“Spearheaded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Community Orchestra” gave its first public concert Sunday, writes Mark Stryker in Saturday’s (12/3) Detroit Free Press (Michigan). “What you will hear are … string players … playing their hearts out for the sheer love of making music.… The musicians rehearse weekly at the Max, conducted by two former high school music directors who work in the DSO’s community and learning department. DSO musicians also work on occasion with the new ensemble as coaches. The group is diverse by race, gender and age…. No audition is required…. DSO officials started the community orchestra as a string ensemble [with] tentative plans to expand the program next year to include a wind ensemble…. ‘There’s nothing quite like this,’ said Dileonte Jones, a 27-year-old Detroiter, who studied music for two years in college.” Says Jesse Rosen, president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, “It’s a two-way street. The musicians receive a vital outlet for making music in fellowship, while the orchestra develops a committed base.” Also covered in the article are similar programs for adult instrumentalists at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Posted December 5, 2016
