Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More? Program Book

TWO PIANOS: WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE?

Heroes Gala Concert Honoring Peter D. Cummings

June 17, 2023 at 7 p.m. Orchestra Hall

Jader Bignamini, conductor Michael Feinstein, piano and vocals

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Twoof today’s most celebrated artists—Michael Feinstein and Jean-Yves Thibaudet—join forces for the first time in an innovative program for two pianos celebrating the music of George Gershwin and his world.

Born of a serendipitous encounter between the two artists at Festival Napa Valley 2021, Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More? showcases each artist’s unique gifts for creativity, virtuosity, and sheer joy of music making. Feinstein is the renowned vocalist/pianist/conductor and the leading authority on the Great American Songbook, while Thibaudet has built a 30-year reputation not only as one of today’s finest pianists, but also for his imaginative partnerships in film, fashion, and visual art. Together, Feinstein and Thibaudet form a uniquely prodigious artistic and creative force.

There is an extraordinary heritage of music from the 20th century that straddles the worlds of classical and popular, and this presentation will resonantly connect the dots with rich anecdotes and rare musicality afforded by the genre. A centerpiece of the program will feature lost and unknown Gershwin works, some originally conceived for two pianos, alongside his more beloved works including Rhapsody in Blue. Other works will include those penned by Leonard Bernstein and Irving Berlin, with a suite of charming waltzes by Richard Rodgers.

HEROES GALA CONCERT HONORING PETER D. CUMMINGS

PREMIER SPONSORS

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Stanley and Judy Frankel

DIAMOND SPONSOR

Julie and Peter Cummings

Marjorie S. Fisher Fund

EMERALD SPONSOR

Linda Dresner and Ed Levy, Jr.

SAPPHIRE SPONSORS

DTE Energy

Lauren and Phillip Fisher

Erica and Ralph Gerson

Joanne Danto and Arnold Weingarden

Penny and Harold Blumenstein

Henry Ford Health System

Bernadine and David Wu

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Burns and Wilcox

Corewell Health

The Honorable David Fischer & Mrs. Jennifer Fischer

Globe Midwest Adjusters International

Kathryn and Roger Penske

Myron P. Leven Foundation

GOLD SPONSORS

Louis Beck

Marjorie Fisher and Roy Furman

Madeline and Sidney Forbes

Mariam Noland and Jim Kelly

Jane and Larry Sherman

Richard and Jane Manoogian Foundation

Sally and Michael Feder

Eleanor and Bernard Robertson

Therese and Paul Zlotoff

Shelley and Joel Tauber

Bobbi and Stephen Polk

Barbara Van Dusen

Joy and Allan Nachman

The DSO’s Heroes Gala celebrates the remarkable people who impact the vision, values, and success of the organization, and this year will honor developer, philanthropist, and Chair Emeritus Peter D. Cummings. Cummings has served as a board member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 1992. He served as Chair for 6 years beginning in 1998 and is now recognized as Chair Emeritus.

Thank you to the musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra who are playing this evening’s concert as a donated service. We appreciate their continued support and generosity.

The DSO, in partnership with Bonnie Larson, is also pleased to present this evening one of the newest additions to our fine instrument collection— The Larson Piano, acquired in 2022. The Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano is the standard by which other concert pianos are judged and compared. Handmade in the New York Steinway Factory, this majestic musical instrument is the pinnacle of concert grands.

PROFILES JADER BIGANMINI

Jader Bignamini was introduced as the 18th music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in January 2020, commencing with the 2020-2021 season. He kicked off his tenure as DSO Music Director with the launch of DSO Digital Concerts in September 2020, conducting works by Copland, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Georges. His infectious passion and artistic excellence set the tone for the season ahead, creating extraordinary music and establishing a close relationship with the orchestra. A jazz aficionado, he has immersed himself in Detroit’s rich jazz culture and the influences of American music.

A native of Crema, Italy, Jader studied at the Piacenza Music Conservatory and began his career as a musician (clarinet) with Orchestra Sinfonica La Verdi in Milan, later serving as the group’s resident conductor.

In the years since, Jader has conducted some of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras and opera companies in venues across the globe including working with Riccardo Chailly on concerts of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in 2013 and his concert debut at La Scala in 2015 for the opening season of La Verdi Orchestra. Recent highlights include debuts with the Houston, Dallas, and Minnesota symphonies; Osaka Philharmonic and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo; with the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, and Dutch National Opera (Madama Butterfly ); Bayerische Staatsoper (La

PETER D. CUMMINGS

Traviata); I Puritani in Montpellier for the Festival of Radio France; Traviata in Tokyo directed by Sofia Coppola; Andrea Chénier at New National Theatre in Tokyo; Rossini’s Stabat Mater at Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy; Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle at Teatro dell’Opera in Rome; return engagements with Oper Frankfurt (La forza del destino) and Santa Fe Opera (La Bohème); Manon Lescaut at the Bolshoi; Traviata, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot at Arena of Verona; Il Trovatore and Aida at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera; Madama Butterfly, I Puritani, and Manon Lescaut at Teatro Massimo in Palermo; Simon Boccanegra and La Forza del Destino at the Verdi Festival in Parma; Ciro in Babilonia at Rossini Opera Festival; and La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Elisir d’amore at La Fenice in Venice. When Jader leads an orchestra in symphonic repertoire, he conducts without a score, preferring to make direct eye contact with the musicians. He conducts from the heart, forging a profound connection with his musicians that shines through both onstage and off. He both embodies and exudes the excellence and enthusiasm that has long distinguished the DSO’s artistry.

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN

Michael Feinstein has built a dazzling career over the last three decades bringing the music of the Great American songbook to the world. From recordings that have earned him five Grammy Award nominations to his Emmy nominated PBS-TV specials, his acclaimed NPR series, and concerts spanning the globe— in addition to his appearances at iconic venues including the White House, Buckingham Palace, Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, and Sydney Opera House— his work as an educator and archivist define Feinstein as one of the most important musical forces of our time.

In 2007, he founded the Great American Songbook Foundation, dedicated to celebrating the art form and preserving it through educational programs, masterclasses, and the annual High School Songbook Academy. This summer intensive, open to students from across the country, has produced graduates who have gone on to record acclaimed albums and appear on television programs such as NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Feinstein serves on the Library of Congress’s National Recording Preservation Board, an organization dedicated to ensuring the survival, conservation, and increased public availability of America’s sound recording heritage.

Feinstein earned his fifth Grammy Award nomination in 2009 for The Sinatra Project, his CD celebrating the music of “Ol’ Blue Eyes.” The Sinatra Project, Volume II: The Good Life was released in 2011. He released the CDs The Power Of Two —collaborating with Glee and 30 Rock star Cheyenne Jackson—and Cheek To Cheek, recorded with Broadway legend Barbara Cook. For Feinstein’s CD We Dreamed These Days, he co-wrote the title song with Dr. Maya Angelou.

His Emmy Award-nominated TV special Michael Feinstein–The Sinatra Legacy, which was taped live at the Palladium in Carmel, Indiana, aired across the country in 2011. The PBS series Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook, the recipient of the ASCAP Deems-Taylor Television Broadcast Award, was broadcast for three seasons and is available on DVD. His most recent primetime PBS-TV Special, “New Year’s Eve at The Rainbow Room”—written and directed by Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry—aired in 2014. For his nationally syndicated public radio program, “Song Travels,” Feinstein interviews and performs alongside music luminaries including Bette Midler, Neil Sedaka, Liza Minnelli, Rickie Lee Jones, and David Hyde Pierce.

Feinstein was named Principal Pops Conductor for the Pasadena Symphony in 2012 and made his conducting debut in

June 2013 to celebrated critical acclaim. Under Feinstein’s leadership, the Pasadena Pops has quickly become a premier orchestral presenter of the Great American Songbook with definitive performances of rare orchestrations and classic arrangements. He launched an additional Pops series at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach, Florida in 2014.

Feinstein’s book The Gershwins and Me— the Los Angeles Times best-seller from Simon & Schuster—features a new CD of Gershwin standards performed with Cyrus Chestnut at the piano.

Feinstein serves as Artistic Director of the Palladium Center for the Performing Arts, a $170 million, three-theatre venue in Carmel, Indiana, which opened in January 2011. The theater is home to diverse live programming and a museum for his rare memorabilia and manuscripts. Since 1999, he has served as Artistic Director for Carnegie Hall’s “Standard Time with Michael Feinstein” in conjunction with ASCAP. In 2010, he became the director of the Jazz and Popular Song Series at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Feinstein’s at the Nikko, his nightclub at San Francisco’s Nikko Hotel, has presented the top talents of pop and jazz since 2013. He opened Feinstein’s at the Hotel Carmichael in 2021. His first venue in New York, Feinstein’s at the Regency, featured major entertainers such as Rosemary Clooney, Glen Campbell, Barbara Cook, Diahann Carroll, Jane Krakowski, Lea Michele, Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz, and Alan Cumming from 1999 to 2012.

He has designed a new piano for Steinway called “The First Ladies,” inspired by the White House piano and signed by several former First Ladies. It was first played to commemorate the Ronald Regan centennial on February 6, 2011.

In 2013, Feinstein released Change Of Heart: The Songs of Andre Previn in collaboration with four-time Oscar and

eleven-time Grammy Award-winning composer-conductor-pianist Andre Previn. The album celebrates Previn’s pop songs and motion picture classics. Earlier album highlights include Hopeless Romantics, a songbook of classics by Feinstein’s late friend Harry Warren, recording with legendary jazz pianist George Shearing. His album with songwriting icon Jimmy Webb, Only One Life–The Songs of Jimmy Webb, was named one of “10 Best CDs of the Year” by USA Today

Feinstein received his fourth Grammy nomination for Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, his first recording with a symphony orchestra. The year before, Rhino/Elektra Music released The Michael Feinstein Anthology, a two-disc compilation spanning 1987 to 1996 and featuring old favorites and previously unreleased tracks.

Feinstein was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, where he started playing piano by ear at age five. After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles at age 20. The widow of legendary concert pianist-actor Oscar Levant introduced him to Ira Gershwin in July 1977. Feinstein became Gershwin’s assistant for six years, which earned him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded.

Gershwin’s influence provided a solid base upon which Feinstein evolved into a captivating performer, composer, and arranger of his own original music. He also has become an unparalleled interpreter of music legends including Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington, and Harry Warren. Feinstein has received three honorary doctorates. Through his live performances, recordings, film and television appearances, and his songwriting (in collaboration with Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Lindy Robbins, Bob Merrill, and Marshall Barer), Feinstein is an all-star force in American music.

Wardrobe by Ron Tomson, Los Angeles

JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET

For more than three decades, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has performed worldwide, recorded more than 50 albums, and built a reputation as one of today’s finest pianists. He plays a range of solo, chamber, and orchestral repertoire— from Beethoven through Liszt, Grieg, and SaintSaëns, to Khachaturian and Gershwin, and to Olivier Messiaen, Qigang Chen, James MacMillan, Richard Dubugnon, and Aaron Zigman.

From the very start of his career, he has delighted in music beyond the standard repertoire, from jazz to opera, including works which he has transcribed himself for the piano. His profound professional friendships crisscross the globe and have led to spontaneous and fruitful collaborations in film, fashion, and visual art.

This season, Thibaudet continues his multi-season focus on Debussy’s Préludes, playing the complete Préludes in solo recitals in Seattle, at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, in Bilbao, Luxembourg, Metz, San Francisco, and Chapel Hill; at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival; and in Kansas City, Orange County, Zurich, and Leipzig.

Thibaudet will also perform several recitals and small-ensemble concerts with close friends and new collaborators this season. After a recital with Renée Fleming at Los Angeles’s Walt Disney Concert Hall as part of the Colburn Celebrity Series, Thibaudet will join violinist Midori for a tour of Beethoven’s complete Violin Sonatas, with dates at Dartmouth College, in Chicago, and at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall; the duo will release a recording of the sonatas on Warner Classics later this season.

In December, Thibaudet appeared with

the all-star Itzhak Perlman and Friends program at the University of Michigan, in Toronto, and at Carnegie Hall. Beginning in the spring, Thibaudet will join pianist, singer, and music historian Michael Feinstein in Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?, a bespoke evening-length program featuring the music of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, and more, specially arranged for the occasion for piano duos, solos, vocals, and orchestra.

Thibaudet appears as soloist in eight different pieces this season, performed with eleven orchestras. A noted interpreter of Gershwin’s piano works, Thibaudet performs the composer’s Concerto in F with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, as well as the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester. Beginning in January, Thibaudet performs Debussy’s Fantaisie for piano and orchestra with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony, where it is programmed alongside Messiaen’s Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine; he later brings the piece to the San Diego Symphony.

A renowned performer of Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie, Thibaudet joins Jaap van Zweden for performances of the piece with both the Hong Kong and New York Philharmonic. He then joins the Cincinnati Symphony in performances of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2, after which he brings Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 5 to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He brings another signature piece of his—Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, “The Age of Anxiety,”—to The Cleveland Orchestra, followed in May by a performance of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

Thibaudet has a lifelong passion for education and fostering young musical talent. He is the first-ever Artist-inResidence at the Colburn School in Los

Angeles, where he makes his home. In 2017, the school announced the Jean-Yves Thibaudet Scholarships, funded by members of Colburn’s donor community, to provide aid for Music Academy students, whom Thibaudet will select for the merit-based awards, regardless of their instrument choice.

Thibaudet records exclusively for Decca; his extensive catalogue has received two Grammy nominations, two ECHO Awards, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, the Edison Prize, and Gramophone awards. His most recent album, 2021’s Carte Blanche, features a collection of deeply personal solo piano pieces never before recorded by the pianist. Other highlights from Thibaudet’s catalog include a 2017 recording of Bernstein’s “Age of Anxiety” with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop, with whom he previously recorded Gershwin, featuring big band jazz orchestrations of Rhapsody in Blue, the Concerto in F, and the original version of Variations on “I Got Rhythm.” In 2016, on the 150th anniversary of Erik Satie’s birth, Decca released a box set of Satie’s complete solo piano music performed by Thibaudet— one of the foremost champions of the composer’s works. On his Grammynominated recording Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerti Nos. 2 & 5, released in 2007, he is joined by Charles Dutoit and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Thibaudet’s Aria–Opera Without Words, which was released the same year, features aria transcriptions, some of which are Thibaudet’s own. His other recordings include the jazz albums Reflections on Duke: Jean-Yves Thibaudet Plays the Music of Duke Ellington and Conversations With Bill Evans. Thibaudet has also had an impact on the worlds of fashion, film, and philanthropy. He was soloist on Aaron Zigman’s score for Robin Swicord’s Wakefield ; this was the first time that the composer had

allowed a pianist other than himself to perform his film work. He was also soloist in Dario Marianelli’s award-winning scores for the films Atonement (which won an Oscar for Best Original Score) and Pride and Prejudice, as well as Alexandre Desplat’s soundtracks for the 2012 film Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Wes Anderson’s 2021 film The French Dispatch. He had a cameo in Bruce Beresford’s film on Alma Mahler, Bride of the Wind, and his playing is showcased throughout. In 2004, he served as president of the prestigious charity auction at the Hospices de Beaune. His concert wardrobe is designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, where he began his piano studies at age five and made his first public appearance at age seven. At 12, he entered the Paris Conservatory to study with Aldo Ciccolini and Lucette Descaves, a friend and collaborator of Ravel. At age 15, he won the Premier Prix du Conservatoire and, three years later, the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York City. Among his numerous commendations is the Victoire d’Honneur, a lifetime career achievement award and the highest honor given by France’s Victoires de la Musique. In 2010, the Hollywood Bowl honored Thibaudet for his musical achievements by inducting him into its Hall of Fame. Previously a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Thibaudet was awarded the title Officier by the French Ministry of Culture in 2012. In 2020, he was named Special Representative for the promotion of French Creative and Cultural Industries in Romania. He is co-artistic advisor, with Gautier Capuçon, of the Festival Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot.

Mr. Thibaudet’s worldwide representation: HarrisonParrott

Mr. Thibaudet records exclusively for Decca Classics

Wardrobe by Ron Tomson, Los Angeles

JEFF TYZIK

Principal Pops Conductor

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

JADER BIGNAMINI , Music Director

Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation

TERENCE BLANCHARD

Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair

FIRST VIOLIN

Robyn Bollinger CONCERTMASTER

Katherine Tuck Chair

Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy

ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER

Schwartz and Shapero Family Chair

Hai-Xin Wu

ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Walker L. Cisler/Detroit Edison

Foundation Chair

Jennifer Wey Fang

ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Marguerite Deslippe*

Laurie Goldman*

Rachel Harding Klaus*

Eun Park Lee*

Adrienne Rönmark*

William and Story John Chair

Alexandros Sakarellos*

Drs. Doris Tong and Teck Soo Chair

Laura Soto*

Greg Staples*

Jiamin Wang*

Mingzhao Zhou*

SECOND VIOLIN

Adam Stepniewski

ACTING PRINCIPAL

The Devereaux Family Chair

Will Haapaniemi*

David and Valerie McCammon Chairs

Hae Jeong Heidi Han*

David and Valerie McCammon Chairs

Elizabeth Furuta*

Sheryl Hwangbo Yu*

Daniel Kim*

Sujin Lim*

Hong-Yi Mo *

Marian Tanau*

Alexander Volkov*

Jing Zhang*

VIOLA

Eric Nowlin

PRINCIPAL

Julie and Ed Levy, Jr. Chair

James VanValkenburg

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Caroline Coade

Henry and Patricia Nickol Chair

Glenn Mellow

Hang Su

Hart Hollman

Han Zheng

Mike Chen

CELLO Wei Yu PRINCIPAL

Abraham Feder ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

NA’ZIR MCFADDEN

Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador

CLARINET

Ralph Skiano PRINCIPAL

Robert B. Semple Chair

Jack Walters

TIMPANI

Jeremy Epp

PRINCIPAL

Richard and Mona Alonzo Chair

James Ritchie

Dorothy and Herbert Graebner Chair

Robert Bergman*

Jeremy Crosmer* Victor and Gale Girolami Cello Chair

David LeDoux*

Peter McCaffrey*

Joanne Deanto and Arnold Weingarden Chair

Una O’Riordan* Mary Ann & Robert Gorlin Chair

Cole Randolph*

BASS

Kevin Brown PRINCIPAL Van Dusen Family Chair

Stephen Molina ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Christopher Hamlen

Brandon Mason

HARP OPEN PRINCIPAL Winifred E. Polk Chair

FLUTE

Hannah Hammel Maser

PRINCIPAL

Alan J. and Sue Kaufman and Family Chair

Amanda Blaikie

Morton and Brigitte Harris Chair

Sharon Sparrow

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Bernard and Eleanor Robertson Chair

Jeffery Zook

Shantanique Moore §

PICCOLO

Jeffery Zook

Shari and Craig Morgan Chair

OBOE

Alexander Kinmonth

PRINCIPAL

Jack A. and Aviva Robinson Chair

Sarah Lewis

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Monica Fosnaugh

ENGLISH HORN

Monica Fosnaugh

PVS Chemicals Inc./ Jim and Ann Nicholson Chair

Shannon Orme

E-FLAT CLARINET OPEN

BASS CLARINET

Shannon Orme

Barbara Frankel and Ronald Michalak Chair

BASSOON

Conrad Cornelison

PRINCIPAL

Byron and Dorothy Gerson Chair

Marcus Schoon

Jaquain Sloan §

CONTRABASSOON

Marcus Schoon

HORN

Karl Pituch

PRINCIPAL

Johanna Yarbrough

Scott Strong

Ric and Carola Huttenlocher Chair

David Everson

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Mark Abbott

TRUMPET

Hunter Eberly

PRINCIPAL

Lee and Floy Barthel Chair

William Lucas

TROMBONE

Kenneth Thompkins

PRINCIPAL

David Binder

Adam Rainey

BASS TROMBONE

Adam Rainey

TUBA

Dennis Nulty

PRINCIPAL

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSION

Joseph Becker

PRINCIPAL

Ruth Roby and Alfred R. Glancy III Chair

Andrés Pichardo-Rosenthal

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

William Cody Knicely Chair

James Ritchie

LIBRARIANS

Robert Stiles

PRINCIPAL

Ethan Allen

LEGACY CHAIRS

Principal Flute

Women’s Association for the DSO

Principal Cello

James C. Gordon

Personnel Managers

Patrick Peterson

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

Benjamin Tisherman

MANAGER OF ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

Nolan Cardenas

AUDITION AND OPERATIONS

COORDINATOR

Stage Personnel

Dennis Rottell

STAGE MANAGER

William Dailing

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Zachary Deater

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Isaac Eide

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Kurt Henry

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Steven Kemp

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Matthew Pons

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Jason Tschantre

DEPARTMENT HEAD

LEGEND

* These members may voluntarily revolve seating within the section on a regular basis

^ Extended Leave

§ African American Orchestra Fellow

NEEME JÄRVI Music Director Emeritus

LEONARD SLATKIN Music Director Laureate