Jazz Chair at DSO
Thanks
to a generous $1.5 million gift, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra has
been able to create The Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative
Director Chair. According to the Detroit Free Press, the chair
will be filled annually by a musician of national stature who will
perform in the DSO’s Paradise Jazz Series or appear with the
DSO. Duties include conducting workshops for area students, acting
as a liaison between the DSO and local and national jazz musicians
and helping DSO leaders plan future jazz programs.
It will come as no great surprise to SEMJA Update
readers that the first person chosen to fill the chair is Marcus Belgrave,
Detroit trumpeter and educator extraordinaire since the 1960s. This
is a great honor for Belgrave and we wish him well on this new opportunity
to spread the jazz gospel!
