Cactus Concert is a tribute to John Cage and Detroit's avant-garde scene, presented by the Detroit Bureau of Sound, with special guests Sophiyah E. and Dominant Hand. The performance features Cage’s Child of Tree, which premiered in Detroit in 1975. 

In this innovative piece, an amplified cactus becomes the instrument, with contact microphones capturing the subtle vibrations produced by the plant and the performer. The result is a unique soundscape filled with rustling, creaking, and delicate spring-like noises, blurring the lines between natural sounds and music. 

True to Cage’s philosophy of indeterminacy, Child of Tree allows chance to shape the performance, creating a constantly evolving experience for the audience.

Join us for the closing event for Tiff Massey’s celebrated exhibition, 7 Mile + Livernois, on May 9, 2025 from 6:30–9:30 p.m.! 

Get a last look at Massey’s exhibition before it closes to the public on May 11, 2025, and dance under the stars on the Woodward Avenue Plaza during special performances from Detroit-based DJs KESSWA and Donavan Glover.

Cash bar available.

DJ sets will not be seated.

Schedule

Exhibition open all day, starting at 10:00 a.m. Last entry at 9:00 p.m.

DJ experience: 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Last entry at 9:00 p.m. Approx. Set times:

• Donavan Glover: 6:30 - 8 p.m.
• DJ KESSWA: 8 - 9:30 p.m. 

Advanced registration is now CLOSED.   Only guests who are pre-registered may enter the outside DJ performance area from Woodward Avenue.  Guests needing to check-in without registration, including DIA members and residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, must do so at the Farnsworth or John R entrances and enter the DJ performance area from inside the museum through the Woodward Avenue door.  

Admittance to DJ area, exhibition, and dining venues will be subject to capacity limits.  

Click here for information on dining, parking, and museum admission.

Additional self-parking is located at WSU Rackham Structure (45 E. Warren), and WSU Welcome Center (61 Putman).  Debit and Credit cards accepted, no cash. For information on parking fees at Wayne State University visit their website.

About the performers

Detroit native Kesiena Wanogho didn’t really get to hear the music she wanted on the local scene, and her longing for a calming and grounding element within electronic music soon turned into her mission. DJ Kesswa now blends jazz and electronica, soul and ambient music with the rhythms and structures of traditional Nigerian music to create a common feeling: a meditation and affirmative attitude towards the world. In 2020, Kesswa was granted a tandem residency in Berlin and Detroit, during which she collaborated with DJ, radio host, and curator Tereza. 

Born in Detroit’s lower-eastside, and raised downtown in King Homes, Donavan Glover discovered the knack for the arts at a young age. He began making a name for himself in the photography and documentary spaces as early as 2010, with high profile directing and videography credits for acts such as Talib Kweli, Slum Village, Amp Fiddler, Dej Loaf, Royce Da 5’9, Dave Chappelle, jessica Care Moore, Travis Scott, Saul Williams, Vic Mensa, and countless Detroit acts. Glover’s work led him to win multiple awards and fellowships, before embarking on his next artist journey as a music producer and DJ in 2018.

Friday Night Live has showcased music by renowned composers Maurice Ravel, Béla Bartók, Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud and Lowell Liebermann, all of whom have performed at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The Grossman Family will perform these iconic works written for violin, viola, cello, piano, and voice.

Hailed by The New York Times as a “Brilliant soloist,” violinist Eric Grossman “possesses a strikingly beautiful sound" (The Strad Magazine). He will be joined by his gifted musical family, Russian-Cuban pianist Lida, their two daughters Cecilia (cello) and Vera (voice) and their two sons Misha (violin), Sasha (piano). Special guests Colette Abel (viola) and Benjamin Abel(violin).

Asian Sound Revolution is a groundbreaking ensemble that fuses traditional Asian instruments with modern creativity. Featuring Jin Hi Kim on komungo, Min Xiao-Fen on pipa, and Gerry Hemingway on drums and percussion, the group innovatively blends ancient musical aesthetics with contemporary techniques. Each musician is internationally renowned for their boundary-pushing work, transforming classic instruments and vocal styles to create unique, fresh sounds.

Masayo Ishigure is a New York-based koto and shamisen player from Japan. She began her music studies at age five and later became a special research student at the Sawai Koto Academy. Known for blending traditional Japanese music with diverse genres, Masayo has performed at venues like Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. She has collaborated with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Yitzhak Perlman and contributed to the Grammy-winning Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack.

Tour the DIA’s new contemporary exhibit, 7 Mile + Livernois, by artist Tiff Massey. Then, at 7:30 PM, join DJ Nick Speed for dancing and a cash bar in Rivera Court and the Great Hall.

7 Mile + Livernois is Tiff Massey’s new gallery installation, featuring sculptures commissioned by the DIA in conversation with works by other artists from the museum’s collection. Massey’s work reimagines art’s role in the community, offering a vibrant, inclusive view of Detroit. Her art invites us to celebrate collective identity, ancestral flyness, and beauty. 

• Gallery experience: 7 – 9 p.m.
• DJ experience: 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Founded in April 2008 by Jeff Clark, I Love Steppin’ is an open community of dancers passionate about Chicago Style Steppin’. Members gather in cities nationwide to celebrate and raise awareness of this cherished tradition within Black communities.

This event welcomes dancers of all ages and includes a brief introductory lesson on Steppin' basics from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, followed by 90 minutes of dancing to music curated by DJ Rod Edwards.

Rev. Robert Jones, Sr. is a true renaissance man. He has been a professional musician for over forty years. More than 35 years ago, the legendary bluesman Willie Dixon encouraged him to bring his music into schools. In recognition of his efforts, The National Blues Foundation named him a leading blues educator in 2007.

In addition to his music career, Rev. Jones has served as a pastor for over 20 years and has been a nationally recognized storyteller for more than fifteen years. These experiences have allowed him to work in diverse ways, using his speaking and musical talents to educate, entertain, and inspire. At the heart of his message is the belief that our cultural diversity tells a story that should be celebrated.

The Michigan Philharmonic’s Miniature Masterpieces is an annual collaboration with the Detroit Institute of Arts. This year’s program highlights the expressive beauty of the viola with guest composer and performer Stuart Ross Carlson. The concert also features enchanting works by Claude Debussy and Sergei Prokofiev, as well as a Romantic-era gem by Emilie Mayer, arranged by conductor Nan Washburn.

Twenty-five-year-old Isaiah Collier is a musical virtuoso in the truest sense of the phrase. He began playing the saxophone at age 11, and his intuitive proficiency earned him attention early on. Since then, his band, Isaiah Collier and The Chosen Few, has been turning heads. The New York Times featured him in their Fall Arts Preview in September 2024, and he was also included in DownBeat Magazine’s "25 for the Future" in their 90th Anniversary issue in July 2024. He is the winner of the Rising Star Award in DownBeat Magazine’s critics poll for Tenor Saxophone (2023) and Soprano Saxophone (2024).

As far as he where he plans to take his music, Collier says, “I reach backwards, and forwards simultaneously when creating art and what is ahead of me is the past.”