Lynn Salk, a commercial artist from Detroit Edison, came up with the idea for "Industry Sings” in 1957 believing
that rather than several industrial choruses each putting on a spring concert, it would be a good idea to bring them all together
for one musical evening.
The first Industry Sings Concert was held on May 2, 1957 in the Edison Auditorium for about two hundred people, most
of whom were chorus members and their families. The first concert featured Ford, Chrysler and Edison. The following year saw
General Motors Chorus joining the Concert, which was held at McKenzie High School for two years.
Next stop, Cody High School and again changes: the addition of Great Lakes Steel and the loss of Chrysler. Outgrowing
their audience capacity, they moved to the Ford Auditorium where they were joined by Chevrolet (now Gentlemen Songsters) and
said farewell to Great Lakes Steel in 1980. Masonic Temple (capacity 5,000) was then home for several years followed by a
return to Ford Auditorium, Novi High School and Macomb Center for the Performing Arts. The Millennium (2000) Concert was held
at the beautifully restored Orchestra Hall. The next several years, the concert was held at the Dearborn Ford Community and
Performing Arts Center. The last few years, we've held the concert at different community auditoriums.
This year's Industry Sings will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Birmingham to reaffirm Lynn Salk’s
belief that music comes from people who still sing around the piano and yet meet the challenge of today’s technology.
