Artist Spotlight: Detroit Symphony Orchestra

A weekly feature showcasing local artists

Name: Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Sound: Classical, pops, jazz, Broadway and more

The latest: It’s a big weekend for the orchestra and musical director Jader Bignamini. The DSO and Bignamini’s first recording together and his commercial recording debut, Wynton Marsalis’s “Blues Symphony” is out Friday on Pentatone records. The seven-movement work “gives a symphonic identity to the form and feeling of the blues,” said Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musician Marsalis in a press release.

Recorded at Orchestra Hall in December 2023, the album marks a milestone for the DSO.

“This dynamic and challenging work captures the breadth of American music and can be appreciated from both the orchestral and jazz worlds,” said Bignamini in a statement. “I believe it brings together the two souls of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and speaks to the musical legacy of the city of Detroit and our home, Orchestra Hall.”

Next: In live concert news, it’s a busy weekend for the DSO. Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez leads the ensemble in performing “La Vida Loca,” works from the Latin pop explosion of the 1990s and 2000s. These include high-energy, trumpet-infused jams from Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, Santana and more. Show times are 10:45 a.m. Fri., 8 p.m. Sat. and 3 p.m. Sun. at Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward in Detroit. Tickets start at $20.

Also this weekend, the DSO and Candela Detroit present a free concert of tango music with dance demonstration Friday night at Candela Detroit, 3564 W. Vernor Hwy. in Detroit. Visit dso.org for more details on these performances and others.

Melody Baetens