The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will honor trumpeter, composer, and Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Chair Terence Blanchard and jazz violinist and MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter at the 39th annual Classical Roots Celebration.
Kazem Abdullah will conduct the program, which includes the world premiere of a yet-unnamed piece composed by Blanchard marking the 50th anniversary of Detroit’s tumultuous summer of 1967, as well as Jeffrey Mumford's cello concerto titled of fields unfolding…echoing depths of resonant light. Cellist Christine Lamprea, First Prize winner of the 2013 Sphinx Competition, joins the DSO as guest soloist for the cello concerto.
The premiere of Blanchard’s piece is a component of the DSO’s partnership with Detroit 67: Looking Back to Move Forward, a multi-year community engagement project of the Detroit Historical Society that brings together diverse voices and communities around the effects of an historic crisis to find their place in the present and inspire the future.
For more information, please call 313.576.5120.
The mission of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Classical Roots Celebration is to increase awareness of the contributions of African-American composers and musicians through performance and recordings and to support increased opportunities for African-Americans in classical music through the DSO’s African-American Composer Residency, Emerging Composer Program, and African-American Fellowship.
For 39 years, the Classical Roots concert has celebrated African-American contributions to classical music. In 2000, the Celebration benefit was founded to honor select African-American composers, musicians, and educators for lifetime achievement and raise funds to support the DSO’s African-American music and musician development programs.
The DSO has for years been at the forefront of the movement to celebrate the contributions of African-American composers, nurture the talents of young African-American classical musicians, and increase access and opportunity for younger African-Americans who might never otherwise experience the magic of classical music. The African-American Fellowship Program addresses the shortage of African-Americans in professional orchestras by offering a yearlong fellowship with the DSO to one selected musician. Past DSO fellows have gone on to win positions in orchestras across the United States, including the DSO’s principal trombone, Kenneth Thompkins.
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