Fri., March 1 and 15, April 5, May 24, and June 7 at 10:40AM on 90.5 FM & STREAMING | Tune in on these select Fridays to enjoy the magical sounds of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
March 1
Na'Zir McFadden, conductor
Steve Banks, saxophone
Shelly Washington: [New Work TBA]
Billy Childs: Saxophone Concerto
Classical Roots has celebrated the contributions of African American composers and artists for nearly fifty years. This season, we hear new music from Shelley Washington, who focuses "on exploring emotions and intentions by finding their root cause." Saxophonist Steven Banks, "one of the transformational musicians of the twenty-first century" (Seen and Heard International) performs a new concerto written for him by Grammy Award winner Billy Childs.
Amplifying Voices is a New Music USA initiative, which is powered by the Sphinx Ventures Fund, with additional support from ASCAP and the Sorel Organization.
April 5
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Wu Man, pipa
Claude Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Du Yun: Pipa Concerto
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
Known as the best in the world on her instrument (pipa), Wu Man plays new music by Pulitzer Prize–winner Du Yun, herself celebrated as a "groundbreaking artist" (The New York Times). Debussy’s Prelude, with its dreamy flute solo, evokes longing and desire. Our celebration of Rachmaninoff at 150 ends with his last work for orchestra, a powerful, heart-pounding ride.
May 24
David Afkham, conductor
Veronika Eberle, violin
Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major
Bela Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra
German conductor David Afkham makes his DSO debut with works that show virtuosity on different scales. Violinist Veronika Eberle, "a star performer" (LA Times), shines in Brahms's monumental Violin Concerto (and on a Stradivarius made in 1693). Every musician on stage shines in Bartók's concerto, right through to one of the most exciting last movements in orchestral music.
June 7
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello
Julia Perry: A Short Piece for Orchestra
Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Cello Concerto, Op. 43
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor
Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has established himself as "nothing less than the future of classical music" (NPR). We celebrate the centennial of Julia Perry’s birth with a brilliant piece by the prolific Kentucky-born composer, and we end the 2023–2024 season with the fateful theme and inevitable glories of Beethoven's timeless Fifth Symphony.
Note: The originally scheduled live broadcast on Friday, March 15th has been preempted for a special event broadcast coming to WKAR Radio.