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Jader Bignamini leads the obliterating brass of Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony, music filled with the composer’s signature style, growing more shockingly intense as it drives further into darkness. Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto showcases soloist Alina Ibragimova, “one of the most expressive violinists around,” (BBC Magazine). More music by Prokofiev, infused with playful klezmer themes, begins an evening that grows only more audacious.

Jader Bignamini leads Ravel’s nod to the past and French pianist Bertrand Chamayou has the “big technique that you need,” (Seattle Times) to play Ravel’s piano concertos back-to-back. Composed at the same time, the two magnificent works combine Ravel’s flair for orchestral color with pianistic virtuosity and the influence of jazz. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol began as a feature for the violin but ended up a showpiece for the entire orchestra.

BLACKSTAR SYMPHONY celebrates David Bowie’s final, critically acclaimed album Blackstar—reimagined for a 65-piece orchestra and performed with the original Blackstar band.

Emmy-Award nominated composer, singer-songwriter, and pianist Ben Folds joins the Detroit Symphony for two nights of exceptional performances. Widely regarded as one of the major musical influences of our generation, Folds’s enormous body of genre-bending music includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and numerous collaborative records. His latest album, 2023’s What Matters Most, is a blend of piano-driven pop rock songs, while his 2015 Concerto for Piano and Orchestra soared to #1 on both the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts. For nearly two decades, Folds has performed with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras, and currently serves as Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.

Strauss’s Don Juan erupts with line after line of angst and virtuosity for every member of the DSO and Till Eulenspiegel gives us the quintessential soundtrack to fooling around and finding out. Liszt’s Préludes tell a different story of deep worlds and big moods. Guest soloist Steven Isserlis brings his “profoundly moving” playing (Los Angeles Times) to Schumann’s Cello Concerto.

Behzod Abduraimov “has the magic touch” (The Times, London) for the keyboard pyrotechnics and heart-aching melodies of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. Music Director Jader Bignamini leads a world premiere by Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Abels (known for composing the scores to Jordan Peele’s films Get Out, Us, and Nope) and the Detroit premiere of Leokadiya Kashperova’s lyrical Symphony in B minor.

Singer, composer, and visual artist Cécile McLorin Salvant is a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality that lights up every note she sings. Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, global folk traditions, theater, jazz, and baroque music. She is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded and forgotten songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor.

Enrico Lopez-Yañez leads the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a program that showcases the storytelling power of John Williams’s unforgettable soundtracks. Join us as we celebrate the music behind some of your favorite movie moments. With selections from Superman, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, The Cowboys, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Star Wars and more, this concert brings to life the iconic music that has defined some of the greatest films in cinematic history. Whether you're a lifelong fan or new to his work, The Music of John Williams promises an exhilarating journey through the timeless soundtracks that have shaped the world of film.

Cole Porter's songs feel forever new. Pianist Tony DeSare, trombonist Aubrey Logan, and tap dancer John Manzari put fresh spins on "Night and Day," "I Get A Kick Out of You," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Anything Goes," and more.

One of ClassicFM’s “30 under 30” Rising Stars, Violist Jordan Bak performs Carl Stamitz’s Viola Concerto. First discovered and performed in the 1930’s, Bizet’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major was completed when the composer was just 17 years old. Beethoven’s only full-length ballet, The Creatures of Prometheus, was one of his first works to be performed in the United States. Source Code by Jessie Montgomery centers on a melody based on syntax derived from Black spirituals.