Young People's Concert Welcomes Jazz Giant

The concert, on Saturday, February 24 at 11 a.m., will be led by Resident Conductor Thomas Wilkins, known for his skill at introducing youngsters to the joy of classical music. Prior to the concert, kids can enjoy "KidZone" a pre-concert festival of children's activities that takes place in the Atrium Lobby of The Max.

This special National City Young People's Concert will introduce children to classical works influenced by jazz and will be highlighted by pieces for alto saxophone and orchestra featuring Branford Marsalis, the DSO's 2006-07 Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair.

Marsalis will perform Darius Milhaud's Scaramouche and Jaques Ibert's Concertino da camera for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra. The program will also include Duke Ellington's "King of the Magi" from The Three Black Kings, which was originally intended as a danced eulogy for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jeffrey Mumford's "within a cloudburst of echoing brightness," which was inspired by the movement of clouds. In addition, youngsters - and their adult companions -- will be dancing in the aisles to the beats of "Malambo" from Ginastera's Four Dances from Estancia and "Conga" from Oiseaux Exotique Suite by Canadian composer Harry Freedman.

Starting at 9:30 a.m., "KidZone" features a wide spectrum of fun and creative activities including balloon artists, arts & crafts, an instrument petting zoo with Marshall Music, the opportunity to meet Maestro Wilkins and members of the DSO, and performances by students from the Detroit School of Arts. Admission to "KidZone" is free to all ticketholders and a variety of snacks and beverages are available for purchase.

In addition to his legendary Grammy Award-winning career as a jazz artist, and an equally stellar career as a classical musician, Branford Marsalis is shaping the future of jazz in the classroom. He and members of his quartet are Artists-in-Residence at North Carolina Central University.

Marsalis Jams, a program he conceived and founded as an educational initiative of Marsalis Music, has also been presenting concerts/jam sessions with young musicians in colleges and high schools throughout the country. As the DSO's Erb Jazz Chair, Marsalis returns to the DSO in April to participate in a jazz symposium and to lead master classes with the DSO's Civic Jazz Orchestras and the Detroit School of Arts Jazz Ensembles. -- www.detroitsymphony.com