ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Tree Town musicians are headed to Detroit’s Orchestra Hall to perform at the SphinxConnect conference on Friday, Jan. 26
The 8 p.m. performance will be the orchestra’s first Detroit concert since its creation in 1928. It will feature artists from the Sphinx Organization -- a nonprofit dedicated to supporting BIPOC musicians -- and highlight shared history, organizers said.
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A2SO Music Director Earl Lee, a Solti Conducting Award recipient, will conduct musicians in a program including music from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn and American composer Jessie Montgomery.
“Our Detroit performance is a momentous occasion for the Symphony,” said A2SO Executive Director Sarah Calderini in a release. “This opportunity expands our reach, broadens our audience, and brings our mission to more listeners than ever. We’re set to reinvigorate our partnership and commitment with Sphinx, all in an incredible setting thanks to the deeply felt support of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.”
Award-winning cellist Tommy Mesa will perform Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 and Montgomery’s Divided, a performance commissioned by the Sphinx Organization in 2022.
Here’s a preview of the program:
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
- Joseph Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1
- Jessie Montgomery: Divided
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter”
“The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra has a long and illustrious partnership with Sphinx, dating back to our involvement in Sphinx’s inaugural competition in 1997. I’m excited to partner with Tommy [Mesa] to perform one of Haydn’s most instantly recognizable works, as well as feature Jessie [Montgomery’s] incisive and thought-provoking work for cello and orchestra — a poignant response to social and political unrest,” Lee said.
The two-hour performance will be repeated on Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.
A2SO will be supported by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tickets for the Detroit performance cost between $10-$50 each, and between $15-$90 for the Ann Arbor concert. Organizers said discounts are available for students and children. Find tickets here.