| With the continuing goal of becoming the “most accessible orchestra on the planet,” the Detroit Symphony Orchestra expands its Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series this week with Replay – a new on-demand service. Debuting today, the service will launch with more than 100 works available for viewing, and will run the gamut from classical music’s most popular orchestral works to new commissions and world premieres. Musical selections available at launch will include Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, John Corigliano’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, “The Red Violin,” Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, among others, with program offerings growing each week of the 2015-16 classical season and beyond. The special online portal will feature full concerts from the previous three DSO classical seasons, many under the baton of DSO Music Director Leonard Slatkin. What sets this initiative apart from similar programs is that there is no subscription fee for Replay. Anyone who makes a tax-deductible contribution of $50 or more to the DSO’s Annual Fund will automatically receive access to Replay, already giving the service some 5,000 users at launch.
“Thanks to Live From Orchestra Hall, lovers of great music have been able to enjoy our performances here in Detroit no matter where they may be,” said Slatkin. “Through Replay, they can relive these concerts whenever they would like.”
The DSO has repeatedly proven itself a leader in technology and accessibility. The orchestra’s free Live from Orchestra Hall HD webcast series, launched in April 2011, reaches a global audience of hundreds of thousands in more than 100 countries around the world. Earlier this year, the series extended to nearly 500 schools around the country through its “Classroom Edition,” and pulled back the curtain on the creative process with its innovative rehearsal webcast. Replay complements these efforts, extending the accessibility options still further.
“Today’s audiences are accustomed to consuming online content when and where they please,” said Eric Woodhams, the DSO’s Director of Digital Initiatives. “Replay will allow us to satisfy that demand by delivering a growing library of performances, with new content added just days after each live classical program all season long. It’s the DSO made accessible anytime, anywhere, on any device.”
Streaming is made possible through hosting services provided by Brightcove. This leading online video platform offers CD-quality audio and video in 1080p HD resolution.
When the DSO launched its groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series in 2011, it became the first orchestra in the world to offer a series of free live webcasts for a global audience, using a state-of-the-art robotic camera production system. Writing about the various live webcasting programs of orchestras around the world, Alex Ross of The New Yorker said the DSO’s Live from Orchestra Hall was still his “favorite,” as it represents “the try-anything spirit” of an orchestra determined to use ingenuity to rise above fiscal challenges. Live from Orchestra Hall includes mobile viewing via the DSO to Go mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The DSO also has partnerships with the world’s top cultural sites, including PBS.org, France-based Medici.tv, Russia-based Paraclassics.com and UK-based ClassicalTV.com. Live from Orchestra Hall is sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund and made possible by the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
About the DSO
Hailed by the New York Times as “cutting edge,” the internationally acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, visionary maestros, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists and an unwavering commitment to Detroit. Esteemed conductor Leonard Slatkin, called “America’s Music Director” by the Los Angeles Times, became the 12th Music Director of the DSO during the 2008-09 season. Conductor, arranger and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik serves as Principal Pops Conductor, while celebrated trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair. The DSO’s performance schedule includes Classical, Pops, Jazz, Young People’s and Neighborhood Concerts and collaborations with chart-topping musicians from Smokey Robinson to Kid Rock. A commitment to broadcast innovation began in 1922 when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a radio broadcast and continues today with the free Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series. Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. Fisher Music Center, one of America’s most acoustically ideal concert halls, the DSO actively pursues a mission to inspire and serve the community through music. For more information, visit the newly updated dso.org or download the free DSO to Go mobile app. Subscriptions can be purchased by visiting dso.org or calling the DSO’s Box Office at 313-576-5111. Students of any age can attend any Classical, Jazz or Pops concert at Orchestra Hall free all season long by purchasing a Soundcard for $25. More information is available at dso.org/soundcard. |
