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BABC Concert featuring Melissa White & Pallavi Mahidhara + Afterglow with Detroit Artists

  • Wayne State Industry Innovation Center 461 Burroughs Street Detroit, MI, 48202 United States (map)

Tickets include a Signature Drink and Hors D’Oeuvres.
Buy Early & Save! Prices will increase on 01/20/25

ABOUT THE EVENT

A founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Harlem Quartet, violinist Melissa White is recognized for her “warmly expressive and lyrical” playing (Chicago Classical Review). Her recital with Indian-American pianist Pallavi Mahidhara highlights works by Brahms and Gershwin, alongside American women composers Amy Beach and Reena Esmail. The program concludes with William Grant Still’s Suite, a stunning work by the “Dean of Black American Composers”, inspired by the visual art of the Harlem Renaissance. Mahidhara explains, “We are performing works by composers who represent a diversity of backgrounds, much like the two of us.”

This inaugural Black Artists Black Composers (BABC) performance will be followed by an afterglow reception with classical fusion by Detroit’s own woodwind artist Kasan Belgrave and pianist Brendon Davis. Ticket includes a signature cocktail and hors d’oeuvres.

PROGRAM

Arvo Pärt: Fratres
Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108
Amy Beach: Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23
Reena Esmail: Jhula Jhule
George Gershwin (arr. Jascha Heifetz): Porgy and Bess Transcriptions
Bess, You is My Woman Now
It Ain’t Necessarily So
William Grant Still: Suite for Violin and Piano

Read Program Notes

 

SNEAK PEEK

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Melissa White, violin

American violinist Melissa White has enchanted audiences and critics around the world for her “warmly expressive and lyrical…glittering” playing (Chicago Classical Review) and for “making her violin sing elegantly” (Aspen Times). Ms. White’s rapid rise as a soloist has captured the attention of orchestras and audiences worldwide, many of whom already know her for her successes as a founding member of the Grammy-winning,… Read More >

Pallavi Mahidhara, piano

Indian-American pianist Pallavi Mahidhara made her orchestral debut at the age of 10, performing at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. She is the Second Prize winner and Young Audience Award winner of the 69th Geneva International Piano Competition, and of the VI International Prokofiev Competition in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She has appeared in solo and orchestral concerts across five continents,…Read More>

Kasan Belgrave, woodwinds

Multi-woodwind-instrumentalist and Detroit native Kasan Belgrave holds a unique stance in the city as one of the young torchbearers of the Detroit jazz collective. His father, the late maestro trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, laid a foundation for him as he continues to carry on the legacy of Detroit jazz royalty. Following close to his father’s strides, Kasan takes pride in contributing to Detroit’s rich pedigree of musical mentorship, as he strives to continue passing down the knowledge and exposure of jazz music to generations after him.

Brendon Davis, piano

Labeled a “rising star” from Fox 2 News, Detroit-based Brendon Davis is an emerging pianist, recording artist, composer, teacher, bandleader, and arranger. Since his debut in 2011 at the Gospel Fest in Hart Plaza (Detroit), his artistry has taken him throughout the United States, winning competitions and even performances in venues such as the Kennedy Center, the Kimmel Center, Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, SF Black Cat, Corson Auditorium, Hill Auditorium, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Disneyland Park, Duke Energy Convention Center, and Hart Plaza. Read More>

 

THE VENUE

Wayne State Industry Innovation Center, Detroit
Across the street from TechTown Detroit (Get Directions Here)


SPONSORED BY

 
 

Special thank you to our partners at TechTown.


Join Melissa White at the Sphinx Competition too!

Melissa White will be a part of the jury at the Sphinx Competition this year.

The Sphinx Competition, held every year in Detroit, is a national competition offering young Black and Latino classical string players a chance to compete under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and to perform with and receive mentorship from established professional musicians. Under the direction of Lina Gonzalez-Granados, the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra will also perform the world premiere of Daydreaming for Orchestra by composer Levi Taylor. Buy Tickets Here!