Featuring, in-person, renowned composers Kevin Day and Omar Thomas as well as Detroit’s own Damien Crutcher, the Michigan State University Wind Symphony kicks off its burgeoning partnership with the Detroit School of Arts for a special performance at DSA that honors Black composers. The event, “Music Honoring Black History Month with the MSU Wind Symphony,” is free and open to the public, and it takes place Sunday, February 6, at 3 p.m.

“This concert is a wonderful way to highlight the influence and depth of Black composers in classical music within the context of Black History Month. I am so pleased to welcome the MSU Wind Symphony to Detroit,” said Crutcher, an MSU College of Music alumnus, conducting faculty member at Wayne State University, and conductor with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. “This concert will include Omar Thomas and Kevin Day speaking from the stage as well as having their music performed. It will be an artistic, engaging and educational event, and with this repertoire and the guests that are participating, it is historic and an excellent sign of things to come.”

Crutcher is also the managing director of Detroit Harmony and the founder of Crescendo Detroit, a nonprofit focused on transforming the lives of Detroit school-age children through intense instrumental music, vocal music and dance programs that promote artistic excellence and character building. He will guest conduct the MSU Wind Symphony with MSU conductors Kevin Sedatole, Arris Golden, and David Thornton. Sedatole conceptualized the event, and he leads the MSU side of the partnership with DSA.

“I think it is important for the musicians in our Wind Symphony, for the College of Music, and for our partners in Detroit to create opportunities like this to bring our artistry to the city and especially the students who will be able to see and hear diverse composers celebrated,” said Sedatole, MSU Professor of Music and Director of Bands. “This concert honors excellent Black composers, and we are happy to be working with the DSA to share it with the entire community.”

Joining the Wind Symphony will be MSU brass musicians and faculty members Justin Emerich, trumpet; Corbin Wagner, horn; Ava Ordman, trombone; and Philip Sinder, tuba. Included in the program are American Fanfare by Adolphus Hailstork, Sweet Chariot by Carlos Simon, Negro Folk Symphony by William Dawson (arr. Henry Dorn), Combination March by Scott Joplin (arr. Gunther Schuller), Concerto for Wind Ensemble by Kevin Day, and Come Sunday by Omar Thomas.

Since the establishment of the MSU Community Music School–Detroit in 2009, the MSU College of Music outreach efforts in the city have grown. In alignment with the Detroit Public Schools Community School District’s DSA Pathways initiative, this special MSU concert expands efforts in Detroit by engaging with DPSCD to promote the Detroit School of Arts as Detroit’s youth arts hub and to bring music to the community. As part of the ongoing partnership between DPSCD and MSU, DPSCD music students will be the beneficiaries of workshops and master classes taught by MSU faculty and students.

How to watch this event

Tickets for the February 6 concert are free and required for entry, with attendance limited to 400 people. Call the Detroit School of Arts main office to reserve your ticket: 313-494-6427 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday-Friday. Tickets will be available at Will Call or may be picked up at DSA. The DSA is located at 123 Selden Street in Midtown Detroit.

Thanks to the support of Detroit Public Television, the event will be digitally broadcast for those who are unable to attend in person. To watch the broadcast online, visit the MSU College of Music YouTube channel. The event will also be rebroadcast on WRCJ 90.9 FM on Sunday, Feb. 13 at noon EST.

Funding in support of this special event is provided by a Michigan State University Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant.

To help maintain a safe concert-going experience, proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the concert is required of all attendees for ages 12 and up. Details can be found on the College of Music’s website under MSU Music COVID-19 directives, along with answers to commonly asked questions on the College’s FAQ webpage.