Early disco bands drew from a variety of genres including jazz and classical music to create the distinct sound that music writer Piero Scaruffi refers to as “collective ecstasy.” In fact, strings in particular are an intrinsic part of the disco identity, and music historians cite Detroit’s popular Motown sound, with its strings, horns, and funky bass lines, as one of the biggest inspirations for disco.
So the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is bringing disco home, so to speak, for its upcoming “Disco Fever” program as part of its PNC Pops Series. Conducted by DSO principal pops conductor designate Enrico Lopez-Yañez, the concert will feature orchestral renditions of disco hits like KC and the Sunshine Band’s “That’s the Way (I Like It),” the Weather Girls’ “It’s Raining Men,” Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family,” Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” Van McCoy’s “The Hustle,” Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff,” and more. No typical DSO performance, the concert will also feature vocalists Maiya Sykes and B.Slade as well as an on-stage “dance-off.”
Performances are planned for 10:45 a.m. on Friday, May 17; 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 18; and 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 19 at Orchestra Hall. Tickets start at $24 and are available from dso.org.
