CONCERT OF COLORS

The Concert of Colors was established by Ismael Ahmed – the former head of the human services organization ACCESS – and New Detroit in 1993 as a one-day event at Chene Park on Detroit’s riverfront. The inaugural event drew a modest crowd to Chene Park, but by 1999, some 10,000 music lovers were coming out each year. The festival expanded to three days in 2001, when it was part of the official festivities for Detroit’s 300th birthday, drawing an audience of 100,000. In 2019, the concert expanded to nine days.

Back in 2005, the festival’s opening night performance was relocated to historic Orchestra Hall at the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center in Detroit, the home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). The DSO became a full partner in 2006 as the entire festival relocated to the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, with two indoor stages and one outdoor stage. In 2007, the festival grew to encompass four days of free live music. A major new development took place in 2008 when Don Was, über producer and the President of Blue note records, joined the Concert of Colors working group to curate an produce The Don Was All Star Revue that has become the top yearly showcase of Motor City music in the country.