The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra located in Detroit, Michigan. The main place where the orchestra performs is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Enrico Lopez-Yañez serves as the Principal Pops Conductor, Tabita Berglund is the Principal Guest Conductor, and Na'Zir McFadden is the assistant conductor. Leonard Slatkin, who was the previous music director, now holds the title of music director laureate. Neeme Järvi, who led the orchestra from 1990 to 2005, is currently the music director emeritus.
History
The DSO performed its first concert of the first subscription season at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19, 1887, at the Detroit Opera House. The conductor was Rudolph Speil. Later conductors changed each season until 1900, when Hugo Kalsow was appointed and led the orchestra until it stopped operating in 1910. In 1914, the Detroit Symphony restarted after ten Detroit women each gave $100 to the organization and promised to find 100 more subscribers. They hired Weston Gales, a 27-year-old church organist from Boston, as music director. He led the first performance of the reformed orchestra on Feb. 26, 1914, again at the old Detroit Opera House.
In 1918, the Russian pianist Ossip Gabrilowitsch became music director. He was friends with composers Gustav Mahler and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Gabrilowitsch required a new auditorium to be built as part of his agreement to take the position. Orchestra Hall was completed in 1919 in four months and 23 days. In 1922, the orchestra gave the world’s first radio broadcast of a symphony concert, with Gabrilowitsch conducting and guest pianist Artur Schnabel. Gabrilowitsch remained music director until his death in 1936. From 1934 to 1942, the orchestra performed on The Ford Sunday Evening Hour (later the Ford Symphony Hour), a national radio show.
In 1939, three years after Gabrilowitsch’s death, the orchestra moved to the Masonic Temple Theatre because of financial problems caused by the Great Depression. In the 1940s, the orchestra disbanded twice and performed in three different venues. In 1946, the orchestra moved to the Wilson Theater, which was later renamed Music Hall. In 1956, the orchestra moved to Ford Auditorium on the Detroit River, where it stayed for 33 years. Under music director Paul Paray, the orchestra gained national recognition and won awards for its 70 recordings on the Mercury label. Paray was followed by music directors Sixten Ehrling, Aldo Ceccato, Antal Doráti, and Günther Herbig.
In the 1960s, members of the orchestra provided string accompaniments for Motown Records’ popular songs. These recordings were usually directed by Gordon Staples, the orchestra’s concertmaster at the time. Two Motown albums featured the orchestra’s strings with the Motown rhythm section, the Funk Brothers. The group was called the San Remo Golden Strings and had two hit singles: "Hungry for Love" (#3 Billboard Adult Contemporary) and "I’m Satisfied" (#89 U.S. Pop). In 1966, orchestra members recorded with The Supremes for the ABC TV documentary "Anatomy of Pop: The Music Explosion." The song performed was "My World Is Empty Without You" by Holland, Dozier, and Holland. Two albums were released: "Hungry for Love" (1967) and "Swing" (1968), both on the Gordy label (a Motown subsidiary).
In 1970, the DSO created the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra as a training group, led by Paul Freeman.
In 1989, after 20 years of restoration, the DSO returned to Orchestra Hall. Additional renovations were completed in 2003, including a $60 million addition, a recital hall, and an education wing called the Max M. Fisher Music Center, designed by Diamond Schmitt in association with Gunn Levine Architects. A fine arts high school, the Detroit School of Arts, was added to the DSO campus in 2004.
Neeme Järvi became music director in 1990 and served until 2005, the second-longest tenure in the orchestra’s history. Järvi now holds the title of music director emeritus. After Järvi left, Peter Oundjian was named principal guest conductor and artistic advisor for two years, from 2006 to 2008.
On Oct. 7, 2007, the DSO announced Leonard Slatkin as its 12th music director. In 2010, Slatkin’s contract was extended through the 2012–2013 season. He reduced his salary to help the orchestra financially. In 2014, his contract was extended through the 2017–2018 season. In 2018, Slatkin took the title of music director laureate, the first former DSO music director to receive that title.
A labor dispute caused DSO musicians to strike on Oct. 4, 2010. On Feb. 19, 2011, after musicians rejected a final offer, the DSO suspended the 2010–2011 season. After six months, an agreement was reached in April 2011. Concerts resumed April 9, 2011, with free weekend concerts. Most tickets for classical concerts were priced at $15 or $25 for the 2011–2012 season.
A musician named Marian Tanau said the strike led to a loss of experienced players and more substitutes, slightly lowering the orchestra’s quality. He also noted a 30% wage cut and reduced prestige made it harder to attract top musicians.
Since returning in 2011, the DSO reorganized under the "OneDSO" plan, focusing on community engagement and digital access. The Neighborhood Series brought new subscribers and increased subscriptions by 25% from 2011 to 2014.
In 2013, the DSO returned to Carnegie Hall for the first time in 17 years for the Spring for Music Festival. In 2014, the DSO’s board, musicians, and management agreed to a new three-year contract eight months before the previous one ended.
In June 2018, Jader Bignamini guest-conducted the DSO as a substitute for Slatkin. Bignamini returned in 2019 and was named music director in 2020, with
Music directors
- Weston Gales (1914–1917)
- Ossip Gabrilowitsch (1918–1936)
- Franco Ghione (1936–1940)
- Victor Kolar (1940–1942)
- Karl Krueger (1944–1949)
- Paul Paray (1951–1962)
- Sixten Ehrling (1963–1973)
- Aldo Ceccato (1973–1977)
- Antal Doráti (1977–1981)
- Günther Herbig (1984–1990)
- Neeme Järvi (1990–2005)
- Leonard Slatkin (2008–2018)
- Jader Bignamini (2020–present)