Watch and enjoy live concert videos by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, educational concerts, plus the full on-demand archive.
Jader Bignamini kicks off his tenure as DSO Music Director with a program spanning four centuries. DSO brass is showcased in Copland’s American anthem and Gabrieli’s Venetian School innovations, while an early gem from Richard Strauss highlights the winds. DSO strings are featured in Philip Herbe...
Puccini’s mastery of writing for strings is crystalized in I Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums), one of the famed opera composer’s few instrumental works, performed here in its string orchestra version. Dvořák’s joyous Serenade for winds was inspired upon hearing Mozart’s music on a trip to Vienna, yet ...
Tchaikovsky’s lyrical Serenade is full of robust, evocative harmonies and melancholic melodies— channeling the inventiveness and unpredictability of the composer’s idol Mozart—shot through with stirring Russian folk melodies.
TCHAIKOVSKY
Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48
Highly varied in style, George Walker’s elegiac Lyric for Strings and William Grant Still’s expressive Serenade showcase mid-20th century works from two prominent African American composers. Saint-Georges, born Joseph Bologne, was the son of a French plantation owner and his African slave, who ro...
The Classical era takes center-stage as German conductor Matthias Pintscher makes his Orchestra Hall debut, first with DSO Principal Cello Wei Yu performing Haydn’s Second Cello Concerto. Next, Stravinsky’s neoclassical “Dumbarton Oaks” Concerto brings us to the Washington D.C. estate where the U...
The harpsichord, flute, and violin all share the spotlight in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, then Tōru Takemitsu’s Archipelago S. showcases the varied textures of the orchestra as the sections are spread across the stage like islands in the sea. Note: Originally announced conductor Matthias P...
Leonard Slatkin returns to conduct “a little night music” in a pair of serenades. One to pay tribute to composer Krzysztof Penderecki, his friend who passed earlier this year, along with Mozart’s Serenade No. 6, known as the “Serenata notturna.”
ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK
Baroque Suite
PURCELL (ARR. BRI...
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, hailed as "one of the best pianists in the world" and favorite of DSO audiences, returns to Orchestra Hall to join DSO musicians for a special performance of César Franck’s Piano Quintet in F Minor.
FRANCK
Piano Quintet in F minor
Called “two parts Frank Sinatra and one-part Billy Joel,” triple-threat singer / pianist / songwriter Tony DeSare takes on the legend of Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. From jazz clubs to Carnegie Hall to headlining with major symphony orchestras, Tony DeSare delivers a fresh take on old school class in a...
Tony DeSare's popular daily song diaries on YouTube and Facebook draw upon his expansive catalogue of Sinatra standards, pop favorites, piano blockbusters, and heartfelt originals. This new show featuring Tony and his trio will take you on a journey of music spanning the likes of Irving Berlin, C...
Beethoven’s Septet for winds and strings, written just a few years before the First Symphony, was his most acclaimed work during his lifetime. In this chamber music performance by DSO musicians, hear how Beethoven’s music was evolving from its Classical-era roots to the vast and emotional Romanti...
Famed Scottish conductor Donald Runnicles leads the DSO in a program including Britten’s tribute to his teacher that brought him international attention, and Carlos Simon’s An Elegy: Cry from the Grave, a haunting dedication to those murdered by oppressive powers.
CARLOS SIMON
An Elegy: A Cry fr...
Reflecting on a life and career spanning over 80 years, Richard Strauss wove themes of serenity and the fulfillment of one’s soul into his Four Last Songs. Soprano Jacquelyn Stucker, hailed as "glowing" and "incandescent," brings these songs to life in Orchestra Hall.
ELGAR
Introduction & Allegr...
Drawing on classical favorites and circus artistry, Troupe Vertigo leads us on a breathtaking experience featuring dizzying aerial acts, acrobatic perfection, contortionism, object manipulation (juggling), and more. They will lift your spirit and leave you in awe.
Drawing on fiery Latin melodies and circus artistry, Troupe Vertigo leads us on a breathtaking experience featuring dizzying aerial acts, acrobatic perfection, contortionism, object manipulation (juggling), and more. They will lift your spirit and leave you in awe.
Join the DSO and the amazing acrobats of Troupe Vertigo for symphonic tricks, treats, and spooky surprises as we kick off another exciting season of Family programming. Our annual costume contest will continue online and is sure to get you in the Halloween spirit—it’s fun for the whole family!
Violist-composer Nokuthula Ngwenyama writes "music of bold, mesmerizing character," including her captivating viola quintet Primal Message, heard here in the world premiere of its orchestral version. Dvořák's lively and enchanting Serenade for Strings remains one of his most popular orchestral wo...
Jennifer Koh's world premiere of Chris Cerrone's Violin Concerto was a highlight of the DSO's 17-18 season. She returns for a new work by Tyshawn Sorey, praised for creating immersive sound worlds that defy categorization. Florence Price’s arrangement of Spirituals for string quartet are equal pa...
Pianist Marc-André Hamelin makes his return to Orchestra Hall for Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet. This unusual instrumentation of piano, violin, viola, cello, and bass leaves room for the piano to shine with stunning melodies, some taken directly from Schubert’s deep catalogue of vocal music.
SCHUBE...
Dance through the decades and waltz around the world as the DSO treats you to a night on the town! With a special appearance by a dazzling duo of champion dancers from the renowned Dance New York studio, you'll enjoy a musical tour with stops at the ballet, the hottest night clubs, bustling ballr...
Transport yourself to turn-of-the-century France for these two works of Ravel and Stravinsky conducted by Enrique Mazzola. The serene Pavane for a Dead Princess transitions perfectly into the biting and militaristic Soldier’s Tale, the story of a soldier who trades his violin to a shadowy figure ...
Pianist Inon Barnatan steps onto the Orchestra Hall stage for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, a non-stop whirlwind of sweet melodies. Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll was written as a birthday present for his wife Cosima, performed through her window as she awoke in their villa overlooking Lake Lucerne. ...
Principal Oboe Alexander Kinmonth steps out to the soloist’s position for Richard Strauss’s Oboe Concerto, one of his final works. Before that, enjoy Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst, a sonic exploration of the rapidly changing colors of new stars forming in the sky.
JESSIE MONTGOMERY
Starburst
R. ...
DSO Music Director Jader Bignamini returns for the “Eroica,” Beethoven’s monumental Third Symphony. From the very first notes, Beethoven turns the idea of the symphony on its head, presenting the wide range of emotions and characters that would come to define orchestral music for the next century...
Celebrate the season with Detroit’s favorite holiday musical tradition. DSO audience favorite Thomas Wilkins leads a heartwarming program of carols and classics – and yes, Virginia, there will be a Santa Claus!
