Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan
. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown
neighborhood. Its live concert series is attended by 450,000 people a year and includes a series of free educational concerts for children begun in 1926.
The appointment of the Russian pianist Ossip Gabrilowitsch
as music director in 1918 brought instant status to the new orchestra. A friend of composers Gustav Mahler
and Sergei Rachmaninoff
, Gabrilowitsch demanded a new auditorium be built as a condition of his accepting the position. Orchestra Hall was completed for the new music director in 1919 in four months and twenty-three days. Under Gabrilowitsch, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra quickly became one of the most prominent orchestras in the country, performing with the leading artists of the day. In 1922, the orchestra gave the world's first radio broadcast of a symphony orchestra concert with Gabrilowitsch conducting and guest artist Artur Schnabel
at the piano. From 1934 to 1942, the orchestra performed for millions across the country as the official orchestra of The Ford Sunday Evening Hour
(later the Ford Symphony Hour) national radio show.
In 1939, three years after Gabrilowitsch's premature death, the orchestra moved from Orchestra Hall to the Masonic Temple Theatre
due to major financial problems caused by the Great Depression
. The orchestra disbanded twice in the 1940s as it moved around three different performing venues. In 1946, the orchestra moved to the Wilson Theater which was renamed Music Hall
. In 1956, the orchestra moved to Ford Auditorium
on the waterfront of the Detroit River
, where it remained for the next 33 years. The orchestra once again enjoyed national prestige under music director Paul Paray
, winning numerous awards for its 70 recordings on the Mercury
label. Paray was followed by noted music directors Sixten Ehrling
, Aldo Ceccato
, Antal Doráti
, and Günther Herbig
.
In the realm of popular music, the orchestra provided the recorded string accompaniments on many of Motown Record's classic hits of the 1960s, usually under the direction of the orchestra's concertmaster
of the time, Gordon Staples
. Two Motown albums featured the strings with the Motown rhythm section the Funk Brothers. The combined ensemble was known as the San Remo Golden Strings
and enjoyed two hit singles: "Hungry for Love" (#3 Adult Contemporary) and "I'm Satisfied", which charted on the Billboard Top 100. In 1966 members of the orchestra were seen recording in the Motown studio on W. Grand Boulevard with The Supremes
for the ABC-TV documentary "Anatomy of Pop: The Music Explosion."
In 1970 the DSO instituted the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra as a training group, under Paul Freeman.
In 1989, following a 20-year rescue and restoration effort, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra returned to Orchestra Hall. Further renovations to the hall were completed in 2003 including a $60 million addition and a recital hall and education wing, the Max M. Fisher Music Center. A fine arts high school, the Detroit School of Arts
, was added to the DSO campus in 2004.
The symphony has produced many recordings on the Victor, London, Decca, Mercury, RCA, Chandos and DSO labels. The DSO recording of Igor Stravinsky
's The Rite of Spring
was the first CD to win the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque
award.
Neeme Järvi
began his music directorship in 1990, and served through 2005, the second-longest in the orchestra's history.
After a five-year search, the DSO announced on October 7, 2007, the appointment of Leonard Slatkin
as its twelfth music director. Prior to Slatkin's appointment, Peter Oundjian
was the DSO's Artistic Advisor, and continues to hold the title of Principal Guest Conductor. In February 2010, the orchestra announced the extension of Slatkin's contract as DSO music director through the 2012–2013 season. This also included an annnoucement that Slatkin would take a salary reduction to help relieve the financial difficulties of the orchestra.
In early 2010 George Blood Audio and Video [in Philadelphia, PA] began transferring recordings, dating back to the 1959-1960 concert season, to the digital medium.
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown
Midtown, Detroit
The Midtown area in Detroit is a mixed-use area located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue between Downtown Detroit and the New Center. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway on the east, the Lodge Freeway on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway on the...
neighborhood. Its live concert series is attended by 450,000 people a year and includes a series of free educational concerts for children begun in 1926.
History
The Detroit Symphony was founded in 1914 by ten Detroit society women who each contributed $100 to the organization and pledged to find 100 additional subscribers. They soon hired the orchestra's first music director, Weston Gales, a 27-year-old church organist from Boston. The orchestra's first performance was held on February 26, 1914 at the old Detroit Opera House.The appointment of the Russian pianist Ossip Gabrilowitsch
Ossip Gabrilowitsch
Ossip Gabrilowitsch was a Russian-born American pianist, conductor and composer.- Biography :...
as music director in 1918 brought instant status to the new orchestra. A friend of composers Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
and Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
, Gabrilowitsch demanded a new auditorium be built as a condition of his accepting the position. Orchestra Hall was completed for the new music director in 1919 in four months and twenty-three days. Under Gabrilowitsch, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra quickly became one of the most prominent orchestras in the country, performing with the leading artists of the day. In 1922, the orchestra gave the world's first radio broadcast of a symphony orchestra concert with Gabrilowitsch conducting and guest artist Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel was an Austrian classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura...
at the piano. From 1934 to 1942, the orchestra performed for millions across the country as the official orchestra of The Ford Sunday Evening Hour
The Ford Sunday Evening Hour
The Ford Sunday Evening Hour was an hour-long concert music radio series, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, which was broadcast from 1934 to 1946, with a hiatus from 1942 to 1945...
(later the Ford Symphony Hour) national radio show.
In 1939, three years after Gabrilowitsch's premature death, the orchestra moved from Orchestra Hall to the Masonic Temple Theatre
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...
due to major financial problems caused by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The orchestra disbanded twice in the 1940s as it moved around three different performing venues. In 1946, the orchestra moved to the Wilson Theater which was renamed Music Hall
Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
The Music Hall Center for Performing Arts is a 1,700-seat theatre located in the city's theatre district at 350 Madison Avenue in Detroit, Michigan...
. In 1956, the orchestra moved to Ford Auditorium
Ford Auditorium
The Ford Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan was constructed in 1955 and officially opened in 1956. Located on the Detroit Riverfront, it served as a home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for more than 33 years and was an integral part of the city's Civic Center...
on the waterfront of the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
, where it remained for the next 33 years. The orchestra once again enjoyed national prestige under music director Paul Paray
Paul Paray
Paul Paray was a French conductor, organist and composer. He is best remembered in the United States for being the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for more than a decade. He married Yolande Falck on 25 August 1944.-Biography:Paray's father, Auguste, was a sculptor and organist...
, winning numerous awards for its 70 recordings on the Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
label. Paray was followed by noted music directors Sixten Ehrling
Sixten Ehrling
Sixten Ehrling, , was a Swedish conductor who, during a long career, served as the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera and the principal conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, amongst others....
, Aldo Ceccato
Aldo Ceccato
Aldo Ceccato is an Italian conductor. He has worked as assistant to Sergiu Celibidache and was music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1973 until 1977. He was music director of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985 until 1990...
, Antal Doráti
Antal Doráti
Antal Doráti, KBE was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1947.-Biography:...
, and Günther Herbig
Günther Herbig
Günther Herbig is a German conductor.Born in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, Herbig studied conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy in Weimar in 1951 with Hermann Abendroth. He later was a student of Hermann Scherchen, Arvid Jansons, and Herbert von Karajan...
.
In the realm of popular music, the orchestra provided the recorded string accompaniments on many of Motown Record's classic hits of the 1960s, usually under the direction of the orchestra's concertmaster
Concertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
of the time, Gordon Staples
Gordon Staples
Gordon Staples is an American violinist and past concertmaster for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He is known for his work as a leader and conductor of the string section on recording sessions for Motown Records during their heyday in the 1960s...
. Two Motown albums featured the strings with the Motown rhythm section the Funk Brothers. The combined ensemble was known as the San Remo Golden Strings
San Remo Golden Strings
The San Remo Golden Strings were a studio group from Detroit, Michigan. A number of its members also played in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, while others were members of the Motown Records backing band, The Funk Brothers. Their albums were released on Ric-Tic Records, The San Remo Golden Strings...
and enjoyed two hit singles: "Hungry for Love" (#3 Adult Contemporary) and "I'm Satisfied", which charted on the Billboard Top 100. In 1966 members of the orchestra were seen recording in the Motown studio on W. Grand Boulevard with The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
for the ABC-TV documentary "Anatomy of Pop: The Music Explosion."
In 1970 the DSO instituted the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra as a training group, under Paul Freeman.
In 1989, following a 20-year rescue and restoration effort, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra returned to Orchestra Hall. Further renovations to the hall were completed in 2003 including a $60 million addition and a recital hall and education wing, the Max M. Fisher Music Center. A fine arts high school, the Detroit School of Arts
Detroit School of Arts
The Detroit School of Arts, originally known as the Detroit School for the Fine and Performing Arts, is a blue ribbon high school located in Detroit, Michigan....
, was added to the DSO campus in 2004.
The symphony has produced many recordings on the Victor, London, Decca, Mercury, RCA, Chandos and DSO labels. The DSO recording of Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
was the first CD to win the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque
L'Académie Charles Cros
The Académie Charles-Cros, is an organization in France that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry....
award.
Neeme Järvi
Neeme Järvi
Neeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
began his music directorship in 1990, and served through 2005, the second-longest in the orchestra's history.
After a five-year search, the DSO announced on October 7, 2007, the appointment of Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Edward Slatkin is an American conductor and composer.-Early life and education:Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His father Felix Slatkin was the violinist, conductor and founder of the Hollywood String Quartet,...
as its twelfth music director. Prior to Slatkin's appointment, Peter Oundjian
Peter Oundjian
Peter Oundjian is a violinist and conductor, the youngest of five children from an Armenian father and English mother. He also claims Scottish ancestry through his maternal grandfather, a Sanderson, and the MacDonell of Glengarry clan.Oundjian was educated in England, where he began studying the...
was the DSO's Artistic Advisor, and continues to hold the title of Principal Guest Conductor. In February 2010, the orchestra announced the extension of Slatkin's contract as DSO music director through the 2012–2013 season. This also included an annnoucement that Slatkin would take a salary reduction to help relieve the financial difficulties of the orchestra.
In early 2010 George Blood Audio and Video [in Philadelphia, PA] began transferring recordings, dating back to the 1959-1960 concert season, to the digital medium.
2010-2011 DSO Musicians Strike
The musicians of the DSO went on strike on October 4, 2010, in a labor dispute with management. On February 19, 2011, DSO management announced it would suspend the remainder of the 2010-2011 concert season, when the musicians rejected a final offer made on February 15, 2011. After a six-month strike, the musicians and management reached an agreement on April 3, 2011. Concerts resumed April 9, 2011, with a weekend of free concerts. The DSO's first weekend back, all concerts were $20 or $25 which they referred to as “patron-minded pricing”.Music directors
- Weston Gales (1914–1917)
- Ossip GabrilowitschOssip GabrilowitschOssip Gabrilowitsch was a Russian-born American pianist, conductor and composer.- Biography :...
(1918–1936) - Victor KolarVictor KolarVictor Kolar was a Hungarian-born American composer and conductor. Kolar was born in Budapest and studied at the Prague Conservatory, where he was a pupil of Otakar Ševčík and Antonín Dvořák...
(1940–1942) - Karl Krueger (1944–1949)
- Orchestra disbanded from 1949 to 1951
- Paul ParayPaul ParayPaul Paray was a French conductor, organist and composer. He is best remembered in the United States for being the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for more than a decade. He married Yolande Falck on 25 August 1944.-Biography:Paray's father, Auguste, was a sculptor and organist...
(1951–1962) - Sixten EhrlingSixten EhrlingSixten Ehrling, , was a Swedish conductor who, during a long career, served as the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera and the principal conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, amongst others....
(1963–1973) - Aldo CeccatoAldo CeccatoAldo Ceccato is an Italian conductor. He has worked as assistant to Sergiu Celibidache and was music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1973 until 1977. He was music director of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985 until 1990...
(1973–1977) - Antal DorátiAntal DorátiAntal Doráti, KBE was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1947.-Biography:...
(1977–1981) - Günther HerbigGünther HerbigGünther Herbig is a German conductor.Born in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, Herbig studied conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy in Weimar in 1951 with Hermann Abendroth. He later was a student of Hermann Scherchen, Arvid Jansons, and Herbert von Karajan...
(1984–1990) - Neeme JärviNeeme JärviNeeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
(1990–2005) - Leonard SlatkinLeonard SlatkinLeonard Edward Slatkin is an American conductor and composer.-Early life and education:Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His father Felix Slatkin was the violinist, conductor and founder of the Hollywood String Quartet,...
(2008–present)
Sources
- Gavrilovich, Peter and Bill McGraw. The Detroit Almanac, Detroit Free Press (2000, ISBN 0937247341).
- Heiles, Ann Mischakoff, America's Concertmasters (Detroit Monographs in Musicology). Harmonie Park (2007, ISBN 0899901395).
- Woodford, Arthur M., This is Detroit 1701–2001. Wayne State University Press (2001, ISBN 0-8143-2914-4).
External links
See also
- Orchestra Hall, DetroitOrchestra Hall, DetroitOrchestra Hall is a concert hall located at 3711 Woodward Avenue in midtown Detroit, Michigan. The hall is renowned for its superior acoustic properties and serves as the home of the internationally known Detroit Symphony Orchestra , the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States...
- Alexander MishnaevskiAlexander MishnaevskiAlexander Mishnaevski is a Russian-born American violist, the principal violist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Born in Moscow, he began violin lessons in his early childhood, when his father was principal violist with the local orchestra...
(the orchestra's principal violist) - Robert deMaineRobert deMaineRobert deMaine is an American virtuoso cellist.-Biography:Robert deMaine was born into a musical family of French and Polish ancestry...
(the orchestra's principal cellist) - Robert S. WilliamsRobert S. WilliamsRobert S. Williams is an American bassoonist. He has been Principal Bassoonist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since September 1974. Prior to that appointment he was solo bassoonist with the Winnipeg Symphony, Winnipeg CBC Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic and Tucson Symphony...
(the orchestra's principal bassoonist) - List of symphony orchestras