With a $20 million partnership, orsa Music Hall is set to continue leadership in Detroit’s creative future

Recently, Community Financial changed its name to orsa Credit Union. Now the name will be on the imminent Music Hall Expansion. The Music Hall Center for Performing Arts and orsa Credit Union announced a 25-year, $20 million partnership this week.

Beyond naming the expansion orsa Music Hall, the partnership will support programming, education, and community engagement. Credit union leadership calls it a partnership in the city’s creative future. 

Groundbreaking on the 100,000-square-foot, five-story building is planned for 2026. The expansion of the Music Hall will include a 1,900-seat concert hall, music academy, recording and dance studios, and a rooftop restaurant. Fundraising began in late 2022 for what is now a $165 million project.

The investment supports both the physical expansion of the Music Hall and a broad range of artistic, educational, and community-focused initiatives designed to serve artists, students, families, and audiences across the region. The Music Hall expansion and surrounding area (now often referred to as the Paradise Valley Cultural + Entertainment District) are undergoing significant, intentional redevelopment to recreate the area’s former spirit.

Why it matters

For nearly a century, Detroit Music Hall has served as a cultural home for artists and audiences across genres, cultures, and generations. From the swing of Count Basie’s orchestra to the poetry of Eartha Kitt and the legacy of Aretha Franklin, the Music Hall has reflected Detroit’s creative brilliance—one that continues today through an ever-evolving mix of global, local, youth, and family-centered programming.

The partnership builds on orsa’s growing presence and long-standing investment in Detroit. In 2025, orsa opened a full-service branch on Grand River Avenue in the Old Redford neighborhood, designed as a people-centered, neighborly space for connection — the first of several new branches planned across the city. 

Through the orsa Foundation, the credit union supports initiatives focused on housing stability, financial well-being, and community resilience. Orsa has long supported the arts through partnerships with local artists.

The forthcoming Expansion greatly increases Music Hall’s capacity to serve its growing communities for the next 100 years. Officials say orsa Music Hall reflects a shared belief in the power of music and culture to spark joy and create a sense of belonging.

What they are saying

Vince Paul, President and Artistic Director of Music Hall: “Music Hall has always been about more than performance. It’s a place where community is built and stories are shared,”“From local artists to global audiences, the work that happens here reflects Detroit’s broader musical legacy. This partnership is a natural fit because of our values alignment. Together, we’re breaking down barriers and creating more opportunities for the next generation of artists to connect, belong and imagine what’s next.”

Tansley Stearns, President & CEO of orsa Credit Union: “We are continually moved by the power of the arts to ignite impossible dreams, and that same spirit drew us to this partnership.As we step forward under our new name, orsa, this 25-year commitment reflects who we have always been, a cooperative that shows up for communities and invests in what helps people thrive. Orsa Music Hall is about joy, belonging, and long-term belief in Detroit and in the people who create its future.”

What’s in the works

The expansion, to be in the new Paradise Valley District, will feature the not-for-profit music academy and recital hall; music industry offices and recording studio; new state-of-the-art concert hall and midsized conference venue; an activated alley development and welcome center plaza; year-round rooftop entertainment and special events venue; all-city venues ticketing center; Michigan music–themed restaurant; and a retail music store.

A little background

Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, a landmark not-for-profit cultural institution in the heart of downtown Detroit’s Theater & Entertainment District, has been in continuous operation since 1928. 

Music Hall produces and presents, across its three stages, over 400 annual events that welcome a quarter of a million people to share experiences in music, theater, dance, and more. Each year, it reaches 5,000 K-12 Detroit students with in-school and after-school performing arts education. 

Through programming and education, Music Hall presents the full spectrum of diverse populations that form Southeast Michigan’srichly diverse cultural tapestry.

What’s behind the name orsa?

The credit union, once known as Community Financial, has always had a bear as a mascot. She was known as Daisy. When the credit union began to explore names that would help it stand out in a crowded field of banking institutions, it looked to its roots and the she bear that has been with them for so long. They say they also see orsa as inspired by the Ursa constellations —symbols of orientation and guidance. It reflects a focus on care, courage, and progress.

Source: Orsa Credit Union, Detroit Music Hall