>> ... Next Generation ...

Members of Moishe House Motor City mingle with symphony's new assistant conductor.

Getting To Know The DSO

ROBIN SCHWARTZ I CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

ith the wave of his baton
he helps bring classical
compositions to life on
stage — and even when
Teddy Abrams, 25, steps down from the
podium — he's part of the rhythm and
rebirth of Detroit's Jewish community.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra's new
assistant conductor is preparing for the
2013 season and bracing himself for his
first winter in Michigan. In September,
Abrams (who is single) moved here
from Budapest, Hungary, where he's
also the resident conductor of the MAV
Symphony.
The rising young star grew up in San
Francisco, attended the Curtis Institute
of Music in Philadelphia and received a
bachelor of music degree from the San
Francisco Conservatory. He now lives in
the coach house of an1870s mansion in
Midtown and walks to and from work.
"It's nothing like
what I thought,"
Abrams says. "It's
no secret Detroit
has not exactly
put its best face
forward when
you consider how
outsiders think
of the city, but
everything I've
DSO assistant
experienced since
conductor Teddy
I've come here
Abrams
has been really
positive."
Abrams got a warm welcome from
his peers at Moishe House Motor City
on East Ferry Street during an intimate
mixer Dec. 5 with dinner, drinks and
conversation. Participants included some
of the young professionals who live in
the communal house, several young
Jewish leaders, and donors Carol and
Paul Hooberman of Franklin.
"Moishe House Motor City has hosted
more than 100 programs over the last
year and a half," said Adam Finkel of
Bloomfield Hills. Finkel was instrumental
in raising the funds to bring Moishe
House to Detroit.
"It's exciting to recruit such an
accomplished, young member of the
conducting world to our city," Finkel
continued. "He's very relatable to our
peers within our age range, and he's very
passionate about supporting the arts and
energizing the city."

A Noted Musician

Abrams, the eldest of three boys in
his family, has built up an astonishing
resume for someone his age. But, he had

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December 20 • 2012

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Moishe house resident Erik Wodowski talks with Carol Hooberman

a head start. He describes himself as a
"plinking improviser" on the piano at
age 3. As a young child, he took up the
clarinet and his love of classical music
was born. When he was just 9 years
old, Abrams wrote a six-page letter to
Michael Tilson Thomas, music director of
the San Francisco Symphony, asking for
conducting lessons. Thomas responded
with some words of wisdom and later
met Teddy and began working with him
at age 11.
Now, Abrams is a noted musician;
he plays clarinet, piano, viola and
saxophone and also composes. He's
performed with the Los Angeles
Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra,
at the Olympic Music Festival in
Washington (to name a few) and at
various venues around the world. Abrams
is also a co-founder of the Sixth Floor
Trio, a chamber group that plays folk
and klezmer music. They're planning a
children's concert with the DSO in April.
"There's no one way that one becomes
a conductor," Abrams says. "The one
thing you have to be is kind of a
complete musician."
Abrams auditioned for and won the
highly sought after position with the
DSO at a time when the symphony is
reinventing itself. Last April, musicians
approved a three-year contract with deep
pay cuts following a six-month strike. In
announcing Abrams' appointment, DSO
music director Leonard Slatkin said he
represents the orchestra's future.
"Teddy Abrams brings experience,
even at his young age, and gives us a
further connection to the new generation
of listeners we are hoping to attract,"
Slatkin is quoted as saying.
In addition, Abrams has taught at
dozens of schools across the U.S. as
part of his mission to support music
education and engage younger listeners.
"Being in orchestra in today's world

Carol and Paul Hooberman of Franklin with
Adam Finkel of Bloomfield Hills

Lea Selitsky and Meredith Cohen, both Moishe House residents

is very hard," he says. "Music has a
challenging place in society, especially
orchestral music. It's not always valued
to the degree it probably should be,
and we're tasked with becoming
ambassadors for the art form."

Striking A Chord

Abrams hopes to strike a chord with
people his age and generate excitement
about the DSO, in part by connecting
with the community. Moishe House
resident Meredith Cohen, 27, a child
welfare attorney who recently moved
into the house, was intrigued.
"He seems really great and different,"
she said during the mixer. "He seems like
he's bringing a very different eye to the
DSO then they had before. I'm excited to
get his perspective on being in Detroit
and what it's like to be so young and so
established."
Abrams was equally interested in
meeting new friends and inviting them to
come see what he's doing.
"We want them to feel not just
compelled to come to an orchestra; we
want them to feel part of the orchestra,"
he explained. "They should have a sense
of ownership of their experience, and
that's something that comes from people
realizing that this is great music and

that the people playing it are real people
communicating with real people.
"Being a conductor is more than
getting up in front of an orchestra and
waving your arms," Abrams continued.
"You're really somebody that needs to
connect with your community. I've found
the Jewish community here to be so
welcoming and very involved with the
orchestra, which is great to see."
The DSO says, as assistant conductor,
Abrams will participate in classical series
concerts, conduct educational and young
people's concerts, and pops series and
neighborhood series programs. He'll also
help plan programming. He could have
gone anywhere to begin this next chapter
in his remarkable career, but Abrams
chose Detroit; yet another sign of the
momentum that's building Downtown.
"Detroit is one of the most exciting
cities in America," Abrams says. "The
possibilities are everywhere. You can feel
it as an artist — it's right under your
fingertips and under your feet anywhere
you go." ❑

To purchase tickets, learn more
about the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra's schedule or for
information on other programs, go
to dso.org or call (313) 576-5111.