Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) has announced that it has received new and increased support totalling $18.5 million from four foundations: the William Davidson Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, and the Dresner Foundation. The donations will support a variety of programs by the orchestra both on the stage and in the community, as well as add to its long-term financial sustainability.
The William Davidson Foundation, long-time supporter of the DSO, is giving $15 million to the orchestra. The new gift includes continued sponsorship of the William Davidson Neighbourhood Concert Series, which has brought the DSO into community venues across Southeast Michigan for the past seven years. The pledge also features a $5 million challenge grant to the DSO’s permanent endowment to inspire additional, widespread support.
In recognition of this significant gift, the DSO announced that the atrium at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Centre will from now on be named the William Davidson Atrium.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation comes with a new $2 million gift to the DSO’s endowment to support the work of the DSO’s Social Progress Initiative. The Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Foundation is giving $1 million and The Dresner Foundation is giving $500,000, in addition to $600,000 it pledged to the orchestra in March to provide comprehensive music education for underserved youth through increased classroom visits and the establishment of a new entry-level program in the DSO’s Civic Youth Ensembles. The Dresner Foundation Allegro Ensemble launched in September at Duke Ellington Elementary on Detroit’s east side with 32 students.
