Anne Parsons, president and CEO of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and her daughter, Cara Dietz, at the ceremony unveiling street signs named for Parsons in Detroit, June 30, 2021. Photo: David Guralnick/Detroit News
“Trying to woo Anne Parsons to Detroit to lead the Detroit Symphony Orchestra years ago, former DSO board chairman Jim Nicholson told her they’d even named the street in front of Orchestra Hall … for their new prospective leader,” writes Maureen Feighan in Wednesday’s (6/30) Detroit News. “Nicholson was joking, but 17 years after Parsons became the DSO’s president and chief executive officer … the street just south of Orchestra Hall between Woodward and Cass now actually does bear her name. A brief ceremony unveiling the new secondary street name, Anne Parsons Way, approved by Detroit city officials was held [on] Wednesday…. Nearly 100 people gathered to see the new street name and honor Parsons, who earlier this year announced she plans to step down from the DSO in 2022. The sun broke through the clouds just as Parsons, who is currently on medical leave as she fights cancer, stepped to the podium to talk about the honor, which she admits took a bit to get used to…. For Parsons, she plans to work on building DSO’s endowment until she retires next year. ‘I really am just filled with gratitude,’ said Parsons.”
