Parsons guided the DSO through a tumultuous period of nearly two decades that included the Great Recession, Detroit’s bankruptcy, a half-year long strike by musicians and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anne Parsons was 64. She stepped down as the DSO’s President and CEO at the end of last year, as she underwent treatment for lung cancer. She led the orchestra through the Great Recession, a contentious musicians’ strike that ended in 2011, and the COVID-19 pandemic.