Music to Everyone’s Ears: Ford Motor Company Invests in Historic Detroit Symphony Orchestra Asia Tour
December 06 2016 - 11:47AM
Business Wire
- Detroit Symphony Orchestra to launch
first international tour with Music Director Leonard Slatkin; Asia
tour will feature 11 performances in 10 cities
- Historic tour to include performances
in Chongqing and Shanghai, enabling Ford employees there to share
directly in the orchestra experience
- Tour support reaffirms Ford’s longtime
commitment to southeast Michigan cultural institutions and
company’s mission to enrich the communities where it does
business
Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Company Fund, the company’s
philanthropic arm, are major contributors to what is shaping up to
be a historic adventure next year for the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra.
For its first international tour in 16 years, the orchestra will
perform 11 concerts conducted by Music Director Leonard Slatkin,
July 14-29, 2017. Five stops are planned for Japan, and five cities
in China – including Shanghai and Chongqing, where Ford has a major
manufacturing presence. This will be the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra’s first visit to China.
“The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is more than a collection of
talented musicians,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company
Fund and Community Services. “They are cultural ambassadors for our
entire region. We’re proud to build on our long history of
supporting the orchestra by enabling new audiences to share in the
joy of a performance.”
The China stops are expected to include engagement with Ford
employees, continuing the company’s special connection to Detroit
Symphony Orchestra that dates back to the 1930s when it supported
the group’s radio broadcasts. In addition to being the tour’s lead
corporate sponsor, Ford supports the orchestra’s innovative
approach to reaching new audiences through free Live from Orchestra
Hall webcasts and Replay, an on-demand archive of more than 100
performances. Ford supports orchestra performances in neighborhoods
around metro Detroit.
Music will include Copland’s Symphony No. 3, Bernstein’s Candide
overture, McTee’s Double Play, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue,
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Korngold’s Violin Concerto and
Takemitsu’s Far Calls. Coming, Far! The tour launches July 9 with a
free afternoon concert at Orchestra Hall that will be webcast.
“This tour requires a strong collective of thoughtful and
strategic partners,” said Anne Parsons, Detroit Symphony Orchestra
president and CEO. “I particularly want to thank Ford and all of
our current supporters.”
Ford Motor China is home to the company’s Asia Pacific
headquarters in Shanghai, as well as 10 manufacturing plants,
including five in Chongqing, and a regional research and
development center. Last year, Ford sold more than 1.1 million
vehicles in China, the world’s largest automotive market. Ford’s
community outreach there includes Conservation & Environment
Grants China, which has funded more than 400 environmental
organizations to help develop their projects over the last 16
years.
Locally, investment in the orchestra’s Asia tour fits with
Ford’s increasing support for Detroit and southeast Michigan
institutions. Ford and Ford Fund are investing $20 million in local
educational and community programs for 2016. Investments this year
and beyond include:
- $6 million investment with UAW-Ford to
fund Motown Museum’s Ford Motor Company Theater as a
state-of-the-art performance center, educational and community
programming, as well as CARaoke Experience
- $5 million investment to build a second
Ford Resource and Engagement Center in Detroit
- New three-year sponsorship commitment
with The Parade Company – producer of both America’s Thanksgiving
Parade and annual Ford Fireworks
- $400,000 in support for Cass Community
Social Services’ tiny homes neighborhood project to reduce
homelessness
- $200,000 Bill Ford Better World
Challenge grant to University of Detroit-Mercy to create a mobility
application to connect underserved populations with local
resources
Over the last 10 years, Ford and Ford Fund have made community
investments totaling $161 million in the region.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company
based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 203,000 employees and 62
plants worldwide, the company’s core business includes designing,
manufacturing, marketing and servicing a full line of Ford cars,
trucks and SUVs, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. To expand its
business model, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging
opportunities with investments in electrification, autonomy and
mobility. Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor
Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its
products and services, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
About the DSO
Hailed by The New York Times as “cutting edge,” the
internationally acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for
trailblazing performances, visionary maestros, collaborations with
the world’s foremost musical artists, and an ardent commitment to
Detroit. As a community-supported orchestra, generous giving by
individuals and institutions at all levels drives the continued
success and growth of the institution. A commitment to broadcast
innovation began in 1922 when the DSO became the first orchestra in
the world to present a radio broadcast and continues today with the
free Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series, which now reaches
tens of thousands of children with the new Classroom Edition
expansion. Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the
Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, one of America’s most
acoustically perfect concert halls, the DSO actively pursues a
mission to embrace and inspire individuals, families, and
communities through unsurpassed musical experiences. For more
information visit dso.org.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161206006091/en/
Todd NissenFord Motor Company
Fund313.322.4898tnissen@ford.comorMatt CarlsonDetroit Symphony
Orchestra313.576.5194mcarlson@dso.org
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