- Hi, planetary citizens, brothers, and sisters.

My name is Ishmael Ahmed, Director and Curator of the Concert of Colors and host of WDET's, "This Island Earth".

I'm here to welcome you to this year's Concert of Colors.

Before we get started, I'd like to take a moment to honor the first peoples of this country and planet.

After all the Concert of Colors is taking place on their land.

The concert of colors was started by Detroit's Communities of Color to celebrate their cultures and the music of all peoples and to work for peace, love and justice for all our communities.

Today, we continue in that tradition.

We'd like to thank all the staff, volunteers and artists that have made this year's event possible.

Especially the Detroit Institute of Arts who have played such an important role, as well as the Detroit Public Television WTVS, and Detroit Public Radios, WDET.

For this year's schedule information and also most importantly, to support our efforts, go to www.concertofcolors.com, Concert of Colors, being one word.

And now let's take a moment to thank our sponsors and partners.

- [Announcer] Support for this program was provided by The Kresge Foundation, DTE, AARP, The Detroit Free Press, Midtown, Skillman Foundation and Michigan.com and by these partners, Concert of Colors, Culture Source, Detroit Institute of Arts, Charles Wright Museum of African American History, the Arab American National Museum, Michigan Science Center, University of Michigan Detroit, Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Public Television, City of Detroit Department of Arts Culture and Entrepreneurship, Science Gallery of Detroit, WDET 101.9 FM, The Scarab Club, Keegan Foundation Access, Hellenic Museum of Michigan, College for Creative Studies, Marx Layne, New Detroit Inc, Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts and Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

(upbeat music) Stay tuned for more music with our global and local fellow citizens and masterful musicians for tonight's broadcast.

- Hello everyone, my name is Chris Harrington, Senior Director of Jazz at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to the 29th Annual Concert of Colors.

On behalf of at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

I want to thank Ishmael, Ralph and the entire Concert of Colors team, the DIA, and all of the sponsors, partners, and musicians for making this year's event possible.

We're thrilled to be a long time partner of Concert of Colors and today we're extremely excited to share this one-of-a-kind global music collaboration.

The performance that you're about to experience really embodies the essence of Concert of Colors, which unites Detroit's diverse communities and ethnic groups through music from around the world.

Cuban born pianist and composer, Fabian Almazan, and his ensemble joins forces with the DSO String Quartet to perform Fabian's original composition "Alcanza", which is a vibrant nine-movement suite that fuses jazz, contemporary, classical music and it really explores the beauty, frustrations and even some of the challenges that we may face in life, but ultimately reminds us to not give up on reaching for everything in life that brings us joy and love.

One of the unique things about this Intercontinental collaboration between musicians from your Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Australian musicians is that Fabian and his band actually recorded in Perth, Australia and the DSO String Quartet recorded right here in Detroit, in The Cube at the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center.

So this really celebrates the unifying force and the power of making music together while physically apart.

Fabian will be joined by vocalists Jo Lawry, bassist Linda Oh, drummer Ben Vanderwal and the DSO String Quartet featuring Hai-Xin Wu on violin, Rachel Klaus on violin, Han Zheng on viola and Peter McCaffrey on cello.

Thank you for tuning in today and please enjoy the music.

♪ Go, go ask the questions (orchestral music) ♪ Yes, skip the introduction ♪ Tell me, how it is that star ♪ Dust is the origin of life's mysteries ♪ (orchestral music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh (orchestral music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh yeah, oh, yeah, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh (orchestral music) ♪ Go, live in the moment ♪ Huh, huh ♪ Life, so absurd and gorgeous go ♪ ♪ Ask all the questions ♪ Huh, huh, yes ♪ Skip the introduction go ♪ Eyes wide open (orchestral music) ♪ Ooh, ooh (orchestral music) ♪ Aah, aah ♪ Ooh ♪ Ooh ♪ Ooh (calm orchestral music) (Jo sings in foreign language) (orchestral music) (soft orchestral music) (violins playing) ♪ Land the day at last withdrew ♪ ♪ The night began a new with light ♪ ♪ Light began above the sea ♪ Suspended from reality ♪ And in the song it's listening ♪ ♪ I tried ♪ Not a cry ♪ The view I saw went on and on ♪ ♪ And then my soul was gone ♪ It had evaporated into air ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Ooh (piano playing) (orchestral music) ♪ Ooh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh ♪ Ooh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ Ooh, ooh, oh (orchestral music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Ooh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Ooh, oh (orchestral music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh (orchestral music) ♪ Ooh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh (orchestral music) (soft orchestral music) (orchestral music intensifies) (orchestral music fades away) (soft orchestral music) (orchestral music intensifies) (orchestral music fades away) (soft orchestral music) ♪ I can't take much more ♪ There must be something ♪ That's worth searching for ♪ From doubt no reprieve ♪ I long to believe that there's more ♪ ♪ Something mysterious ♪ Something grand ♪ And real ♪ Something eternal ♪ Who's embrace I feel ♪ My soul longs to breathe ♪ Wants to believe ♪ There was more ♪ And so I ask you ♪ Are we just machines ♪ Or are we spirits ♪ Something in between ♪ A life must we live ♪ Oh what I'd give ♪ To know more ♪ And all this waiting ♪ I just break my heart ♪ To sing with truth ♪ Might be the hardest part ♪ But onward I go ♪ Until I know ♪ Onward I go ♪ Until I know ♪ Onward I go ♪ Until I know ♪ Onward I go ♪ Until I know ♪ Onward I go ♪ Until I know ♪ Onward I go ♪ Until I know ♪ Onward I go ♪ Until I know ♪ Onward I go ♪ Until I know ♪ Something woe (violins playing) (orchestral music) ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-la-di-ooh ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah-ooh ♪ La-di-dah-la-di-doop-ooh ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-Dah ♪ La-di-di-dah-ooh ♪ Di-di-di-di ♪ Da-da-do-da-oh ♪ Da-Oh ♪ Da-Oh ♪ La-di-di-di-di-dah ♪ Da-do-da-do-ooh ♪ Da-do-do-dah-do-dah-do-da-do-ooh ♪ ♪ La-di-da-di-da-di-da-di-ooh ♪ La-di-di-da-di-da-di-ooh (jazz music) ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ Da-di-da-di-ooh ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah-ooh ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah-oh ♪ La-di-di-dah-ooh ♪ Di-di-di-di-da-di-do-da-oh ♪ Da-oh ♪ Da-oh ♪ Da-di-di-di-da-di ♪ La-di-di-ooh ♪ La-di-di-dah-di ♪ Da-di-di-dah-ah ♪ La-di-da-di-de-da-de-da-oh ♪ La-di-da-di-da-di-da-di-da-di-di ♪ ♪ Ooh (jazz music) ♪ Hey, ooh ♪ Hey, ooh (jazz music) ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ Ooh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh (jazz music) ♪ Ooh (jazz music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (jazz music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh ♪ Oh (jazz music) ♪ Oh, oh (jazz music) ♪ Oh, oh (jazz music) ♪ Oh ♪ Ooh ♪ Oh (jazz music) ♪ Oh ♪ Oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh (jazz music) ♪ Oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (jazz music) ♪ Oh (jazz music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (jazz music) ♪ Da-di-dah ♪ Da-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-oh ♪ La-di-di-oh ♪ La-di-di-dah-la-da-da-da-di-oh-o ♪ ♪ La-di-oh ♪ La-di-la-ah-la-oh ♪ Lo-da-oh ♪ Lo-da-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ Li-da-dah ♪ Li-da-oh ♪ Li-da-oh ♪ Li-da-da-da-da-di-da-dah ♪ Li-di-dah ♪ La-di-di-dah ♪ Loh-da-doh ♪ Loh-da-doh ♪ Loo-da-da-la-la-la-di-da-doh ♪ Oh ♪ Loh-dah-doh ♪ Li-di-ay-yah-di-oh ♪ Li-da-oh ♪ Loo-da-da ♪ Loo-da-da ♪ Oh ♪ Oh ♪ Oh ♪ Doo (jazz music) ♪ Doo-da-da-doo-da-doo-da-doo-da-i ♪ ♪ Da-da-doo-doo-da-da-doo-doo ♪ Da-doo-da-doo-da-doo-da-doo ♪ Da-doo-da-doo-da-doo-da-doo-di-i ♪ (jazz music) (jazz music fades away) (soft jazz music) ♪ La-da-da-da-da-Ooh ♪ Loo-da-dah ♪ Loo-da-dah ♪ Loo-da-doo ♪ Loo-da-doo ♪ Loo-da-da-da-da-Da-ooh ♪ Ha ♪ Do-di-ah ♪ La-di-do-di-ah ♪ Doo-da-oh ♪ Doo-da-da ♪ Doo-da-da-doo-da-doo-da-doo-da-o ♪ ♪ Da-da-doo-doo-da-da-doo-doo ♪ Da-doo-da-doo-da-doo-da-doo ♪ Da-doo-da-doo-da-doo-da-Doo (jazz music) ♪ He drawled by the long withered shadows ♪ ♪ In the valley ♪ I saw humans turned to ghosts ♪ ♪ Their eyes pierced my soul like the arrows ♪ ♪ That were aimed at ♪ Them for me from far and cold ♪ ♪ These children were alone ♪ Little and so far from home ♪ How will they start anew ♪ And tired to the bone from their journey ♪ ♪ Nearly dying ♪ Still they won't be torn apart ♪ ♪ No more of them faint heart ♪ Determined from the start ♪ To find a place of peace (classical jazz music) ♪ And once they dissolved into darkness ♪ ♪ In the valley ♪ Life was blooming everywhere ♪ I saw plants walking there ♪ A sapling bent in prayer ♪ It's voice up on the air ♪ It said (classical jazz music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh, ooh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh ♪ Ooh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh (classical jazz music) ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Ooh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, ooh (classical jazz music) ♪ Oh ♪ Ooh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh (classical jazz music) (classical jazz fades away) (gentle music)