, beginning in October 1889. The Intendant and the first conductor were both impressed by Strauss’s read-through of Don Juan at the piano and urged him to include it on one of his concerts.

The music moves in one breathless sweep, without a superfluous note, characterized by a theme with an irresistible upward thrust. Two “feminine” themes follow; the first merely touched on in passing, the second, sung by the solo violin, savored at greater length. The middle section begins with a symphonic development interrupted by a love scene, in which the oboe intones the Don’s serenade, and the forward motion of the piece is suddenly stalled. How to continue after such an interlude? By introducing a second, even lustier, theme for the Don, its opening octave leap derived from the love song just finished. The wanderings continue in a passage that is generally described as a carnival scene, but whose only parallel in Lenau is a masked ball. Memories of the Don’s conquests flit through his mind, but he is unrepentant, and in the recapitulation, we meet him again, his ego more inflated than ever.

In Lenau, the Don meets his doom in a duel—in which, tired of his pursuits, he throws away his sword and is killed unresisting. We hear the sword-stroke as a dissonant trumpet note cuts through the sustained tones of winds and strings, and the music ebbs. “Der Brennstoff ist verzehrt, Und kalt und dunkel ward es auf

dem Herd,” Lenau’s Don says: “The fuel is all consumed, And the hearth grows cold and dark.”

The DSO most recently performed Strauss’s Don Juan in July 2024 at Interlochen, conducted by Jader Bignamini. The DSO first performed the piece in November 1920, conducted by Ossip Gabrilowitsch.

Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28

Composed 1895 | Premiered 1895

RICHARD STRAUSS

B. June 11, 1864, Munich, Germany

D. September 8, 1949, GarmischPartenkirchen, Germany

Scored for 3 flutes, piccolo, 3 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, E-flat clarinet, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, and strings. (Approx. 16 minutes)

Though his musical career was long, fruitful, and diverse, Richard Strauss is generally most celebrated for his tone poems—orchestral pieces based on extra-musical sources or narratives. Strauss wrote tone poems with topics ranging from Shakespearean tragedy (Macbeth) to philosophy ( Also sprach Zarathustra) and nature ( An Alpine Symphony ).

And, in the present case, German folklore. “Once upon a time there was a knavish fool named Till Eulenspiegel,” the story goes. “He was a wicked goblin always up to new tricks.” The composer intended to use the theme as a one-act opera, but discarded this plan in favor of a symphonic poem. Strauss considered sonata form to be “a hollow shell,” finding the free-form, programmatic tone poem a more suitable vehicle for musical expression.

Strauss’s music here perfectly expresses Till’s tricks. The serene opening music is interrupted almost immediately by Till’s theme, played in the

horn, as the hero sneaks onto the scene. We then hear him tearing through the market, seducing women with suave lyricism, and masquerading as a monk. Throughout, snatches of Till’s theme remind us that the prankster is never far. Soon, he is pursued and eventually caught by the authorities, but he manages to pull a

PROFILES

For Jader Bignamini’s biography, see page 6.

STEVEN ISSERLIS

British

cellist Steven Isserlis CBE enjoys an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, author, educator, and broadcaster. Equally at home in music from Baroque to the present day, he performs with the world’s greatest orchestras, including period ensembles, and has given many world premieres, including Sir John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil, Thomas Adès’s Lieux retrouvés, four works for solo cello by György Kurtág, and pieces by Heinz Holliger, Jörg Widmann, Olli Mustonen, Mikhail Pletnev, and many others. His vast award-winning discography includes most of the cello repertoire, including the JS Bach suites (Gramophone Instrumental Album of the Year), Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano, and the Brahms double concerto with Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He has received two GRAMMY® nominations, for his recordings of Haydn’s cello concertos, and Martinů’s cello sonatas with Olli Mustonen. Premiere recordings include late works by Sir John Tavener (BBC Music Magazine Premiere Award). His latest recordings, Mendelssohn Piano Trios with Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk, and Boccherini: Cello

final prank before he is executed, and Strauss reassures us with one more statement of the theme that Till’s spirit lives on. The DSO most recently performed Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks in April 2018, conducted by Leonard Slatkin. The DSO first performed the piece in April 1920, conducted by Ossip Gabrilowitsch.

Concertos, Sonatas & Quintets — Music of the Angels, were released in 2024.

As an author, his latest book is a critically acclaimed companion to the Bach cello suites, while his two books for children about music are among the genre’s most popular ever written and have been translated into many languages. He has also authored a commentary on Schumann’s famous Advice for Young Musicians. As a broadcaster, he has written and presented two in-depth documentaries for BBC Radio, on Robert Schumann and Harpo Marx.

An insightful musical explorer and curator, he has programmed imaginative series for London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s 92nd Street Y, and the Salzburg Festival. Unusually, he also directs orchestras from the cello, including Luzerner Sinfonieorchester in 2019 with Radu Lupu in his final public performance. He was awarded a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998, in recognition of his services to music. International recognition includes the Piatigorsky Prize (US) and the Glashütte Original Music Festival Award (Germany). Since 1997, he has been Artistic Director of the International Musicians Seminar, Prussia Cove, Cornwall.

He plays the 1726 ‘Marquis de Corberon’ Stradivarius, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.

ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ

Principal Pops Conductor

Devereaux Family Chair

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

JADER BIGNAMINI , Music Director Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation

TERENCE BLANCHARD

TABITA BERGLUND Principal Guest Conductor

Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair NA’ZIR MCFADDEN Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador

PVS CLASSICAL SERIES

Title Sponsor:

TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIRST PIANO CONCERTO

Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, June 6, 2025 at 10:45 a.m.

Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 8 p.m. in Orchestra Hall

JADER BIGNAMINI , conductor BEHZOD ABDURAIMOV, piano

Michael Abels Amplify (World Premiere, DSO Co-Commission)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1840–1893) Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso

Andantino semplice Allegro con fuoco

Behzod Abduraimov, piano

Intermission

Leokadiya Kashperova Symphony in B minor (1872 –1940) Andante-Allegro risoluto

Allegretto scherzando Andante

Finale: Andante sostenuto-Molto allegro

Saturday’s performance will be webcast via our exclusive Live from Orchestra Hall series, presented by Ford Philanthropy. Technology support comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Flash photography, extended video recording, tripods, and cameras with detachable lenses are strictly prohibited.

PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE | TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIRST PIANO CONCERTO

Firsts and Lasts

Today’s concert marks the final program on the 2024–25 PVS Classical Series. The program creates a sense of excitement for what is to come, as it opens with the world premiere of Amplify by Michael Abels—the DSO’s Composer-in-Residence for the upcoming 2025–26 season. Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto then brings us a sense of comfort when we hear the familiar theme presented by soloist Behzod Abduraimov. The program concludes with another first: the Detroit premiere of Leokadiya Kashperova’s Symphony in B minor. The work is quintessentially Romantic like Tchaikovsky’s, but it highlights the more introspective and lyrical strengths of the compositional period.

PROGRAM NOTES

Amplify

World Premiere, DSO Co-Commission

Composed 2025

MICHAEL ABELS

B. 1962

Scored for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons (one doubling contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings (Approx. 9 minutes)

Pulitzer Prize-winning and Emmy- and GRAMMY®-nominated composer Michael Abels is best known for his genre-defying scores for the Jordan Peele films Get Out, Us, and Nope. Highly versatile and innovative, his work spans the classical and film worlds, and he is known for blending elements of orchestral music with contemporary and experimental sounds to create gripping, thought–provoking works. Abels will serve as the DSO’s Composer-in-Residence for the 2025–26 season. Of Amplify, he writes the following:

“Amplify is a rhapsodic piece inspired by the 1812 Overture, which is itself a rhapsody of popular tunes engaged in a musical battle. Today in the US, the 1812 Overture is often performed for Independence Day, in spite of it having been commissioned to celebrate a Russian victory—a battle which was not necessarily a victory at all depending on

whose version of the history you believe. Amplify is essentially an American musical competition for prominence and dominance via volume and interruption, where the loudest, most rousing ideas become the focus, regardless of merit. On one level the piece is a joyful homage to Tchaikovsky’s favorite compositional techniques, with exciting chromatic sequences, hummable melodies (some of which may be borrowed), and yes, even fireworks. But the boisterousness comes at the cost of the more vulnerable, fulfilling ideas, like a dessert that interrupts dinner. In the coda an alarm goes off, which is gleefully ignored. It is a piece meant to be enjoyed with caution.” This performance marks the world premiere of Michael Abels’s Amplify. The work was co-commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Colorado Music Festival.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

B. May 7, 1840, Votkinsk, Russia

D. November 6, 1893, St. Petersburg, Russia

Scored for solo piano, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings. (Approx. 33 minutes)

Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto was an instant hit, receiving tremendous applause and acclaim following its Boston premiere. The renowned pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow was the

soloist, and he telegraphed the composer personally to share the good news. It is not difficult to understand why this piece met with immediate public acceptance and remains so popular today. It is chock-full of tuneful melodies (even for the master tunesmith Tchaikovsky), the voice of the piano is bold and fluid, and the work is cast in large contours, creating a sweeping, majestic effect. Notwithstanding its immense popularity and immediate public acceptance, the form of the First Piano Concerto has always puzzled musical scholars. Specifically, the huge piano chords and the bold, majestic orchestral theme at the outset are set in a different tonality than the rest of the first movement. They never recur anywhere in the concerto, leaving the impression that Tchaikovsky missed a chance to give one of his greatest tunes a triumphant reprise.

Typically, this whole section is considered a long introduction to the body of the concerto, whose first theme is a quick, skipping octave melody derived from a Ukrainian folk song Tchaikovsky had noted down in his sketchbooks. Following a bravura solo passage for the pianist (the second of many in the concerto), the woodwinds and piano introduce a yearning second theme, which is quickly intertwined with a song-like third theme. All three themes are involved in the developmental interplay, while the second and third dominate the closing pages of the movement. Tchaikovsky’s extended cadenza makes imaginative use of the yearning second theme.

The slow movement begins as a songlike melody stated in the flute over a simple string accompaniment, then taken up by the piano. Its middle section and repetition are decorated with a filigreed accompaniment, largely by the piano. The central portion of the movement suddenly becomes a daredevil light-fingered scherzo, anticipating a device Béla Bartók

employed in his Third Piano Concerto 70 years later. The serene opening melody returns to round off the movement.

The finale is charging rondo, whose broad, flaming second theme becomes the subject of a thrilling coda. Its bold grandeur balances the majestic theme that opened the first movement.

The DSO most recently performed Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto in July 2024, conducted by Thomas Wilkins and featuring pianist Natasha Paremski. The DSO first performed the work at a similarly all-Tchaikovsky concert in January 1916, conducted by Weston Gales and featuring pianist Kathryn Goodson.

Symphony in B minor, Op. 4

Composed 1905

LEOKADIYA KASHPEROVA

B. May 16, 1872, Lyubim, Russia

D. December 3, 1940, Moscow, Russia

Scored for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes (one doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings. (Approx. 38 minutes)

Leokadiya

Kashperova (1872–1940), hitherto consigned to a footnote in musical history as Stravinsky’s piano teacher, is undergoing rediscovery. A double graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, she emerged as a virtuoso pianist and composer in the Romantic tradition. She was associated with some of the great musicians of her day, including Balakirev and Auer. She performed in both Germany and the UK in the 1900s, but her career petered out after 1920.

The Symphony in B minor of 1905 is Kashperova’s grandest composition. Testimony to her originality is that the work betrays her sympathies not only for the Russian symphonic tradition, but also that of central Europe. Indeed, upon

hearing the work one commentator has likened the experience to being transported down the Danube and up the Rhine. In the symphony, her instinct for instrumental timbre and subtle combinations extends to every section of the orchestra. The work abounds in felicitous solos for woodwinds and brass, and it reveals many effective and original “chamber ensembles” from within the symphonic palette, the first movement’s cello solo to the accompaniment of horn quartet being a memorable example. Equally notable is Kashperova’s exploitation of the extremities of register, which is also a characteristic of the piano writing in her chamber music and art-songs. In the slow introduction, the violins reach higher than

PROFILES

For Jader Bignamini’s biography, see page 6.

BEHZOD ABDURAIMOV

Behzod Abduraimov’s performances combine an immense depth of musicality with phenomenal technique and breathtaking delicacy. He performs with many of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, and his critically acclaimed recordings have set a new standard for the piano repertoire.

The 2024–25 season will see Abduraimov performing with the Bamberger Symphoniker, Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, NDR Radiophilharmonie as part of the Canary Islands Festival, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Sinfonieorchester Basel, and Berner Symphonieorchester, among others. In North America, Abduraimov appears with the Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Vancouver Symphony. Elsewhere, he

one expects at such an early moment, with delightfully expressive results; whilst the Andante’s closing bars plunge ever deeper, possibly reflecting the impact of the final bars of Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique.” Yet, Kashperova’s uplifting Finale (Molto allegro) emphatically does not follow this script. On the contrary, the modest “folk tune” (Andante sostenuto) which heralds this final journey is transformed in the closing bars into triumphant life-assertion. The whole orchestra, as it were, lights up the vast sky of the Russian hinterland in a sustained and iridescent sunset of blazing color and majesty.

This performance marks the DSO premiere of Leokadiya Kashperova’s Symphony in B minor.

performs with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductors with whom he will collaborate this season include Anja Bihlmaier, Lionel Bringuier, Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Gimeno, Hans Graf, Jakub Hruša, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Aziz Shokhakimov, and Otto Tausk.

In August 2024, Abduraimov marked the tenth anniversary of his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. He will return to California in November 2024 and make two important recital debuts: Cal Performances in Berkeley and Walt Disney Concert Hall presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In past seasons, Abduraimov has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras including Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, San Francisco

Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Wiener Symphoniker, and RundfunkSinfonieorchester Berlin. He has collaborated with many renowned conductors including Semyon Bychkov, Constantinos Carydis, Gianandrea Noseda, Vasily Petrenko, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, and Juraj Valčuha.

Abduraimov has appeared multiple times at Carnegie Hall, including twice last season—returning to the Stern Auditorium for a solo recital, followed by a duo recital with Daniel Lozakovich at the Weill Auditorium. He has also been presented by Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Toppan Hall, Tokyo, Seoul Arts Centre, Shanghai Concert Hall, and La Società dei Concerti di Milano. He regularly appears at the leading international festivals including Aspen, La Roque Antheron, Lucerne, Ravello, Rheingau, and Verbier.

Abduraimov’s critically acclaimed recordings have won numerous international awards including the Choc de Classica and Diapason Découverte. Shadows of My Ancestors, his second recording for Alpha Classics, which features works by Ravel, Prokofiev, and Uzbek composer Dilorom Saidaminova, was released in January 2024. It was recognized as a Gramophone Editor’s

Choice, shortlisted for a Gramophone Award, and named one of Apple Music’s “10 Classical Albums You Must Hear This Month.” 2021 saw the highly successful release of his first recital album for Alpha Classics, which included Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. In 2020, two of his albums were nominated for the 2020 Opus Klassik awards in multiple categories: Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under James Gaffigan, recorded on the composer’s own piano from Villa Senar for Sony Classical, and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Concertgebouw Orchestra, for the RCO live label.

Abduraimov’s recitals have been streamed and broadcast on international channels, including medici.tv, and a DVD of his 2016 BBC Proms debut (2016) with the Münchner Philharmoniker was released in 2018.

Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1990, Abduraimov began the piano aged five as a pupil of Tamara Popovich at Uspensky State Central Lyceum in Tashkent. In 2009, he won first prize at the London International Piano Competition with Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. He is Artist-in-Residence at the International Center for Music at Park University, where he studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch.

Out now on all streaming platforms, digital download, and CD.

ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ

Principal Pops Conductor

Devereaux Family Chair

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

JADER BIGNAMINI , Music Director

Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation

TERENCE BLANCHARD

TABITA BERGLUND Principal Guest Conductor

Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair NA’ZIR MCFADDEN Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador

PARADISE JAZZ SERIES

CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT

Friday, June 6, 2025 at 8 p.m. in Orchestra Hall

CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT, vocals

Program to be announced from stage, artists subject to change

Flash photography, extended video recording, tripods, and cameras with detachable lenses are strictly prohibited.

PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE | CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT

She is the Moment

In her Paradise Jazz Series debut, Cécile McLorin Salvant brings a unique and captivating vibe to the Orchestra Hall stage. Known for her impactful storytelling, Salvant is more than just an amazing vocalist. She has the ability to tap into our deepest emotions through her artfully curated performances that traverse and transcend genre. She reimagines blues, folk, theater, vaudeville, and baroque musical styles, freeing herself from their inherently rigid structures. This freedom allows her artistry to flourish as she puts her own stamp on the songs she performs, whether they are covers of classics or her own compositions. In recognition of her fearless innovation and artistry, she earned three GRAMMY Awards® for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and was named winner of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition in 2010. In 2020, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship and a Doris Duke Artist Award.

PROFILE

CÉCILE MCLORIN  SALVANT

Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings.”

Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, theater, jazz, baroque, and folkloric music. Salvant is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor.

Salvant won the Thelonious Monk competition in 2010. She has received three consecutive GRAMMY Awards® for Best Jazz Vocal Album for The Window, Dreams and Daggers, and For One To Love, and was nominated for the award in 2014 for her album WomanChild

In 2020, Salvant received the MacArthur Fellowship and the Doris Duke Artist Award. Nonesuch Records released Ghost Song in March 2022, which has since gone onto receive two GRAMMY® nominations, as well as appearing on a number of year end best lists for 2022. In March 2023, Nonesuch Records released the highly

anticipated follow up— Mélusine, an album mostly sung in French, along with Occitan, English, and Haitian Kreyòl.

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, of a French mother and Haitian father, Salvant started classical piano studies at age five, sang in a children’s choir at eight, and started classical voice lessons as a teenager.

Salvant received a bachelor’s degree in French law from the Université Pierre-Mendes France in Grenoble while also studying baroque music and jazz at the Darius Milhaud Music Conservatory in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Salvant’s latest work, Ogresse, is a musical fable in the form of a cantata that blends genres (folk, baroque, jazz, country). Salvant wrote the story, lyrics, and music. It is arranged by Darcy James Argue for a 13-piece orchestra of multiinstrumentalists. Ogresse, both a biomythography and an homage to the Erzulie (as painted by Gerard Fortune) and Sara Baartman, explores fetishism, hunger, diaspora, cycles of appropriation, lies, othering, and ecology. It is in development to become an animated feature-length film, which Salvant will direct.

Salvant also makes large-scale textile drawings. Her visual art can now be found at Picture Room in Brooklyn, NY.

ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ

Principal Pops Conductor

Devereaux Family Chair

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

JADER BIGNAMINI , Music Director Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation

TERENCE BLANCHARD

Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair

TABITA BERGLUND Principal Guest Conductor

TITLE SPONSOR:

NA’ZIR MCFADDEN Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador

LET’S MISBEHAVE: THE SONGS OF COLE PORTER

Friday, June 20, 2025 at 10:45 a.m. & 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 21, 2025 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 22, 2025 at 3 p.m. in Orchestra Hall

NA’ZIR McFADDEN , conductor

TONY DESARE , piano and vocals

AUBREY LOGAN , trombone and vocals

JOHN MANZARI , tap dance and vocals

Program to be announced from stage, artists subject to change

Flash photography, extended video recording, tripods, and cameras with detachable lenses are strictly prohibited.

PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE | LET’S MISBEHAVE: THE SONGS OF COLE PORTER

Anything Goes!

Cole Porter’s enduring legacy is proof of his status as one of the most influential composers of American songs spanning the worlds of jazz, Broadway, and Hollywood. A significant contributor to the Great American Songbook, he perfectly balanced wit and sophistication, and showed exceptional talent by writing both the lyrics and the melodies to his tunes, something that isn’t true for many comparable composers. Today, Tony DeSare (piano and vocals) teams up with Aubrey Logan (trombone and vocals), John Manzari (tap dance and vocals), and the DSO for an eccentric performance of Porter’s most beloved hits including “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Don’t Fence Me In,” and many more. Now come on, let’s do it—let’s misbehave!

PROFILE

NA’ZIR MCFADDEN

Americanconductor

Na’Zir McFadden is the Assistant Conductor and Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. McFadden also serves as Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Establishing his presence on the classical music scene, the 2024–25 season includes debuts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, and The No Name Pops (formerly the Philly Pops) at Marian Anderson Hall in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. He also returns to the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Ballet, in addition to several engagements with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

This past summer, McFadden was invited by the Boston Symphony Orchestra as one of two 2024 Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows. As a fellow, he conducted the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in numerous performances, and participated in masterclasses led by Andris Nelsons, Alan Gilbert, Thomas Wilkins, and Dima Slobodeniouk.

In the 2022–23 season, he made his subscription debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, alongside

bass-baritone Davóne Tines and clarinetist Anthony McGill. He has conducted the past two years of the DSO’s Classical Roots programs, which included works by Billy Childs, Shelley Washington, Kris Johnson, and Jessie Montgomery.

Other career highlights include debuts with the North Carolina Symphony, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Ballet. Additionally, McFadden led a recording project with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago—featuring Hilary Hahn as co-collaborator and soloist.

In 2020, McFadden was named the inaugural Apprentice Conductor of the Philadelphia Ballet; a position he held until 2022. He also served as the Robert L. Poster Conducting Apprentice of the New York Youth Symphony from 2020 to 2021.

At the age of 16, McFadden conducted his hometown orchestra—The Philadelphia Orchestra—in their “Pop-Up” series, meeting their Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who has been a mentor ever since. The Philadelphia Inquirer praised his “great stick [baton] technique and energetic presence on the podium” in their concert review.

TONY DESARE

TonyDeSare performs with infectious joy, wry playfulness, and robust musicality. Named a “Rising Star Male Vocalist” in DownBeat magazine, DeSare has garnered critical and popular acclaim for his

concert performances throughout North America and abroad. From jazz clubs to Carnegie Hall to Las Vegas headlining with Don Rickles and major symphony orchestras, DeSare has brought his fresh take on old-school class around the globe. DeSare has four top ten Billboard jazz albums and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, NPR, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Today Show. DeSare’s music has been posted by social media celebrity juggernaut George Takei, and he has also collaborated with YouTube icons Postmodern Jukebox.

DeSare’s “Lush Life” recording debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Chart. His latest single, “Paris Always Will Have You,” was released in early 2024 and is available on all streaming platforms.

DeSare is an accomplished and award-winning composer. He won first place in the USA Songwriting Contest, and wrote the theme song for the motion picture My Date With Drew and several broadcast commercials, He also composed the full soundtracks for the Hallmark Channel’s Love Always, Santa and Lifetime’s recent A Welcome Home Christmas. Tony DeSare is a Yamaha Artist.

AUBREY LOGAN

Singer, trombone player, and a songwriter, Aubrey Logan’s body of work is underscored by the integrity of a performer that is able to stretch herself emotionally across a musical landscape that defies description. Complex and still retaining the intimacy of stories that are both personal and inspiring, Logan brings a wealth of experience to her songwriting that touches the deepest part of the human experience.

Logan has worked with acclaimed artists including Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Josh Groban, Smokey Robinson, Patrice Rushen, and Pharrell Williams. Recognized on the global stage as a performer who can deliver in the most informal of settings and then to huge festival audiences, her work is praised as being accessible, fresh, and dynamic.

JOHN MANZARI

John Manzari is an Ovation Award and Helen Hayes Award nominated dancer, singer, choreographer, and teacher.

Stage credits include the Broadway revival of Funny Girl; MUNY’s Anything Goes ; Encores! The Tap Dance Kid ; off Broadway’s Maurice Hines: Tappin’ Thru Life; Caleb Teicher’s Bzzz; Bessie Award winning production Chasing Magic ; 42ND Street ; The Wiz is 40: A Celebration in Dance and Music ; and Sophisticated Ladies Television credits include Law & Order SVU ; the PBS specials Black Broadway: A Proud History and A Limitless Future; Rooted ; The Kennedy Center at 50 ; Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room; Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; Good Morning America; The View ; The Jerry Lewis Telethon; and So You Think You Can Dance Manzari also performs as a solo artist and with symphonies and bands across North America.

ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ

Principal Pops Conductor

Devereaux Family Chair

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

JADER BIGNAMINI , Music Director Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation

TERENCE BLANCHARD

Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair

TABITA BERGLUND Principal Guest Conductor

NA’ZIR MCFADDEN Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador

WILLIAM DAVIDSON NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT SERIES

BEETHOVEN & BIZET

Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Shaarey Zedek Friday, July 11, 2025 at 8 p.m. at Plymouth First United Methodist Church

Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 8 p.m. at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church

Sunday, July 13, 2025 at 3 p.m. at Seligman Performing Arts Center

NA’ZIR MCFADDEN , conductor JORDAN BAK , viola

Ludwig van Beethoven The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 (1770–1827) Overture

Act 1: Introduction (La Tempesta) Allegro non troppo - Poco Adagio

Carl Stamitz Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1745–1801) in D major, Op. 1 Jordan Bak, viola

Intermission

Jessie Montgomery Source Code (b. 1981)

Georges Bizet Symphony No. 1 in C major (1838–1875) I. Allegro vivo

II. Adagio

III. Allegro vivace

IV. Allegro vivace

PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE | BEETHOVEN & BIZET

Something for Everyone

From ballet to Black spirituals, this program has it all. Beethoven’s sole ballet, The Creatures of Prometheus, comes from his “heroic” middle phase, a period in which Beethoven composed bolder works that exemplified triumph over adversity, reflecting his personal struggles with the onset of his deafness. We remain in the Classical period for the next work, Carl Philipp Stamitz’s Viola Concerto in D major. Soloist Jordan Bak showcases the outstanding lyrical qualities of the viola, a string family member that is often overlooked in solo repertoire. Jessie Montgomery’s Source Code follows, showcasing the true source of inspiration for modern dance, poetry, pop, and jazz: Black spirituals. Georges Bizet’s Symphony No. 1 closes out the program, sending us home with a sense of joy and energy. Just 17 years old at the time of composition, Bizet balances the liveliness of youth with the elegance of maturity.

PROGRAM NOTES

Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

B. December 15, 1770, Bonn, Germany

D. March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria

Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings. (Approx. 5 minutes)

Beethoven worked on

The Creatures of Prometheus, his only full-length ballet score, in 1800 and early 1801. It comprises an overture, introduction, and 16 numbers, and was composed to a scenario by the Italian dancer and choreographer Salvatore Viganò. The overture was Beethoven’s first in this genre and was published separately in January 1804.

The Overture opens with a short slow introduction, followed by a fast Allegro section in C major. The Viennese expectations for a ballet score around 1800 would have been for an entertaining and dramatic work, but one that did not have the seriousness that we encounter in Beethoven’s later incidental music. This lighter character and orchestral brilliance is especially clear in the fast section of the Overture.

The DSO most recently performed Beethoven’s Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus in December 2016, conducted

by Leonard Slatkin. The DSO first performed the piece in November 1921, conducted by Ossip Gabrilowitsch.

Act 1: Introduction from The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings. (Approx. 6 minutes)

Inthe ancient Greek legend of Prometheus, the hero took fire from the gods in the stalk of a fennel plant and gave it to mortals for their use. In the ballet’s more allegorical treatment, the mythical hero did not bring early humans the knowledge of fire, but instead “refined” them, educating them in the arts of music and dance and imparting morals and manners. This notion would have appealed to the cultured Viennese nobility and wealthier gentry of the audience, flattering and reassuring them of the correctness of their own values. The work proved a substantial success when it premiered at Vienna’s Burgtheater on March 28, 1801—so much so that at least 15 additional performances followed that spring and a revival was mounted the following year.

In the Introduction, Beethoven depicts Prometheus animating his lifeless creations—two statues who will be taught the arts of civilization. The music is full of

ceremonial grandeur, suggesting the solemnity and awe of divine creation, and illustrating Beethoven’s ability to convey narrative and character through purely instrumental means.

The DSO first performed the entirety of Beethoven’s The Creatures of Prometheus in March 1960, conducted by Paul Paray. This performance marks the first time the DSO has performed the Introduction as a standalone outside of the complete work.

Viola Concerto in D major

Composed c. 1774

CARL PHILIPP STAMITZ

B. May 7, 1745, Mannheim, Germany

D. November 9, 1801, Jena, Germany

Scored for solo viola, 2 oboes, 2 horns, and strings. (Approx. 22 minutes)

CarlPhilipp Stamitz was the eldest son of Johann Stamitz, a founder of the influential Mannheim school—a group of composers and performers whose innovations in orchestral color, phrasing, and dynamics helped shape the Classical style. Carl followed in his father’s footsteps as a violinist, composer, and court musician, though he eventually pursued a more itinerant career, performing throughout Europe and writing concertos for a wide array of instruments, including clarinet, flute, and viola.

Stamitz composed at least two concertos for viola, an instrument that was gaining visibility as a solo voice in the late 18th century. The Viola Concerto in D major, likely written during his time in Paris or shortly after, remains his most performed work today and is a staple of the instrument’s repertoire. The piece exemplifies the gallant style: elegant, tuneful, and designed to please audiences with clarity and charm rather than dramatic weight.

The concerto follows the standard three-movement Classical format. The

opening Allegro begins with a graceful orchestral exposition, presenting the main themes that the soloist will later elaborate with ornamentation and passagework. The viola’s warm tone is showcased through supple melodic lines, punctuated by quick runs and idiomatic arpeggios.

The Andante moderato offers a lyrical interlude in the relative key of A major. Here, the viola sings with tender simplicity, occasionally echoing operatic sensibilities of the time. The movement highlights the instrument’s capacity for expressive nuance, often supported by gentle pulses in the strings and woodwinds.

The closing Rondo: Allegro is spirited and joyful, built on a recurring theme that alternates with contrasting episodes. The soloist’s agility is on full display in this dance-like finale, full of syncopations, quick shifts in register, and light-hearted virtuosity. The work concludes with a flourish, reflecting Stamitz’s aim to delight rather than to provoke.

Though rarely heard in mainstream orchestral concerts, Stamitz’s Viola Concerto in D major remains a cornerstone of the viola’s Classical-era repertoire, offering performers and audiences alike a glimpse into a moment when elegance and invention met in perfect balance.

This performance marks the DSO premiere of Stamitz’s Viola Concerto in D major.

Source Code

JESSIE MONTGOMERY

B. 1981, New York, NY

Scored for strings. (Approx. 9 minutes)

Jessie Montgomery is a GRAMMY® Awardwinning composer, violinist, and educator whose work interweaves classical music with elements of vernacular

music, improvisation, poetry, and social consciousness, making her an acute interpreter of 21st-century American sound and experience. Of Source Code, Montgomery writes the following:

“The first sketches of Source Code began as transcriptions of various sources from African American artists prominent during the peak of the Civil Rights era in the United States. I experimented by re-interpreting gestures, sentences, and musical syntax (the bare bones of rhythm and inflection) by choreographer Alvin Ailey, poets Langston Hughes and Rita Dove, and the great jazz songstress Ella Fitzgerald into musical sentences and tone paintings. Ultimately, this exercise of listening, re-imagining, and transcribing led me back to the Black spiritual as a common musical source across all three genres. The spiritual is a significant part of the DNA of Black folk music, and subsequently most (arguably all) American pop music forms that have developed to the present day. This one-movement work is a kind of dirge, which centers on a melody based on syntax derived from Black spirituals. The melody is continuous and cycles through like a gene strand with which all other textures play.”

This performance marks the DSO premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Source Code.

Symphony No. 1 in C major

Composed 1855

GEORGES BIZET

B. October 25, 1838, Paris, France

D. June 3, 1875, Bougival, France

Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings. (Approx. 30 minutes)

There were some remarkable musical rediscoveries in the 20th century, but no “find” caused as much of a stir as the resurrection of

Bizet’s C major Symphony in 1935, 80 years after it was written. Bizet’s reputation was at its lowest then, with many of his scores out of print, and even Carmen scorned by those in France under the sway of Wagner. It was taken as gospel by Bizet’s biographers that he was slow to develop, but here was a sparkling, masterful symphony, composed when he was just past his 17th birthday.

The tale of the revival of the Bizet symphony is one full of surprises and chances. After the composer’s death, his widow gave the manuscript of the symphony to Reynaldo Hahn, who in 1933 gave it to the library of the Paris Conservatoire. While working there on a Bizet biography, the English scholar D. C. Parker discovered the manuscript, showed it to the conductor Felix Weingartner, and the symphony was launched into the concert hall.

It is no coincidence that many commentators have drawn parallels between the symphony and Carmen, written 20 years later. In both, Bizet speaks so that any listener with ears can understand him, and both provide emotional and intellectual depths to amaze the analysts. The opening of the symphony has a Haydnesque frankness, and anyone who heard a bit of it for the first time might be excused for believing it to be an 18th-century piece. The lyrical second theme gives it away as belonging to a later era, but any Classical composer would have been proud of the workmanship.

There is much art concealed in the slow movement. To begin with, notice the craftsman-like join as the solo oboe takes off from the strings’ opening vamp. Indeed, this bouncing string figure later proves to be more than an accompaniment, as Bizet turns it into a fugue subject à la Beethoven.

In the scherzo and trio, Bizet makes one tune do for both, changing its character in the trio by providing a mock-rustic drone accompaniment. Throughout the symphony, he is acutely sensitive to the interplay of melody and accompaniment:

this, more than any other factor, accounts for the work’s peculiar liveliness and resilience. —Michael Fleming

The DSO most recently performed

PROFILES

For Na’Zir McFadden’s biography, see page 33.

JORDAN BAK

Award-winning

Jamaican American violist Jordan Bak has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. The recipient of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s ‘Alexandra Jupin’ Award and former Young Classical Artist Trust’s (YCAT) ‘Robey Artist,’ Bak was also a prizewinner in the Sphinx, Lionel Tertis, and Concert Artists Guild Competitions, and has received accolades from ClassicFM, Musical America, and WQXR

Bak’s enthusiastically-received sophomore album, Cantabile: Anthems for Viola (Delphian Records), has garnered significant international attention, featuring works by Arnold Bax, Benjamin Britten, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, paired with contemporary compositions by Jonathan Harvey, Bright Sheng, and Augusta Read Thomas. A proud new music advocate, Bak gave the world premieres of Kaija Saariaho’s Du gick, flög for viola and mezzo-soprano, Jessica Meyer’s Excessive Use of Force for solo viola and On fire…no, after you for viola, mezzo-soprano and piano, and Augusta Read Thomas’s Upon Wings of Words for string quartet and soprano. He has additionally championed works by H. Leslie Adams, Esteban Zapata Blanco, Carlos Carrillo, Caroline Shaw, and Alvin Singleton.

Bak has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as London Philharmonic

Bizet’s First Symphony in April 2012, conducted by Elizabeth Schulze. The DSO first performed the work in October 1944, conducted by Karl Krueger.

Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, London Mozart Players, New York Classical Players, Juilliard Orchestra, and Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, among others, and has performed under such esteemed conductors as Howard Griffiths, Stephen Mulligan, Keith Lockhart, Gerard Schwarz, and Ewa Strusińska. As a recitalist and chamber musician, he has been heard at some of the world’s greatest performance venues including Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, and Wigmore Hall, as well as chamber music festivals including Marlboro Music Festival and Tippet Rise.

Bak has performed as a guest with the Verona Quartet and Merz Trio, and has collaborated with such artists as Jonathan Biss, Lara Downes, Jennifer Frautschi, Ani Kavafian, Soovin Kim, Charles Neidich, Marina Piccinini, and Gilles Vonsattel.

Passionate about education, Bak currently serves as Assistant Professor of Viola at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and has given masterclasses at esteemed institutions around the globe.

Only the third violist to earn the Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, Bak holds a Bachelor of Music degree from New England Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where he was awarded the prestigious Kovner Fellowship. His principal teachers were Dimitri Murrath, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Samuel Rhodes.

Bak plays a 2016 viola made by Jon van Kouwenhoven.

THE ANNUAL FUND

Gifts received between September 1, 2023, and February 15, 2025.

The DSO is proudly a community-supported orchestra and over 500,000 people engage with music through the DSO each year. Your gift is an investment in providing this community with music we can feel and the future of arts in Detroit, whether a first-time patron or lifelong subscriber.

From our leadership donors of the Gabrilowitsch Society, to our vital Governing Members, to the thousands of Friends who support the DSO each year, all donations are essential in ensuring that memorable music experiences thrive in our community for years to come. We extend special recognition to the following donors who contributed $1,500 or more to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Annual Fund between September 1, 2023, and February 15, 2024. If you have questions about this roster, or would like to make a donation, please contact 313.576.5114 or visit dso.org/donate.

GIVING OF $250,000 & MORE

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Wolverine Packing Company

And one who wishes to remain anonymous

GABRILOWITSCH SOCIETY

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GIVING OF $5,000 & MORE

Mrs. Denise Abrash

Mrs. Jennifer Adderley

Richard & Jiehan Alonzo

Dr. & Mrs. Joel Appel

Drs. Kwabena & Jacqueline Appiah

Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Aronoff

Ms. Ruth Baidas

Dr. David S. Balle

James A. Bannan

Mr. Mark G. Bartnik & Ms. Sandra J. Collins

Mr. Joseph Bartush

W. Harold & Chacona W. Baugh

Mr. & Mrs. Martin S. Baum

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Beaubien

Ms. Therese Bellaimey

Mr. William Beluzo

Hadas & Dennis Bernard

Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey A. Berner

Bill & Caitlin Beuche

Mr. Michael G. Bickers

Dr. George & Joyce Blum

Timothy J. Bogan

Ms. Debra Bonde

Ms. Nadia Boreiko

The Honorable Susan D. Borman & Mr.

Stuart Michaelson

Mr. Anthony F. Brinkman

Sandra & Paul Butler

Mr.◊ & Mrs. James A. Green

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Hage

Judy ◊ & Kenneth Hale

Drs. Janet Hankin & Allen Goodman

Michael E. Hinsky & Tyrus N. Curtis

Mr.◊ & Mrs. Norman H. Hofley

Ms. Nicole Holmes

Ms. Carole Ilitch

Renato & Elizabeth Jamett

Mr. & Mrs. Richard J. Jessup

William & Story John

Lenard & Connie Johnston

Paul & Marietta Joliat

Betsy & Joel Kellman

Dr. David & Mrs. Elizabeth Kessel

Mr. & Mrs. Kosch

LeFevre Family

Bud & Nancy Liebler

Mr. & Mrs.◊ Joseph Lile

Dana Locniskar & Christine Beck

Dr. Stephen & Paulette Mancuso

Ms. Deborah Miesel

Dr. Robert & Dr. Mary Mobley

Cyril Moscow

Geoffrey S. Nathan & Margaret E. Winters ◊

Eric & Paula Nemeth

Dr. & Mrs. Roger C. Byrd

Richard Caldarazzo & Eileen Weiser

Mr. & Mrs. Brian C. Campbell

Philip & Carol Campbell

Mrs. Carolyn Carr

Mr.◊ & Mrs. François Castaing

Dr. Carol S. Chadwick & Mr. H. Taylor Burleson

Dr. Betty Chu

Mr. Fred J. Chynchuk

Dr. & Mrs. Charles G. Colombo

Dr. & Mrs. Bryan & Phyllis Cornwall

Ms. Elizabeth Correa

Mr.◊ & Mrs. Gary L. Cowger

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew P. Cullen

Dr. Edward & Mrs. Jamie Dabrowski

Deborah & Stephen D’Arcy Fund

Maureen T. D’Avanzo

Lillian & Walter Dean

Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. DeVore

Dr. Anibal & Vilma Drelichman

Elaine C. Driker

Edwin & Rosemarie ◊ Dyer

Ms. Ruby Duffield

Randall & Jill* Elder

Mr. Lawrence Ellenbogen

Ms. Laurie Ellias & Mr. James Murphy

Ms. Emily Elmer

Jim & Mary Beth Nicholson

Gloria & Stanley Nycek

George & Jo Elyn Nyman

Debra & Richard Partrich

Kathryn & Roger Penske

Dr. Glenda D. Price

Drs. Heather & Erich RichterDr. Erik

Rönmark* & Mrs. Adrienne Rönmark*

Mr. Ronald Ross & Ms. Alice Brody

Dr. & Mrs. John Roberts

Peggy & Dr. Mark B. Saffer

Sandy Schreier

Elaine & Michael Serling

Lois & Mark Shaevsky

Mrs. Sharon Shumaker

Mr. Norman Silk & Mr. Dale Morgan

Mr. Steven Smith

Charlie & John Solecki

Mr. & Mrs. John Stroh III

Emily & Paul Tobias

Ms. Marie Vanerian

Mr. James G. Vella

Mr.◊ & Mrs. Jonathan T. Walton

Mr. & Mrs. R. Jamison Williams

Ms. Mary Wilson

And two who wish to remain anonymous *Current DSO Musician or Staff

Mr. & Mrs. John M. Erb

Fieldman Family Foundation

John & Karen Fischer

Ms. Joanne Fisher

Dorothy A. & Larry L. Fobes

Dr. & Mrs. Franchi

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Frick

Kit & Dan Frohardt-Lane

Mr.◊ & Mrs. Richard M. Gabrys

Myndi & Alan Gallatin

Mrs. Janet M. Garrett

Mr. Max Gates

Ambassador Yousif B. Ghafari & Mrs. Mara Kalnins-Ghafari

Mr. & Mrs. James Gietzen

Keith & Eileen Gifford

Dr. & Mrs. Theodore Golden

Ms. Jacqueline Graham

Dr. Herman & Mrs. Shirley Mann Gray

Ms. Chris Gropp

Leslie Groves & Joseph Kochanek

Mr. & Mrs. Darby Hadley

Robert & Elizabeth Hamel

Mr. Sanford Hansell & Dr. Raina Ernstoff

Thomas & Kathleen Harmon

Ms. Barbara Heller

Mr. Eric J. Hespenheide

& Ms. Judith V. Hicks

Mr. Donald & Marcia Hiruo

Mr. Matthew Howell & Mrs. Julie Wagner

William Hulsker & Aris Urbanes

Jane & Mario ◊ IacobelliMr. & Mrs. A. E. Igleheart

Mr. & Mrs. Kent Jidov

Mr. George G. Johnson

Paul & Karen Johnson

Carol & Rick Johnston

Connie & Bill Jordan

Mr. & Mrs. Steven Kalkanis

Judy & David Karp

Mike & Katy Keegan

Mrs. Frances King

Mrs. Janice King

Dr. & Mrs. Edward L. Klarman

Dr. Sandy Koltonow & Dr. Mary Schlaff

Ms. Susan Deutch Konop

James Kors & Victoria King

Robert & Laurie KunzMrs. Maria E. Kuznia

Mr. David Lalain & Ms. Deniella

Ortiz-Lalain

Deborah Lamm

Dr. Raymond Landes & Dr. Melissa McBrien-Landes

Drs. Lisa & Scott Langenburg

Bill & Kathleen Langhorst

Ms. Sandra Lapadot

Mr. Leonard LaRocca

Dr. Lawrence O. Larson

Max Lepler & Rex L. Dotson

Mr. & Mrs. Robert K. Leverenz

Drs. Donald & Diane Levine

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Lewnau

Mr. John Lovegren & Mr. Daniel Isenschmid

GIVING OF $2,500 & MORE

Mr. & Mrs. Joel Adelman

William Aerni & Janet Frazis

Mr. Juan Alvarez

Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Anthony

Dr. & Mrs. Ali-Reza R. Armin

Pauline Averbach & Charles Peacock

Mr. Joseph Aviv & Mrs. Linda Wasserman

Mrs. Jean Azar

Ms. Elizabeth Baergen

Ellie & Mitch Barnett

Mr. Thomas Basile

Nancy & Lawrence Bluth

The Achim & Mary Bonawitz Family

Rud ◊ & Mary Ellen Boucher

Don & Marilyn Bowerman

Mr. & Mrs. Mark R. Buchanan

Dr. Robert Burgoyne & Tova Shaban

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Burstein

Mr.◊ & Mrs. Robert J. Cencek

Ronald ◊ & Lynda Charfoos

Mr. William Cole & Mrs. Carol Litka Cole

Mr. & Mrs. Brian G. Connors

Mr. & Mrs. David Conrad

Patricia & William ◊ Cosgrove, Sr.

Ms. Joy Crawford* & Mr. Richard Aude

Bob & Terri Lutz

Daniel & Linda* Lutz

Mrs. Sandra MacLeod

Mr. & Mrs. Winom J. Mahoney

Cis Maisel

Mr. Sean Maloney & Mrs. Laura Peppler-Maloney

Maurice Marshall

Brian & Becky McCabe

Mr. Anthony Roy McCree

Patricia A.◊ & Patrick G. McKeever

Dr. Susan & Mr. Stephen* Molina

Mr. & Mrs. Daniel E. Moore

Ms. Jennifer Muse

Joy & Allan Nachman

Mr. & Mrs. Albert T. Nelson, Jr.

Ms. Jacqueline Paige & Mr. David Fischer

Mr. & Mrs. Randy G. Paquette

Benjamin B. Phillips

Mr. David Phipps & Ms. Mary Buzard

William H. & Wendy W. Powers

Charlene & Michael Prysak

Mrs. Anna M. Ptasznik

Drs. Yaddanapudi Ravindranath & Kanta Bhambhani

Drs. Stuart & Hilary Ratner

Mr. & Mrs. Dave Redfield

Mr. & Mrs. Gerrit Reepmeyer

Mr. & Mrs. Jon Rigoni

Ms. Linda Rodney

Ms. Patricia Rodzik

Seth & Laura Romine

Michael & Susan Rontal

Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Rosowski

Mr. Chris Sachs

Phyllis & Kevin Cullen

Mrs. Barbara Cunningham

DeLuca Violin Emporium

Ms. Jane Deng

Michelle Devine & Brian Mahany

Dr. Mark & Karen Diem

Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Ditkoff

Diana & Mark Domin

Ms. Felicia Donadoni

Ms. Marla Donovan

Paul◊ & Peggy Dufault

Hon. Sharon Tevis Finch

Amy & Robert Folberg

Mr. & Mrs. Calvin Ford

Ms. Linda Forte & Mr. Tyrone Davenport

Ms. Laurie Frankel

Mr. George Georges

Stephanie Germack

Thomas M. Gervasi

Dr. Kenneth ◊ & Roslyne Gitlin

Ms. Jody Glancy

Mr. Lawrence Glowczewski

Judie Goodman & Kurt Vilders

Dr. William & Mrs. Antoinette Govier

Ms. Ann Green

Linda & Leonard Sahn

Mr. David Salisbury & Mrs. Terese

Ireland Salisbury

Marjorie Shuman Saulson

Ms. Joyce E. Scafe

Mr. & Mrs. Donald and Janet Schenk

Robert & Patricia Shaw

Shiv Shivaraman

Dean P. & D. Giles Simmer

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Simoncini

William & Cherie Sirois

Michael E. Smerza & Nancy Keppelman

Ms. Susan Smith

Peter & Patricia Steffes

Dr. Gregory Stephens

Mrs. Kathleen Straus & Mr. Walter Shapero

David Szymborski & Marilyn Sicklesteel

Joel & Shelley Tauber

Dr. & Mrs. Howard Terebelo

Dr. Barry Tigay

Yoni & Rachel Torgow

Charles ◊ & Sally Van Dusen

Mrs. Eva von Voss

Mr. Michael A. Walch & Ms. Joyce Keller

Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner

Beverly & Barry Williams

Dr. & Mrs. Ned Winkelman

Ms. June Wu

Ms. Andrea L. Wulf

Dr. Sandra & Mr. D. Johnny Yee

Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Yee

Ms. Ellen Hill Zeringue

And two who wish to remain anonymous

Diane & Saul Green

Dr. Robert Greenberger

Anne & Eugene Greenstein

Sharon Lopo Hadden

Dr.◊ & Mrs. David Haines

Dr. & Mrs. Razmig Haladjian

Cheryl A. Harvey

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Holcomb

Mr. & Mrs. Peter Hollinshead

The Honorable Denise Page Hood & Reverend Nicholas Hood III

James Hoogstra & Clark Heath

Dr. Karen Hrapkiewicz

Larry & Connie Hutchinson

Sally Ingold

Ms. Elizabeth Ingraham

Carolyn & Howard Iwrey

Dr. Raymond E. Jackson & Dr. Kathleen Murphy

Mr. John S. Johns

Diane & John Kaplan

Lucy & Alexander* Kapordelis

Bernard & Nina Kent Philanthropic Fund

John Kim & Sabrina Hiedemann

Aileen & Harvey Kleiman

Thomas ◊ & Linda Klein

Tom ◊ & Beverly Klimko

Mr. & Mrs. Ludvik F. Koci

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Koffron

Douglas Korney & Marieta Bautista

Mr. Michael Kuhne

Mr. & Mrs. Robert LaBelle

Dr. & Mrs. Gerald Laker

Ms. Anne T. Larin

Dr. Jonathan Lazar

Marguerite & David Lentz

Arlene & John Lewis

Mr. Dane Lighthart & Ms. Robyn Bollinger*

David & Clare Loebl

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene LoVasco

Mr. & Mrs. Charles W. Manke, Jr.

Barbara J. Martin

Dr. & Mrs. Peter M. McCann, M.D.

Mr. Edward McClew

Ms. Mary McGough

Ms. Kristen McLennan

Dr. & Mrs. David Mendelson

Mr. & Mrs. Randall Miller

Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Miller

H. Keith Mobley

Dr. Van C. Momon, Jr. & Dr. Pamela Berry

Eugene & Sheila Mondry Foundation

Ms. Sandra Morrison

Megan Norris & Howard Matthew

Lisa & Michael O’Brien

GIVING OF $1,500 & MORE

Jacqueline D. Adams

Mrs. Lynn E. Adams

Dr. & Mrs. Gary S. Assarian

Mr. & Mrs. Russell Ayers

Mr. & Mrs. William C. Babbage

Drs. Richard & Helena Balon

Dr. & Mrs. William L. Beauregard

Mr. & Mrs. David W. Berry

Mr. and Mrs. John Bishop

John ◊ & Marlene Boll

Mr. & Mrs. Byron Canvasser

Steve & Geri Carlson

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Clark

Ms. Paula Cole

Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Colombo

Catherine Compton

Mr. & Mrs. Alfred J. Darold

Ms. Joyce Delamarter

Gordon & Elaine Didier

Mrs. Connie Dugger

Mr. Howard O. Emorey

Mr. & Mrs. Francis A. Engelhardt

Burke & Carol Fossee

Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Lois Gilmore

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Obringer

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur T. O’Reilly

Mr. Tony Osentoski & Mr. David Ogloza

Cara Parsons Dietz

Mark Pasik & Julie Sosnowski

Priscilla & Huel Perkins

Peter & Carrie Perlman

Ms. Alice Pfahlert

Mr. Steven Read

Mr. & Mrs. William A. Reed

Dr. Claude & Mrs. Sandra Reitelman

Denise Reske

Mr. & Mrs. John Rieckhoff

The Steven Della Rocca Memorial Fund/ Courtenay A. Hardy

Ms. Marilyn Rodzik

Mr. James Rose

Ms. Martha A. Scharchburg & Mr. Bruce Beyer

Shirley Anne & Alan Schlang

Joe & Ashley Schotthoefer

Catherine & Dennis B. Schultz

Dr. & Mrs. Richard S. Schwartz

Sandy ◊ & Alan Schwartz

Mrs. Rosalind B. Sell

Mr. Jeffrey S. Serman

Carlo & Nicole Serraiocco

Shapero Foundation

Bill* & Chris Shell

Dr. Les Siegel & Ellen Lesser Siegel

Allan D. Gilmour & Eric C. Jirgens

Mrs. Andrea Harral

Dr. Susan Harold

Jean Hudson

Mr. & Ms. Charles Jacobowitz

Carole Keller

Mr. & Mrs. Gerd H. Keuffel

Elissa & Daniel Kline

Mr. & Mrs.◊ Gregory Knas

Mr. Robert Kosinski

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Laurencelle

Mr. Daniel Lewis & Ms. Valerie Dillon

Mr. Steven L. Lipton

Ms. Evelyn Micheletti

Dr. & Mrs. Richard Miller

Steve & Judy Miller

Carolyn & J. Michael Moore

Muramatsu America Flutes

Mr. James Murawski

Mr. & Mrs. George Nicholson

Mrs. Ruth Nix

Dr. William W. O’Neill

Ken & Geralyn Papa

Mr. Frank Polasek

Ralph & Peggy Skiano

Mr. Michael J. Smith & Mrs. Mary C. Williams

Ms. Susan Smith

Shirley R. Stancato

Mrs. Andreas H. Steglich

Nancy C. Stocking

Dr. & Mrs. Gerald Stollman

Mr. JT Stout

Mr. & Mrs.◊ John Streit

Dr. & Mrs. Sugawa

Dr. Neil Talon

Mr. Rob Tanner

Barbara & Stuart Trager

Barbara & Steve Tronstein

Tom & Laura Trudeau

Gerald & Teresa Varani

Mr. & Mrs. Gary Van Elslander

Ms. Caren Vondell

Mr. William Waak

Dr.◊ & Mrs. Ronald W. Wadle

Richard P. & Carol A. Walter

Mr. Patrick Webster

Elizabeth & Michael Willoughby

Rissa & Sheldon Winkelman

Ms. Eileen Wunderlich

Ms. Gail Zabowski

And six who wish to remain anonymous

Mr. & Mrs. Mark H. Peterson

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Rapson

Mr. & Mrs. Rodney Rask

Dr. Natalie Rizk

Ms. Carole Robb

Ms. Elana Rugh

Brian & Toni Sanchez-Murphy

Ms. Rosemarie Sandel

Mr. & Mrs. Kingsley G. Sears

Elliot Shafer

Ms. Sandra Shetler

Donna & Robert Slatkin

Dr. & Mrs. Martin Tessler

David & Lila Tirsell

Dennis & Jennifer Varian

Dr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Verhelle

Mr. Barry Webster

Ms. Janet Weir

Ms. Joan Whittingham

Mr. & Mrs.◊ Richard Wigginton

Mr. Robert S. Williams & Ms. Treva Womble

Mr. Francis Wilson

Ms. Gail Zabowski

And three who wish to remain anonymous

TRIBUTE GIFTS

Gifts received – November 1, 2024 to February 15, 2025

Tribute gifts to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra are made to honor accomplishments, celebrate occasions, & pay respect in memory or reflection. These gifts support current season projects, partnerships & performances such as DSO concerts, education programs, free community concerts, & family programming. For information about making a tribute gift, please call 313.576.5114 or visit dso.org/donate.

In Memory

Judy Adams

Mr. Darel Dickens

Mrs. Mona G Alonzo

The Schlang Family

Ms. Cassie Brenske

Gladys and Julius Barr

Mr. & Mrs. Benson J. Barr

Anna K. Bonde

Debra Bonde

Raymond Brenner

Amy Willets

Lloyd Cheney

Mrs. Marcia Cheney

Fred and Gloria Clark

Mrs. Harriet C. Webber

Dolores Gaeta

Elizabeth Erlich

Jane Clare Hollman

Mrs. Janet Stenger

Ms. Vera Kalnins

Ambassador Yousif B. Ghafari & Mrs. Mara Kalnins-Ghafari

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

Adel & Walter Dissett

Mr. and Mrs. Peter D. Cummings

The Clinton Family Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred J. Fisher III

Adel & Walter Dissett

James S. Garrett

Mr. & Mrs. Timothy LeVigne

Josephine Kessler

Ms. Amy Kessler

Ted McClew

Paul Cadamagnani

Mrs. Patricia Nickol

Fred Brenner Jr.

Faye and Seymour Okun

Ms. Ruthanne Okun

William “Bill” Panzer

Karen Bean

Jean Casey

Mr. & Mrs. Edward E. Chielens

Couzens, Lansky, Fealk, Ellis, Roeder & Lazar, P.C..

Ann & Rick Edwards

Mark Farber

Carol Fridson

Lauren Gruber and Family

Brian Kutinsky

Laurie Myers

Sheryl Perry

Myra & Dennis Potocsky

Shelley & David Wainer

Rena Tepman

Elaine Rosenblatt

Frank Paone

Anthony Buccellato

Ms. Anne Parsons

The Clinton Family Fund

Gilbert Pendolino

Dayna Stein

Irv Poston

Karyn Ledbetter

Ruth Rattner

Steve and Margo Goodman

Sandy Schreier

Marc & Lori Siegel

Shelley Roland

Michelle Rice

Rosa Schindler

Richard Ng

In Honor

The Horwitz Family

Ms. Julie Ludwig-Overland

Dr. Raymond V. Landes

and Dr. Melissa McBrien

Ms. Victoria McBrien

Lorraine Lerner

Mrs. Anaruth Bernard

Betsy Winkelman

Margaret Shere

Susan Queen Will & Megann Smith

Marie Slotnik

Mrs. Judith Schultheiss

Mary Wilson

Ann McIlvain

Dr. David Wu

Mrs. Kristie Lawson

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT GIVING

Giving of $500,000 & more

SAMUEL & JEAN FRANKEL FOUNDATION

STATE OF MICHIGAN

Giving of $200,000 & more

EMORY M. FORD JR. ENDOWMENT FUND

Giving of $100,000 & more

PAUL M. ANGELL FAMILY FOUNDATION

MARVIN & BETTY DANTO FAMILY FOUNDATION

Giving of $50,000 & more

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

The Kresge Foundation

Masco Corporation

Milner Hotels Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Donald R. Simon & Esther Simon Foundation

Myron P. Leven Foundation

Giving of $20,000 & more

MGM Grand Detroit

Eleanor & Edsel Ford Fund

Richard & Jane Manoogian Foundation

Stone Foundation of Michigan

Honigman LLP

Strum Allesee Family Foundation

Applebaum Family Philanthropy

The Cassie Foundation

Sun Communities Inc.

Fisher Funeral Home & Cremation Services

Benson & Edith Ford Fund

James & Lynelle Holden Fund

Coffee Express Roasting Company

Enterprise Holdings Foundation EY

Frank & Gertrude Dunlap Foundation

Matilda R. Wilson Fund

Wolverine Packing

Mandell & Madeleine Berman Foundation

Giving of $10,000 & more

Geoinge Foundation

Huntington

Oliver Dewey Marcks Foundation

Penske Foundation, Inc.

Karen & Drew Peslar Foundation

Giving of $5,000 & more

Hylant Group

Marjorie & Maxwell Jospey Foundation

KPMG LLP

Lithia Motors, Inc.

Giving of $1,000 & more

Japan Business Society of Detroit Foundation

Dolores & Paul Lavins Foundation

Ludwig Foundation Fund

Michigan First Credit Union

Taft

Young Woman’s Home Association

Burton A. Zipser & Sandra D. Zipser Foundation

Mary Thompson Foundation

Sigmund and Sophie Rohlik Foundation

Warner Norcross + Judd

HUB International

Plante Moran

Renaissance (MI) Chapter of the Links

Samuel L. Westerman Foundation

Louis & Nellie Sieg Foundation Anonymous

The DSO’s Planned Giving Council recognizes the region’s leading financial and estate professionals whose current and future clients may involve them in their decision to make a planned gift to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Members play a critical role in shaping the future of the DSO through ongoing feedback, working with their clients, supporting philanthropy and attending briefings twice per year.

Mrs. Katana H. Abbott*

Mr. Joseph Aviv

Mr. Christopher Ballard*

Ms. Jessica B. Blake, Esq.

Ms. Rebecca J. Braun

Mr. Timothy Compton

Ms. Wendy Zimmer Cox*

Mr. Robin D. Ferriby*

Mrs. Jill Governale*

Mr. Henry Grix*

Mrs. Julie Hollinshead, CFA

Mr. Mark W. Jannott, CTFA

Ms. Jennifer Jennings*

Ms. Dawn Jinsky*

Mrs. Shirley Kaigler*

Mr. Robert E. Kass*

Mr. Christopher L. Kelly

Mr. Bernard S. Kent

Ms. Yuh Suhn Kim

Mrs. Marguerite Munson Lentz*

Mr. J. Thomas MacFarlane

Mr. Christopher M. Mann*

Mr. Curtis J. Mann

Mrs. Mary K. Mansfield

Mr. Mark E. Neithercut*

Mr. Steve Pierce

Ms. Deborah J. Renshaw, CFP

Mr. James P. Spica

Mr. David M. Thoms*

Mr. John N. Thomson, Esq.

Mr. Jason Tinsley*

Mr. William Vanover

Mr. William Winkler

*Executive Committee Member

Share the music of the DSO with future generations Include the DSO as a beneficiary in your will. To learn more please call Alexander Kapordelis at 313.576.5198 or email akapordelis@dso.org.

CELEBRATING YOUR LEGACY SUPPORT

BARBARA VAN DUSEN, Honorary Chair

The 1887 Society honors individuals who have made a special legacy commitment to support the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Members of the 1887 Society ensure that future music lovers will continue to enjoy unsurpassed musical experiences by including the DSO in their estate plans.

Ms. Doris L. Adler

Dr. & Mrs. William C. Albert

Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Allesee ◊

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Applebaum ◊

Dr. Augustin & Nancy ◊ Arbulu

Mr. David Assemany & Mr. Jeffery Zook

Ms. Sharon Backstrom

Sally & Donald Baker

Mr. & Mrs. Lee Barthel

Mr. Mark G. Bartnik & Ms. Sandra J. Collins

Stanley A. Beattie

Mr. Melvyn Berent & Ms. Barbara Spreitzer-Berent

Mr. & Mrs. Mandell L. Berman ◊

Virginia B. Bertram ◊

Mrs. Betty Blair◊

Ms. Rosalee Bleecker

Mr. Joseph Boner

Gwen & Richard Bowlby

Mr. Harry G. Bowles ◊

Mr. Charles Broh ◊

Mrs. Ellen Brownfain

William & Julia Bugera

CM Carnes

Dr. & Mrs. ◊ Thomas E. Carson

Cynthia Cassell, Ph. D.

Eleanor A. Christie

Ms. Mary F. Christner

Mr. Gary Ciampa

Robert & Lucinda Clement

Lois & Avern Cohn ◊

Drs. William ◊ & Janet Cohn

Mrs. RoseAnn Comstock ◊

Mr. Scott Cook, Jr.

Mr. & Ms. Thomas Cook

Dorothy M. Craig ◊

Mr. & Mrs. John Cruikshank

Julie & Peter Cummings

Joanne Danto & Arnold Weingarden

Mr. Kevin S. Dennis &

Mr. Jeremy J. Zeltzer

Ms. Leslie C. Devereaux◊

Mr. John Diebel ◊

Mr. Stuart Dow ◊

Mr. Roger Dye &

Ms. Jeanne A. Bakale

Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Eidson ◊

Marianne T. Endicott

Ms. Dorothy Fisher◊

Mrs. Marjorie S. Fisher◊

Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Wm. Fisher

Dorothy A. & Larry L. Fobes

Samuel & Laura Fogleman

Mr. Emory Ford, Jr. ◊ Endowment

Dr. Saul & Mrs. Helen Forman

Barbara Frankel ◊ & Ron Michalak

Herman & Sharon Frankel

Mrs. Rema Frankel ◊

Jane French ◊

Mark & Donna Frentrup

Alan M. Gallatin

Janet M. Garrett

Dr. Byron P. ◊ & Marilyn Georgeson

Jim & Nancy Gietzen

Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Lois Gilmore

Victor & Gale Girolami ◊

Ruth & Al ◊ Glancy

David & Paulette Groen

Mr. Gerald Grum ◊

Rosemary Gugino

Mr. & Mrs. William Harriss

Donna & Eugene ◊ Hartwig

Gerhardt A. Hein ◊ &

Rebecca P. Hein

Ms. Nancy B. Henk ◊

Joseph L. Hickey ◊

Mr. ◊ & Mrs. Thomas N. Hitchman

Ronald M. & Carol ◊ Horwitz

Andy Howell

Carol Howell ◊

Paul M. Huxley & Cynthia Pasky

David & Sheri Jaffa

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas H. Jeffs II

Mr. & Mrs. Richard J. Jessup

Mr. George G. Johnson

Ms. Carol Johnston

Lenard & Connie Johnston

Carol M. Jonson

Drs. Anthony & Joyce Kales

Faye & Austin ◊ Kanter

Norb ◊ & Carole Keller

Dr. Mark & Mrs. Gail Kelley

June K. Kendall ◊

Dimitri ◊ & Suzanne Kosacheff

Douglas Koschik

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur J. Krolikowski ◊

Mary Clippert LaMont ◊

Ms. Sandra Lapadot

Mrs. Bonnie Larson

Ann C. Lawson ◊

Leslie Jean Lazzerin

Allan S. Leonard

Max Lepler & Rex L. Dotson

Dr. Melvin A. Lester◊

Mr. & Mrs. ◊ Joseph Lile

Eugene & Jeanne LoVasco Family

Eric & Ginny Lundquist

Harold Lundquist ◊ & Elizabeth Brockhaus Lundquist

Roberta Maki

Eileen ◊ & Ralph Mandarino

Judy Howe Masserang

Mr. Glenn Maxwell

Ms. Elizabeth Maysa ◊

Mary Joy McMachen, Ph.D.

Judith Mich ◊

Rhoda A. Milgrim ◊

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene A. Miller

John & Marcia Miller

Jerald A. & Marilyn H. Mitchell

Mr. ◊ & Mrs. L. William Moll

Shari & Craig Morgan

Ms. I. Surayyah R. Muwwakkil ◊

Joy & Allan Nachman

Geoffrey S. Nathan & Margaret E. Winters ◊

Beverley Anne Pack

David & Andrea Page ◊

Mr. Dale J. Pangonis

Ms. Mary Webber Parker◊

Mr. David Patria & Ms. Barbara Underwood ◊

Mrs. Sophie Pearlstein ◊

Helen & Wesley Pelling ◊

Dr. William F. Pickard ◊

Mrs. Bernard E. Pincus

Ms. Christina Pitts

Mrs. Robert Plummer◊

Mr. & Mrs. P. T. Ponta

Mrs. Mary Carol Prokop ◊

Ms. Linda Rankin & Mr. Daniel Graschuck

Mr. & Mrs. Douglas J. Rasmussen

Ms. Elizabeth Reiha ◊

Deborah J. Remer

Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd E. Reuss ◊

Barbara Gage Rex ◊

Ms. Marianne Reye ◊

Lori-Ann Rickard

Katherine D. Rines

Bernard & Eleanor Robertson

Ms. Barbara Robins ◊

Jack & Aviva Robinson ◊

John & Barbara Rohrbeck

Mr. & Mrs. Gerald F. Ross ◊

Mr. & Mrs. ◊ George Roumell

Marjorie Shuman Saulson

Ruth Saur Trust

Mr. & Mrs. Donald and Janet Schenk

Ms. Yvonne Schilla

David W. Schmidt ◊

Mr. & Mrs. Fred Secrest ◊

Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Shaffer◊

Patricia Finnegan Sharf

Ms. Marla K. Shelton

Edna J. Shin

Ms. June Siebert

Mr. & Mrs. Donald R. Simon ◊

Dr. Melissa J. Smiley & Dr. Patricia A. Wren

David & Sandra Smith

Ms. Marilyn Snodgrass ◊

Mrs. Margot Sterren ◊

Mr. ◊ & Mrs. Walter Stuecken

Mr. ◊ & Mrs. Alexander C. Suczek

David Szymborski & Marilyn Sicklesteel

Alice ◊ & Paul Tomboulian

Roger & Tina Valade

Charles ◊ & Sally Van Dusen

Barbara C. Van Dusen

Mr. & Mrs. Melvin VanderBrug

Mr. & Mrs. George C. Vincent ◊

Mr. Sanford Waxer◊

Christine & Keith C. Weber

Mr. Herman Weinreich ◊

John ◊ & Joanne Werner

Mr. ◊ & Mrs. Arthur Wilhelm

Mr. Robert E. Wilkins ◊

Mrs. Michel H. Williams

Ms. Nancy S. Williams ◊

Mr. Robert S. Williams & Ms. Treva Womble

Ms. Barbara Wojtas

Elizabeth B. Work ◊

Dr. & Mrs. Clyde Wu ◊

Ms. Andrea L. Wulf

Mrs. Judith G. Yaker

Milton & Lois Zussman ◊

And six who wish to remain anonymous

YOUR EXPERIENCE AT THE MAX

Our Home on Woodward Avenue

The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center is one of Detroit’s most notable cultural campuses. The Max includes three main performance spaces: historic Orchestra Hall, the Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube (The Cube), and Robert A. and Maggie Allesee Hall, plus our outdoor green space, Sosnick Courtyard. All are accessible from the centrally located William Davidson Atrium. The Jacob Bernard Pincus Music Education Center is home to the DSO’s Wu Family Academy and other music education offerings. The DSO is also proud to offer The Max as a performance and administrative space for several local partners.

Parking

The DSO Parking Deck is located at 81 Parsons Street. Self-parking in the garage costs $12 for most concerts (credit card payment only). Accessible parking is available on the first and second floors of the garage. Note that accessible parking spaces go quickly, so please arrive early!

Valet parking is also available for all patrons (credit card payment only), and a golf cart-style DSO Courtesy Shuttle is available for all patrons who need assistance entering The Max.

What Should I Wear?

You do you! We don’t have a dress code, and you’ll see a variety of outfit styles. Business casual attire is common, but sneakers and jeans are just as welcome as suits and ties. Please reference page 51 for our bag policy.

Food and Drink

Concessions are available for purchase on the first floor of the William Davidson Atrium at most concerts, and light bites are available in the Paradise Lounge on the second floor. Bars are located on the first and third floors of the William Davidson Atrium and offer canned sodas (pop, if you prefer), beer, wine, and specialty cocktail mixes.

Patrons are welcome to

take drinks to their seats at all performances except Friday morning Coffee Concerts; food is not allowed in Orchestra Hall. Please note that outside food and beverages are prohibited.

Accessibility

Accessibility matters. Whether you need ramp access for your wheelchair or are looking for sensory-friendly concert options, we are thinking of you.

• The Max has elevators, barrierfree restrooms, and accessible seating on each level. Security staff are available at all entrances to help patrons requiring extra assistance in and out of vehicles.

• The DSO’s Sennheiser MobileConnect hearing assistance system is available for all performances in Orchestra Hall. You can use your own mobile device and headphones by downloading the Sennheiser MobileConnect app, or borrow a device by visiting the Box Office.

• Available at the Box Office during all events at The Max, William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series venues, and chamber recitals, the DSO offers sensory toolkits to use free of charge, courtesy of the Mid-Michigan Autism Association. The kits contain items that can help calm or stimulate a

THE MAX M. & MARJORIE S. FISHER MUSIC CENTER

3711 Woodward Avenue Detroit, MI 48201

Box

Visit the DSO online at dso.org For general inquiries, please email info@dso.org

person with a sensory processing difference, including noise-reducing headphones and fidget toys. The DSO also has a quiet room, available for patrons to use at every performance at The Max.

• A golf cart-style DSO Courtesy Shuttle is available for all patrons who need assistance entering The Max.

• Check out the Accessibility tab on dso.org/yourexperience to learn more

WiFi

Complimentary WiFi is available throughout The Max. Look for the DSOGuest network on your device. And be sure to tag your posts with #IAMDSO!

Shop DSO Merchandise

Visit shopdso.org to purchase DSO and Civic Youth Ensembles merchandise anywhere, anytime!

The Herman and Sharon Frankel Donor Lounge

Governing Members can enjoy complimentary beverages, appetizers, and desserts in the Donor Lounge, open 90 minutes prior to each concert through the end of intermission. For more information on becoming a Governing Member, contact friends@dso.org.

Gift Certificates

Gift certificates are available in any denomination and may be used towards tickets to any DSO performance. Please contact the Box Office for more information.

Rent The Max

Elegant and versatile, The Max is an ideal setting for a variety of events and performances: weddings, corporate gatherings, meetings, concerts, and more. Visit dso.org/rentals or call 313.576.5131 for more information.

POLICIES

BAG POLICY

For the safety of our patrons, musicians, staff, volunteers and vendors, we have implemented the following policies:

• All bags entering DSO facilities are subject to inspection.

• No backpacks, large/duffel bags, large purses, and suitcases are permitted. Purses, medical bags, diaper bags, and medical devices smaller than 14” x 14” x 6” are allowed.

• There is no storage available for bags that do not adhere to the above standards.

• No weapons or disruptive materials are allowed on DSO property.

SEATING

Please note that all patrons (of any age) must have a ticket to attend concerts. If the music has already started, an usher will ask you to wait until a break before seating you. The same applies if you leave Orchestra Hall and re-enter. Most performances are broadcast (with sound) on a TV in the William Davidson Atrium.

TICKETS, EXCHANGES, AND CONCERT CANCELLATIONS

n All sales are final and non-refundable.

n Even though we’ll miss you, we understand that plans can change unexpectedly, so the DSO offers flexible exchange and ticket donation options.

n Please contact the Box Office to exchange tickets and for all ticketing questions or concerns.

n The DSO is a show-must-go-on orchestra. In the rare event a concert is cancelled, our website and social media feeds will announce the cancellation, and patrons will be notified of exchange options.

PHONES

Your neighbors and the musicians appreciate your cooperation in turning your phone to silent and your brightness down while you’re keeping an eye on texts from the babysitter or looking up where a composer was born!

PHOTOGRAPHY & RECORDING

We love a good selfie for social media (please share your experiences using @ DetroitSymphony and #IAMDSO) but remember that having your device out can be distracting to musicians and audience members. Please be cautious and respectful if you wish to take photos or videos. Flash photography, extended video recording, tripods, and cameras with detachable lenses are strictly prohibited.

NOTE: By entering event premises, you consent to having your likeness featured in photography, audio, and video captured by the DSO, and release the DSO from any liability connected with these materials. Visit dso.org for more.

SMOKING

Smoking and vaping are not allowed anywhere in The Max.

To report an emergency during a concert, immediately notify an usher or DSO staff member. If an usher or DSO staff member is not available, please contact DSO Security at 313.576.5199

FERNANDE DECRUCK

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Erik Rönmark

President and CEO

James B. and Ann V. Nicholson Chair

Jill Elder

Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer

Linda Lutz

Vice President and Chief Financial & Administrative Officer

Martin Sher Vice President and Chief Artistic & Operating Officer

Joy Crawford

Executive Assistant to the President and CEO

Anne Parsons ◊ President Emeritus

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

ARTISTIC PLANNING

Jessica Ruiz

Senior Director of Artistic Planning

Jessica Slais

Creative Director of Popular & Special Programming

Stephen Grady Jr. Program Manager, Popular & Special Programming

Lindzy Volk Artistic Manager

LIVE FROM ORCHESTRA HALL

Marc Geelhoed

Executive Producer of Live from Orchestra Hall

ORCHESTRA OPERATIONS

Kathryn Ginsburg General Manager

Patrick Peterson Orchestra Manager

Dennis Rotell Stage Manager

Andrew Williams Director of Orchestra Personnel

Bronwyn Hagerty Orchestra and Training Programs Librarian

Benjamin Tisherman Manager of Orchestra Personnel

ADVANCEMENT

Alex Kapordelis

Senior Director of Advancement

Ali Huber

Director of Donor Engagement

Zach Suchanek

Associate Director of Annual Giving

Alex Anderson Manager of Advancement Events

Maggie Derthick Manager of Donor Hospitality

Bryana Hall Data & Research Specialist

Jane Koelsch

Major Gift Officer

Francesca Leo Manager of Governance & Donor Engagement

Elizabeth McConnell Specialist, Donor Communications

Susan Queen Gift Officer, Corporate Giving

Bethany Simmerlein Grant Writer

Samantha Taylor Manager of Foundation Relations

Amanda Tew Major Gift Officer

BUILDING OPERATIONS

Ken Waddington

Senior Director of Facilities & Engineering

Teresa Beachem Chief Engineer

Demetris Fisher Manager of Environmental Services (EVS)

William Guilbault EVS Technician

Robert Hobson Chief Maintenance Technician

Aaron Kirkwood EVS Lead

Anthony Lindsey EVS Technician

Daniel Speights EVS Technician

EVENT AND

PATRON

EXPERIENCE

Christina Williams Director of Event & Patron Experience

Neva Kirksey Manager of Events & Rentals

Alison Reed, CVA Manager of Volunteer & Patron Experience

Andre Williams Beverage Program Manager

COMMUNICATIONS

Matt Carlson

Senior Director of Communications & Media Relations

Sarah Smarch Director of Content & Storytelling

Natalie Berger Manager of Multimedia Brand Content

LaToya Cross Communications & Advancement Content Specialist

Hannah Engwall Elbialy Public Relations Manager

Marisa Jacques Coordinator of Public Relations

LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT

Karisa Antonio Senior Director of Social Innovation & Learning

Damien Crutcher Managing Director of Detroit Harmony

Debora Kang Director of Education

Clare Valenti Director of Community Engagement

Kiersten Alcorn Manager of Community Engagement

Chris DeLouis

Manager of Learning, Student & Program Deveopment

Erin Faryniarz

Detroit Harmony Partnerships & Services Coordinator

Claire Eileen Hall Coordinator of Engagement Operations

Samuel Hsieh Coordinator of Learning Operations

Kendra Sachs Manager of Learning, Enrollment & Communications

FINANCE

Adela Löw Director of Accounting & Financial Reporting

Tanisha Hester Accountant

Sophie Lall Accounting Clerk Assistant

Sandra Mazza Senior Accountant of Business Operations

Claudia Scalzetti Staff Accountant

HUMAN RESOURCES

Hannah Lozon Senior Director of Talent & Culture

Angela Stough Director of Human Resources

Sharon Tse Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

William Shell Director of Information Technology

Pat Harris Systems Administrator

Michelle Koning

Web Manager

Aaron Tockstein

Database Administrator

MARKETING & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Connor Mehren Director of Growth Marketing

Juliana Nahas Director of Loyalty Marketing

Sharon Gardner Carr Tessitura Event Operations Manager

Jay Holladay Brand Graphic Designer

LaHeidra Marshall

Direct Marketing Manager

Thomas Monks

Loyalty Marketing Manager

Declan O’Neal

Marketing & Promotions Coordinator

Kristin Pagels-Quinlan

Digital Advertising Manager

Grace Venner Manager of Growth Marketing

PATRON SALES & SERVICE

Michelle Marshall Director of Patron Sales & Service

Valerie Jackson Group Sales Representative

James Sabatella Group & Tourism Sales Manager

Chantel Woodard Manager of Patron Sales & Service

SAFETY & SECURITY

George Krappmann Director of Safety & Security

Johnnie Scott

Safety & Security Manager

Willie Coleman

Security Officer

Joyce Dorsey

Security Officer

Tony Morris

Security Officer

Eric Thomas

Security Officer & Maintenance Technician

UPCOMING CONCERTS & EVENTS

LET’S MISBEHAVE: THE SONGS OF COLE PORTER

JUN 20–22

MAY

PVS CLASSICAL SERIES FRENCH SHOWPIECES

MAY 2–3

TINY TOTS KRIS JOHNSON GROUP

MAY 3

YOUNG PEOPLE’S FAMILY CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS

MAY 3

PVS CLASSICAL SERIES SHOSTAKOVICH’S TENTH SYMPHONY

MAY 8–10

PVS CLASSICAL SERIES RAVEL’S PIANO CONCERTOS

MAY 16–18

RAVEL’S PIANO CONCERTOS

MAY 16–18

BERTRAND CHAMAYOU, PIANO

CHRIS THILE JUN 26

PNC POPS SERIES BEN FOLDS

MAY 23–24

JUNE

PVS CLASSICAL SERIES SCHUMANN & STRAUSS

MAY 30–JUN 1

PVS CLASSICAL SERIES TCHAIKOVSKY’S PIANO CONCERTO JUN 5–7

PARDISE JAZZ SERIES CÉCILE McLORIN SALVANT

JUN 6

PNC POPS SERIES LET’S MISBEHAVE: THE SONGS OF COLE PORTER

JUN 20–22

SPECIAL CHRIS THILE ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra

JUN 26

JULY

WILLIAM DAVIDSON NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERTS BEETHOVEN & BIZET

JULY 10–13

AT THE MOVIES BATMAN 1989 IN CONCERT

JUL 25

AT THE MOVIES THE LION KING IN CONCERT

JUL 27

AUBREY LOGAN