As it prepares to kick off its new season with a red-carpet gala, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is striving, more than ever, to play in harmony with its hometown.

“Your City, Your Sound” is the prevailing theme for the DSO’s 2026-2027 season, which will launch Sept. 26 with the gala festivities at Orchestra Hall featuring popular violinist Joshua Bell. At the conductor’s stand will be Jader Bignamini, heading into his seventh season as the Detroit Symphony’s music director.

DSO officials describe a palpable sense of excitement ahead of the gala, which helps launch the season with sizzle as the organization embarks on 10 months of musically diverse programming.

They emphasize that this isn’t your grandparents’ symphony orchestra: While classical music remains the core of the orchestra’s DNA — it’s what Bignamini and his musicians trained for, after all — officials are eager to sweep away any preconceptions that come with the territory. They say they’re on an journey to mainstream the organization’s reputation and turn Orchestra Hall into a leading Detroit entertainment destination.

You’ll find evidence in the wide-ranging schedule of pops concerts this upcoming season, including an Aretha Franklin tribute (Jan. 8-10), a funk and soul weekend (June 18-20) and a celebration of ’90s pop (April 24-25), alongside the DSO’s Paradise Jazz series, neighborhood performances and assorted multicultural events inside the Cube adjacent to Orchestra Hall.

“When you look at any music, at least for the last few hundred years, it’s a form of entertainment,” said president and CEO Erik Rönmark. “And we are in the entertainment business.”

The DSO’s youth education programs and instrument drives, along with sensory-friendly concerts for people with developmental disabilities, paint a picture of widening accessibility across the board.

As the Sept. 26 gala approaches, the Detroit Symphony is “in a good place,” Rönmark said. That includes a sustained boost in audience and revenue enjoyed by the organization since it emerged from the pandemic shutdown.

“We kept that momentum going,” he said. “And I think we can really build on it as we go into this season. The way we’re kicking it off (with the gala) is going to set us up strong for the rest of the year.”

For Rönmark, the “music for everyone” concept isn’t just a marketing mantra. Under his leadership, that open-ended approach has become part of the organization’s lifeblood.

“You have to believe it internally: What does it mean for our musicians? What does it mean for our staff? And what does it mean for the people of Detroit?” he said.

To one extent or another, the idea of Orchestra Hall as a community gathering place has been embedded since the beginning. Rönmark recently stumbled upon documents from the concert hall’s 1919 construction and found that the board of directors had made it a charge: The DSO was to be an orchestra for all of Detroit.

So while the DSO has been around for a long time now — it’s the nation’s fourth-oldest orchestra — it’s on the radar in a different way in 2026, with eclectic musical offerings intended to make everyone feel welcome.

“I hope people feel that from us,” he said. “We want this to be a place where everyone can come and experience that — buying a ticket and coming to a concert and really feeling like we have something for everyone.”

Part of the work under Rönmark has been to break down barriers, real or perceived, about the symphony experience. For instance, “What do I wear?” is a common question from prospective concertgoers, and the DSO president seeks to reassure them that Orchestra Hall isn’t saddled with some stuffy etiquette. There’s no dress code.

“We have to help our audiences understand that this is meant to be a place of shared joy, of shared awe and wonder and entertainment. What you wear shouldn’t have any impact on that,” he said. “We have people who want to dress up — they’re coming here on a date, and we’ll save you a seat for that. But we also have people who just want to come after work to drop in and listen to a concert.”

The DSO’s post-COVID return was punctuated by a significant audience spike in 2024, and those numbers have remained solid since. Data shows that its concertgoers are increasingly generationally diverse, from young Gen Z to Boomers, and the organization’s updated language may help account for that — like using the phrase “entertainment destination” in an alignment with modern showbiz vocabulary.

Additionally, Rönmark cites the success of a program launched in 2022. The “Create Your Own Package” option lets fans build custom ticket bundles from across the DSO’s classical, pops and jazz series, offering a flexibility that accommodates today’s lifestyles and tastes.

“When it started, we thought it was going to be popular,” he said. “We had no idea it was going to be one of our biggest draws.”

While strong ticket sales certainly help, about 60% of the orchestra’s revenue still comes from contributions. One longtime supporter, Phillip Fisher, will be honored at the Sept. 26 gala. The former DSO board chairman and philanthropist is the son of the late Max and Marjorie Fisher, who spearheaded the $60 million expansion of Orchestra Hall that opened in 2003 as a multifaceted music center colloquially known as the Max.

“I’m so glad we get a chance to honor him and everything he’s done for the DSO. But I think it’s broader than that. It’s what he’s done for this city. And we’re just so proud to be able to shine the spotlight on him,” Rönmark said.

The gala night will include violinist Bell in a performance of Édouard Lalo’s lively “Symphonie espagnole,” part of what Rönmark calls an exciting, bubbly program.

And it’s a party with a purpose, as the DSO likes to say, benefiting the orchestra’s array of youth initiatives. Student musicians from the orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles will appear onstage in guest roles that evening.

Among the programs that stand to benefit is Detroit Harmony, which was launched in 2019 to provide instruments to students across the city’s public and private schools. The DSO recently notched the milestone of 3,000 instruments distributed.

“Detroit has such a rich musical history. And we want to be a conduit in all of that,” Rönmark said. “We’ve been part of this city’s musical heritage for almost 140 years. We’ve been at the corner of Woodward and Parsons for over 100. … We are just stewards of this city’s amazing musical heritage, and we want to make sure it continues to live in the next generation.”

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra, 2026-2027 Opening Night Gala

With Joshua Bell and conducted by Jader Bignamini

Sept. 26. (Red carpet arrivals and reception begin at 5 p.m., with concert to start at 7 p.m.)

Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward, Detroit.

$69 and up. Packages including a post-show dinner and afterglow start at $1,000.

dso.org or 313-576-5111.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Excitement, confidence at Detroit Symphony ahead of opening-night gala

Reporting by Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press

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