DSO presents Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble’s “Black Violet” @ Mix @ The Max Friday, October 5 at 7 p.m

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is thrilled to present Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble’s “Black Violet” for its next Mix @ The Max program on Friday, October 5 at 7 p.m. Hailed by the New York Times for its “conviction, authority, and finesse,” the 11-piece Fifth House Ensemble combines on-screen projections, staging, and live music to create a unique experience for audiences of all types. Doors open at 6 p.m. for complimentary refreshments in the Atrium at the Max M. Fisher Music Center.
This collaboration with acclaimed writer and artist Ezra Claytan Daniels melds music of the highest caliber, vivid imagery, riveting narrative, and compelling characters as graphic novel slides illustrate the story. The addition of these elements to the chamber music concert experience connects the characters and emotions onscreen with the live performance on stage, encouraging audiences to listen actively and to discover how music can create an image, action, or character–drawing listeners in and allowing them to experience the music on a deeper level.
This gripping performance takes traditional thematic programming outside the box, forming a graphic novel trilogy, created by Claytan Daniels, with a story centered around the last outbreak of the plague in London. During this time, it was widely believed that black cats were the source of the disease decimating Europe. They, along with other domestic pets, were systematically rounded up and exterminated en masse. The resulting shift in the natural predatory hierarchy sent the rat populations soaring – the same population that was in fact the real carrier of the plague. The storyline of “Black Violet” follows a black cat named Violet as she navigates the dangers of London’s plague-ravaged streets, where things are not as they seem and friends are made in unexpected places.
Hosted in the intimate Music Box space within the Max M. Fisher Music Center, the performance features cabaret-style seating, a cash bar, and complimentary snacks provided by local food and beverage vendors. Mix @ The Max, premiered in April to a full house, is composed of concerts targeting a new generation of patrons. Acts could include music of any genre, including classical, contemporary, jazz and more.

Tickets to Black Violet are $25 in advance and $28 at the door, and may be purchased at the Max M. Fisher Music Center box office (3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit); by calling (313) 576-5111; or online at dso.org. Seating is general admission.