A Detroit composer’s tribute to the 313

Hey Detroiters, welcome back to Culture Canvas! 

It’s been a year since Patrick Prouty was named Detroit’s first composer laureate and he’s just getting warmed up. 

So far, he’s held a jazz concert at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, where the music was composed in real-time and was a guest speaker for Wayne State University’s Salute to Detroit concert.

Now, Prouty is focusing on the premiere of his latest piece with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra titled “313: Six Vignettes for Orchestra.” The performance, taking place at 7 p.m. Friday at Greater Grace Temple on Detroit’s west side, will be part of the DTE Community Concerts series. The program will follow the timeline of a day, with music inspired by the sunrise to sunset. The concert will be conducted by DSO Assistant Conductor Ingrid Martin, who is marking her debut in the role. The concert is free, but guests are encouraged to reserve seats on the DSO website.

I spoke with Prouty about the inspiration for the performance, working with the DSO and what he has lined up next. 

BridgeDetroit: It’s been about a year since you were named as Detroit’s composer laureate. How have things been going? 

Prouty: Things have been going great. There’s been some changes. I conducted the choir and orchestra at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy for the last five years. When I got this laureate position, it was right at the beginning of the school year, so last year was really tough because I was essentially working two jobs. Eventually, I gave my resignation at U of D to focus on this full-time. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, so I wanted to give it my 100% focus. It’s been so much fun. Next year, what we have planned–I can’t talk about yet–but it’s way more ambitious than this year, so it’s going to be exciting.

BridgeDetroit: What inspired you to compose “313: Six Vignettes for Orchestra?” 

Prouty: Generally, Detroit things inspire me. So, this piece that I wrote is six short musical stories about Detroit. The first movement is called “Michigan Central Station,” and I try to capture how that building makes me feel emotionally in a musical way. It’s kind of melancholy, but at the end, it’s got some hope. There’s one called “Drive It Till It Dies,” which kind of celebrates all the terrible cars that me and my friends used to drive in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The last movement is called “Paradise Theater/Orchestra Hall.” I try to tell the story of how the Paradise Theater was an important musical space when Black Bottom was still here, and how it was abandoned and left in disrepair. Then, (bassoonist) Paul Ganson from the DSO started a campaign to revive the hall. They moved the orchestra back there in the late 80s. But the last movement tries to tell a story of this building in all its permutations of grandness and sadness. 

BridgeDetroit: How did you figure out what the piece was going to sound like? 

Prouty: The DSO told me what the instrumentation was going to be first. So, it’s for a full orchestra; strings, brass, winds and percussion, so probably 60 instruments. I knew that was my palette that I had to work with. I had the Paradise Theater/Orchestra Hall idea first. I said, ‘OK, how do I paint a sonic picture of the story of this building?’ There’s a real bombastic scene where all the percussion is playing at once, and it’s supposed to signify the tragic end of Black Bottom and the Paradise Theater. After you hear the building come crashing down, there’s a single clave that sounds like a cricket. There’s a few moments where the entire orchestra is silent and it’s just a single cricket sound in the back of the percussion section, signifying the hall is empty. Then the next moment, you hear this bassoon solo and it’s supposed to represent Paul Ganson. 

BridgeDetroit: How long did it take to write the piece? 

Prouty: I started writing it at the end of March. Until then, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to write for DSO and we were talking back and forth, like, ‘What are we looking for? What do we want to write?’ So, that took a minute and once we agreed on those details, I got to work. I chipped away at it (the piece) almost every day. It’s six movements and it’s 14 minutes long, so it’s a pretty long piece of music. 

BridgeDetroit: What’s it been like working with the DSO? 

Prouty: I’ve never worked directly with the DSO, like with the musicians, with the conductors. It’s been fantastic. I’m so excited that the new assistant conductor Ingrid Martin, who was just hired recently, is making her DSO debut and is conducting my piece for the first time. 

BridgeDetroit: What’s coming up next for you? 

Prouty: I’m doing three concerts at Saints Peter and Paul Jesuit Church in association with the Detroit Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (ACE) to benefit the unhoused in Detroit. Saints Peter and Paul have a very robust outreach; they have showers and meals and other outreach programs for people that don’t have a place to live. I’m having three different bands, three different nights. They’ll run in October, November and December. The concert will be free to the public, but we’re going to take a donation at intermission and all that money will go to the church’s outreach for the unhoused. 

As always, have a great week! 

Until next time, 

Micah 

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313 Scene

• As part of BridgeDetroit’s Resilience in the D series, Detroit filmmaker and disability advocate Teddy Dorsette was highlighted. He has worked in various mediums, from short films and documentaries to music videos. Like many Detroiters, Dorsette is a hustler, founding or co-founding several companies. 
• BridgeDetroit executive editor Laurén Abdel-Razzaq wrote about the Kresge Foundation’s plans to invest $180 million in northwest Detroit, including a move to a new headquarters at the Marygrove Conservancy Campus and revitalizing surrounding neighborhoods and business corridors.
• Murals in the Market kicked off its 10th year Monday, bringing a week-long celebration of live mural installations, artist talks, exhibitions and parties. And after two years in Islandview, the festival moved back to its original home at Eastern Market. 
• Planet Detroit reporter Akilah Russell wrote about the new environmental art exhibition, “Sustain-A-City: A Vision for a Thriving, Resilient Detroit,” which is part of Detroit Month of Design.
• For more than three decades, the Trumbullplex collective has offered Detroit a rare kind of community space with concerts and events on a donation basis, including free programs for DJs and artists, and perpetually affordable housing in the Woodbridge neighborhood. Now the collective is asking the community to give back. Facing urgent repairs before the winter sets in, Trumbullplex is trying to raise $25,000 through a GoFundMe and other efforts. (Detroit Metro Times)
• Hungry Howie’s is the latest pizza chain to add Detroit-style pizza to its menu, which became available from participating locations nationwide on Monday. (Detroit Metro Times)
• The Mothership will officially land at the Detroit Opera House on Saturday, Jan. 31, when funk god and godfather of modern hip hop George Clinton will helm a one-night-only performance celebrating 50 years of Parliament Funkadelic. Accompanied by a live orchestra, Clinton will present gems from his songbook, backed by the Detroit Opera Orchestra as directed by Ray Chew. A lineup of special guests is also planned for the concert. (Detroit Free Press) 

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What’s Going on in the D?

• As part of Detroit Month of Design, Design Core Detroit is hosting its signature event, Eastern Market After Dark, from 6-11 p.m. Thursday at 1XRUN Warehouse, 1530 Winder Street. The event will include DJs, food trucks and a pop-up exhibit. The party is also part of the festival Murals in the Market. 
• The Redford Theatre is hosting its annual Noir City Detroit film festival Friday-Sunday. Turner Classic Movies host and Film Noir Foundation President Eddie Muller returns with a selection of crime classics centered on women related to his book, “Dark City Dames.” An all-access pass is $55. 
• Historic Indian Village is hosting its fall yard sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the east side neighborhood nestled between Jefferson and Mack. 
• Southwest Detroit staple RollerCade is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a skate party beginning at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Dinner will also be provided. VIP tickets are $20. 
• The Detroit Foodie Fair returns to Eastern Market 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Held at Shed 5, attendees will have a selection of delicious bites from a variety of food trucks, hand-crafted kitchen wares and more. Plus, the fair runs alongside the 4th annual Detroit Vegan event. Some of the vendors include 5 Lakes Flavor, Drake Confections, Mindo Chocolate, My Big Fat Shawarma and the Lobster Food Truck.