Enjoy Latin-Inspired Evening With Detroit Symphony Orchestra

This magnificent night of music, dance, art and cuisine takes place throughout the Max M. Fisher Music Center on Saturday, June 14. Gala co-chairs are Lauren Fisher from Bloomfield Hills and Linda Forte from Detroit with Betty Brooks, Maureen D'Avanzo, Marlies Castaing, Barbara Frankel, Jennifer Gilbert, Denise Ilitch, Bonnie Larson and Nancy Smith all serving on the event committee. Ticket prices range from $250 to $5,000 per person and are available at (313) 576-5400.

The DSO June Gala kicks off with a wine and tapas reception at 6 p.m. in the Atrium featuring the flamenco group La Chispa and Company. At 7 p.m., attendees will be treated to a concert featuring world-class Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval with the DSO led by Resident Conductor Thomas Wilkins. After the performance at 8:30 p.m., guests are invited to an elegant dinner in The Music Box or a strolling dinner on the third floor Atrium. The evening concludes with a late-night salsa dancing afterglow with the band Orquestra IrA© at 10 p.m. on the first floor Atrium.

Brand new this year is a Gala experience called Noche, the new Club Level for ?Sinfonia Caliente! featuring the hottest, most exotic after-party in Detroit. Located in the 8 Days in June Festival Lounge at the Max M. Fisher Music Center (Allesee Hall), the Gala club begins at 8 p.m. on June 14 and goes until 1 a.m. Partygoers can jam to tunes spun by Detroit DJ's John Arnold (Ubiquity and Transmat Records) and All City (the Few Records) while enjoying cocktails, tapas and specialty drinks from the Mojito Bar. They can also wander out to the cigar terrace or into the Sports Lounge to cheer on the Pistons in the NBA Finals. Individual Noche tickets are $125 per person. A limited number of VIP cabanas, each seating six, are available at $1500 each which includes a dedicated wait staff, bottle service and a VIP swag bag. All club level attendees have the option of coming early to enjoy the concert prior to the party for the same price.

The sounds of the Latin world fuse with those of classical and jazz on the Orchestra Hall stage as Resident Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads the DSO and special guest Arturo Sandoval in the exclusive Gala concert. Audiences will groove and move to favorite pieces such as George Gershwin's "Cuban Overture," Rafael Mendez's "La Virgen de la Marcarena" and Harry Freedman's "Oiseaux Exotiques: Conga." The performance will also include standards rearranged by Sandoval, including "Rhythm of Our World," "Once Upon a Summertime" and "Someone to Watch Over Me."

Wilkins, a favorite of musicians and audiences alike, is beloved for his ability to reach out to and truly engage both veteran and new classical audiences. In a landmark year, the American maestro was presented with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Musical Achievement Award for his contributions to the city, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic named him Principal Guest Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Wilkins will serve in this new capacity in conjunction with his roles in Detroit and with the Omaha Symphony where he has been Music Director since 2005. Cuban born trumpeter Sandoval moved to the United States in 1990, and under the tutelage of jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, has become an influential presence in the world of Latin-infused jazz. He is also a renowned classical pianist and composer. Sandoval has won five Grammy Awards, six Billboard Awards and an Emmy Award, the latter for his composing work on the score of the HBO movie based on his life, For Love or Country, starring Andy Garcia.

Valeria Montes, leader of La Chispa and Company, has emerged as one of the most talked-about Flamenco dance performers in metro Detroit. She and her company have a loyal following that stretches from Ann Arbor to Birmingham. Salsa in Detroit has a new face - Orquesta IrA©. The all-star band brings together Detroit Latin Music veterans Armando Vega, Baltazar (Bobby) GuzmAn, and Kevin (Cano) Quiles in a collaboration specializing in Caribbean jazz and salsa. -- www.detroitsymphony.com