DSO - Key Persons


Aaron Frankel

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Aaron Tockstein

Job Titles:
  • Database Administrator / Marketing & Audience Development

Adela Löw

Job Titles:
  • Director of Accounting & Financial Reporting

Afa S. Dworkin

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Agnes Postma

Job Titles:
  • Senior Director of Accounting & Finance

Alex Kapordelis

Job Titles:
  • Senior Director of Advancement

Ali Huber

Job Titles:
  • Director of Donor Engagement

Alice Sheppard

Job Titles:
  • Event Coordinator

Amanda Fisher

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Amanda Tew

Job Titles:
  • Director of Advancement Operations

Andre Williams

Job Titles:
  • Beverage Program Manager / Communications

Angela Stough - CHRO

Job Titles:
  • Director of Human Resources

Anne Parsons

Job Titles:
  • Lifetime Director
  • President Emeritus

Anthony McCree

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Arthur T. O'Reilly

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Audra Kubat

Job Titles:
  • Early Childhood Specialist

Austin Williams

Austin Williams, a native of Acworth, Georgia, holds a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master of Music from Rice University, where he studied trumpet with Michael Sachs, Barbara Butler, and Charles Geyer, respectively. Williams has been featured as a guest soloist with ensembles including the Hilton Head Symphony (performing Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major) and the Case Western Reserve University Circle Wind Ensemble (performing Hummel's Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major). Williams attended the Aspen Music Festival and School for two summers as a recipient of a New Horizons Fellowship and the New York String Orchestra Seminar serving as Principal Trumpet. Additionally, he attended the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts as a trumpet fellow. Williams has held one-year positions as both Associate Principal and Principal Trumpet with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, he held the position of Acting Second Trumpet with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from 2019 to 2023. Williams has also been invited to play as a guest musician with orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, among others. Williams enjoys sharing his passion for music through teaching students of all ages and skill levels. Aside from trumpet, he enjoys playing guitar, fishing, and golf.

Barbara Van Dusen

Job Titles:
  • Lifetime Director

Benjamin Brown

Job Titles:
  • Production Manager

Benjamin Tisherman

Job Titles:
  • Manager of Orchestra Personnel

Bernard I. Roberston

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Bethany Simmerlein

Job Titles:
  • Grant Writer

Betty Chu

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Brandon Mason

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Bass / DSO Member since 2020
  • Orchestra Representative
Brandon Mason joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's double bass section in the fall of 2020 after five seasons as a member of the Kansas City Symphony. Prior to his full-time appointment with the DSO, Mason performed as a guest musician with the orchestra during their 2017 tour of Japan and China. In February 2020, he served as a guest Principal Bass with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Riccardo Muti. Mason performs at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming each summer as a member of their bass section, a position he has held since 2019. Originally from Arlington, Texas, Mason's journey with the bass began in his elementary school's fifth grade orchestra program. He attributes his interest in and pursuit of a career in classical music to the presence of a strong and well-funded public school music education program. Mason holds a Bachelor of Music from Boston University's College of Fine Arts where he studied with Edwin Barker, the esteemed Principal Bass of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He earned a Master of Music at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, where he studied with the renowned pedagogue Paul Ellison. As a student, Mason freelanced regularly, performing with various ensembles including the Houston Symphony, the Boston Philharmonic, Musiqa Houston, the Discovery Ensemble, the Marsh Chapel Collegium, and Time's Arrow. He spent the summers during his collegiate years performing in prestigious music programs including the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, and the Spoleto Music Festival.

Bronwyn Hagerty

Job Titles:
  • Orchestra & Training Programs Librarian

Bryana Hall

Job Titles:
  • Data & Research Specialist

Cara Dietz

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Carlo Serraiocco

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Carolynn Frankel

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Cassidy Schmid

Job Titles:
  • Director of Individual Giving

Cedric Allen

Job Titles:
  • EVS Technician

Charles Buchanan

Job Titles:
  • Senior Director of Marketing & Audience Development

Chris DeLouis

Job Titles:
  • Training Ensembles Operations Coordinator

Christa Funk

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Christina Williams

Job Titles:
  • Director of Event & Patron Experience

Clare Valenti

Job Titles:
  • Director of Community Engagement

Claudia Scalzetti

Job Titles:
  • Staff Accountant

Clyde Wu

Job Titles:
  • Lifetime Director

Colleen McLellan

Job Titles:
  • Director of Institutional & Legislative Partnerships

Connor Mehren

Job Titles:
  • Growth Marketing Manager

Cornelia Sommer

Cornelia Sommer joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Second Bassoon in 2023. Sommer is a versatile performer, arranger, and educator dedicated to sharing music with diverse audiences and expanding the bassoon's repertoire. Her recent performance and research projects have focused on music inspired by fairy tales, including a forthcoming album, New Enchantments: Fairy Tale Music for Bassoon, which combines newly commissioned pieces with her own arrangements of classic fairy tale works. Sommer's doctoral dissertation on fairy tale music was awarded the Richard F. French Prize for an outstanding dissertation, and she has a large following on Instagram as @pulcinellie_ for her weekly videos of bassoon excerpts from fairy tale music. During the 2022-2023 season, Sommer was a frequent guest contrabassoonist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, performing with the orchestra in concerts at Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, and on tour in Europe. She was previously Principal Bassoon of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and has regularly appeared as a guest musician with the Seattle Symphony, the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, and, on historical instruments, American Bach Soloists and Juilliard415. As a chamber musician, Sommer has performed with the Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet and with chamber ensembles at the Kennedy Center, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. She has played concert os with the Coeur D'Alene Symphony and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, was a semi-finalist in the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, and received the Yale School of Music Alumni Prize and Benzaquen Career Grant. Sommer actively seeks to expand the bassoon's repertoire through her collaborations with composers and her own arrangements. In addition to the new works on her forthcoming album, her arrangements have been performed around the world by members of the New York Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony. Several of her arrangements, including Stravinsky's Pulcinella for bassoon and piano, are published through TrevCo Music Publishing. An experienced educator, Sommer currently teaches bassoon at Oakland University. She has served as an adjunct professor at The Juilliard School teaching Music History and Ethics, a teaching fellow in arts education at Juilliard, a teaching artist in Yale University's Music-In-Schools Initiative, a bassoon instructor in the Yale Department of Music, and a faculty member at Seattle's Vivace Chamber Players. She has presented masterclasses and lectures at the University of Alabama, Colorado State University, the University of Central Arkansas, and the International Double Reed Society Convention. A graduate of The Juilliard School (DMA), Yale University (MM), and Indiana University (BM), Sommer has studied bassoon with Frank Morelli, Kathleen McLean, William Ludwig, and Francine Peterson, and baroque bassoon with Dominic Teresi.

Crystal Gause

Job Titles:
  • Coordinator of Engagement Operations

Damien Crutcher

Job Titles:
  • Managing Director of Detroit Harmony

Daniel Kaufman

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Daniel Speights

Job Titles:
  • EVS Technician / Event and Patron

David Binder

David Binder joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Second Trombone in September 2015. He previously served as Co-Principal Trombone of the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki, Finland for three seasons, and continues to perform with the Grand Teton Music Festival during the summer. He has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Music of the Baroque (Chicago), the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Tapiola Sinfonietta (Finland). As a soloist, David has performed recitals in Finland, Switzerland, and across the US, and has won solo competitions at the American Trombone Workshop, the International Trombone Festival, and the International Women's Brass Conference. Binder received a 2018 Kresge Artist Fellowship through the Kresge Foundation in Detroit. The fellowship is awarded in recognition of a demonstrated track record of artistic achievement and high-quality work, and the potential to reflect, enhance, or impact communities within metro Detroit. During his fellowship year, Binder performed recitals of contemporary works for solo trombone and chamber ensemble. A Chicago native, he completed his bachelor's degree receiving brass department honors at Northwestern University, studying with Michael Mulcahy, Peter Ellefson, Timothy Higgins, and Randall Hawes. While at Northwestern, he was also a regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and pursued additional studies with Jay Friedman. During his time in Europe, Binder traveled extensively to study with prominent trombonists including Ian Bousfield and Jamie Williams. Binder is a sought-after teacher, presenting masterclasses at Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Indiana University. In Detroit he maintains a private studio and is highly involved with the DSO Civic Youth Ensembles program, leading rehearsals and sectionals for low brass students.

David Everson

Job Titles:
  • Horn / Assistant Principal / DSO Member since 1999
Assistant Principal Horn David Everson has been a member of the DSO since 1999. A native of Livonia, Michigan and the son of two musicians, Everson studied at the University of Michigan with the highly regarded orchestral player and revered teacher Louis Stout. While in school, Everson was a member of the Flint and Toledo symphony orchestras. Upon leaving Michigan, he accepted the position of Associate Principal Horn of the Kansas City Symphony and was eventually named Principal Horn of the orchestra-a position he held for 13 years. While in Kansas City, he was frequently featured as a soloist with the Grammy Award-nominated Kansas City Brass, a group that he served as a founding member of. Everson has served as guest Principal Horn in the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. As an educator, Everson has served on the faculties of William Jewell College, Washburn University, and his alma mater, the University of Michigan. He has played in various music festivals around the country and is in demand as a clinician and chamber musician. He is also a sought-after private instructor and believes strongly in the support and development of the next generation of horn players. He taught for years at the Cranbrook Academy and continues to mentor students through the DSO's various educational programs. Everson has also worked as a studio musician in Los Angeles, where he can be heard on more than 150 soundtracks (including James Cameron's Avatar, his first movie, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). He has recorded with John Williams, James Newton Howard, Michael Giacchino, and Alan Silvestri, among others. "Hollywood," as he is sometimes called, can also be heard on albums by Josh Groban, Seth McFarlane, Idina Menzel, Barbara Streisand, and Neil Young. Everson lives in Farmington Hills, Michigan with his wife, Jill. When he is not playing his horn he enjoys travel, fine wine, fishing, and golf.

David Handleman, Sr.

Job Titles:
  • Lifetime Director

David Karp

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

David M. Wu

Job Titles:
  • Officer at Large

David Nicholson

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

David T. Provost - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman

Dean P. Simmer

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Debora Kang

Job Titles:
  • Director of Education

Declan O'Neal

Job Titles:
  • Marketing & Promotions Coordinator

Demetris Fisher

Job Titles:
  • Environmental Services ( EVS ) Manager

Denise Fair Razo

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Dennis Rottell

Job Titles:
  • Stage Manager

Donald Hiruo

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Donnell White

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Dr. Arthur L. Johnson

Job Titles:
  • Lifetime Director

Dr. Herman B. Gray

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Elana Rugh

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Elena Centeio

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Elizabeth Boone

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Elizabeth McConnell

Job Titles:
  • Stewardship Coordinator

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Eric Nemeth

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Eric Thomas

Job Titles:
  • Maintenance Technician
  • Security Officer

Erik Rönmark - CEO, President

Job Titles:
  • CEO
  • President
Erik Rönmark President and CEO James B. and Ann V. Nicholson Chair Jill Elder Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Linda Lutz Vice President and Chief Financial & Administrative Officer Joy Crawford Executive Assistant to the President and CEO Serena Donadoni Executive Assistant to the Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Anne Parsons^ President Emeritus Artistic Operations Artistic Planning Jessica Ruiz Senior Director of Artistic Planning Jessica Slais Creative Director of Popular & Special Programming Stephen Grady Jr. Manager of Jazz & at The Max Lindzy Volk Artist Liaison

Erin Dowler

Job Titles:
  • Detroit Strategy Specialist

Francesca Leo

Job Titles:
  • Manager of Governance & Donor Engagement

Frederick J. Morsches

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Gene LoVasco

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

George Krappmann

Job Titles:
  • Director of Safety & Security

Gerrit Reepmeyer

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Glenn Mellow

Job Titles:
  • Viola / DSO Member since 1980
Born in Chicago, and raised in Skokie, IL, violist Glenn Mellow received his bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University and obtained a master's degree from Indiana University. He studied with Abraham Skernick at Indiana for three years, taking a year off to teach viola in Brazil, play Principal Viola in the Orquestre Sinfonica de Minas Gerais, and perform with a string quartet. He also studied with Laurence Shapiro of the Fine Arts Quartet and Harold Klatz of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has attended the Casals Festival in San Juan and the Blossom Festival. Prior to his appointment to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in September 1980, Glenn served as Principal Viola of the Evansville Philharmonic and the Owensboro (Kentucky) Symphony. When not playing with the DSO, Mellow is active as a viola teacher and performs chamber music in the Detroit metropolitan area.

Gwen Bowlby

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Gwen S. Weiner

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

H. Keith Mobley

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Governing Members Chair

Hadas Bernard

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Hannah Engwall

Job Titles:
  • Public Relations Manager / Community and Learning

Hannah Lozon

Job Titles:
  • Senior Director of Talent & Culture

Hart Hollman

Job Titles:
  • Viola / DSO Member since 1973
Hart Hollman joined the DSO in 1973 after previous appointments as a section violist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and as Principal Viola with the North Carolina Symphony. He graduated from Indiana University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Music in viola performance, where he studied with David Dawson. His past teachers include David Madison for violin studies, Max Aronoff for viola studies, and Joe Depasqualle for orchestral excerpts. His solo career has included performances with the North Carolina Symphony, the York Symphony, the Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony, the Farmington Philharmonic, the New Center Symphony, and the Warren Symphony. His chamber music involvement has included 23 years with the American Artists Series, serving as a faculty member of the Utah Music Festival, founding the Amble Music Festival String Quartet, and performing in other professional quartets. Hollman is extremely active as a private viola teacher and chamber music coach and plays a large role in school music enhancement programs. Hollman's other interests have included sailboat racing (10 Port Huron-Mackinaw races), rock climbing, marathons, triathlons, painting, drawing (seven years at the Baum Art School), and serving as the co-founder of the Over-The-Hill-Gang in its 32nd year of backpacking in the United States and Europe. He also loves photography.

Isaac Eide

Job Titles:
  • Department Head

Ismael Ahmed

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jackie Paige

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jacquez Gray

Job Titles:
  • Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Jader Bignamini

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Artistic Leadership Team
  • Music Director
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, Bignamini 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. Captivated by the works of legends like Mahler and Tchaikovsky, Bignamini explored their complexity and power, puzzling out the role that each instrument played in creating a larger-than-life sound. When he conducted his first professional concert at the age of 28, it didn't feel like a departure, but an arrival. In the years since, Bignamini 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 Opera de Paris conducting La Forza del Destino and with Deutsche Opera Berlin conducting Simon Boccanegra; appearances with the Pittsburgh and Toronto symphonies; 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 Traviata); I Puritani in Montpellier for the Festival of Radio France; Traviata in Tokyo directed by Sofia Coppola; 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 Bignamini 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.

James B. Nicholson

Job Titles:
  • Lifetime Director

James C. Farber

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

James G. Vella

Job Titles:
  • Secretary

James Rose

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

James Sabatella

Job Titles:
  • Group & Tourism Sales Manager

Jane Koelsch

Job Titles:
  • Major Gift Officer

Janice Bernick

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jasmin DeForrest

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jason Tschantre

Job Titles:
  • Department Head

Jay Holladay

Job Titles:
  • Brand Graphic Designer

Jay Kapadia

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jeff Tyzik

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Artistic Leadership Team
  • Principal Pops Conductor
Grammy Award winner Jeff Tyzik is one of America's most innovative and sought-after pops conductors. Tyzik is recognized for his brilliant arrangements, original programming, and engaging rapport with audiences of all ages. In addition to his role as Principal Pops Conductor of the DSO, Tyzik holds The Dot and Paul Mason Principal Pops Conductor's Podium at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and serves as principal pops conductor of the Oregon Symphony, Florida Orchestra, and Rochester Philharmonic (RPO) - a post he has held for over 20 seasons. Frequently invited as a guest conductor, Tyzik has appeared with the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Milwaukee Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Jennette Smith Kotila

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jennifer Muse

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jennifer Whitteaker

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jessica Ruiz

Job Titles:
  • Senior Director of Artistic Planning

Jessica Slais

Job Titles:
  • Creative Director of Popular & Special Programming

Jill Elder - VP

Job Titles:
  • Chief Revenue Officer
  • Vice President

Joanna Goldstein

Job Titles:
  • Manager of Programs & Student Development

Joanne Danto

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jody Glancy

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Joel D. Kellman

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

John Kim

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Johnnie Scott

Job Titles:
  • Safety & Security Manager

Joseph Sabatella

Job Titles:
  • Fulfillment Coordinator

Joy Crawford - CEO

Job Titles:
  • CEO
  • Executive Assistant to the President

Joyce Dorsey

Job Titles:
  • Security Officer

Julia Strickland

Job Titles:
  • Payroll & Benefits Accountant / Human Resources

Julie Hollinshead

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Karen Cullen

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Karisa Antonio

Job Titles:
  • Senior Director of Social Innovation & Learning

Kathryn Ginsburg

Job Titles:
  • General Manager

Ken Waddington

Job Titles:
  • Senior Director of Facilities & Engineering

Kendra Sachs

Job Titles:
  • Training Ensembles Recruitment & Communications Coordinator / Finance

Kenneth Thompkins

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Orchestra Representative

Kiersten Alcorn

Job Titles:
  • Manager of Community Engagement

Kristen McLennan

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Kristin Pagels

Job Titles:
  • Digital Advertising Manager / Patron Sales and Service

Kurt Henry

Job Titles:
  • Department Head

LaToya Cross

Job Titles:
  • Communications & Advancement Content Specialist

Laura Hernandez-Romine

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Laura Trudeau - Treasurer

Job Titles:
  • Treasurer

Laurel Kalkanis

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Laurie Rosen

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Leonard Slatkin

Job Titles:
  • Music Director Laureate
Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin is Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), Directeur Musical Honoraire of the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL), Conductor Laureate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria. He maintains a rigorous schedule of guest conducting throughout the world and is active as a composer, author, and educator. Slatkin has received six Grammy awards and 35 nominations. His latest recordings are Jeff Beal's The Paper Lined Shack on Supertrain Records and Slatkin Conducts Slatkin, a compilation of pieces written by generations of his musical family, including three of his own compositions, on Naxos Records. Other recent Naxos releases include works by Saint-Saëns, Ravel, and Berlioz (with the ONL) and music by Copland, Rachmaninov, Borzova, McTee, and John Williams (with the DSO). In addition, he has recorded the complete Brahms, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky symphonies with the DSO (available online as digital downloads). A recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, Slatkin also holds the rank of Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor. He has received the Prix Charbonnier from the Federation of Alliances Françaises, Austria's Decoration of Honor in Silver, the League of American Orchestras' Gold Baton Award, and the 2013 ASCAP Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award for his debut book, Conducting Business. A second volume, Leading Tones: Reflections on Music, Musicians, and the Music Industry, was published by Amadeus Press in 2017. His latest book, Classical Crossroads: The Path Forward for Music in the 21st Century (2021), is available through Rowman & Littlefield. He is working on two more books and several new compositions. Slatkin has conducted virtually all the leading orchestras in the world. As Music Director, he has held posts in New Orleans; St. Louis; Washington, DC; London (with the BBCSO); Detroit; and Lyon, France. He has also served as Principal Guest Conductor in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Cleveland. For more information, visit leonardslatkin.com.

Leslie Groves

Job Titles:
  • Major Gift Officer

Linda Dresner Levy

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Linda Forte

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Linda Lutz

Job Titles:
  • Vice President and Chief Financial & Administrative Officer

Lindzy Volk

Job Titles:
  • Artist Liaison

Lois L. Shaevsky

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Luciano Valdes

Luciano Valdes is a percussionist and timpanist from Miami, Florida. He currently serves as Principal Timpani of the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra and is an African American Orchestra Fellow with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Valdes is pursuing his Master of Music at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music studying with Joseph Pereira and Jim Babor. Valdes holds a Bachelor of Music from New York University (NYU) and has studied under notable teachers including Jonathan Haas, Eriko Daimo, Sean Statser, Joshua Quillen, Valerie Naranjo, Javier Diaz, and James Saporito. He was awarded the Ida Bodman Service Award upon graduation from NYU in recognition of his leadership qualities. Valdes has been recognized as an emerging young instrumentalist by the New World Symphony and has performed on the side-by-side New World Symphony concert series under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. He has also served as Principal Percussion of the New York Youth Symphony (NYYS) under Maestro Michael Repper. In addition, Valdes contributed to the album Works by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman as part of the NYYS. This achievement marked a significant milestone, as the NYYS became the first youth orchestra to win a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance in 2023. In addition to his classical music pursuits, Valdes has also played the marimba chair for Players Theatre, Beauty and the Beast Off-Broadway Show. He is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Texas Music Festival.

Lydia Michael

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Malik Goodwin

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Marc Geelhoed

Job Titles:
  • Executive Producer of Live from Orchestra Hall

Mary Ann Gorlin

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Matthew Carlson

Job Titles:
  • Senior Director of Communications & Media Relations

Matthew Pons

Job Titles:
  • Department Head

Maureen T. D'Avanzo

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Maury Okun

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Michael Bickers

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Michele Hodges

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Michelle Koning

Job Titles:
  • Web Manager

Michelle Marshall

Job Titles:
  • Director of Patron Sales & Service

Molly Cryderman-Weber

Job Titles:
  • Education Assistant

Natalie Berger

Job Titles:
  • Video Content Specialist

Nate Wallace

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Neeme Järvi

Job Titles:
  • Music Director Emeritus
Neeme Järvi, the DSO's celebrated Music Director for 15 years, is the Music Director Emeritus of the orchestra. Following his appointment in 1990, Maestro Järvi led the DSO to new artistic and institutional heights, attracting audiences in record numbers, leading acclaimed concerts, national and international tours, radio broadcasts and award-winning recordings. Under his leadership, the DSO became a symbol for the rebirth of Detroit. Järvi is the second-longest serving music director in the organization's history (famed Russian conductor Ossip Gabrilowitsch led the DSO from 1918 to 1936).

Neva Kirksey

Job Titles:
  • Manager of Events & Rentals / Alison Reed, CVA / Manager of Volunteer & Patron Experience

Nolan Cardenas

Job Titles:
  • Audition & Operations Coordinator

Patrick Harris

Job Titles:
  • Systems Administrator

Patrick Peterson

Job Titles:
  • Director of Orchestra Personnel & Operations

Peter Hatch

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Orchestra Representative

Peter McCaffrey

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Orchestra Representative

R. Jamison Williams

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Renato Jamett - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Trustee

Rev. Nicholas Hood III

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Ric Huttenlocher

Job Titles:
  • Officer at Large

Richard Alonzo

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Richard Sonenklar

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Rob Tanner

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Robert Gillette

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Robert Hobson

Job Titles:
  • Chief
  • Maintenance Technician

Rollie Edwards

Job Titles:
  • Patron Sales & Service Manager

Sam Huszczo

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Samuel Frankel

Job Titles:
  • Lifetime Director

Sandra Mazza

Job Titles:
  • Senior Accountant of Business Operations

Sandy Morrison

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Sarah Smarch

Job Titles:
  • Director of Content & Storytelling

Scott Monty

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Sean M. Neall

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Serena Donadoni

Job Titles:
  • Executive Assistant to the Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer

Shari Morgan

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Sharon Gardner Carr

Job Titles:
  • Tessitura Event Operations Manager

Shay Vaughn

Job Titles:
  • Major Gift Officer

Shirley Stancato

Job Titles:
  • Vice Chair

Shiv Shivaraman

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Stanley Frankel

Job Titles:
  • Lifetime Director

Stephen Grady Jr.

Job Titles:
  • Manager of Jazz & at the Max

Stephen R. D'Arcy

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Stephen R. Polk

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Susan Queen

Job Titles:
  • Gift Officer, Corporate Giving

T. Elliot Shafer

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Terence Blanchard

Job Titles:
  • Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair
Two-time Oscar nominee and six-time Grammy Award-winner Terence Blanchard has been a consistent artistic force for making powerful musical statements concerning painful American tragedies-past and present. From his expansive work composing the scores for almost 20 Spike Lee projects over three decades, ranging from the documentary When the Levees Broke to the latest Lee film, Da 5 Bloods, Blanchard has interwoven beautiful melodies that created strong backdrops to human stories. Blanchard received an Oscar nomination for his original score for Da 5 Bloods in 2021 which marked his second nomination. Blanchard previously received an Oscar nomination for his original score for Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman. Blanchard becomes only the second Black composer to be nominated twice in the original score category, duplicating Quincy Jones's feat from 1967's In Cold Blood and 1985's The Color Purple. For One Night in Miami, which marked Regina King's feature directorial debut and premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, the Academy Award-winning actress tapped the talents of Blanchard as did Gaz Alazraki, the director of Father of the Bride which debuted on HBO Max. Some of Blanchard's other film and television credits include Spike Lee's Malcolm X, 25th Hour, and Inside Man; Kasi Lemmons's films Eve's Bayou and Harriet; George Lucas's Red Tails; the critically acclaimed drama series Perry Mason starring Matthew Rhys with episodes directed by Tim Van Patten which debuted on HBO in June 2020, the National Geographic limited series Genius: Aretha which premiered in March 2021, HBO's NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021 ½ documentary miniseries produced and directed by Spike Lee which premiered in August 2021, the Apple TV+ series Swagger which debuted in October 2021, and Apple TV's docuseries They Call Me Magic which debuted on April 22, 2022 and for which Blanchard received his second Emmy nomination. In his thirtieth year as a recording leader, Blanchard delivers Absence, a masterwork of sonic zest in collaboration with his longtime E-Collective band and the acclaimed Turtle Island Quartet which received Grammy Award nominations in November 2021 for Best Instrumental Jazz Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for Blanchard in 2022. It may seem like an irregular pairing, but Blanchard discovered that the quartet proved a perfect fit. "Obviously I've worked with strings in my career," he says. "But Turtle Island has reimagined the language for the string quartet. It's extremely unique, and what they do is brilliant. Playing together, it's like a chamber jazz ensemble."

Teresa Alden

Job Titles:
  • Director of Growth Marketing

Teresa Beachem

Job Titles:
  • Chief Engineer

Thomas Monks

Job Titles:
  • Loyalty Marketing Manager

Tito Melega

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Tony Morris

Job Titles:
  • Security Officer

Valerie Jackson

Job Titles:
  • Group Sales Representative / Safety & Security

Vincent Luciano

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Orchestra Representative

Vivian Pickard

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

William Dailing

Job Titles:
  • Department Head

William Guilbault

Job Titles:
  • EVS Technician

William Lentine

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

William Shell

Job Titles:
  • Director of Information Technology

Willie Coleman

Job Titles:
  • Security Officer

Xavier Mosquet

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Yoni Torgow

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Zach Deater

Job Titles:
  • Department Head