DETROIT SCHOOL OF ARTS TO HOST OPENING GALA APRIL 16

Monday, April 11, 2005

Guests will receive first public tours of this new facility



DETROIT: The Detroit School of Arts (DSA), which opened the doors of its new state-of-the-art building in February, will host a black tie optional gala for the general public on Saturday, April 16. The gala, which is presented by “Friends of the DSA,” a local community group, is expected to draw hundreds of people including Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit Public Schools CEO Dr. Kenneth Burnley and Detroit Board of Education chair Bill Brooks. 
The evening will begin with an hors d’oeuvres reception at 6 p.m. in The Music Box at the Max M. Fisher Music Center. The reception will be followed by a main concert program at 7:30 p.m. in Ford Theater, the school’s main auditorium. 
During the evening, guests will be afforded the opportunity to tour the 300,000 square-foot school, whose facilities include a recital hall, an 800-seat auditorium, a radio station and a music center, are unique among the nation’s performing arts high schools. A coffee and dessert afterglow will take place from 9 to 11 p.m. in the 6th floor cafeteria with its sweeping views of the city’s skyline. 
The gala concert program will feature a performance by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble performance; the DSA Wind Symphony directed by Edward Quick; a short documentary by Detroit Public Television; the DSA Dancers performing Cell Block Tango from Chicago; an animation presentation created by the DSA Visual Arts Department in collaboration with the College of Creative Studies; the DSA OBA Tap Dancers; and the DSA Combined Choirs and Wind Symphony performing the stirring Battle Hymn of Republic. Anton Peeples, the state’s forensic champion and a DSA sophomore, will serve as master of ceremonies. 
Tickets for this event are $100. The proceeds will benefit the student programs of the DSA. Tickets can

be purchased at the Max M. Fisher Music Center box office at 3711 Woodward Avenue, or by calling (313) 
576-5111. The DSA is located at 123 Selden Street, adjacent to the Max M. Fisher Music Center.