Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Paul Paray

Like Detroit itself, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra has navigated repeated hardships, including crumbling performance spaces and persistent money troubles. Yet its artistic standards have remained elevated across the decades, a direct reflection of the caliber of the conductors who have shaped its sound.

Ten young society women each donated $100 and enlisted another hundred donors at $10 apiece to establish the ensemble in 1914. Weston Gales was engaged as its first conductor, leading the inaugural concert on February 26 of that year, though his name soon faded from local memory. Momentum arrived in 1918 when pianist Ossip Gabrilowitsch became music director. He championed the building of Orchestra Hall, whose acoustics drew immediate praise, and expanded the orchestra’s reach through tours and especially radio. In 1922 the DSO participated in the first symphonic concert ever broadcast, with Gabrilowitsch at the podium and famed pianist Artur Schnabel as soloist; later it appeared regularly on the nationally aired Ford Symphony Hour.

After Gabrilowitsch’s death in 1937, Orchestra Hall shut its doors two years later for lack of maintenance funds. The ensuing period brought two disbandments before conductor Paul Paray was appointed in 1951. His command of French repertoire earned worldwide notice, prompting some observers to assert that the finest performances of French orchestral music were then taking place in Detroit. Under Paray the orchestra made seventy Mercury recordings and collected multiple awards. Distinguished musician Sixten Ehrling succeeded him, yet the 1970s again proved lean. Antal Dorati assumed leadership in 1977, only to confront mounting deficits that peaked in 1987 at $8 million against a $14 million endowment. A twelve-week work stoppage ensued, during which musicians accused management and then music director Gunther Herbig of mismanagement. Concessions followed: Herbig was replaced by esteemed conductor Neeme Järvi, and the players accepted significant salary reductions.

A Committee to Save Orchestra Hall had already blocked repeated demolition threats and raised restoration funds. The orchestra returned to the renovated venue in 1989. Järvi’s inventive programming attracted audiences while the restored hall proved ideal for recording, allowing the DSO to stabilize its finances. It recorded for Chandos under Järvi and was featured on General Motors’ nationally broadcast “Mark of Excellence” radio series. In 2003 the Max M. Fischer Music Center opened, encompassing the modernized Orchestra Hall, an additional performance space, and an education center, even as Järvi announced his departure at the close of the 2004-2005 season.

Leonard Slatkin was appointed music director in 2008. During his tenure the ensemble sustained its visibility through Orchestra Hall concerts, free community events, radio broadcasts, streaming videos on its website, and continued recording activity. He stepped down in 2018 yet stayed on as music director laureate. The DSO’s Naxos releases under Slatkin included the 2019 album Copland: Billy the Kid; Grohg, which received a Grammy nomination. In January 2020 the orchestra named Jader Bignamini its next music director, effective with the 2020-2021 season.