Detroit Symphony Orchestra partners with Southwest Community and Detroit ACE to offer a special, musical experience for families and children at St. Hedwig Catholic Church on February 9

2022

Detroit Symphony Orchestra partners with Southwest Community and Detroit ACE to offer a special, musical experience for families and children at St. Hedwig Catholic Church on February 9

  • Enrico Lopez-Yañez will conduct works by Latin American composers and Ballet Folklorico Moyocoyani Izel will perform

  • The free event is part of the DSO’s efforts to strength its commitment to Detroit residents

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is proud to collaborate with the City Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship and organizations and community members across Southwest Detroit to present a special musical experience at St. Hedwig Catholic Church on February 9.

The event is a part of the symphony’s efforts to increase its connections to and opportunities for Detroiters, especially in the city’s neighborhoods.

The initiative is a community-driven process that the DSO hopes will be done again and again to encourage citywide collaborations and a bigger embrace of the symphony by all Detroit residents.

“The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is one of the best in the world,” said Rochelle Riley, the City’s Director of Arts and Culture. “This is an opportunity for residents who haven’t always see the symphony as having something for them to see that it absolutely does. So let’s embrace it!”

One way to do that is applaud and take part in the symphony’s effort to grow a new generation of classical musicians through its Detroit Harmony program. Detroit Harmony seeks to improve child development through music education and arts-based learning, and it plans to put an instrument in the hands of every K-12 student in the city of Detroit who wants to learn to play! On February 9, the DSO will announce the community groups it will partner with to fund the instruments for children.

Led by conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez, the February 9 concert will include works by Latin American composers, sacred and popular favorites, and a performance by Ballet Folklorico Moyocoyani Izel. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at the church, 3245 Junction Ave, in Detroit. No tickets are required.

The Detroit Strategy was the result of 13 listening sessions held with Detroit residents, work sponsored by grants from General Motors totaling $350,000 over two years. The DSO met with 77 community-serving organizations and planned four Neighborhood Musical Experiences in Chandler Park and Southwest Detroit, engaging with more than 1,600 community members since March of 2021.

The DSO continues to seek ways to build relationships and engage community groups and Detroit residents in designing and hosting beautiful, respectful, responsive Musical Experiences in Detroit neighborhoods.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation joined the effort in mid-2021 with a grant of $200,000 that will allow the musical experiences to expand into the NW Goldberg and Dexter-Linwood neighborhoods. (Detroit ACE) is a partner in promoting the neighborhood experiences and the Detroit Harmony program to provide instruments to children and to co-create programming for children.

To protect the health and well-being of patrons, musicians and staff, all attendees must provide proof of full vaccination for COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test result (48-hour PCR or 6-hour antigen) and must wear a mask at all times regardless of vaccination status. Visit dso.org/safetyplan for more information.

The Detroit Neighborhood Initiative is generously sponsored by the General Motors Corporation.

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA NEIGHBORHOOD EXPERIENCE

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 9

St. Hedwig Catholic Church (3245 Junction Ave, Detroit, MI 48210)

About Enrico Lopez-Yañez

Enrico Lopez-Yañez is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Nashville Symphony where he leads the Symphony’s Pops Series and Family Series., Lopez-Yañez has been commissioned to write for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the Houston Symphony and has had his works performed by orchestras including the Detroit Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Ft. Worth Symphony, Utah Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Columbus Symphony, and Florida Orchestra.

About the DSO

The most accessible orchestra on the planet, the acclaimed DSO is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. As a community-supported orchestra, generous giving by individuals and institutions at all levels drives the continued success and growth of the organization. In January 2020, Italian conductor Jader Bignamini was named the DSO’s next music director to commence with the 2020-2021 season. Celebrated conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik is the orchestra’s Principal Pops Conductor, while Oscar-nominated trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair.