“The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is the 4th oldest orchestra in the United States,” writes Stephen Henderson on Thursday (9/8) at Detroit radio station WDET. “The orchestra has found renewed success and life in recent years under longtime maestro Leonard Slatkin. But like the city of Detroit, it hasn’t always been easy for the acclaimed orchestra. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra: Grace, Grit and Glory, a new book published by author Laurie Lanzen Harris, looks at the history of the DSO. Harris says she was interested in examining the changes that happened in tandem between the city of Detroit and the DSO. She says the steep declines of the DSO mirror the same declines in time as the auto industry. … The DSO has gone out of business three times … and always managed to emerge, says Harris. But she says she has high hopes for the future of the orchestra. ‘Detroit is in its own renaissance,’ says Harris. She says art plays a big part in revitalization…. ‘These are things that bring people to Detroit,’ [says Harris.].” The site includes an audio interview with the author.
Posted September 9, 2016
