The New School Studio Orchestra and the Motor City Groove Ensemble come together in an unforgettable celebration of MOTOWN!

A Motown Spectacular features music of the Temptations, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas, the Supremes, and more.

 
*Free with registration while seats last.

*Please note: This is a high-demand, free event.

To accommodate as many guests as possible, any unclaimed reservations will be offered to others soon after the show starts. Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you soon!

We hope you can experience this live. If you, friends or family are unable to attend in-person, please enjoy and share the Livestream of this very special event starting at 7:30pm, Friday, May 1. 

Click here for Livestream

The New School Studio Orchestra

Conducted by Keller Coker, The New School Studio Orchestra (NSSO) is comprised of students from the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Mannes School of Music, often with guest artists, performing music from a wide variety of genres including jazz, soul, pop, and improvised music.

The thrilling U.S. premiere of Carla Bley’s Escalator Over the Hill was the epic close to last season. The New York Times described the musicians as playing with “rattling intensity," adding "The sound seemed to shudder like a pot about to blow its lid." All About Jazz stated, "Presenting a cherished '70s cult jazz-rock album in its U.S. performance debut was a highwire act of artistic bravery, yet the New School ensemble triumphed over the odds. This was very much a student performance, even if its stellar standard forced you to frequently—and delightedly—remind yourself of that improbable fact." And in the words of UK Jazz News: “The student band impressively embodied Bley’s gonzo vision. This was a worthy and deeply enjoyable ride on Escalator Over the Hill, and a historic moment to boot.”

The 2025/2026 season offers a remarkable lineup, beginning with the inimitable 1930s Radio Night. The Grammy-winning Fandango at the Wall features The New School’s Arturo O’Farrill, his Afro Latin Jazz Octet, and The Conga Patria Son Jarocho Collective. The second annual NSSO Holiday Swing ushers in the holiday season in December, featuring music from Ella Fitzgerald’s beloved Christmas albums and Jazz at Lincoln Center holiday arrangements, with special guest Brianna Thomas. March brings the Blue Note Records All Stars Evening, featuring James Francies, Joel Ross, and Immanuel Wilkins. The season culminates in May with A Motown Spectacular, featuring music by The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, and more. 

Motor City Groove Ensemble

The music of Motown, or the Motown sound, is a style of R&B, soul and mainstream pop appeal of the 1960s and early 1970s. The sound grew out of Detroit, Michigan where teams of songwriters and musicians produced material for girl groups, boy bands and solo singers. The Motown sound changed the vision, the texture and the style of American music. In this ensemble, singers create and explore the music, style and sound of Motown. 

Directed by Marlon Saunders, School of Jazz & Contemporary Music at The New School.