DSO Will Play Florida Tour in 2010 ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - This will be the DSO's first tour with its new music director, Leonard Slatkin.

The trip will be used to promote the orchestra as a brand and get the word out about its new Rachmaninoff recording, which will be released before for the Florida tour.

Anne Midgette is classical music critic for the Washington Post. She hypothsizes that some orchestras could see Florida as a good place to find new audiences:

"If you're in a field where you know the audience is aging, and you have a state with a large population of retirees from urban centers, it makes sense to pursue that audience with your organization."

The Cleveland Orchestra already does an annual residency in Miami.

The DSO's Florida tour will cost over $580,000, and has been paid for in advance. © Copyright 2009, Michigan Radio