For the second year, Varnum is pleased to be the primary sponsor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Winter Festival, to be held Feb. 5 – 26. This year’s festival, American Panorama, will feature more than two dozen programs with music ranging from Aaron Copland to Detroit Techno and events that include yoga, wine tasting and the screening of a classic 1946 horror film.
Now in its sixth year, the three-week Winter Festival is anchored by DSO programs in one of America’s most acoustically perfect concert halls. In addition, the festival features a variety of events and performances in “The Cube,” a more casual performance space also inside the Fisher Music Center.
“As a lifelong Detroiter, I am very proud to be associated with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, both as a supporter through my law firm and as a member of the Board of Trustees,” said Varnum attorney Eric Nemeth, who also serves as managing partner for the firm’s Detroit office. “On behalf of my firm, I invite everyone to enjoy this year’s Winter Festival.”
American Panorama will feature both music Director Laureate Leonard Slatkin and DSO musicians as soloists. In keeping with the DSO’s reputation for being “the most accessible orchestra on the planet,” six performances (the second performance of each Orchestra Hall performance) will be webcast for free at dso.org/live and via Facebook Live.
Check the DSO’s Winter Festival web page for more information, including these Orchestra Hall performance times:
- Feb. 8: American Panorama, festival opener (morning and evening performances)
- Feb. 9 & 10: A John Williams Celebration
- Feb. 14 & 15: Appalachian Spring
- Feb. 16 & 17: Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess
- Feb. 21 & Feb. 22: West Side Story
- Feb. 23 & Feb. 24: Maximum Minimal
In addition to the Classical Series, American Panorama includes the following performances at The Cube and other locations. Check the DSO’s Winter Festival web page for more information, including times and locations:
- Feb. 5: Kaki King + Strings. Composer and guitarist Kaki King, described by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself,” returns to The Cube with a special program featuring a DSO string ensemble.
- Feb. 6: Miguel Zenon & Spektral Quartet perform “Yo Soy la Tradicion,” an immersive concert-length work by the culture of Puerto Rico.
- Feb. 7: Film Screening: The Beast with Five Fingers (1946). Classic horror film which follows the severed walking hand of a deceased concert pianist.
- Feb. 8: Shigeto, American electronic musician, producer and drummer.
- Feb. 10: [email protected] Max. Yogis of all skill levels can practice to live music performed by DSO musicians.
- Feb. 12: Chamber Recital. Corigliano, Gershwin and Barber (at Steinway Piano Gallery in Commerce Charter Township)
- Feb. 13: Detroit bluesman and Kresge Arts Fellow Reverend Robert Jones will perform a live solo set prior to a screening of Sam Pollard’s 2016 documentary Two Trains Runnin’.
- Feb. 14: Brianna Thomas. A romantic, one-night only performance by this NYC-based jazz vocalist.
- Feb. 15: The Cube Dance Show. A night of movement, live music and fashion inspired by the legacy of The New Dance Show, an 80s and 90s television show filmed in Highland Park and Detroit.
- Feb. 16: Hip Hop 101. Featuring Hardcore Detroit, Mahogany Jones and Detroit Pistons Bucket Band.
- Feb. 20: Improvising in Jazz and Wine. Sommelier and music expert Ron Merlino leads an unparalleled wine tasting experience with Grammy-winning jazz bassist John Clayton and special guests.
- Feb. 21: Sophisticated Giant. Big band tribute to Dexter Gordon.
- Feb. 22: Mumu Fresh + DJ Beauty and the Beatz.
- Feb. 26: George Walker Tribute featuring Gregory Walker.