On May 9 and 10, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra will perform at Carnegie Hall for the first time in 17 years with the General Motors Foundation, Cadillac and the William Davidson Foundation proudly supporting its return to this legendary stage.
The DSO’s recent history has been filled with transformation. A decade ago, the facility we now know as the Max M. Fisher Music Center opened, allowing for the expansion of the DSO’s Civic Youth Ensembles and cultivating an atmosphere for enjoying music that is both sophisticated and welcoming.
In 2008, Maestro Leonard Slatkin signed on as the DSO’s Music Director, leading the orchestra through a tenure filled with numerous recordings and the launch of a cutting-edge community programming initiative. The Orchestra did face some economic challenges; however, with those days in the past it proudly welcomed 11 talented new musicians in the last year alone.
During the past decade, Detroit has also seen its fair share of change. Today, the city’s energy is again attracting young professionals and entrepreneurial spirits desiring to build both businesses and lives within its borders. As a result, there is a new energy surrounding the city’s vibrant artistic offerings, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
The GM Foundation, having donated nearly $21.5 million to the city’s nonprofits and cultural institutions in the last year alone, is a proud supporter of the DSO. The orchestra’s return to Carnegie Hall as part of the Spring for Music festival will showcase the best of Detroit to audiences from around the world. The journey will kick off with a free May 7 sendoff concert at Orchestra Hall.
For the concert, Maestro Slatkin has in store for audiences a concert never before attempted – a consecutive performance of all four Charles Ives symphonies. Oregon-based rocker Storm Large will join the second program as the soprano lead in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins.
When the DSO takes the stage at Carnegie Hall, with 1,000 Detroiters in the audience waving their rally flags, it will be in celebration of the orchestra’s return to one of our nation’s most famous stages and also of the resilient Detroit spirit that makes us proud to call this city our home.
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