Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 7 p.m. in Orchestra Hall
JADER BIGNAMINI, conductor JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ, tenor
Opening Night Gala supports the DSO’s mission to ensure young people have access to music education and a path to all that is possible.
PNC POPS SERIES
Friday, October 3, 2025 at 10:45 a.m.
Friday, October 3, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 3 p.m. in Orchestra Hall
ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ , conductor TROUPE VERTIGO, circus artists
Sponsored by
Dear Friends,
Welcome to a new season with your Detroit Symphony Orchestra! Whether you are discovering us for the first time or returning as a longtime supporter, we are thrilled to share with you the music and memories that await this year.
Our 2025–2026 season is built on a simple but powerful idea: Life. Amplified. From classical masterpieces and jazz icons to pops favorites and concerts for the whole family, each performance is an invitation to experience music’s power to magnify every emotion, every connection, every moment.
We begin this fall with our dazzling Opening Night Gala, followed by a season full of unforgettable highlights including the return of legendary conductor Herbert Blomstedt and a multi-week Northern Lights Festival that illuminates Nordic music and culture. Still buzzing from the March 2025 release of Wynton Marsalis’s Blues Symphony recorded live right here in Orchestra Hall with our outstanding Music Director, Jader Bignamini, and the DSO—we are proud to continue our close partnership with Wynton by presenting several of his works throughout the season. Life. Amplified. isn’t just about music—it’s about people. Musicians, audiences, donors, leaders on stage and off, volunteers, staff, and partners create a connected community that makes the DSO thrive, where people across our region (and around the world thanks to our Live from Orchestra Hall concert livestreams) can find a home in music.
This season, we’re also pleased to welcome new faces: In addition to new musicians on stage, Michael Abels joins us as Composer-in-Residence, and Ingrid Martin as Assistant Conductor (Phillip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador ) and Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra.
As always, the DSO’s impact extends beyond the stage. Each year, we transform the lives of thousands of students through music education and foster deep connections with partner organizations—like through our Detroit Harmony initiative—engaging with one another to build a vibrant cultural landscape and champion our great city of Detroit. No matter where life takes you, we want to be a constant, where you can always turn to experience the transformative power of music and community. We invite you to join us often this season, and to let the DSO be part of life’s most meaningful moments.
Warm regards,
Erik Rönmark Faye Alexander Nelson President & CEO Chair, Board of Directors
Principal Pops Conductor
Devereaux Family Chair
FIRST VIOLIN
Robyn Bollinger
CONCERTMASTER
Katherine Tuck Chair
Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy
ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
Schwartz and Shapero Family Chair
Hai-Xin Wu
ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
Walker L. Cisler/Detroit Edison Foundation Chair
OPEN
ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
Marguerite Deslippe*
Laurie Goldman*
Rachel Harding Klaus*
Eun Park Lee*
Nancy Schlichting and Pamela Theisen Chair
Adrienne Rönmark*
William and Story John Chair
OPEN
Drs. Doris Tong and Teck Soo Chair
Laura Soto*
Greg Staples*
Jiamin Wang*
Mingzhao Zhou*
SECOND VIOLIN
Adam Stepniewski
ACTING PRINCIPAL
The Devereaux Family Chair
Connor Chaikowsky*
Will Haapaniemi*
David and Valerie McCammon Chairs
Hae Jeong Heidi Han*
David and Valerie McCammon Chairs
Sheryl Hwangbo Yu*
Sujin Lim*
Tianyu Liu*
Yu-Ming Ma*
Hong-Yi Mo *
Marian Tănău*
Alexander Volkov*
Jing Zhang*
VIOLA
Eric Nowlin
PRINCIPAL
Julie and Ed Levy, Jr. Chair
James VanValkenburg
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Janet and Norm Ankers Chair
Caroline Coade
Henry and Patricia Nickol Chair
Mike Chen*
Hart Hollman*
Glenn Mellow*
Hang Su*
Han Zheng*
CELLO
Wei Yu
PRINCIPAL
OPEN
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Dorothy and Herbert Graebner Chair
Robert Bergman*
Jeremy Crosmer*
Victor and Gale Girolami Chair
David LeDoux*
Peter McCaffrey*
Joanne Danto and Arnold Weingarden Chair
Una O’Riordan*
Mary Ann and Robert Gorlin Chair
Cole Randolph*
Mary Lee Gwizdala Chair
BASS
Kevin Brown
PRINCIPAL
Van Dusen Family Chair
Stephen Molina
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Renato and Elizabeth Jamett Chair
Christopher Hamlen*
Peter Hatch*
Vincent Luciano*
Brandon Mason^
HARP
Alyssa Katahara
PRINCIPAL
Winifred E. Polk Chair
FLUTE
Hannah Hammel Maser
PRINCIPAL
Alan J. and Sue Kaufman and Family Chair
Emily Bieker
ACTING SECOND FLUTE
Morton and Brigitte Harris Chair
Amanda Blaikie
ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Bernard and Eleanor Robertson Chair
PICCOLO
OPEN
OBOE
Alexander Kinmonth
PRINCIPAL
Jack A. and Aviva Robinson Chair
Erik Andrusyak
Sarah Lewis
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Monica Fosnaugh
Donovan Bown§
ENGLISH HORN
Monica Fosnaugh
CLARINET
Ralph Skiano
PRINCIPAL
Robert B. Semple Chair
Kamalia Freyling
ACTING SECOND CLARINET
Jack Walters
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
PVS Chemicals Inc./
Jim and Ann Nicholson Chair
Shannon Orme
Triniti Rives§
E-FLAT CLARINET
Jack Walters
BASS CLARINET
Shannon Orme
Barbara Frankel and Ronald Michalak Chair
BASSOON
Conrad Cornelison
PRINCIPAL
Byron and Dorothy Gerson Chair
Cornelia Sommer
Ryan Turano
CONTRABASSOON
Ryan Turano
HORN
Edmund Rollett
PRINCIPAL HORN
David and Christine Provost Chair
Scott Strong
Ric and Carola Huttenlocher Chair
Patrick Walle
Cara Kizer
ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Kristi Crago
ACTING HORN
Ben Wulfman
ACTING HORN
TRUMPET
Hunter Eberly
PRINCIPAL
Austin Williams
Justin Emerich
ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL William Lucas
TROMBONE
TIMPANI
BASS TROMBONE Adam Rainey
TUBA
Dennis Nulty PRINCIPAL
STAGE
Samuel Frankel◊
Stanley Frankel
David Handleman, Sr.◊
Dr. Arthur L. Johnson ◊
Chacona W. Baugh
Penny B. Blumenstein
Richard A. Brodie
Marianne Endicott
Sidney Forbes
Faye Alexander Nelson Chair
Erik Rönmark
President & CEO
Shirley Stancato Vice Chair
James B. Nicholson
Barbara Van Dusen
Clyde Wu, M.D.
Peter D. Cummings
Mark A. Davidoff
Phillip Wm. Fisher
Stanley Frankel
DIRECTORS EMERITI
Herman H. Frankel
Dr. Gloria Heppner
Ronald Horwitz
Harold Kulish
Bonnie Larson
Arthur C. Liebler
David McCammon
Marilyn Pincus
CHAIRS EMERITI
Robert S. Miller
James B. Nicholson
David T. Provost
Glenda Price
Marjorie S. Saulson
Jane Sherman
Arthur A. Weiss
OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Laura Trudeau Treasurer
Renato Jamett Secretary
Ric Huttenlocher Officer at Large
Daniel J. Kaufman Officer at Large
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
David Nicholson Officer at Large
Dr. David M. Wu, M.D. Officer at Large
Directors are responsible for maintaining a culture of accountability, resource development, and strategic thinking. As fiduciaries, Directors oversee the artistic and cultural health and strategic direction of the DSO.
Michael Bickers
Elena Centeio
Rodney Cole
Dr. Marcus Collins
Jeremy Epp, Orchestra
Representative
Aaron Frankel
Ralph J. Gerson
Laura Grannemann
Dr. Herman B. Gray, M.D.
Laura Hernandez-Romine
Rev. Nicholas Hood III
Richard Huttenlocher
Renato Jamett, Trustee Chair
Daniel J. Kaufman
H. Keith Mobley, Governing Members Chair
Xavier Mosquet
Faye Alexander Nelson, Board Chair
David Nicholson
Arthur T. O’Reilly
Bernard I. Robertson
Renato Jamett, Trustee Chair
Ismael Ahmed
Richard Alonzo
Hadas Bernard
Janice Bernick
Elizabeth Boone
Gwen Bowlby
Shirley Stancato
Scott Strong, Orchestra Representative
Laura J. Trudeau
James G. Vella
Dr. David M. Wu, M.D.
Ellen Hill Zeringue
Trustees are a diverse group of community leaders who infuse creative thinking and innovation into how the DSO strives to achieve both artistic vitality and organizational sustainability.
Afa Sadykhly Dworkin
Emily Elmer
James C. Farber
Amanda Fisher
Linda Forte
Carolynn Frankel
Christa Funk
Robert Gillette
Dr. Betty Chu, M.D.
Karen Cullen
Joanne Danto
Stephen D’Arcy
Maureen T. D’Avanzo
Jasmin DeForrest
Cara Dietz
Jody Glancy
Mary Ann Gorlin
Darby Hadley
Michelle Hodges
Julie Hollinshead
Laurel Kalkanis
Jay Kapadia
David Karp
Joel D. Kellman
John Kim
Jennette Smith Kotila
Leonard LaRocca
William Lentine
Linda Dresner Levy
Gene LoVasco
Anthony McCree
Kristen McLennan
Tito Melega
Lydia Michael H. Keith Mobley, Governing Members Chair
Sandy Morrison
Frederick J. Morsches
Jennifer Muse
Geoffrey S. Nathan
Sean M. Neall
Eric Nemeth
Maury Okun
Jackie Paige
Priscilla Perkins
Vivian Pickard
Denise Fair Razo
Gerrit Reepmeyer
James Rose, Jr.
Laurie Rosen
Carlo Serraiocco
Lois L. Shaevsky
Elliot Shafer
Shiv Shivaraman
Dean P. Simmer
Richard Sonenklar
Dhivya Srinivasan
Rob Tanner
Yoni Torgow
Nate Wallace
Gwen Weiner
Donnell White
Jennifer Whitteaker◊
R. Jamison Williams
Gioachino Rossini Overture to La scala di seta (1792–1868)
Gaetano Donizetti “Tombe Degl’avi Miei...fra Poco A Me Ricovero” (1797–1848) from Lucia Di Lammermoor
Sinfonia (Overture) from Adelia
“Quanto è bella” from L’elisir d’amore
“Una furtiva lagrima” from L’elisir d’amore
Overture to Don Pasquale
“Ah! mes amis” from La Fille du Régiment
Giuseppe Verdi Un giorno di regno (Il finto stanislao) (1813–1901)
“Questa o quella” from Rigoletto
“La donna è mobile” from Rigoletto
Ruperto Chapí El tambor de granaderos (1851–1909)
Agustín Lara Granada (1897–1970)
arr. Jack Hayes/ Junchaya/Flórez
Program subject to change
Thank you to the musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra who are playing tonight’s concert as a donated service. We appreciate their continued support and generosity.
Flash photography, extended video recording, tripods, and cameras with detachable lenses are strictly prohibited.
MUSIC DIRECTORSHIP ENDOWED BY THE KRESGE FOUNDATION
JaderBignamini was introduced as the 18th music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in January 2020, commencing with the 2020–2021 season. His infectious passion and artistic excellence set the tone for the seasons ahead, creating extraordinary music and establishing a close relationship with the orchestra. A jazz aficionado, he has immersed himself in Detroit’s rich jazz culture and the influences of American music. A native of Crema, Italy, Bignamini studied at the Piacenza Music Conservatory and began his career as a musician (clarinet) with Orchestra Sinfonica La Verdi in Milan, later serving as the group’s resident conductor. Captivated by the music of legends like Mahler and Tchaikovsky, Bignamini explored their complexity and power, puzzling out the role that each instrument played in creating a larger-than-life sound. When he conducted his first professional concert at the age of 28, it didn’t feel like a departure, but an arrival. In the years since, Bignamini has conducted some of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras and opera companies in venues across the globe including working with Riccardo Chailly on concerts of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in 2013 and his concert debut at La Scala in 2015 for the opening season of La Sinfonica di Milano. Recent highlights include debuts with Opera de Paris, Deutsche Opera Berlin, Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, and the Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Minnesota symphonies; The Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Festival; and at the Grand
Teton Festival. He has also appeared with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic; with the Metropolitan Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Vienna State Opera, Dutch National Opera, and Bayerische Staatsoper; in Montpellier for the Festival de Radio France; and had return engagements with Oper Frankfurt and Santa Fe Opera. In Italy, Bignamini has conducted numerous operas at Arena of Verona, Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the Verdi Festival in Parma, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, and La Fenice in Venice. In Asia, he has conducted the Osaka Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and others. Bignamini enjoys working with the next generation of musicians and is a regular guest of Interlochen Center for the Arts with the DSO and of the Asian Youth Orchestra.
When Bignamini leads an orchestra in symphonic repertoire, he conducts without a score, preferring to make direct eye contact with the musicians. He conducts from the heart, forging a profound connection with musicians that shines through both onstage and off. He both embodies and exudes the excellence and enthusiasm that has long distinguished the DSO’s artistry.
Witha career that includes performances on the world’s leading stages, Juan Diego Flórez has established himself as one of opera’s greatest talents with his expressive singing and virtuosity. His generosity, charisma, and passion inspire his many philanthropic endeavors, in addition to his acclaimed operatic appearances and recordings.
Flórez was born in Lima, Peru in 1973 and began singing and playing Peruvian
folk and pop music at an early age. He inherited from his family the love for Peruvian and Latin American music in general, and when he was a teenager, he wrote his own songs and sang live in the piano bars frequented by his schoolmates in Lima.
In 1990, he gained a place at Peru’s National Conservatory of Music and later became a member of Peru’s National Choir. Keen to travel and to continue his education, Flórez then won a scholarship to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Following a breakthrough performance in the leading role of Corradino in Matilde di Shabran at age 23, opera houses around the world set their sights on the young tenor. Flórez debuted at La Scala in 1996 under the baton of Riccardo Muti.
Since then, Flórez has appeared at all the world’s leading opera houses, concert halls, and music festivals, and has recorded numerous solo albums, as well
as complete operas. He has been recognized as one of the best tenors in history by the BBC, and has received numerous accolades and awards including the Echo Klassik Preis, the Diapason d’Or, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, and a Gramophone Award, among others. In 2012, he received the Austrian’s government title of Kammersänger.
Flórez has always maintained a close relationship with his native country, which has awarded him its very highest distinction: the Order of the Sun, Grand Cross. In 2011, he founded Sinfonía por el Perú, an inclusive social project inspired by the Venezuelan “El Sistema” that aims to enhance the personal and artistic development of the most vulnerable children and youth in the country through music. In recognition of his work, he was appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2012 and received the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum in 2014.
JADER BIGNAMINI , Music Director
TROUPE VERTIGO
Friday, October 3, 2025 at 10:45 a.m. & 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 3 p.m. in Orchestra Hall
ENRICO LOPEZ-YAÑEZ , conductor TROUPE VERTIGO, circus artists
Program to be announced from the stage.
PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE | TROUPE VERTIGO
Swinging Through Space
Troupe Vertigo returns to Orchestra Hall for a gravity-defying performance that combines elements of circus, dance, theater, and orchestra. The Los Angeles-based theatrical circus company joins forces with Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez for this intergalactic production. The DSO sets the scene with a soundtrack of beloved space-themed classical and movie music, as aerialists and acrobats fly to the moon and showcase physical feats that seem impossible on earth. They might even run into the Jetsons or a friendly extra-terrestrial along the way…
PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR AND DEVEREAUX FAMILY CHAIR
Celebrated for his charismatic stage presence, genre-defining collaborations, and passion for making orchestral music accessible to all, Enrico LopezYañez is one of the most innovative and in-demand conductors in North America. He currently serves as Principal Pops Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Pacific Symphony, Principal Conductor of Dallas Symphony Presents, and Principal Guest Conductor of Pops at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He previously spent eight seasons conducting the Nashville Symphony, where he also served as their Principal Pops Conductor.
As a trailblazer in the symphonic world, Lopez-Yañez has premiered dozens of groundbreaking symphonic collaborations with artists including Dolly Parton, Kelsea Ballerini, and Tituss Burgess. His wide-ranging collaborations span genres and generations, featuring artists such as Nas, Itzhak Perlman, Gladys Knight, Ben Folds, The Beach Boys, and Kenny G.
As a composer and arranger, he has written for artists like Big Sean and Mariachi Los Camperos, and he has been commissioned by major orchestras across the U.S.
A passionate advocate for Latin music, he has arranged and produced concerts featuring Latin Fire, Mariachi Los Camperos, and The Three Mexican Tenors, and collaborated with Aida Cuevas, Arturo Sandoval, Lila Downs, and Lupita Infante.
Lopez-Yañez is also Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Symphonica Productions, LLC, a creative production company developing innovative pops, family, and educational concerts for orchestras.
Los Angeles-based theatrical circus company, Troupe Vertigo, was founded in 2009 by Aloysia Gavre (Cirque du Soleil) and her husband Rex Camphuis (Pickle Family Circus/ Film & Theater Producer). They create an eclectic and refreshing mix of circus-dance-theater works that ignite the imagination with mentally and physically spellbinding performances.
Troupe Vertigo has been creatively involved with world class symphonies, and their unique perspective on the circus arts have led to a variety of speaking engagements including with The Center Theater Group Los Angeles, Directors Lab West, TEDx Talk, and The Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival, as well as in publications including Dance Teacher Magazine and Ordinary Acrobat.
Troupe Vertigo’s facility is also home to Cirque School, LA’s premier circus training space, which inspires an appreciation for the circus arts.
U-M Jazz Faculty
Ed Sarath, trumpet
Ellen Rowe, piano
Dennis Wilson, trombone
Robert Hurst, bass
Andrew Bishop, tenor sax
Andy Milne, piano
Daniel Pinilla, guitar
Carla Cook, guest vocalist
Nandi Comer, Former Michigan
Poet Laureate (BA ’01, English & Spanish)
Mark Stryker, Master of Ceremonies
October 24, 2025, 8pm
Power Center for the Performing Arts
Reserved Seating (fees included) $40 / $34 / $16 Student Tickets
CYE
NOV 2
NOVEMBER
CIVIC YOUTH ENSEMBLES EXPERIENCE AND SHOWCASE CONCERT
PVS CLASSICAL SERIES CARMINA BURANA NOV 7—9
PVS CLASSICAL SERIES BIGNAMINI CONDUCTS MOZART AND BEETHOVEN NOV 14—15
PNC POPS SERIES THE BILLY JOEL SONGBOOK NOV 21—23
TERENCE BLANCHARD: MALCOLM X JAZZ SUITE DEC 5
BIGNAMINI CONDUCTS MOZART AND BEETHOVEN NOV 14—15
PVS CLASSICAL SERIES ROMANTIC TREASURES: BRUCH & BRAHMS
DEC 4—7
PARADIES JAZZ SERIES TERENCE BLANCHARD: MALCOLM X JAZZ SUITE DEC 5
TINY TOTS KRIS JOHNSON GROUP DEC 6 FAMILY WINTER WONDERLAND DEC 6
The Whitney, a 130-year-old Romanesque-style mansion, stands as one of the last great mansions to grace Woodward Avenue. Before your next show, or whenever the urge hits you, come visit. From the welcoming reception you’ll receive, the exquisite cuisine and refined cocktails you’ll enjoy, and the timeless ambience you’ll experience, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
Pre-Concert Dining, Post-Concert Desserts and Cocktails, Sunday Brunch or A�ternoon Tea — it’s an experience you won’t forget.
4421 Woodward Avenue, Detroit | 313 832 5700 | thewhitney.com
