The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will honor trumpeter, composer, and Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Chair Terence Blanchard and jazz violinist and MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter at the 39th annual Classical Roots Celebration. Classical Roots honors African-American composers, musicians, and educators for lifetime achievement and raises funds to support the DSO’s African-American music and musician development programs.
The concert will take place on Friday, March 3 at 8 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, located within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. The celebration—presented by JPMorgan Chase and the DTE Energy Foundation—surrounds the performance, featuring a pre-concert strolling dinner and a post-concert celebration in The Cube.
A separate performance featuring the same program in a concert-only setting, scheduled for Friday, March 3 at 10:45 a.m. as a Classical Series Coffee Concert, will take place as planned.
The DSO will present the world premiere of a yet-unnamed piece composed by Blanchard marking the 50th anniversary of Detroit’s tumultuous summer of 1967. (Please note: Blanchard does not perform on the piece, which is scored for orchestra and voice.) Kazem Abdullah will conduct the program, which also includes a performance by Carter and Jeffrey Mumford’s cello concerto titled of fields unfolding…echoing depths of resonant light with guest cellist Christine Lamprea, First Prize winner of the 2013 Sphinx Competition. A performance by the Brazeal Dennard Chorale will also be featured.
The premiere of Blanchard’s piece is an element of the DSO’s partnership with Detroit 67: Looking Back to MOVE FORWARD, a multi-year community engagement project of the Detroit Historical Society that brings together diverse voices and communities around the effects of an historic crisis to find their place in the present and inspire the future.
“The DSO’s Classical Roots Celebration is an annual tradition, celebrating African American musicians and composers whose contributions transcend time and place while rooting us deeply in our community,” says Marlowe Stoudamire, Director of the Detroit 67 Project. “The debut of Terence Blanchard’s piece demonstrates the role art can play in making history relevant in the present as we come together to tell our story and inspire our future.”
Co-chairing the Classical Roots Celebration are Jason Tinsley and Therese Peace, with the support of more than 30 Detroit-area volunteers and corporate leaders committed to the Classical Roots mission.
About the Honorees
Terence Blanchard has established himself as one of the most influential jazz musicians and film score masters of his generation. With more than 31 albums to his credit, Blanchard is a five-time Grammy Award-winner and a Golden Globe nominee. He has composed scores for more than 50 films, including Lucasfilm’s 2013 historical drama Red Tails, about African-American pilots in World War II. Blanchard’s Champion: An Opera in Jazz will receive its east coast premiere in 2017 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
In Detroit, Blanchard serves as the DSO’s Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Chair and the regular host of the Paradise Jazz Series.
Regina Carter is considered the foremost jazz violinist of her generation. A Sony Masterworks artist, Regina was a 2006 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant. A master of improvisation, she has released numerous albums as a leader and has collaborated with artists as diverse as Wynton Marsalis, Lauryn Hill, Max Roach, Joe Jackson, and Dolly Parton.
Carter is a native Detroiter, proud Cass Technical High School alumna, and former DSO Civic Youth Ensembles student.
Ticket Information
Tickets for the DSO’s Classical Roots concerts begin at $15 and can be purchased at dso.org, by calling (313) 576-5111, or in person at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center (3711 Woodward Avenue, Detroit). For group ticket information (groups of 10 or more), please contact DeRon Wilson at (313) 576-5130 or dwilson@dso.org.
Classical Roots Celebration tickets—which include the preconcert reception and strolling dinner, the Classical Roots concert, and the post-concert afterglow—start at $175 ($75 for Young Friends, age 40 and under). All tickets include valet parking. Sponsorship opportunities ranging from $5,000-$25,000 are also available. For further information or to reserve tickets, please call (313) 576-5120.
About Post Author
