Wayne State University’s Department of Music is proud to present its 53rd annual Salute to Detroit concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20. This year’s concert is dedicated to celebrating the department’s 100th year at Wayne State. The concert will be held at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center’s Orchestra Hall, home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), located at 3711 Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Tickets for the annual WSU concert, which celebrates Detroit's rich cultural heritage, are $10 general admission and are available through the DSO’s box office at dso.org. The department is part of Wayne State’s College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. 

This year’s concert will feature a collage of once-in-a-century performances by Wayne State's premier ensembles, including the Wind Symphony under the direction of Douglas Bianchi; Jazz Big Band under the direction of Russell Miller; Concert Chorale and Choral Union under the direction of Alex Sutton; and University Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus under the direction of Kypros Markou. The finale will feature a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fantasy in C Minor, op. 80 “Choral” featuring faculty piano soloist, Robert Conway, who will be joined by a faculty vocal sextet including Caitlin Lynch, soprano; Frances Brockington, soprano; Dorothy Duensing, mezzo-soprano; David Troiano, tenor; Gordon Finlay, tenor; Jonathan Lasch, baritone; and the University Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus.

The Wayne State Symphonic Chorus performing the “Choral Fantasy” will feature more than 90 singers composed of current WSU students, alumni and members of the Detroit Choral Society.

“Anniversaries and traditions give us a reason to pause and reflect on where we have been and where we are going,” said Norah Duncan IV, chair, Department of Music. “The yearly Salute to Detroit concert has become a musical tradition that brings together the Detroit community. This year’s Salute concert provides the stage to showcase Wayne State students, alumni and faculty who together will commemorate the 100-year legacy of the Department of Music’s contribution to this city’s rich musical history. " 

The annual Salute concerts, founded by the late Malcolm Johns in 1967, originally were designated as “Thanksgiving” concerts and have grown to be a fixture treasured by Wayne State and the Metropolitan Detroit Community.  

For more information, visit music.wayne.edu or call 313-577-1795. 

About the Department of Music 

Founded in 1918, the Department of Music has earned a reputation for excellence in the United States and abroad. Many members of the music faculty, including musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and some of the area's finest jazz and vocal artists, have toured throughout the world as performers, clinicians, conductors and composers. Likewise, students in the department's ensembles have won international competitions, toured Europe and Asia, and enjoyed repeated invitations to perform at major festivals and conferences. The department also is known for its preparation of music educators. 

The Department of Music celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2018-2019. Notable alumni include opera performer George Shirley and jazz great Kenny Burrell. Shirley was the 2015 National Medal of Arts winner and 2016 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Opera Association. Kenny Burrell was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts and Jazz Educator of the Year in 2005. Additionally, the department is excited to unveil the new Gretchen Valade Jazz Center (part of the Gateway Performance Complex) which is set to open in September of 2022.

About the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts 

The College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University serves 2,500 students majoring in 16 undergraduate and 12 graduate programs through the James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History, the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance, the Department of Music, and the Department of Communication. Wayne State University, located in the heart of Detroit’s Midtown Cultural Center, is a premier urban research institution offering nearly 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 27,000 students. For more information, visit cfpca.wayne.edu or connect with us on social media @WayneStateCFPCA. 

53rd Annual Salute to Detroit Concert: Centennial Celebration Program

Wayne State Wind Symphony

Douglas Bianchi, conductor

• A Movement for Rosa (Composer: Mark Camphouse; Conductor, Doug Bianchi)
• Riding with Warriors (Composer: James Lentini -WSU Alumnus; Conductor Patrick Jensen- WSU Alumnus)

Wayne State Jazz Big Band

Russell Miller, director

Tribute to Matt Michaels, Founder of the WSU Jazz Studies Program

• In Passing (Composer: Matt Michael; arr. Russ Miller)
• My Kaye (Composer: Matt Michaels; arr. Russ Miller)
• Plaza Suite 4 (Composer: Matt Michaels; arr. Russ Miller)

Wayne State Concert Chorale and Choral Union

Alex Sutton, conductor

• Hold On! (African American Spiritual; arr. Norah Duncan IV-Chair of Department of Music)
• Musicks Empire from Triptych (Composer: Lloyd Pfautsch)
• Stand By Me (Composers: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and Ben E. King; arr. Mark De-Lisse)
• Invictus (Composer: Joshua Rist)

Wayne State University Symphony Orchestra

Kypros Markou, conductor

• Overture to Prometheus, Op. 43 (Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven)

Wayne State University Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus

Kypros Markou, conductor

    Fantasy in C Minor, op. 80 “Choral” (Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven)

• Robert Conway, piano
• Caitlin Lynch, soprano
• Frances Brockington, soprano
• Dorothy Duensing, mezzo soprano
• David Troiano, tenor
• Gordon Finlay, tenor
• Jonathan Lasch, baritone