About UMS

Celebrating its 132nd season!

With a program steeped in music, dance, and theater, UMS contributes to a vibrant cultural community by presenting approximately 60-75 performances and over 100 free educational activities each season. UMS also commissions new work, sponsors artist residencies, and organizes collaborative projects with local, national, and international partners.

While proudly affiliated with the University of Michigan and housed on the U-M campus, UMS is a separate not-for-profit organization that supports itself from ticket sales, grants, contributions, and endowment income. Click here for more information on supporting the various programs UMS has to offer.

10 Things to Know About UMS

1. Officially we are the University Musical Society, but we are more often known as UMS.
The name dates back to 1879 but isn’t necessarily completely reflective of the organization today. We are affiliated with the University of Michigan, but UMS is a separate, independent 501(c)(3) organization with its own board of directors. About 20 years ago, UMS expanded its musical programming scope to include significant dance and theater. The long and short of it is that UMS welcomes everyone to enjoy the transformative power of the live performing arts.

2. UMS ranks among the top performing arts presenters in the United States.
UMS stands in good company, frequently partnering on international tours with Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barbican, Théâtre du Châtelet, and leading university presenters. Few communities of the size of Ann Arbor can support this breadth of programming, making our community a hub for international performing arts tours.

3. UMS is closely aligned with the University of Michigan.
Our education department has worked with 70 academic units and 200 individual U-M faculty members in recent seasons. Through these collaborations, we present contextual programming that enriches audience engagement with the performances on our stages. In addition, the University of Michigan provides annual support through the officers of the President and Provost, the University of Michigan Health System, the Office of the Vice President for Research, and other units that support specific work. We are extraordinarily grateful and appreciative of this collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship.

4. UMS is investing in the future through its commitment to student participation in arts events.
Each year, UMS offers discounted tickets to university and high school students for regular UMS performances through a variety of programs. In a typical year, more than 17,000 student tickets are sold, representing over 21% of the audience at UMS events. Through these discount programs, students save over $325,000 each season. In addition to the many students who attend our events, we work closely with a group of about 35 students each year who develop skills in arts management through jobs and internships in all departments of UMS, as well as a volunteer student committee.

5. Ticket revenues cover only half of our total costs.
We rely on generous support from individual donors, corporations, foundations, government grants, and the University of Michigan to continue to bring the finest performing artists in the world to Michigan. We know that people choose to donate for any number of reasons: engaging more deeply in the arts, networking with others, and providing memorable arts experiences for children are just a few of the frequently stated motivations. We’re grateful to all of our generous donors!

6. The UMS education program makes a big impact on the region.
Since 2000, UMS has served 345 schools and nearly 100,000 students through our popular youth education program, which includes live performances, in-class visits, teacher workshops, and more. UMS recognizes outstanding programs with the DTE Energy Foundation Educator of the Year and School of the Year Awards. The UMS education program is made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services and dozens of generous donors who help make our education programs accessible to various communities throughout our region.

7. Volunteers are central to everything we do.
A 500-person usher corps, a 180-voice chorus, a 90-member Advisory Committee, a 34-member Board of Directors, student interns, a Teacher Advisory Committee, and countless others help us with strategic planning, special event planning, project-based assistance, backstage support, promoting performances, and putting up posters around town. We simply couldn’t do business without the support of volunteers, who collectively offer over 45,000 hours each year volunteering for UMS programs.

8. UMS is committed to nurturing and developing artists.
Over the past 20 years, UMS has committed funds to help keep creativity alive and well, with commissions of 25 new musical works, and funding to support the creation of new dance and theater productions. In all, more than 50 new works or productions have been supported by UMS, and many of these works have been seen in Ann Arbor. We believe that to create a healthy artistic ecology, we need to become patrons of the arts as well as programmers, by giving artists the resources to imagine and create.

9. UMS has been recognized by leading national foundations for its distinctive programming.
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Mellon Foundation and the Wallace Foundation have all awarded major gifts to UMS, recognizing our distinctive artistic programming and widely-emulated education and community engagement programs. Two of these gifts include significant endowment support, which keeps on giving through annual allocations that continue to support these programs.

10. UMS plays an active role in southeastern Michigan’s revitalization efforts.
With arts and culture as a key driver of quality of life, and thus a prime motivator for companies recruiting new talent, UMS is often a major draw for potential newcomers to the area. To that end, UMS representatives serve on regional economic development task forces, taking a strong stance for the value of arts and culture to the region’s future.