Welcome to the DSO Music Box!
DSO + Music Box is a collaboration between the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and the Detroit Community Technology Project (DCTP) to share high quality orchestra performances videos with Equitable Internet Initiative community networks.
Orchestra Performances
This curated collection of performances highlights the work of conductors, soloists, and composers of color, performed at Orchestra Hall at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Center in Detroit. Some of the works are grand, bold statements with large choirs and many singing soloists, while one leaves out the woodwinds, brass, and percussion entirely, with only the strings remaining. Some works are nearly an hour, some last only a few minutes.
The works were recorded live in concert within the past three seasons. We hope that you can find inspiration, pleasure, and solace throughout this collection.
Williams Dunner, "Star Wars Main Title"
Little introduction is needed for composer John Williams (b.1932). He is the mind behind the music of timeless movies, such as Jaws (1975), Superman (1978), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Indiana Jones (first movie in 1981), Schindler’s List (1993) and, of course, the legendary Star Wars (first movie in 1977). What you might not know about the Star Wars’ soundtrack is that the American Film Institute (AFI) elected the music of the 1977 epic fantasy as the greatest film score ever in a selection listing the “the 25 greatest film scores of all time”.
In this recording from October 23, 2019 the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) was celebrating the centennial year of its Orchestra Hall, and this fanfare from the opening track of Star Wars – simply called Main Title – perfectly suits the occasion. The DSO is conducted by Leslie B. Dunner, a frequent guest conductor of the orchestra who has also conducted other major orchestras all around the U.S., Europe, and parts of Latin America and Africa. Dr. Dunner is also the first American winner of the Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition (1986).
More info about this concert can also be found here.
Léon Boëllmann, "Symphonic Variations, Op.23"
The concert that you are watching was a very special one for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, as it celebrated on October 23, 2019 the centennial year of the Orchestra Hall on Woodward Ave. Such a milestone surely deserved a majestic soundtrack, and the brilliance of French composer Léon Boëllmann’s Symphonic Variations, Op.23, composed in 1892, was well suited for the occasion.
The featured cello soloist in this recording, Abraham Feder, is a DSO member who joined the orchestra as Assistant Principal Cello just one year before this concert. In contrast, conductor Leslie B. Dunner is well-known to DSO audiences, having conducted the orchestra in 11 seasons between 1987 and 1999. Dr. Dunner has a remarkable career - not only has he conducted major orchestras in the U.S., Africa, Europe, and Latin America, he has also been the first American winner of the Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition in 1986.
More info about this concert can be found here.
John Rosamond Johnson, "Lift Every Voice and Sing"
As part of every year’s Classical Roots Celebration concert, the DSO performs what is known as the Black National Anthem - Lift Every Voice and Sing, composed by John Rosamond Johnson and his brother, James Weldon Johnson. The piece carries an interesting story – in 1900, on the occasion of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, James Weldon Johnson wrote this work as a poem, which was recited by 500 schoolchildren in Jacksonville, Florida. Five years later, John Rosamond Johnson set the poem to music, and the piece has held an important place in American history ever since. This partnership between the two brothers was very influential in American history and, in fact, lasted throughout their entire lives.
In this recording, the text is sung by the Brazeal Dennard Chorale, a group which has been a constant in Classical Roots Celebration concerts since its inception in 1978. Its mission is "to remember, discover, and preserve the spiritual music of the African American experience and culture". The DSO and the Brazeal Dennard Chorale are under the baton of guest conductor Joseph Young.
This piece was performed as part of the commemoration of the 40th-anniversary of the Classical Roots Celebration concerts in 2018.
Nkeiru Okoye, "Voices Shouting Out"
Voices Shouting Out is Nkeiru Okoye’s (pronounced “in-KEAR-roo oh-KOY-yeh) most performed piece. Premiered in 2002 as a response to the tragic 9/11 events, the piece encourages the listener to “shout out” for peace, unity, and freedom. Born in New York to an African-American mother and a Nigerian father, Okoye has been acknowledged in 2020 by the State of Michigan for “her extraordinary contributions to the history of Detroit, Michigan, for Black Bottom”, a piece that is featured here in this Allied Media video series.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Thomas Wilkins, who is currently music director of the Omaha Symphony, principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and artistic advisor for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Wilkins has an incredible list of achievements, having appeared with major orchestras in America (Detroit Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, just to name a few), taught at important academic institutions (Indiana University, North Park University, the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, and Virginia Commonwealth University), as well as having received numerous awards.
Click here to read the program notes for this concert (pages 21-30). This piece was part of the 2020 Classical Roots Celebration.
William Grant Still Jr., "Symphony No. 1 "'Afro-American'"
The history of William Grant Still Jr.’s Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American" is a powerful one – it was the first symphony composed by an African-American composer to be performed by a major orchestra in the U.S. (Rochester Philharmonic, 1931). But Still’s list of overcome obstacles does not stop here. He was also the first African-American to ever conduct a major orchestra (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, 1936) and a white radio orchestra (Deep River Hour, 1932), and to have works commissioned and premiered by top orchestras and opera houses in the country. William Grant Still Jr was born in Woodville, Mississippi, in 1895, and has enjoyed a prolific career as a composer.
The guest conductor for this concert was André Raphel, currently the Conductor Laureate of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra in West Virginia. In the past, he has served as Assistant Conductor to Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic, as well as Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He has appearances with orchestras in Europe, U.S., New Zealand, and Central and South Americas.
This piece was performed as part of the 2019 Classical Roots Celebration concert.
George Walker, "Lyric for Strings"
This melancholic Lyric for Strings (1946) is an orchestral adaptation of the slow movement of George Theophilus Walker’s first String Quartet. Originally subtitled “Lament”, it was composed as a dedication to his grandmother, who had just passed away. Walker was a Pulitzer-winner composer, an accomplished pianist, and a devoted educator. He has passed away recently, in 2018, at age 96.
The DSO is conducted by guest André Raphel, currently the Conductor Laureate of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra in West Virginia. In the past, he has served as Assistant Conductor to Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic, as well as Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He has appearances with orchestras in Europe, U.S., New Zealand, and Central and South Americas.
This piece was performed as part of the 2019 Classical Roots Celebration concert.
Robert A. Harris, "Gloria"
This recording features two artists from Detroit. Composer and conductor Robert A. Harris, the author of this Gloria (2006), was born in 1938 in Detroit and has pursued most of his education in Michigan – having earned a degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, and a doctorate degree in composition and music theory from Michigan State University. Incidentally, he has held teaching positions at both universities between 1964 and 1977. Dr. Harris has been featured as conductor and composer in all corners of the world, including the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Soprano Jacqueline Echols is also a native from Detroit and has held major roles with top opera houses in the country, including the Michigan Opera Theater in Detroit, Pittsburgh Opera, and Los Angeles and Dallas Operas. She has also been featured as a soloist with the Ann Arbor Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Opera.
Gloria is conducted by André Raphel, a New Yorker who has had appearances with the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony, as well as other orchestras in the U.S. and Central America. The DSO is accompanied by a mixed choir – the Classical Roots Celebration Choir and the Brazeal Dennard Chorale.
This piece was performed as part of the 2019 Classical Roots Celebration concert.
Arturo Márquez, "Danzón No. 2"
Arturo Márquez Navarro (b. 1950) represents Latin America in this Allied Media video series. His Danzón No. 2, composed in 1994, is his best-known work and one of the most popular pieces from the Mexican classical repertoire. The danzón is a dance originated from the mix of Spanish and African cultures in Cuba. It is characterized by its slow tempo coupled with a graceful web of cross-rhythms – pay attention to how the simultaneous rhythms in the percussion, piano, and strings create a hypnotizing atmosphere. Danzón No. 2 features solos from the clarinet, oboe, piano, French horn, trumpet, flute, and even the piccolo.
Also representing Latin America, the guest conductor of the concert – Carlos Miguel Prieto – was born in Mexico City and is currently the Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, as well as the Music Director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Besides having appeared with many major orchestras in the U.S. and Mexico, Prieto has also conducted orchestras in South and Central America, Europe, and Asia. In 2019, Prieto was honored “Conductor of the Year” by Musical America.
For a detailed program of this concert, check pages 32-36 of the DSO Spring 2017 Performance Magazine - Edition 3.