DSO Schedules 4 Concerts Near Birmingham, Starting in December

Top-caliber classical music comes to the Birmingham vicinity, starting in December, as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) expands its suburban outreach.

Sunday afternoon concerts by the full DSO, led by Leonard Slatkin and three guest conductors, will be at Seligman Performing Arts Center on the Detroit Country Day School campus in Beverly Hills on Dec. 11, Jan. 29, March 25 and April 22. The first three programs feature prominent instrumental soloists, including internationally-acclaimed violinist Nicola Benedetti on Dec. 11. The 23-year-old recording artist performed last month in New York City with Andrea Bocelli for an audience of 70,000.

Musical selections, conductors and featured performers are listed at the DSO website. Tickets are $25 or $75 for all four evenings.

The Neighborhood Concert Series, announced Oct. 10, also includes Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Southfield, Grosse Pointe and Dearborn. The DSO, which continues performing mainly at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, also plans "school partnerships, scheduled and 'pop up' chamber music appearances and other seasonal programming" in the half-dozen suburbs, a recent press release says.

"I am thrilled to take part in helping to shape the cultural landscape of Southeast Michigan through the DSO’s new Neighborhood Residency Initiative," Slatkin said in the press release.

Locations were picked because they have large numbers of current and past DSO patrons, vice president Paul Hogle told The Detroit News. The goal is "increasing the DSO’s exposure and accessibility," according to Anne Parsons, president and CEO.

Individual community concerts began last winter after a six-month musicians' strike.