Music Director Jader Bignamini leads 11 programs including Opening Night Gala with Joshua Bell on September 26 at Orchestra Hall
Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez leads six programs on the PNC Pops Series; Assistant Conductor and Phillip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador Ingrid Martin leads two programs on PNC Pops Series
Principal Guest Conductor Tabita Berglund leads three programs on the PVS Classical Series
Highlighting 12 works by living composers, including two works by Composer-in-Residence Michael Abels and one DSO co-commission by Valerie Coleman
Subscriptions on sale now at dso.org/subscribe
Detroit, (February 17, 2026) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) today announced its 2026–2027 season, inviting audiences to experience another season of music that fills Orchestra Hall with power and presence, shaped by the spirit of Detroit. Announced programming includes PVS Classical Series, PNC Pops Series, Family Concert Series, and select special events. The DSO’s Paradise Jazz Series and William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series will be announced in summer 2026 and fall 2026, respectively.
The new season will mark the DSO’s sixth season led by Music Director Jader Bignamini, who will conduct 11 programs, welcoming renowned guest soloists to the Orchestra Hall stage. Principal Pops Conductor (Devereaux Family Chair) Enrico Lopez-Yañez returns for his third season in the role to lead six exciting programs on the PNC Pops Series, including the beloved Home for the Holidays program. Also in her third year in the role, Principal Guest Conductor Tabita Berglund will lead three programs on the PVS Classical Series. Ingrid Martin returns for her second season as Assistant Conductor and Phillip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador to lead two programs on the PNC Pops Series.
Michael Abels will return this season as DSO Composer-in-Residence. In the final season of his residency, the Pulitzer Prize winner will present two works driven by strong rhythmic propulsion and cinematic pacing you feel not just in your ears, but in your bones. Shaped by tension and release, the music feels physical, vivid, and alive, drawing listeners in from the very first moments. Audiences will enjoy his Emerge (DSO co-commission) on October 15–17, 2026 and Delights and Dances on June 11–13, 2027.
PVS CLASSICAL SERIES
Music Director Jader Bignamini Leads Half of PVS Classical Series Programs
Bignamini kicks off the season with a jam-packed weekend of music, starting with City Rhythms: West Side Story & Aranjuez featuring Rafael Aguirre on guitar, followed by Opening Night Gala: Joshua Bell Plays Lalo the following day. Throughout the season, Bignamini showcases the DSO’s range with varying programs and continues to welcome world-renowned soloists. Highlights include Kashperova’s Piano Concerto in A minor performed by Alexandra Dariescu, Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major featuring DSO Principal Flute (Alan J. and Sue Kaufman and Family Chair) Hannah Hammel Maser and Principal Harp (Winifred E. Polk Chair) Alyssa Katahara, Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 in A major, Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D Major featuring Augustin Hadelich, a concert performance of Puccini’s La bohème (featuring Mané Galoyan, Francesco Demuro, Will Liverman, and Meghan Picerno), Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major featuring Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor performed by Daniil Trifonov, and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major featuring Nemanja Radulović as soloist.
Bignamini will also lead the two works by Composer-in-Residence Michael Abels—Emerge in October 2026 and Delights and Dances in June 2027 on the final program of the season. 2026–27 marks the final year of Abels’s residency with the DSO.
Principal Guest Conductor Tabita Berglund Continues to Bring Fresh Perspective
Berglund will lead three powerful programs throughout the season, featuring works that introduce audiences to contemporary composers while also showcasing beloved classics. Program highlights include Elgar’s Enigma Variations, Britten’s Piano Concerto featuring Leif Ove Andsnes, Anna Clyne’s Within Her Arms, Katherine Balch’s Artifacts featuring DSO Concertmaster (Katherine Tuck Chair) Robyn Bollinger as soloist, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s ARCHORA, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor featuring Paul Lewis.
Other PVS Classical Series Highlights
Additional program highlights include Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite conducted by Peter Oundjian, Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun), led by Marie Jacquot, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor featuring Fabian Müller on piano conducted by Markus Stenz, Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D major featuring violinist Stella Chen led by conductor Nicholas Collon, Valerie Coleman’s Piano Concerto (DSO co-commission, Midwest premiere) featuring Michelle Cann and Price’s Symphony No. 3 in C minor conducted by Andrew Grams, Stravinsky’s The Firebird (complete ballet, 1910) conducted by Edward Gardner, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 in D minor conducted by Domingo Hindoyan, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor led by Anna Sułkowska-Migoń.
PNC POPS SERIES
The DSO’s 2026–2027 PNC Pops Series will bring favorites from film, Broadway, rock, pop, and more to the Orchestra Hall stage. Principal Pops Conductor (Devereaux Family Chair) Enrico Lopez-Yañez will lead six exciting programs including Viva Las Vegas featuring Frankie Moreno on vocals and piano, the beloved DSO tradition Home for the Holidays, a performance from legendary vocalist Bernadette Peters, Everything I Know featuring Broadway vocalist Mandy Gonzalez singing a full program of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs, Heard it Through the Grapevine: The Best of Funk & Soul with vocalists Ty Taylor and Maiya Sykes, and Oops… I Sang it Again featuring smash hits of female pop icons including Britney Spears and Destiny’s Child.
Assistant Conductor and Phillip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador Ingrid Martin will also take the stage to lead two programs in this series: Stayin’ Alive: The Bee Gees & Beyond with Rajaton and Natural Woman: Sheléa sings Aretha Franklin.
Other PNC Pops Series Highlights include Legends: The Paul Simon Songbook led by former Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, the return of Celtic Journey led by Ernest Richardson, The Music of Foreigner conducted by Brent Havens, a program of orchestra’s most famous works in Orchestra Spectacular led by conductor Thomas Wilkins, and the return of Sailing: Soft Rock Hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s with conductor Jason Seber to round out the series.
FAMILY CONCERTS WITH THE DSO
The DSO also announced its 2026–2027 Young People’s Family Concert Series, which will bring fun and interactive concert opportunities for the whole family to the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. Programs include Symphony Spooktacular!, Winter Magic: A New Year Celebration, The Great Chipmunk Picnic, and Symphony in Space!.
Tiny Tots concerts, with programming for children aged 2-6, will also resume in the Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube (The Cube) prior to each Young People’s Family Concert. Featured artists include Miss Paula and the Candy Bandits, the Kris Johnson Group for Groove Party, Will Branch for Family Folk Music, and Joe Reilly for Earth Day Jam.
Free family-friendly activities will be available in the William Davidson Atrium prior to each concert as well. Kick off your day with hands-on fun—instrument try-outs, arts & crafts, and more!
SPECIAL CONCERT EVENTS
In the 2026–27 season, the DSO will also present special concert events (available now as add-ons to subscription packages), including 1964 The Tribute, a celebration of music by The Beatles (please note: the DSO does not appear on this program), and film concert experiences including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™ in Concert and Home Alone in Concert.
See below for a notable repertoire list, guest artist list, and complete program listings.
The DSO will also continue its Paradise Jazz Series (Terence Blanchard, Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair) and William Davidson Neighborhood Concerts Series. Details on these series will be announced later this summer and fall, respectively.
The DSO, an industry leader in digital programming, will continue its Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series with livestreams of the PVS Classical Series and select Educational Concert Series performances in the 2026–27 season, available at dso.org/live.
Subscriptions are on sale now for the 2026–27 PVS Classical Series, PNC Pops Series, and Young People’s Family Concert Series. Patrons can purchase subscriptions at dso.org or by calling the Box Office at 313.576.5111. Single tickets will be available for purchase in August 2026.
The title sponsor of the DSO’s PVS Classical Series is PVS Chemicals, Inc. The title sponsor of the DSO’s PNC Pops Series is PNC Bank. DSO Live is presented by Ford Philanthropy. Technology support comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Digital programming is produced from the Al Glancy Control Room.
For more information, visit dso.org/subscribe.
Commissions, Premieres, and Contemporary Music
The DSO will perform works by 12 living composers during the 2026–2027 season, including one DSO co-commission and its Midwest premiere.
- MICHAEL ABELS Delights and Dances
- MICHAEL ABELS Emerge
- JOHN ADAMS Frenzy: a short symphony
- JOHN ADAMS Harmonielehre
- KATHERINE BALCH Artifacts
- ANNA CLYNE Within Her Arms
- VALERIE COLEMAN Piano Concerto (DSO co-commission; Midwest premiere)
- MARC-ANDRÉ DALBAVIE Color
- GABRIELA ORTIZ Kauyumari
- CARLOS SIMON Wake Up! Concerto for Orchestra
- DOBRINKA TABAKOVA Orpheus’ Comet
- ANNA THORVALDSDÓTTIR ARCHORA
- JOAN TOWER Suite from Concerto for Orchestra
- LOTTA WENNÄKOSKI Flounce
Major Orchestral Works
- BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 3 in E major
- BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
- BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor
- BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C minor
- BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D major
- BRAHMS Symphony No. 1 in C minor
- BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D major
- BRITTEN Piano Concerto
- CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor
- COLEMAN, VALERIE Piano Concerto (DSO co-commission, Midwest premiere)
- COPLAND Appalachian Spring Suite
- DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7 in D minor
- ELGAR Enigma Variations
- ELGAR Violin Concerto in B minor
- KASHPEROVA Piano Concerto in A minor
- KORNGOLD Violin Concerto in D major
- LALO Symphonie espagnole
- MAHLER Symphony No. 6 in A minor
- MOZART Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major
- MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor
- PRICE Symphony No. 3 in C minor
- PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor
- PUCCINI La bohème
- RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances
- SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major
- SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, “Rhenish”
- SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 in D minor
- STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life)
- STRAVINSKY The Firebird (complete ballet, 1910)
- TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F minor
- TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme
Classical Series Guest Conductors and Soloists
Artists marked with an asterisk (*) will be making their DSO PVS Classical Series conducting or solo debut.
- Nicholas Collon, conductor*
- Edward Gardner, conductor*
- Andrew Grams, conductor
- Domingo Hindoyan, conductor
- Marie Jacquot, conductor
- Peter Oundjian, conductor
- Markus Stenz, conductor
- Anna Sułkowska-Migoń, conductor*
- Joshua Bell, violin
- Robyn Bollinger, violin
- Stella Chen, violin*
- James Ehnes, violin
- Augustin Hadelich, violin
- Paul Huang, violin
- Nemanja Radulović, violin
- Zuill Bailey, cello
- Johannes Moser, cello
- Alyssa Katahara, harp*
- Rafael Aguirre, guitar*
- Hannah Hammel Maser, flute
- Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
- Michelle Cann, piano
- Alexandra Dariescu, piano
- Zoltán Fejérvári, piano*
- Ingrid Fliter, piano
- Paul Lewis, piano
- Fabian Müller, piano*
- Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
- Daniil Trifonov, piano
- Mane Galoyan, soprano*
- Meghan Picerno, soprano
- Francesco Demuro, tenor*
- Will Liverman, baritone
- Brazeal Dennard Chorale, chorus
About Jader Bignamini
Jader Bignamini was introduced as the 18th music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in January 2020, commencing with the 2020–21 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. During his tenure in Detroit, Bignamini has collaborated with such artists as Branford Marsalis, Daniil Trifonov, Yo-Yo Ma, Hilary Hahn, Alisa Weilerstein, and Yuja Wang, as well as composers Michael Abels and Carlos Simon, and conducted major symphonic works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Mahler, and also Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington, Florence Price, and Margaret Bonds. A jazz aficionado, he has immersed himself in Detroit’s rich jazz culture and the influences of American music. In 2023, the DSO extended Bignamini’s contract for a second five-year term, through 2031.
A native of Crema, Italy, Bignamini studied at the Piacenza Music Conservatory and began his career as a musician (clarinet) with Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, later serving as the group’s resident conductor. Captivated by the works 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.
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 (La Forza del Destino and Adriana Lecouvreur) and Deutsche Opera Berlin (Simon Boccanegra); debuts with Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, the Washington National Symphony, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Minnesota symphonies; The Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Festival and the Grand Teton Festival; with the BBC Orchestra and London Philharmonic; with the Metropolitan Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Vienna State Opera, and Dutch National Opera (Madama Butterfly); Bayerische Staatsoper (La traviata); I Puritani in Montpellier for the Festival of Radio France; La traviata in Tokyo directed by Sofia Coppola; return engagements with Oper Frankfurt (La forza del destino, Trovatore, and Carmen) and Santa Fe Opera (Rigoletto and La bohème); La traviata, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot at Arena of Verona; Il Trovatore and Aida at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera; Madama Butterfly, I Puritani, Manon Lescaut, and Otello at Teatro Massimo in Palermo; Simon Boccanegra and La Forza del destino at the Verdi Festival in Parma; Ciro in Babilonia and Eduardo e Cristina at Rossini Opera Festival; and La bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Elisir d’amore at La Fenice in Venice.
Bignamini also has a great career in Asia, including Japan where he has conducted the Osaka Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and opera productions of Andrea Chenier at NHK and La Traviata by Sofia Coppola with costumes by Valentino in Tokyo and on tour with Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera that is available on Blu-ray.
Recent highlights include collaborations with artists such as Alexander Gavrylyuk, Sergei Babayan, Emanuel Ax, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Simon Trpčeski, Kian Soltani, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Ray Chen, Gil Shaham, James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, María Dueñas, Karen Gomyo, Nemanja Radulović, and Leonidas Kavakos.
One of Bignamini’s greatest passions is working with the next generation of musicians, and during the summer he is a regular guest of the Interlochen Center for the Arts with the DSO and of the Asian Youth Orchestra, leading tours featuring the most talented young musicians from Asia.
About Enrico Lopez-Yañez
Enrico Lopez-Yañez is redefining what it means to be a conductor in the 21st Century.
Celebrated for his charismatic stage presence, genre-defining collaborations, and passion for making orchestral music accessible to all, Lopez-Yañez is one of the most innovative and in-demand conductors in North America. He currently serves as Principal Pops Conductor of the Detroit and Pacific Symphonies, 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, Portugal. The Man, The Mavericks, Tituss Burgess, and The War and Treaty. His wide-ranging collaborations span genres and generations, featuring artists such as Nas, Itzhak Perlman, Kenny Loggins, Stewart Copeland, Toby Keith, Richard Marx, Bernadette Peters, Leslie Odom Jr., Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Ben Folds, The Beach Boys, Tower of Power, and Kenny G.
As a composer and arranger, Lopez-Yañez’s versatility is equally expansive. He has written for artists like Big Sean and Mariachi Los Camperos, and he has been commissioned by major orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and many more.
Highlights of the 2025–26 season include performances with Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Common, Trisha Yearwood, Jose Carreras, Angela, Leonardo, and Pepe Aguilar. He will make appearances with the Cleveland Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, while returning to lead the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony, among others. Past guest engagements include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and Toronto Symphony.
In 2023, Lopez-Yañez was honored with the “Mexicanos Distinguidos” award by the Mexican government, recognizing outstanding career achievements by Mexican citizens abroad. 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. Symphonica’s shows have been praised as “incredibly special – and something that needs to become the new norm” (Lima Symphony) and have been performed by the Baltimore, Milwaukee, North Carolina, Phoenix, Seattle, Toronto, and Utah Symphony, among others.
His work as a producer, composer, and arranger can be heard on numerous recordings, including the UNESCO benefit album Action Moves People United and award-winning children’s albums such as The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard and Kokowanda Bay. His work has received honors from the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Parents’ Choice Foundation, and Global Media Awards, where he was recognized for his “catchy arrangements.”
About Tabita Berglund
Tabita Berglund has established herself as one of the most in-demand conductors of her generation. With a charismatic style that combines elegance, verve and precision—eliciting “exceptional music-making” (The Arts Desk)—she collaborates with leading orchestras worldwide. Berglund is Principal Guest Conductor of both the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Dresdner Philharmonie, having been appointed to each position following her respective debut.
Berglund commences 2025–26 with Dresdner Philharmonie’s season-opening concerts—her inaugural engagement as the orchestra’s new Principal Guest—and returns in May 2026 to open the Dresden Music Festival. Notable debut appearances across the season include Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Staatskapelle Berlin, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Sydney and Melbourne symphony orchestras, while returns include Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich, and Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Among the highlights of Berglund’s second season in Detroit is a specially curated two-week Northern Lights Festival.
Berglund regularly collaborates with leading international soloists; recent and forthcoming partnerships include Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Hélène Grimaud, Pekka Kuusisto, Leila Josefowicz, Augustin Hadelich, Truls Mørk, Kirill Gerstein, Nicolas Altstaedt, Håkan Hardenberger, Alexander Malofeev, and Camilla Tilling, to name a few. Her 2025–26 programming reflects her breadth of repertoire interests, from Mozart and Schubert to Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Mahler, Schoenberg, Bartók, and Lutosławski, among others, and continues her championing of Nordic compatriots such as Thorvaldsdottir, Sibelius, and Irgens-Jensen.
Recent engagements include Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de chambre de Paris, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Iceland Symphony Orchestra, among others. Among Berglund’s past festival appearances are Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada and Grafenegg, while recent opera and ballet productions include Mozart ’s Le nozze di Figaro (Garsington Opera, 2024) and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, 2024). In Summer 2024, Berglund chaired the jury for the grand finale of the Eurovision Young Musicians competition, broadcast live on television throughout Europe via the major networks.
Berglund studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music, first as a cellist with Truls Mørk and later orchestral conducting with Ole Kristian Ruud. She played regularly with the Oslo and Bergen Philharmonic orchestras as well as the Trondheim Soloists before conducting became her main focus. Her first titled position was as Principal Guest Conductor of Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra (2021–2024). Her debut CD, with Oslo Philharmonic and violinist Sonoko Miriam Welde, was released in 2021 (LAWO) and nominated for a Norwegian GRAMMY® (Spellemann) in the 2022 Classical Music category.
About Ingrid Martin
Ingrid Martin puts people at the heart of every musical experience. Her work as a conductor and teacher is shaped by a career spanning music, medicine, and education.
In 2025, Martin joins the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Conductor and Phillip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador. She also debuts with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria and leads the Louise Crossley Conductor Training Program for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. She returns to conduct the Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, following her 2024 tenure as New Zealand Assistant Conductor in Residence.
Martin loves championing new repertoire and bringing audiences closer to music through thoughtfully curated experiences. She has commissioned 15 works for youth orchestras, conducted 20 world premieres, and recorded over 50 student compositions. Through her original orchestral shows, Martin invites audiences of all ages to explore unexpected connections between music and other disciplines, from physics to painting.
Martin was the first Australian admitted to the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Mentoring Program (2024–2025). She was also a fellow of the Australian Conducting Academy (2023–2024) and the Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellowship with the Orchestra of the Americas (2022).
Before pursuing conducting professionally, Martin worked for a decade in emergency medicine then retrained as a teacher. Her approach to music and leadership is deeply informed by the skills she developed in these careers: listening closely, thinking clearly under pressure, and communicating complex ideas.
Martin has built a global following for Conducting Artistry, her platform for practical resources, podcasts, books, and online tools that empower teachers and students to deepen their artistry. She is a sought-after speaker and clinician at international music education conferences including the Midwest Clinic and Texas Music Educators’ Association, and her book Planning Effective Rehearsals is required reading for university music education programs worldwide.
At home, she’s rarely far from a craft project and a strong black coffee.
About the DSO
The acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. Led by Music Director Jader Bignamini since 2020, the DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, offering a robust performance schedule that features classical, pops, jazz, and family concerts, plus community performances. Enrico Lopez-Yañez was named Principal Pops Conductor in 2023, trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard serves as the orchestra’s Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair, and Tabita Berglund began her tenure as Principal Guest Conductor in the 2024–25 season. A dedication to broadcast innovation and technology began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a live radio broadcast of a concert and continues today with the groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series of free webcasts.
The DSO’s distinguished history of recordings—many led by its renowned music directors—spans nearly a century, beginning with the orchestra’s first 78 rpm singles with Ossip Gabrilowitsch released on the Victrola label in 1928. A steady recording output has continued since then, with highlights including more than 20 releases with Paul Paray for Mercury’s Living Presence series, and 27 under the baton of Neeme Järvi, mostly on the Chandos label. In the 1970s, the DSO took part in the historic Black Composers Series for Columbia Records led by its then-Associate Conductor Paul Freeman and later made several acclaimed recordings with Antal Doráti for the Decca label. More recently, under the direction of Leonard Slatkin, the DSO recorded music by Rachmaninoff, Copland, and John Williams for the Naxos label, earning its first GRAMMY® nomination in 2017 for Copland’s Third Symphony / Three Latin American Sketches. The first recording with Jader Bignamini, of Wynton Marsalis’s Blues Symphony, was released in March 2025 on the Pentatone label.
Since its first school concerts a century ago, and particularly since the founding of the Civic Youth Ensembles in 1970, the DSO has been a national leader in bringing the benefits of music education to students, teachers, and families in Detroit and surrounding communities. The DSO remains committed to expanding its participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit through programs like its Detroit Neighborhood Initiative—cultural events co-created with community partners and residents—and Detroit Harmony, a promise to provide an instrument and instruction to any student in the city who wants to learn. With unwavering support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact lives through the power of unforgettable musical experiences.