Kate Baldwin Among Performers Slated for Detroit Symphony Orchestra 2011 - 12 Season

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will embark on an unprecedented series of Metro area concerts to complement performances at Orchestra Hall in 2011-12 according to The Detroit News.

Commenting on plans for next season to be announced today, music director Leonard Slatkin said the DSO will aggressively pursue the strategy inaugurated in this shortened season of taking the music where its potential audience primarily lives - the suburbs. The orchestra also will continue the live webcasts started this spring. "Orchestra Hall remains central to the definition of what this orchestra is, but clearly our constituents don't all live in Detroit," Slatkin told The Detroit News. "We need to create options for them to attend DSO concerts near their homes. We need to establish bases for long-term relationships."

"We've tried to create a good balance of the great standards and some things that are a bit unusual," says Slatkin, whose season opener on Oct. 8 exemplifies that idea. Paired with Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique" will be the U.S. premiere of jazz pianist Michel Camilo's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the composer as soloist.

One of the autumn's most appealing programs follows Nov. 25-27 when Slatkin conducts Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 3 and an electrifying new work by the young American composer Mason Bates called "B-Sides" that closes with a ripping homage to Detroit's techno scene.

Among notable guest conductors for next season are longtime favorite Jerzy Semkow with pianist Kirill Gerstein (Oct. 20-21); former DSO resident conductor Thomas Wilkins with saxophonist Branford Marsalis (Dec. 2-4); Hans Graf, music director of the Houston Symphony (Jan. 28); and DSO music director emeritus Neeme Jarvi with pianist Hélène Grimaud (March 29-April 1).
Other soloists include DSO concertmaster Emmanuelle Boisvert (Oct. 27-29), teenage piano phenom Conrad Tao (Jan. 20-22), pianist Emanuel Ax (Feb. 17-18) and cellist Fred Zlotkin, Slakin's brother (May 3-6).

High on the list of musical temptations are Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 (Semkow), Schumann's Symphony No. 2 (Graf), Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances (Slatkin), Mahler's Fifth Symphony (Slatkin), Brahms' "German Requiem" (Slatkin), Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 (Robert Levin with Nicholas McGegan conducting), Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 (Grimaud, Jarvi), Saint-Saens' "Organ" Symphony (Slatkin) and John Williams' Cello Concerto (DSO principal Robert deMaine, Slatkin).

Detroit Symphony Orchestra Concerts will take place at Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave, Detroit.  (313) 576-5111

2011 - 2012 CLASSICAL & POPS SEASON CONCERTS

Classical Season

Symphonie Fantastique with Leonard Slatkin and pianist Michel Camilo , 8 p.m. Oct. 8 and 2 p.m. Oct. 9

Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" with Jerzy Semkow and pianist Kirill Gerstein, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20 and 8 p.m. Oct. 21

Beethoven's Fifth with Louis Langr é e and violinist Emmanuelle Boisvert , 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27; 10:45 a.m. Oct. 28; and 8 p.m. Oct. 29

Tchaikovsky Symphony Nov. 5 with Joana Carneiro and guitarist Xuefei Yang , 10:45 a.m. Nov. 4 and 8 p.m. Nov. 5

Festival of Flutes with Leonard Slatkin and flutist Sir James Galway and more, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17; 10:45 a.m. Nov. 18; 8 p.m. Nov. 19; and 3 p.m. Nov. 20

Schubert's immortal "Unfinished" Symphony with Leonard Slatkin , 8 p.m. Nov. 25-26 and 3 p.m. Nov. 27

Beethoven 7 with Thomas Wilkins and saxophonist Branford Marsalis, 10:45 a.m. Dec. 2; 8 p.m. Dec. 3; and 3 p.m. Dec. 4

Holiday Classics: The Four Seasons with Matthew Halls and violinist Nicola Benedetti, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 and 8 p.m. Dec. 10

Messiah with Christopher Warren-Green, 3 p.m. Dec. 10-11
Franck's Symphony in D Minor with Hélène Bouchez and pianist Conrad Tao, 8 p.m. Jan. 20-21 and 3 p.m. Jan. 22

"Invitation to the Dance" with Hans Graf and horn player Karl Pituch , 8 p.m. Jan. 28
Ravishing Rachmaninoff with Leonard Slatkin and violinist Julian Rachlin , 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9; 10:45 a.m. Feb. 10; and 8 p.m. Feb. 11

Ax Plays Mozart and Slatkin Conducts Mahler with Leonard Slatkin and pianist Emanuel Ax, 10:45 a.m. Feb. 17 and 8 p.m. Feb. 18

Brahms "Requiem" with Leonard Slatkin , soprano Ellie Dehn , baritone Kyle Ketelsen , UMS Choral Union and MSU Children's Choir, 8 p.m. Feb. 24 and 3 p.m. Feb. 26

Peter & the Wolf and Alice in Wonderland with Leonard Slatkin and soprano Hila Plitmann , 7:30 p.m. March 1 and 8 p.m. March 3

Pops Season

An Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein with Jonathan Tunick and vocalists Schuler Hensley and Kate Baldwin, 10:45 a.m. Oct. 14; 8 p.m. Oct. 15; and 3 p.m. Oct. 16

Trumpeter Chris Botti with conductor Jeff Tyzik, 8 p.m. Nov. 12 and 3 p.m. Nov. 13

Home for the Holidays with Leonard Slatkin, 10:45 a.m. Dec. 16; 3 and 8 p.m. Dec. 17; and 3 p.m. Dec. 18

Gershwin and the American Songbook with Bob Bernhardt and vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway, 10:45 a.m. Jan. 13; 8 p.m. Jan. 14; and 3 p.m. Jan. 15

Love Will Keep us Together with Steven Reineke and vocalists Mike Eldred and Betsy Wolfe, 8 p.m. Feb. 4 and 2 p.m. Feb. 5

A Sci-Fi Spectacular with Jack Everly, special guest George Takei and vocalist Kristin Plumley, 10:45 a.m. March 9; 8 p.m. March 10; and 3 p.m. March 11

Viva Italia with Michael Krajewski and vocalist Poperazzi, 10:45 a.m. April 13; 8 p.m. April 14; and 3 p.m. April 15

A Tribute to Elvis with vocalist Kraig Parker, 10:45 a.m. April 27 and 8 p.m. April 28

A Night at the Cotton Club with Jeff Tyzik, trumpeter and vocalist Byron Stripling, vocalist Carmen Bradford and tap dancer and vocalist TEd Levey, 10:45 a.m. June 1; 8 p.m. June 2; and 3 p.m.

June 3
Neil Sedaka, 10:45 a.m. June 15; 8 p.m. June 16; and 3 p.m. June 17

For more information, please visit: www.dso.org

 

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