The Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s annual Classical Roots Celebration this year will spotlight jazz violinist Regina Carter and composer Terence Blanchard at two March 3 concerts. Kazem Abdullah will conduct the DSO’s world premiere of Blanchard’s Detroit 67: Looking Back to MOVE FORWARD, marking the 50th anniversary of Detroit’s tumultuous summer of 1967. Carter will join the orchestra for David Schiff’s 1997 work 4 Sisters Concerto for Jazz Violin and Orchestra; the work honors Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan in four movements entitled “Soul,” “Scat”, “Satin,” and “Sassy.” Also on the program are James Weldon Johnson’s Lift Every Voice and Sing and Jeffrey Mumford’s of fields unfolding…echoing depths of resonant light. Additional performers include cellist Christine Lamprea, winner of the 2013 Sphinx Competition, and the Brazeal Dennard Chorale. The Classical Roots Celebration honors African-American composers, musicians, and educators for lifetime achievement and raises funds to support the DSO’s African-American music and musician development programs.
Posted March 3, 2017
