By Jill Overacker, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival

In 2012 the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival will partner with local organizations in order to bring to life larger and more complex performances. One organization to which the Festival will look is the local chamber music group and founding organization of the Festival, Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings (DCWS). DCWS is the biggest player in Detroit’s chamber music scene and has been called the “…lifeblood of local chamber music” by the Detroit Free Press. Now in its 30^th year, the musicians for DCWS are drawn primarily from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Michigan Opera Theatre.

Over the years, Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings has established a national reputation for artistic excellence and putting together performances that highlight an eclectic repertoire. More than 30 new works have premiered at DCWS concerts, five CDs have been recorded, and tours have stretched throughout the United States and as far as Switzerland. Now in its 30^th year, DCWS continues to present outstanding performances of mixed works for winds, brass and strings.

DCWS presents an annual series of six subscription concerts as well as the Nightnotes series, which are made possible by a partnership with Hagopian World of Rugs in downtown Birmingham, MI. New in 2012, DCWS begins a series titled Structurally Sound. Structurally Sound will look at the relationship between music and architecture with performances taking place in unique spaces throughout metro Detroit. Repertoire for the performance will be developed based on the performance space and the building’s architecture. The first performance will take place in April 2012 at the Ford Piquette Plant in downtown Detroit. The Piquette Plant was the home to the first Ford Model T.

DCWS’ commitment to collaboration extends well beyond presenting innovative music performances. DCWS shares its staff with the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. Each organization maintains its individual identity, along with its own board of directors and institutional mission, yet the organizations share most everything else. DCWS extends administrative services to local arts organizations and maintains a relationship with the Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra, the Motor City Brass Band and Pro Musica Detroit.

The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival will rely on DCWS for support in bringing to life Stravinsky’s Les Noces as well as the Stravinsky Mass.