Classical music meets hip hop, pop and world class percussion when Eminem publisher 8 Mile Style Music presents The Deaf and Loud Symphonic Experience.
The concert stars three renowned Deaf artists performing an unprecedented concert with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), Sunday, December 16, 7pm, at Detroit’s Orchestra Hall.
Grammy winning percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, America’s Got Talent finalist Mandy Harvey, and hip-hop star Sean Forbes, all three of whom happen to be Deaf, headline an immersive orchestral experience to benefit the Deaf Professional Arts Network (D-PAN), the Detroit based non-profit created to make music and culture accessible to the Deaf and hard of hearing community.
D-PAN was co-founded in 2006 by Sean Forbes and Detroit music producer Joel Bacow (Martin).
The entire concert’s performances will be given in American Sign Language (ASL) accompanied by large screen videos with lyrics presented for each song.
Grammy winning Sly5thAve will conduct arrangements of Detroit-centric hits by hometown composer Jake Bass, with performances by Grammy and Academy Award winning musicians Jeff Bass and Luis Resto. The Motown Museum is sponsoring a set of Motown classics arranged by music legend Paul Riser.
I want people to experience music the way I’ve always presented it, in American Sign Language, with visual lyrics, and of course, loud and fun,” said Forbes. “What’s gratifying is I’m doing this in my hometown, with the famed DSO, and with legends and dames, too
The DSO event follows the introduction recently of DPAN.TV, an online streaming channel seen worldwide, with news, videos and information, all in ASL, with over 100,000 subscribers and growing. Based in Ferndale, Michigan, it employs 25 individuals, all Deaf or hard of hearing.
“The DSO prides itself on being the most accessible orchestra on the planet, so we were eager to collaborate on the very first Deaf and Loud Symphonic Experience when the idea was brought to us,” Erik Rönmark said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind event with outstanding musicians who happen to be deaf, and we are excited to see it come to fruition here in Orchestra Hall.”
The event will be live-streamed on select PBS affiliates through Detroit Public Television.
