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Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Jay Friedman, the CSO's history-making principal trombonist, retires
In January 1957, Jay Friedman walked into Orchestra Hall for the first time. He was a gangly teenager with a passion for the euphonium. His band director at Hyde Park High School had bought him a ticket to hear the Chicago Symphony play Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1. 'I didn't know who Mahler was; I didn't know what Chicago Symphony was,' Friedman says. Five years later, in 1962, Friedman would be onstage as the orchestra's new assistant principal trombone, an instrument which, at the time of that memorable concert, he'd barely begun to play. In eight years, he'd be principal. And though he had no way of knowing it then, he'd go on to become a prolific conductor himself — even, on occasion, conducting the CSO. After a staggering 63 years with the orchestra, Friedman officially retires on Sept. 14, after being on leave since the spring. At that point, he and second harpist Lynne Turner, who retires this month, will share the distinction of being the longest-serving members of the Chicago Symphony, their tenures spanning nearly half of the orchestra's history. Friedman's leadership of the trombone section — attendant physical demands and all — has even outlasted Adolph 'Bud' Herseth's then-unheard-of 56 seasons as principal trumpet and principal trumpet emeritus of the CSO. Friedman will be the last to retire from the quartet of brass principals whose sound made the Chicago Symphony known around the world: Herseth on trumpet, Dale Clevenger on horn and Arnold Jacobs on tuba. 'No one had heard those sounds before,' says Michael Mulcahy, who has played alongside Friedman in the trombone section since he joined the orchestra in 1989. 'It was such an even and resonant presence. It really changed the profile internationally of the orchestra. Before then, it was more of an insider secret.' Many equate the Chicago brass with the high-octane, muscular sound of the Solti years — 'halftime at a football game,' as the old jeer went. But when asked about their sound concepts, both Friedman and Mulcahy returned again and again to subtlety. 'Jay is very passionate about the soft dynamics,' Mulcahy says. 'When something's meant to be four or five p's (pianos), as Tchaikovsky writes in the sixth symphony, Jay would want to hear all the shades down to that… He would not take the easy way out.' Friedman grew up in Hyde Park, raised mostly by his mother and relatives after his father died. While his mother worked odd jobs, he attended a junior military academy in Kenwood — a miserable experience, with one exception. 'That's where I started music,' he says. 'It's the only good thing that ever happened to me there.' He started on the euphonium, common in wind bands but scarcely used in orchestral repertoire. After graduating from the military academy, he became part of a bevy of musical talent coming out of Hyde Park High: one Herbie Hancock, the year below Friedman in school, accompanied him on Arthur Pryor's 'Thoughts of Love' during the school's solo competition. (When they reunited on the Orchestra Hall stage decades later, Hancock remembered him. 'He was a genius back then, too. Every time you'd go in the band room, he'd be in the corner playing stuff on the piano,' Friedman attests.) On top of passing along tickets, Friedman's band director arranged for him to take lessons with Vincent Cichowicz, a CSO trumpet player and an influential brass pedagogue. After their first lesson together, Cichowicz told Friedman he ought to try an orchestral instrument — and the trombone had the most similar embouchure to the euphonium. Trombone it was. Musicians of Chicago Symphony orchestra, Adolph Herseth [left] and Vincent Cichowicz, trumpet players, warm up backstage before a concert. (George Quinn/Chicago Tribune)Friedman beavered away at his new instrument, sometimes as long as 10 hours a day. In a few short months, he was accomplished enough to get into the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, and, after that, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra affiliated with the CSO. In those days, Civic's top musicians would be invited to audition for CSO openings. But by a series of flukes, Friedman never once auditioned for the CSO. When a musician strike scuttled the orchestra's audition call for the 1962 season, he was promoted directly from Civic as a stopgap. The closest thing Friedman had to a tryout was arguably more stressful than an official audition. While rehearsing an all-Wagner concert in 1963, Fritz Reiner, the CSO's formidable yet formative music director, complained that he couldn't hear Friedman on the bass trumpet — an obscure doubling rarely seen outside of Wagner. He drilled all Friedman's entrances, alone, in front of the orchestra. 'Reiner had fired two or three assistant first trombones the decade before while playing these auxiliary instruments — he would just nail people, and you're out. It was the hottest chair in the orchestra,' Friedman says. 'So, Bud Herseth leans over and says, 'Put your stand down, pick the horn up and blow it as loud as you can, right in his face.' And I did.' In Friedman's fourth season, then-principal trombone Robert Lambert went on a sick leave that became permanent. A few months into the season, Friedman asked the CSO's president if he could audition formally for Jean Martinon, by then the music director. 'He said, 'From what the conductor tells me, you have the job,'' Friedman recalls. The worst he'd have to do, he told Friedman, would be to play an audition for him. In the end, Martinon never even asked him for that. In the years since, Friedman has appeared with the CSO as a soloist — starting with Ernest Bloch's Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra in 1969 and spanning through 2018, when the orchestra took Jennifer Higdon's Low Brass Concerto on a domestic tour. He's even stood before the orchestra as a conductor. Friedman has led the ensemble during donor performances and while it went on strike in 2019. Other career highlights include being a frequent guest conductor of the Civic Orchestra, his former stomping grounds; leading the Hawai'i Symphony on a tour of the islands; and conducting Daniel Barenboim in the Emperor Concerto with the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Italy. 'He said I gave him maybe the best accompaniment to the Beethoven he ever had,' says Friedman. This year, Friedman is celebrating 30 years as the music director of the Symphony of Oak Park River Forest, a nonprofessional orchestra in the western suburbs. Though most musicians in the ensemble have day jobs outside of music, they tackle repertoire you'd sooner find at Orchestra Hall, like Beethoven's Triple Concerto (Oct. 26); a concerto by and featuring San Francisco Symphony principal trombonist Timothy Higgins (April 19); and the premiere of a new piano concerto written by Alex Groesch, a cellist in the orchestra (June 14). Riccardo Muti guest-rehearses the orchestra once a year, a tradition that has continued past his directorship at the CSO. Mulcahy has played in SOPRF as a ringer on occasion himself. 'He undertook incredibly ambitious projects, doing repertoire and pieces I can't imagine any amateur orchestra would ever (attempt),' he says of Friedman. So, what does a great conductor make? In Friedman's eyes, it's efficiency and a healthy dose of realism. He points to the strike concerts he led as examples. The last of those featured Mahler 1, the very first symphony a teenage Friedman had heard the orchestra play. 'I had a 90-minute rehearsal, not four days of rehearsals,' he says. 'But Mahler 1? The orchestra can play that in their sleep.' In retirement, Friedman will continue to play and conduct the SOPRF, play golf, and spend time with his wife and two Parson Russell Terriers, Roxie and Mr. Friedman. (You might already know them, if not by name: They're canine actors who have starred in commercials for Toyota, Starbucks and Crate & Barrel, to name a few.) With Friedman's retirement, the orchestra is losing a true original, says Mulcahy. 'The worst enemy of joy in a job is cynicism,' he says. 'Even when things disappoint you, you still have to hold on to your aspirations and somehow live up to your own individual code… His individualism helped me keep mine, that's for sure.' Lynne Turner, CSO harpist since 1962, retires from the orchestra
Chicago Tribune
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: Muti returns to the CSO, principal trumpeter and Verdi's Requiem in tow
For a time, Chicago Symphony music director emeritus Riccardo Muti planned to end the 2024/25 downtown season with Hector Berlioz's 'The Damnation of Faust,' not heard at Orchestra Hall since 2008. But last summer, the CSO announced the Berlioz would be swapped out with a more recent throwback: Verdi's Requiem, which Muti last led in Chicago in 2018. A signature of Muti's tenure here, the Requiem was performed and recorded to wide acclaim, first through a Grammy-winning 2010 album and again via livestream in 2013, back when that technology was relatively novel. Despite missing out on a rare-going-on-rarer 'Faust,' the Muti/Requiem pairing is as sure a thing as they come. Thursday's concert was no exception, clinching a standout performance of the year with a quartet of superbly cast — and superbly matched — vocal soloists, three of whom were making their CSO debuts. Mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa and tenor John Osborn were both cast for the originally planned 'Faust,' but you'd think they were hand-picked specifically for this repertoire. Crebassa didn't just sing the mezzo part — she seemed to live it, from the throaty intensity of 'Liber scriptus' to a grief-stricken 'Lacrymosa,' her vibrato bubbling like tears. Her jewel-toned voice sat well in Verdi's lower vocal writing, but it also easily winged skyward when called for, like a glittering upward climb in 'Quid sum miser.' Crebassa has not sung at the CSO since 2015, at Esa-Pekka Salonen's invitation; her next visit ought to come far sooner. Osborn was every bit as sensitive, living proof that one doesn't need to muscle through this writing to captivate a hall. Between his dynamic and emotional range, and an uncommon transparency of tone — the top of 'Quid sum miser' would have given most sopranos a run for their money in its diamond-bright purity — his every feature cut straight to the heart. Elena Guseva's soprano staggers in its power and control, retaining its hue even at lofty peaks. But much like her colleagues, the soprano was even more astonishing in moments of balance and introversion, like her spick-and-span octaves with Crebassa in 'Agnus Dei' and the tender sendoffs to 'Domine Jesu Christe' and 'Libera me.' The young bass-baritone Maharram Huseynov stepped in last week for Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, also originally a 'Faust' hire. Where many before him have brought big-boned heft to this role — which might have helped Huseynov when he got swallowed by the orchestra's fire in the 'Confutatis' — I'm not convinced that's the point. Huseynov's lighter touch felt closer to the spirit of the text, his voice toned, vulnerable and sympathetically, grippingly human-sized. These performances mark Donald Palumbo's official debut as the new director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. It was an auspicious first outing, the choir sounding sculpted and notably unified in color and timbre. Basses rumbled in the 'Rex tremendae' like a voice from a fissure in the earth; sopranos entered on the final 'Libera me' canon with the precision of a single singer. Any ensemble issues mostly came from disagreement between the orchestra and the chorus. The chorus floated around the beat in the first 'Dies irae.' The 'Sanctus' was the opposite: they followed Muti's more leisurely tempo like a shadow, despite the orchestra itching to default to the sprightly pace of years' past. But these moments were few and brief in an inspired, brilliantly paced Requiem, its orchestral contributions sounding fresher than ever. Violins supported the 'Kyrie' crisply; later, Vadim Karpinos' timpani licked like flame in the 'Dies irae.' Onstage and offstage trumpet quartets drove a terrifying transition into the 'Tuba mirum.' And when Guseva and the chorus sang that 'the earth shall be shaken' in the 'Libera me,' a mighty rumble in the double basses made sure you really believed it. Elsewhere, Muti halted the action with moments of total silence, all to great, hair-raising effect. Deliverance, indeed. A week earlier, also under Muti's baton, principal trumpet Esteban Batallán — returning to the ensemble this fall after a season with the Philadelphia Orchestra and a summer parental leave — made his CSO solo debut on two 18th century concertos for piccolo trumpet, by Georg Philipp Telemann and Joseph Haydn's overlooked brother, Michael. The repertoire frequently played to Batallán's strong points. Both — especially the Michael Haydn concerto and its virtuosic cadenzas, devised by Batallán himself — gave the trumpeter a chance to show off his dazzling upper register. And for all his sheer power behind the horn, Batallán can certainly scale back when called for, balancing chamber-style against the ensemble throughout. Mostly missing, at least on June 12, was a certain sense of phrase and direction in legato sections. From the slow movements of the Telemann to floating refrains in the Haydn, notes felt over-articulated rather than part of a longer line. The CSO sound under Muti is nothing if not refined — everything shapely and in its place, never crass nor unruly. That made for an elegant yet reliable accompaniment in these concertos. But once the orchestra became the main focus for Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 48, 'Maria Theresa,' and Schubert's Symphony No. 4, 'Tragic,' that refinement sounded more like reticence. The stormy fake-out in the Haydn's first movement sounded defanged, and the finale rather polite. The Schubert was even more reined in, the orchestra clean but sounding like it was playing at half-verve. The overall impression was one of an ensemble walking on eggshells: little spark, little levity, little variety, too much weighty reverence. That's not to discount some fine ensemble work. Woodwind contributions in the Schubert from clarinetist Stephen Williamson, oboist William Welter, and outgoing flutist Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson were both impassioned and lucid. Mark Almond, sitting in the hot seat for the Haydn symphony's diabolically high horn part, wasn't always pristine, but he deserves serious kudos for deftly balancing the stratospheric register of his accompaniment so it dusted the harmonies instead of dominating them — all too easy to do. 'Muti Conducts Verdi Requiem' repeats 7:30 p.m. June 20-24 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., tickets starting at $79,
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Big Sean to join Detroit Symphony in June for an evening of orchestral hip-hop
One of the most unconventional concerts of Big Sean's career will happen June 29, when the rapper joins his hometown Detroit Symphony Orchestra for an evening of music. The Detroit star will lead an Orchestra Hall bill that includes fellow rappers Skilla Baby, Tee Grizzley, Illa J, Nasaan and Queen Naija for a show blending hip-hop and orchestral arrangements, complete with a DSO segment honoring the late J Dilla. The show is presented in part by the Detroit Pistons, where Big Sean serves as the creative director of innovation. Ticket proceeds will benefit the Detroit Pistons Foundation, the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan and Big Sean's Sean Anderson Foundation. It's the second big hip-hop-meets-symphony show on the books for this summer: Atlanta rapper Jeezy will play the Fox Theatre Sept. 12 with his own orchestral spin on the hits. Tickets for the Big Sean-DSO concert start at $75 and will go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday through Ticketmaster. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Big Sean to join DSO in June for an evening of orchestral hip-hop
Chicago Tribune
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: CSO music-director-to-be Klaus Mäkelä faces his orchestra — and the work ahead
At a Chicago Symphony rehearsal this week open to the press and orchestra donors, music director designate Klaus Mäkelä halted the orchestra while working on Dvořák's Symphony No. 7. 'We know it will be a long line, yeah?' he said to the violins. As he said it, the young conductor assumed the stance of an explorer, shielding his eyes and pointing to an imagined horizon. Reflecting on Mäkelä's appearances on April 24 and May 1, I returned again and again to this directive. Both concerts evinced the infectious energy and sonic dazzle that inspired the CSO to hire him in the first place. But they also probed ensemble areas which require investment and attention — that 'long line,' so to speak, made even longer by the fact that Mäkelä doesn't fully assume the CSO post until 2027. Last week, he returned to Gustav Mahler, the composer whose symphony sealed Mäkelä's partnership with the CSO and who will be the subject of an upcoming orchestral summit in Amsterdam, another home-base-to-be for the Finnish conductor. His choice of repertoire was characteristically ambitious: Mahler's Third Symphony, the longest in the standard repertoire at about 100 minutes long. This time around, Mäkelä didn't relay the same end-to-end momentum and delicious abandon as 2023's Fifth — still a high bar for Mahlers at Orchestra Hall, under any baton. Instead, Mäkelä's Third dwelt on the CSO's impassioned ensemble sound. He had much to love: After a sleepy couple of months at Orchestra Hall, hearing the CSO give their all under Mäkelä was like a blast of fresh alpine air. (The orchestra was similarly energized under conductor Jaap van Zweden, which bodes well for their forthcoming tour to Amsterdam's Mahler Festival together.) The first movement is pocked with all-orchestra rests, which tend to give the music an air-clearing effect. Under Mäkelä, the silences themselves sung, articulating the music's bleakness rather than offering a respite from it. If a symphony must embrace everything, as Mahler's old saw goes, it must, too, embrace silence. After a mostly moment-by-moment first movement, a reverent sixth and final movement hit that point home, its spaciousness calling back to the symphony's introduction with far-sighted acuity. Last week's Mahler 3 also marked Mäkelä's first CSO appearance with singers. Based on Thursday's performance, vocalists — both solo and ensemble — seem to be in good hands. Contralto Wiebke Lehmkuhl sang her fourth-movement solo with elemental authority, her phrasing thoughtful and vowels warmly rounded. In the fifth movement, the treble voices of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly Chicago Children's Choir) melded, handsomely, into one ringing body. It helped that Mäkelä cloaked the orchestra's sound ever so slightly for the benefit of the soloist and singers, just as he did for last year's Shostakovich cello concerto. Even Lehmkuhl's low-middle range landed squarely for listeners in the lower balcony. Against the Mahler, Mäkelä's Dvořák 7 (continuing through this weekend) came away as a more cohesive musical statement. In performance, Mäkelä maintained that 'long line' through the entire piece: Returning motives varied slightly but effortlessly, as though being sung in real time. The string hiccup beginning the Scherzo theme was whistle-clean; rather than beating through busy sections, Mäkelä resurrected his favored move of pointing at instruments with moving lines, or, occasionally, mouthing along to them. The third movement melted into the fourth with ease, making natural bedfellows of two very different movements. The performance seemed to just flow as though coasting across the score, rather than the Mahler's burrowing. The ride was bumpier on the rest of the May 1 program. Programming Pierre Boulez's 'Initiale,' a brass septet, was a great idea in theory: The late conductor-composer's centenary has been mostly overlooked at Orchestra Hall, and at four minutes long, the piece is plenty audience-friendly, not to mention a showcase for the storied CSO brass. Instead, the performance was dispiritingly coarse, only gaining confidence and clarity as it went on — which, for a piece that short, is too little, too late. Pianist and artist-in-residence Daniil Trifonov's appearance with the orchestra, playing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2, also improved as it went along. The fearsomely talented pianist tends to follow his own whims behind the keyboard — a guarantee of fresh and sometimes idiosyncratic performances, like Thursday's. (Mäkelä again impressed in his solo support role here, catching Trifonov's fluctuations with eagle-eyed precision.) All the Trifonov hallmarks were there: rubbery, supple hands that glide across the keyboard, and an unabashed interiority that gives the sense, at times, that Trifonov is playing for an audience of one. Trifonov carried that spirit forward into the final Allegretto grazioso movement, its first notes beginning with the same awed hush as the end of the Andante. More uncharacteristically, the typically impeccable pianist tripped a couple times in Thursday's performance: a note flub in the first movement, a brief brain freeze in an exposed moment in the second. One wonders if that, on top of the concerto's immense bulk, played into the exacting Trifonov's decision to leave audiences with just a whiff of an encore: Chopin's Prelude No. 10, all of 30 seconds long. CSO musicians delivered on the concerto's big solo moments, mostly. Principal cellist John Sharp sang above the haze of the Andante with a noble tone and tender phrasing. So did assistant principal horn Daniel Gingrich, his sound willowy and fluid. Less so for his colleague, principal horn Mark Almond, whose opening horn call kicks off the concerto. Almond has seen a few strong performances in recent months, including a poised turn in Jaap van Zweden's Mahler 7 last month. But his features in Mäkela's concert weeks — in Mahler 3 and the Brahms — sounded tentative in the extreme. Mahler 3 likewise saw some good nights for principals and troubled nights for others. Principal trumpet Esteban Batallán returned for these concerts with a post horn solo to remember, wistfully sounding from Orchestra Hall's rafters. (Mahler's score directs the soloist to emulate the effect of a horn call moving closer; in these performances, Batallán actually did so, playing his first solo from the fifth floor corridor, his second from the entrance to the hall's ceiling, and his final solo directly above the stage, on a catwalk.) Concertmaster Robert Chen, settling back into the orchestra after a pinched nerve, saw opposite fortunes in the first movement, with stoic solos that often trotted ahead of his colleagues and Mäkelä's beat. Ups and downs in various principal seats only made trombonist Timothy Higgins' contributions, leading that section, all the more commendable. After winning the CSO's principal trombone audition last month, Higgins, of the San Francisco Symphony, has joined the orchestra for some trial weeks, starting with van Zweden's Mahler 7. But it was Mahler 3, and the first movement's many trombone solos, that were his true testing ground. Over the course of the movement, brawny eloquence gave way to vulnerability, as though he was curling inwards — a unified statement across the movement's sprawl. A week later, Higgins was MVP again as an anchor in the rough tides of the Boulez. If the deal gets sealed, Higgins will be Mäkelä's second hire to the orchestra after violinist Gabriela Lara — also a standout player. The last three weeks would indicate he's passed, colors a-flying. Hannah Edgar is a freelance critic. The Rubin Institute for Music Criticism helps fund our classical music coverage. The Chicago Tribune maintains editorial control over assignments and content. Program repeats 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and again 3 p.m. on Sun., May 4; tickets $75-$399 at Also worth noting The arts calendar has gotten fuller in recent weeks. Chicago Opera Theater announced its coming season, with Chicago premieres of works by Kurt Weill and Antonio Salieri, while the Grant Park Music Festival and CSO have grown theirs slightly. Grant Park adds a performance by violinist Joshua Bell on Aug. 6, and the CSO tacks on concerts of John Williams' film music (June 23, 2026), the Ravi Shankar Ensemble (March 22, 2026) and ranchera star Aída Cuevas (Sept. 26). Symphony Center's jazz series also announced its 2025-26 season programming this week, and with it a new guest curator model. Kate Dumbleton, director of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and Mike Reed, drummer, venue owner and festival programmer, are each tasked with curating a concert in the spring. The full SCP Jazz lineup is as follows; tickets are on sale Aug. 6 at Bassist Christian McBride and pianist Brad Mehldau playing duo, 8 p.m. Oct. 10; tickets $39-$119. Herbie Hancock (note Sunday date), 8 p.m. Oct. 26; tickets $55-$199. Joshua Redman Quartet feat. singer Gabrielle Cavassa, playing selections from 2023's 'where we are' and the forthcoming 'Words Fall Short,' 8 p.m. Nov. 7; tickets $39-$119. 50th anniversary of Marvin Gaye's 'I Want You' with singers José James and Lizz Wright, 8 p.m. Feb. 6, 2026; tickets $39-$119. Double-bill of saxophonist Nubya Garcia and singer Somi, curated by Kate Dumbleton, 8 p.m. March 13, 2026; tickets $29-$119. Miles Davis centenary tributes by pianists Gonzalo Rubalcaba and John Beasley, 8 p.m. March 27, 2026; tickets $39-$119. Drummer and curator Mike Reed explores his 'Chicago Inspirations,' including a tribute to bassist Fred Hopkins and a suite of compositions written by Chicagoans between 1980 and 2010. 8 p.m. May 1, 2026; tickets $29-$119.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hair Wars, reggae, 'Carmen,' and more: Your weekend in Detroit
At last, a Detroit weekend with no snowstorms! And just in time for a packed schedule of amazing arts options in the city. Here are just six to get you started. On Sunday, Feb. 23, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Detroit Institute of Arts, a selection of Hair Wars stylists will demonstrate some of their innovative hair creations in a drop-in style demonstration. Throughout the day, these stylists will work with various models to create works of art from hair. With videos and images from past Hair Wars shows, this demo offers a fun experience into this unique, Detroit-born entertainment. Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Free with general admission; general admission is free for residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. Bizet's timeless opera 'Carmen' will be performed live, twice only, by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) this weekend – on Friday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m., and on Sunday at 3 p.m. Conductor Jader Bignamini will lead the DSO through the fiery passion and gripping drama with help from Audivi, the Ann Arbor Youth Chorale and an all-star cast of vocal soloists in a thrilling celebration of the music behind one of opera's most iconic masterpieces. Featuring mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges as the bold and magnetic Carmen, this symphonic production marks the 150th anniversary of Bizet's masterpiece. Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Limited seats available; tickets start at $25. Also this weekend: Wild party, erotic art exhibition The Dirty Show returns to Detroit for 2 weekends Also this weekend: 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' at Detroit Repertory Theatre delivers a solid performance Also at Orchestra Hall on Saturday at 8 p.m., the SFJAZZ Collective will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a retrospective featuring works from icons such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, and more; as well as selections from the '20th Anniversary Suite,' which was collectively composed by the current band and inspired by the history of the ensemble. Under the direction of Chris Potter, this lineup of the Collective – including David Sánchez, Mike Rodriguez, Warren Wolf, Edward Simon, and Kendrick Scott – is among the most dynamic ever; ensuring each performance is fresh, fun, and full of surprises. Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Tickets start at $19.95. Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m., Detroit Opera will premiere 'Rinaldo.' Handel's Baroque blockbuster is viewed through the lens of a child's fantasy in a contemporary pediatric ward. The young patients venture on a heroic journey, where knights, sorcerers, monsters, and magic are used as a salve for unimaginable challenges. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo leads the cast in Louisa Proske's reimagined production, conducted by Detroit Opera Music Director Roberto Kalb. Two more performances follow on Feb. 28 and March 2. Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St., Detroit. Tickets start at $30. Saturday from 2-5 p.m., Detroit's Galerie Camile will present an artist talk in conjunction with its latest exhibition, 'Living Frequency: Honoring the Legacy of Black Artists in Detroit.' The exhibition, curated by local artist James Charles Morris in collaboration with Galerie Camille director Marta Carvajal, features a dynamic mix of emerging and mid-career artists from the city, including Joe Cazeno III, Ijania Cortez, Darian 'Saint' Greer, Breianna Jackson, Tylear Jefferson, Jonathan Kimble, James Charles Morris, Brian Nickson, Joshua Rainer, Phillip Simpson, Miriam Uhura, Oshun Williams, and Jacob Zelecki. The show remains on display through Feb. 28. Galerie Camille, 4130 Cass Ave., Ste. C, Detroit. Free to attend. Also this weekend: Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Joss Stone brings intimate show to Detroit's Sound Board Saturday from 5:30 p.m. – 10 p.m., Detroit's Redford Theatre will host a Caribbean Winter Fest, presented in partnership with the Caribbean Cultural and Carnival Organization and Detroit's Concert of Colors. The special event will celebrate Black History Month with music, culture, and community. Reggae superstar Duane Stephenson will perform along the Soca All Stars, Uprizin Steel Pan, High Energy, and Indinka Band. Redford Theatre, 17360 Lahser Rd., Detroit. Free admission. Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hair Wars, reggae, 'Carmen,' and more: Your weekend in Detroit
