Aretha Franklin sings with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 27, 1998, at Orchestra Hall in Detroit. Photo by William Archie/Detroit Free Press.
“As she headed into her first-ever onstage collaboration with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Aretha Franklin was confident about the crossover potential,” writes Brian McCollum in Friday’s (5/26) Detroit Free Press “ ‘I have very sophisticated fans,’ she told the Detroit Free Press in November 1998. ‘They like good music, just like I do.’ Those ’98 concerts—three nights over Thanksgiving weekend—turned out to be the Queen of Soul’s only work with the DSO, a rare meeting of two Detroit musical institutions. Now, a quarter-century later, the DSO is tipping its hat to Franklin again: In one of the most eagerly awaited events on the orchestra’s 2023 calendar, assistant conductor Na’Zir McFadden will lead four concerts of Franklin’s music Friday through Sunday…. The DSO is pulling out the stops for its Queen of Soul weekend, including a 1956 pink Cadillac stationed in the Orchestra Hall lobby and a display of photos from Linda Solomon, the Franklin personal photographer who documented the ’98 event, including rehearsals. Franklin family members are also planning to attend…. This is the second Aretha Franklin event for the DSO this year, following January’s live play-along of the biopic ‘Respect.’ ”
