Community Corner

UPDATE: DSO to Perform This Weekend at Ford House

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will perform on the lawn of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, and fireworks will follow the show.

This weekend, Grosse Pointe residents have an opportunity to hear the Detroit Symphony Orchestra perform two concerts — one one classical and the other Brazilian-themed — hosted on the lawn of the  and followed by fireworks.

On Friday and Saturday, the scenic Ford House and grounds will open at 6 p.m. with a concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. and fireworks two hours later.

General tickets are priced between $12 and $25, and advance-purchased VIP tickets range in price from $50 to $175.

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Friday's themed concert will feature two special guests, Brazilian singer and guitarist Paulinho Garcia and accordionist Julien Labro.

Saturday's concert will feature classical music. It will include works by Bizet and Tchaikovsky.

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Labro is looking forward to Friday's performance.

“I don't get to (perform Brazilian music) very often,” Labro said. “But every time I do, I enjoy the beauty of the music … the simplicity, and the meaning of the words and the music in general.”

Labro, who picked up the accordion at the age of 9 in France, wasn't always an aficionado of Brazilian music. He came to America to study jazz and has a bachelor's and multiple masters degrees from Wayne State University in the field of music.

Labro, however, began to migrate to Brazilian music through a fusion of Brazilian and jazz music. Gradually he moved on to solely Brazilian music.

He said the songs played at the concert “may be (foreign) to some,” but they will be mixed in with more famous Latin-oriented songs.

“(Some songs) are really famous tunes, (the audience) may not know what it is, but they've heard the melody,” he said.

Even if the audience has not explicitly heard the songs before, Labro said they can still enjoy them.

“We'll do a little bit more obscure stuff,” he said. “The beauty of Brazilian music (is that) it's so tuneful — just overall beautiful — that even if you're not familiar with the music, you oftentimes just fall in love with it.”

Nonetheless, he added the caveat that the engaged listener will enjoy it most.

“I wouldn't really call it easy listening, but it's just very accessible,” Labro said.

In light of the recent sweltering weather, Labro said that the heat actually goes well with the lively music.

“This is the kind of music you enjoy when the weather is hot. It's definitely not winter music,” he said. “You hear Brazilian music and it gets you moving … the nature of the music will get you on your feet.”

Featuring lively Latin standards and classical pieces, the concert will be diverse, and Labro said he looks forward to it.

“It's a wide pull for us,” he said. “It's going to be groovin', it's going to be cool.”

NOTE: This story was updated July 11 at 2:26 p.m. to clarify that Friday's concert will feature Brazilian music and Saturday's concert will feature classical music.

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