In recent years, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) under the artistic direction of Leonard Slatkin has developed a unique programme pairing classical symphonic repertoire with ventures into contemporary music. The forthcoming 2016-17 season’s programme, presented earlier this year, develops this line even further.

The orchestra will perform 25 classical concerts, ranging from the opening concert’s Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Bach, Verdi, and Sibelius, to Respighi, Mahler, Bartók, Elgar, and Tchaikovsky whose Symphony No 5 will close the 2016-17 season. Furthermore, DSO’s fourth annual Winter Music Festival’s edition will bring a three-week in-depth exploration of Mozart’s works, featuring 15 of the orchestra’s own musicians as soloists.

The orchestra has also announced a showcase of contemporary, mostly American music, under the theme Gershwin and His Children: The Influence of Popular Culture on Classical Music. Their venture into contemporary music includes also three world premieres. The first one, Ferran Cruixent’s Cyborg, using an app to incorporate the orchestra’s mobile phones, will take place already during the opening concert. In March, DSO’s Erb Jazz Chair Terence Blanchard’s composition, included in the orchestra’s annual Classical Roots concert, will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Detroit riots. The third world premiere is Concerto for Jazz Trio and Orchestra, written by Michel Camilo who will make an appearance as a soloist in the premiere.

Speaking of artistic collaboration, in the coming season, the DSO will perform under the baton of such renowned conductors as Neeme Järvi, Louis Langrée, Andrey Boreyko, James Gaffigan, and Hannu Lintu and will host a number of world-class soloists, including Hilary Hahn, Lang Lang, Sara Davis Buechner, Christine Lamprea, and Storm Large as Anna in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins.

The DSO’s 4th Paradise Jazz Series will mark the 75th anniversary of the opening of the orchestra’s hall Paradise Theatre by Duke Ellington. The Pops Series will bring back the popular theme nights, such as The Great American Songbook, Home for the Holidays, and A Night at the Academy Awards.

The full classical program of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is freely accessible thanks to the Live from Orchestra Hall webcast at dso.org/live

During this year’s Winter Music Festival dedicated to Johannes Brahms, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performed his symphonies. The recording of this endeavour, Brahms: The Four Symphonies (Live), will be launched in May 2016 and is already available for pre-order on iTunes.

For further information on the DSO, please consult www.dso.org

Ester Lavoie Fialová