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The DSO at the Meadow Brook Music Festival's Baldwin Pavilion Provided by DSO  |
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 The beauty of Mozart and the exhilaration of the Glenn Miller Orchestra await audiences as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra kicks off its two-weekend, five-concert series at the Meadow Brook Music Festival's Baldwin Pavilion. On July 26 at 8 p.m., DSO Resident Conductor Thomas Wilkins will lead the orchestra in some of the prodigious composer's greatest pieces during "Mozart in the Meadow" featuring gifted young pianist Helen Huang. On Sunday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m., the Glenn Miller Orchestra takes the stage with the DSO and Wilkins for an evening of swing featuring favorite songs by the late, great bandleader. Located on the picturesque campus of Oakland University in Rochester, the Meadow Brook Music Festival has hosted the DSO for summertime concerts for over 40 years.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is among the world's most enduringly popular classical composers with an abundance of works in the standard concert repertoire. The DSO, led by Resident Conductor Thomas Wilkins, will perform three of the composer's most famous pieces for "Mozart in the Meadow" on July 26. The program includes the magical, fanciful Overture to The Magic Flute, the stunning Piano Concerto No. 23 with guest soloist Helen Huang and the "Great" G minor Symphony No. 40. "Mozart to me was the Tiger Woods of classical music composition in the 18th century," says Wilkins. "Every musical gesture seemed organic and effortless, not to mention simply ingenious."
The DSO and Wilkins will team up the following night, July 27, with The Glenn Miller Orchestra for an evening that will have audiences dancing on the lawn and in the aisles to the music of this great icon of American music. This swinging program will feature perennial favorites including "Moonlight Serenade," "Pennsylvania 6-5000," "Danny Boy," "In the Mood," "Tuxedo Junction," "Begin the Beguine" and more. "I have often said that the best era in American Jazz was the Big Band era," says Wilkins. "Unashamedly, it gave our toes permission to tap and made our bodies a vehicle for swing. And if that was not enough, this was one of those magical times when melody was singable, memorable and just plain lovely."
Thomas Wilkins is in his ninth season as Resident Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He leads the Orchestra in classical, jazz, Pops, special events, young people's series and educational concerts. Wilkins begins his tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra this summer and in February was honored by the DSO with a special award at the eighth annual Classical Roots Gala for his contributions to classical music and the Detroit community. Since 2005, Wilkins has been Music Director of the Omaha Symphony. He has served on the music faculties of several prestigious American universities and is a featured guest conductor with major orchestras across the country. Committed to promoting a life-long enthusiasm for music, Wilkins brings energy and commitment to audiences of all ages. He actively participates as a guest speaker and volunteer for local community organizations and schools.
At age 25, pianist Helen Huang has worked with top orchestras such as the National Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the London Philharmonic. She attended the preparatory division of the Manhattan School of Music, winning its concerto competition in 1992. In 1994 she was selected by the New York Philharmonic to receive Lincoln Center's Martin E. Segal Award for promising young artists. She also received the Arthur Rubinstein Prize in 2004 upon graduating from the Juilliard School where she was a student of Yoheved Kaplinsky. Huang is currently studying with Peter Frankl and pursuing her Masters degree at Yale. An enthusiastic chamber musician, she participates each summer in the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont.
Glenn Miller disappeared on December 15, 1944 over the English Channel on a flight from London to Paris at the height of his popularity. His recordings of "In The Mood," "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "A String of Pearls," "Moonlight Serenade" and "Tuxedo Junction" were all major hit records. Miller played to sell out crowds, and his music constantly dominated the airwaves. Now, over 60 years since the public first embraced the Miller Sound, both the legend and the music live on. The Glenn Miller Orchestra is one of the most sought after big bands in the world today for both concert and dance engagements. It is a fully self-contained group consisting of Musical Director Larry O'Brien, five saxophone players, four trumpeters, four trombonists, three rhythm musicians (piano, bass and drums) and two vocalists.
The second weekend of concerts at Meadow Brook features three evenings of programming. Incoming Music Director Leonard Slatkin will conduct a "Night at the Opera" on August 1 with music from some of the world's most beloved operas and "A Russian Spectacular" on August 2 featuring works by great Russian composers. On August 3, Elizabeth Schulze will lead "A Salute to Bernstein and Sondheim" featuring songs from the two musical theater composers' vast repertoire from shows such as Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Candide, Company and Wonderful Town.
Tickets for The Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Meadow Brook concerts are available at Palacenet.com, The Palace and DTE Energy Music Theatre Box Offices; by calling Ticketmaster at (248) 645-6666; or at any Ticketmaster location.
2008 MEADOW BROOK TICKET PRICE RANGES
$15 for lawn and $30 to $50 for pavilion seats. Lawn 4-packs are available for $50, and kids under 12 are FREE on the lawn. Groups of 15 or more receive $3 off tickets at all price levels
Meadow Brook Music Festival
"MOZART IN THE MEADOW"
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Wilkins, conductor; Helen Huang, piano
Saturday, July 26 at 8 p.m.
MOZART Overture to The Magic Flute, K.620
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K.488
Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K.550
Meadow Brook Music Festival
"THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA"
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Wilkins, conductor; Larry O'Brien, GMO musical director
Sunday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Program to be announced from stage. Some highlights include "Moonlight Serenade," "Pennsylvania 6-5000," "Danny Boy," "In the Mood," "Tuxedo Junction," "Begin the Beguine," "Little Brown Jug," "String of Pearls" and "Bugle Call Rag."
For more information, please visit www.palacenet.com
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