Name: Opening Night
Start: 2024-10-04T19:30:00
Location: Dearborn Symphony

Gleb Ivanov

Dearborn Symphony

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Dearborn Symphony invites you to an evening of music made for falling in love—with rhythm, with movement, and maybe even with each other. Shall We Dance is a romantic, high-spirited night out designed for couples, friends, and anyone looking to celebrate the joy of connection through music and motion.

The concert itself flows with the charm and energy of a night on the town. Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz brings smoldering passion and drama, while Strauss’s Voices of Spring waltz enchants with its elegance—performed live with dancers from Downriver Dance Academy, under the artistic direction of Genrich. Later, tango-inspired rhythms and Latin flair take center stage in Piazzolla’s Libertango, performed in collaboration with the Dearborn Youth Symphony, adding a fresh, youthful spark to the evening.

Shall We Dance?

Ford Community & Performing Arts Center

What happens when school spirit, cinematic power, and classical fanfare meet center stage? You get Mad About Marches—a sport-centric evening of pure orchestral momentum that brings together fans of music, athletics, and pageantry in one unforgettable celebration.

This pulse-pounding program kicks off with a flurry of iconic marches that span stadiums, screen, and ceremony. From Sousa’s Washington Post March to the unmistakable energy of Roundball Rock (the theme to NBA on NBC), the first half delivers big brass, booming percussion, and instantly recognizable anthems. Audiences will cheer for local favorites like the University of Michigan and Michigan State University fight songs, get swept up in the thrill of John Williams’ Imperial March, and soar with one of his Olympic masterpieces. It’s a full-court press of musical power and pride.

Mad About Marches

Ford Center for the Performing Arts

The Dearborn Symphony closes its 64th season with Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem—a monumental work of beauty, power, and soul-stirring emotion. With its sweeping scale and operatic intensity, the Requiem is an unforgettable experience for orchestra, chorus, and audience alike.

This performance marks a meaningful homecoming. Verdi’s Requiem was the centerpiece of the inaugural performance at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center 25 years ago, in September 2001. Now, a quarter-century later, the Dearborn Symphony and Vanguard Voices, under the direction of G. Kevin Dewey, reunite to bring this epic work back to the stage where it first launched a new era of the performing arts in Dearborn.

Verdi’s Requiem

The season opens with the brilliant Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, Bravado by living composer, Gala Flagello and guest pianist Gleb Ivanov performs the beloved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.