Program features disco hits including "That's the Way (I Like It)," "It's Raining Men," "We Are Family," "I Will Survive," "Stayin' Alive," "The Hustle," "Hot Stuff," and more with vocalists Maiya Sykes and B.Slade
Tickets on sale now at dso.org
Detroit, (April 25, 2024) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will bring the party to its PNC Pops Series at Orchestra Hall on May 17–19 with a Disco Fever program conducted by DSO Principal Pops Conductor Designate Enrico Lopez-Yañez and featuring vocalists Maiya Sykes and B.Slade.
The high-energy program will feature an onstage dance battle and disco hits including "That's the Way (I Like It)," "It's Raining Men," "We Are Family," "I Will Survive," "Stayin' Alive," "The Hustle," "Hot Stuff," and more.
Following the Disco Fever concerts, Lopez-Yañez will conduct the DSO at St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church in Southwest Detroit on May 21 at 7 p.m. Part of the Detroit Neighborhood Initiative, the family-friendly program will include works by Latin-American composers and other favorites. The concert is free and open to the public. This performance is generously sponsored by General Motors Corporation and is presented in partnership with the City of Detroit’s Office of Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship.
As announced in October 2023, Lopez-Yañez will assume the role of DSO Principal Pops Conductor (Devereaux Family Chair) beginning with the 2024–2025 season.
Disco Fever will take place on Friday, May 17 at 10:45 a.m., Saturday, May 18 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m. at Orchestra Hall.
Tickets for these performances start at $24 and can be purchased at dso.org or by calling the Box Office at 313.576.5111, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The title sponsor of the DSO’s PNC Pops Series is PNC Bank.
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DISCO FEVER
PNC Pops Series
Friday, May 17 at 10:45 a.m.
Saturday, May 18 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor
Maiya Sykes, vocals
B.Slade, vocals
Get to Orchestra Hall and get down with the DSO, featuring an onstage dance off and non-stop hits, including "That's the Way (I Like It)," "It's Raining Men," "We Are Family," "I Will Survive," "Stayin' Alive," "The Hustle," "Hot Stuff," and more. It’s time to boogie with the best.
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About Enrico Lopez-Yañez
Enrico Lopez-Yañez is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Nashville Symphony and Pacific Symphony, as well as the Principal Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Presents. This season, Lopez-Yañez has been named Principal Pops Conductor Designate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, a position he will begin in the 2024–2025 season. Lopez-Yañez is quickly establishing himself as one of the nation’s leading conductors of popular music and becoming known for his unique style of audience engagement. Also an active composer and arranger, he has been commissioned to write for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Houston Symphony, San Diego Symphony and Omaha Symphony, and has had his works performed by orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, National Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and Utah Symphony, among others.
Lopez-Yañez has conducted concerts with a broad spectrum of artists including Nas, Patti LaBelle, Ledisi, Itzhak Perlman, Stewart Copeland, Kenny Loggins, Trisha Yearwood, Kelsea Ballerini, Leslie Odom Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, Portugal. The Man, Cody Fry, Hanson, The Beach Boys, Kenny G, and more. Lopez-Yañez also conducts the annual Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th fireworks show, which is televised annually on CMT, reaching millions of viewers across the nation.
This season Lopez-Yañez will collaborate with artists including Ben Rector, Cypress Hill, Tituss Burgess, Vanessa Williams, Lyle Lovett, Jefferson Starship, Guster, Ben Folds, and Arturo Sandoval. He will appear with the Minnesota Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony, as well as make return appearances with the Indianapolis Symphony, National Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and more. Previously, Lopez-Yañez has appeared with orchestras throughout North America including the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Houston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Seattle Symphony, among others.
Lopez-Yañez is the recipient of the 2023 “Mexicanos Distiguidos” Award by the Mexican government, an award granted to Mexican citizens living abroad for outstanding career accomplishments in their field. As an advocate for Latin music, he has arranged and produced shows for Latin Fire, Mariachi Los Camperos, and The Three Mexican Tenors, and collaborated with artists including Aida Cuevas and Lila Downs.
As Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Symphonica Productions, LLC, Lopez-Yañez curates and leads programs designed to cultivate new audiences. Symphonica manages a wide breadth of pops, family, and educational productions that “breathe new, exuberant life into classical programming for kids and families” (Nashville Parent Magazine). Symphonica’s productions have been described as “incredibly special—and something that needs to become the new norm” (Lima Symphony). As a sheet music publishing house, Symphonica Productions represents a diverse offering of genres and composers, including Grammy Award nominee Clarice Assad, Sverre Indris Joner, Andres Soto, Charles Cozens, Vinicio Meza, and more.
As a producer, composer, and arranger, Lopez-Yañez’s work can be heard on numerous albums including the UNESCO benefit album Action Moves People United and children’s music albums including The Spaceship that Fell in My Backyard, winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Hollywood Music and Media Awards, and Family Choice Awards; and Kokowanda Bay, winner of a Global Media Award as well as a Parents’ Choice Award, where Lopez-Yañez was lauded for his “catchy arrangements” (Parents’ Choice Foundation).
Connect on social media @enricolopezyanez or visit enricolopezyanez.com for more information.
About Maiya Sykes
Maiya Sykes is a classically trained vocalist, producer, vocal arranger and entrepreneur. She studied independently with Nina Simone and Betty Carter. After graduating from Yale University, she furthered her musical education at the Musicians’ Institute.
Sykes has provided back-up vocals for artists including the Black Eyed Peas, Macy Gray, Fantasia, Joss Stone, Michael Buble, Leona Lewis, and Rita Ora. She was a featured backup singer for Macy Gray in her live show for more than five years. She recently provided backgrounds and was featured in the Oscar award winning film La La Land.
About B.Slade
Singer. Songwriter. Producer. Actor. CEO. Visionary. Philanthropist. Imagineer. Two-time Emmy Award-winner and four-time Grammy Award-nominated artist B.Slade is called to write, produce, and perform alongside his musical idols, from Janet Jackson and Patti Labelle to Snoop Dogg and Kim Burrell. B.Slade ranks as a top favorite amongst A-listers. He began his journey over 20 years ago and has since written and produced over 300 songs. B.Slade makes memorable appearances in all genres of music. B.Slade plays multiple instruments and has an unmatched vocal range—so respected that he tours with Patti LaBelle (as featured vocalist and percussionist) and is a featured vocalist on select dates with Prince’s former band, The New Power Generation.
As a highly sought-after songwriter and producer, B.Slade has written or produced for some of the biggest artists in the industry including Chaka Khan (“I Love Myself”), Sheila E. (“Fiesta”), Snoop Dogg ("Words Are Few," with a music video that garnered over 2 million YouTube plays, among other tracks on Snoop's #1 Gospel album, Bible Of Love), Faith Evans (“Paradise”), and Angie Fisher, for which he wrote and co-produced her 2014 debut smash hit single, “I.R.S.,” garnering Fisher’s first Grammy Award nomination and B.Slade’s third. B.Slade has also collaborated with artists such as Chris Brown, Kanye West, Janet Jackson, Ty Dolla Sign, Ledisi, Eric Benet, and many more.
B.Slade has also penned the theme song and incidental music for the OWN Network television series Flex & Shanice, starring husband and wife Flex Alexander and Shanice Wilson. He also wrote and co-produced Shanice’s songs “Gotta Blame Me” and “We Can Fly,” which appeared on the series, and featured B.Slade on co-lead vocals. B.Slade later co-directed (with Logan Alexander) and choreographed the music video for “Gotta Blame Me.” B.Slade also co-wrote and co-performed the theme song to the hit TV show, One On One (also starring Flex Alexander), with Shanice.
About the DSO
The acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. Led by Music Director Jader Bignamini since 2020, the DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, offering a performance schedule that features the PVS Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in metro area venues, as well as eclectic multi-genre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a live radio broadcast of a concert and continues today with the groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series of free webcasts.
Since its first school concerts a century ago, and particularly since the founding of the Civic Youth Ensembles in 1970, the DSO has been a national leader in bringing the benefits of music education to students, teachers, and families in Detroit and surrounding communities. The DSO remains committed to expanding its participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit through programs like its Detroit Neighborhood Initiative—cultural events co-created with community partners and residents—and Detroit Harmony, a promise to provide an instrument and instruction to any student in the city who wants to learn. With unwavering support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact lives through the power of unforgettable musical experiences.