[Dixielandjazz] Unlikely Bed Fellows?

[Rob McCallum]

Very cool!  Kid Rock is one of Detroit's biggest boosters, and I have a lot of respect for him. He wasn't one of those guys who made a beeline for somewhere else once he made it big. That he is working with the Detroit Symphony doesn't surprise me, and hopefully it will raise enough money to help right the ship. 

The article mentions the strike, but that wasn't what initially caused the financial problem. The DSO was really doing well for a while and branched out and overextended themselves...they built the Max Fisher Center (a large performing arts complex next to Orchestra Hall). When the economic downturn hit (and ticket sales slowed down and companies like GM were no longer able to donate), that's when the money got tight because of the huge debt the symphony had taken on. That's when they wanted to slash musicians' salaries, which led to the strike (and led to some players leaving for a more stable environment--including the entire percussion section as well as our concert master Emmanuelle Boisvert). A bad situation all around. The Detroit Science Center overextended itself when things were good too and is now closed.

But, things have been changing for the better over the past year or so.

All the best,
Rob McCallum



> From: barbonestreet at earthlink.net
> Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:04:23 -0500
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Unlikely Bed Fellows?
> CC: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> To: solarjazz at hotmail.com
> 
> Now here's an interesting combination. Kid Rock, the new savior of the  
> Detroit Symphony orchestra. And here some of us are, still bitching  
> about non-OKOM music at Dixieland Festivals. Hmmm
> 
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
> www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband
> 
> Kid Rock to Team Up With Detroit Symphony
> 
> Kid Rock has agreed to do a benefit concert with the Detroit Symphony  
> Orchestra to help raise money for that cash-strapped symphony, which  
> is still trying to recover from a debilitating strike a year ago.
> 
> Kid Rock, a native of Detroit, and the symphony have announced that  
> they will appear together on May 12 at the Fox Theater in hopes of  
> raising at least $1 million, the Free Press reported.
> 
> Leonard Slatkin, the orchestra’s music director, will conduct.  
> Arrangements of Kid Rock’s material have been commissioned from Rob  
> Mathes, who has done symphonic orchestrations for artists like Sting  
> and Mary J Blige. Known for his fusion of rap lyrics and hard-rock  
> riffs, Kid Rock acknowledged the tickets for the benefit – which range  
> in price from $100 to $350 — are more than his fans are used to  
> paying. “I am confident that whatever happens when we put the Twisted  
> Brown Trucker Band, an 80-piece orchestra and ‘Bawitdaba’ together  
> will be well worth the price of admission,” he said, referring to his  
> backup band and his hit song from 1999.
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