renamed some six years ago to better
sum up the purpose of the group, as a
“per service” orchestra with union
musicians hired for each concert.
“Eachmusician is not making much
considering they havemaster's degrees
and sometimesmore,” Stewart said.
Musicians are paid to rehearse too,
and music rental/purchase adds up,
Stewart said, as do the legal rights to
performmusic.
“Composers have to make a living
like everybody else,” she said.
Opportunities opened at the Canton
Cherry Hill Village Theatre, and the
organization had a Canton suborches-
tra there. When the 2008 recession hit,
funding the suborchestra became bur-
densome and concerts were in both
Plymouth and Canton at varied venues
with the name Plymouth-Canton
SymphonyOrchestra.
“It got us thinking,” Stewart said.
“Essentially we had everything in
place to move to that next level” when
a Detroit music writer asked about the
name.
“Our name was holding us back,”
she said. A one-year study included
some board pushback but “They did a
180 and said ‘I see it.’ ”
A Detroit Symphony Orchestra
strike a few years back opened doors
for theMichigan Philharmonic, includ-
ing performing at Metroparks. This
year, “Hot Summer Nights” venues
Page 2
Philharmonic
from page 1
First Michigan Philharmonic conductor Paul Allen conducts the orchestra at a
concert in 1950 at Plymouth High School, which became Central Middle School
and is now the home of the Plymouth Arts and Recreation Complex.
