Disney magic is coming to Detroit’s Orchestra Hall next weekend, and tickets are disappearing faster than a glass slipper at midnight.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is teaming up with PRISM Chorus for “Disney PRIDE in Concert,” a one-night-only event that blends symphonic power, choral energy and a songbook straight out of the Disney vault. The performance lands at Orchestra Hall on Saturday, June 27, and promises to be a Pride Month celebration where fantasy tales meet real-life stories of love, identity and belonging.
Call it a different kind of Disney ending — one where everyone gets to see themselves in the story.
This isn’t a simple sing-along (though don’t be surprised if audiences hum along). Instead, the concert reimagines beloved Disney songs with new orchestral and choral arrangements, pairing them with curated film clips for a full cinematic experience.
Expect musical moments pulled from across the Disney universe: the undersea longing of “The Little Mermaid,” the sweeping savannah sounds of “The Lion King” and the whimsical charm of “Mary Poppins.” Those classics will share the stage with newer favorites like “Coco,” “Zootopia” and “Wreck-It Ralph” — a lineup that moves from “Part of Your World” to stories about finding your place in it.
Add in music inspired by Disney’s theme parks, and the program becomes less a playlist and more a journey, one built around themes that resonate far beyond the screen.
A Disney-like success story
Disney stories often center on transformation and self-discovery, and PRISM Chorus brings those themes into the real world.
Founded in 2016, the metro Detroit LGBTQ+ ensemble is marking its 10th anniversary with its high-profile collaboration with the DSO. What began as a small chorus has grown into a vibrant community dedicated to inclusion, visibility and connection that uses music as its storytelling tool.
For PRISM, the event with the DSO isn’t just a big stage moment. It’s a reflection of how far the group has come. And in true Disney fashion, it’s also about chosen family: the friends, allies and audiences that help turn a chorus into something bigger than itself.
“We had about 40-ish members sing our first concert,” said PRISM artistic director Darin DeWeese, “and we’ve seen this exponential grown — both in our own membership and notoriety around the city. We really have been working to become the household name of queer choruses in Michigan. We number about 150 right now.”
PRISM board chair Shane Dunbar said the reason behind the exponential growth is simple.
“People need a safe home in the LGBT community,” he said. “It’s hard to find a place where people can fit in, and PRISM is that place. I can tell you time and time again stories of people (who) don’t go into the community because they don’t feel safe, and the only place they feel safe is when they come to PRISM on Tuesdays for rehearsals. We try to highlight that. We like to have members talk about their stories of why they’re with PRISM, why they continue to stay.”
Dunbar said the chorus has about a 95% retention rate from season to season.
“The only time people leave, really, is if they’re moving away, if there are really extenuating circumstances,” he said. “I actually started with PRISM at its second-ever concert, so I am the third-longest member of the chorus. We were a very small group, performing at a venue that held 250 people, and now we’re going to places like the DSO that hold over 2,000.
“It just keeps growing. Growing has its challenges, and we’ve had to find new rehearsal spaces — one of the biggest struggles is finding venues that can actually hold us to do concerts. For instance, last season, we did Motor City Casino, and we were on the stage like sardines in a can because we’ve just grown so large. Good growing pains, but we definitely want to continue being in the city, so it’s something we’ll keep doing.”
A different side of Pride Month
Pride Month in Detroit usually means parades, festivals and packed streets. This PRISM concert will offer a change of scene, swapping confetti for concert hall acoustics but keeping the same spirit of celebration.
By reinterpreting Disney songs through an LGBTQ+ lens, organizers aim to create a show that feels both nostalgic and newly meaningful. It’s the kind of experience where a childhood favorite might land differently, where familiar lyrics about love or longing take on deeper resonance.
“This show,” said DeWeese, “was originally developed between Disney itself and the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. They went back and forth and arranged a show together, and it’s really one full package. It goes through many Disney movies, but it’s really highlighting the storyline and the ups and downs of the queer experience, using all of the music that we know and love from Disney to weave this storyline through the entire show.
“It is fully animated, so there’ll be a massive screen above us animated with the music we’re singing throughout, and the symphony orchestra will be onstage. There’ll be little story moments that are personal stories from our own members tied in with the music. Then we have our dance troupe, called Men of Step; there will be, I think, six or seven numbers that are fully choreographed with our dancers onstage. And, of course, you can imagine the amazing costuming for all the soloists, and all the Disney magic that we love.”
While Disney has long been associated with happily-ever-afters, this concert leans into something more immediate: the idea that belonging isn’t just a fantasy ending; it’s something to be celebrated right now.
‘Disney PRIDE in Concert’
8 p.m. Saturday, June 27
Orchestra Hall
3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit
$49 & up
dso.org
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Chorus, DSO to perform Disney movie songs from an LGBTQ+ point of view
Reporting by Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
