As part of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s annual Classical Roots Celebration on March 3, Kazem Abdullah conducted the world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Detroit 67: Looking Back to Move Forward. The work marks the 50th anniversary of Detroit’s tumultuous summer of 1967, when 43 people died during a week of race riots and confrontations between citizens and the National Guard. Also on the program at the Classical Roots Celebration were James Weldon Johnson’s Lift Every Voice and Sing and Jeffrey Mumford’s of fields unfolding…echoing depths of resonant light. Jazz violinist Regina Carter joined the orchestra for David Schiff’s 1997 work 4 Sisters Concerto for Jazz Violin and Orchestra honoring Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan. Additional performers included cellist Christine Lamprea, winner of the 2013 Sphinx Competition, and the Brazeal Dennard Chorale.
