Detroit Symphony performs a pop-up in the heart of downtown as new season approaches
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Campus Martius Park got a little Bach on the beach Friday, as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra staged a preview of its upcoming season.
A string quartet played several selections in a teaser of the 2023-2024 season, which will kick off at Orchestra Hall with a “Ghostbusters in Concert” film play-along (Sept. 20-21) and include an opening gala the following week with cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Friday’s media event had onlookers looking on from the sandy strip at Campus Martius in the heart of downtown, with the music catching the attention of wandering passersby. The mini-concert was occasionally accented by horns from nearby QLine trains on Woodward — which the DSO had deployed last year for a mobile preview of that upcoming season.
Violinists Rachel Harding Klaus and Eun Park Lee, violist Mike Chen and bassist Christopher Hamlin performed pieces by Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Duke Ellington and others, all tied to upcoming concerts in the DSO’s classical and pops series.
The Friday program wrapped with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” a nod to “Let’s Groove Tonight: Motown & the Philly Sound,” which will launch the pops series Oct. 6-7.
More: Detroit vs. Windsor: Firefighters to compete in epic tug-of-war across Detroit River
More: Stranger tries to lure Bloomfield Hills student with candy
The Sept. 30 opening gala — the DSO’s first in many years — will bring acclaimed cellist Ma to Orchestra Hall for Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor, conducted by DSO music director Jader Bignamini.
“We’re starting the season with a bang,” said DSO president Erik Rönmark. “It’s a way for us to remind people we’re back. The orchestra is running on all cylinders. I talked to Jader yesterday — he can’t wait to be back.”
Alongside the pops concerts, Paradise Jazz Series and the DSO’s classical weeks (10 of which will be conducted by Bignamini), the 2023-24 season features a host of special events, including “Police Deranged” with Police drummer Steward Copeland (Oct. 8), “Beethoven X Coldplay” (Oct. 22) and “The Music of Pink Floyd” (March 20), along with holiday films such as “Home Alone” (Dec. 13) and “Elf” (Dec. 22-23).
Like last year, the new season features customizable series packages, allowing concertgoers to handpick four or more events from across the DSO schedule.
The full array of 2023-24 concerts can be found at the Detroit Symphony's website.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DSO performs a pop-up in the heart of Detroit as new season approaches
