March & April Digital Events
All of our digital presentations are free-of-charge to audiences everywhere, and we hope that you will share them with friends and family near and far. Please join us for these upcoming programs, and sign up to receive email notifications of new presentations and live streams.
March —
Some Old Black Man
Encore Presentation! On Demand Mar 1 – 14
After the three-day premiere screening of Some Old Black Man in January, we received hundreds of messages from audiences in all 50 states and 32 countries, with many writing that seeing “live” theater again, and this production in particular, was a highlight of the pandemic.
As we approach the one-year mark with no live performances, we are delighted to announce that we’re able to make the play available again. If you missed it in January, don’t miss it again!
Lead Presenting Sponsors:
Tim and Sally Petersen
Presenting Sponsors:
Newmarket LLC
Funded in part by
UMS Sustaining Directors
Jerry and Dale Kolins Endowment Fund
Playing with Fire: Jeannette Sorrell and the Mysteries of Conducting
On Demand Mar 12 – 21
Two-time Oscar-winning director Allan Miller takes us behind the scenes to explore the mysterious art of conducting. The documentary film follows GRAMMY®-winning conductor Jeannette Sorrell, one of today’s most interesting conductors and a vivid interpreter of baroque and classical music. Sorrell, who was told by The Juilliard School and The Cleveland Orchestra that no one would hire a woman conductor, formed her own Baroque orchestra, Apollo’s Fire, to immediate acclaim.
National Arab Orchestra
Arab Women in Music: The Works of Asmahan and Umm Kulthum
Michael Ibrahim, artistic director and conductor
Lubana Al Quntar and Mai Farouk, singers
On Demand Mar 26 – Apr 5
This digital offering celebrating the contributions of Arab women to the arts was filmed at the Ithra Theatre in Saudia Arabia last year by the National Arab Orchestra and features music made famous by two outstanding female singers, Asmahan and Umm Kulthum, who catalyzed a period of creative vibrancy in Egypt during the middle of the 20th century. Lubana Al Quntar, a descendent of Asmahan’s family, and Mai Farouk, a specialist in Tarab who has sung the works of Umm Kulthum in major venues around the world, bring their striking voices and unique artistry to this special program.
Supporting Sponsor: Louise Taylor
This Digital Arts Adventures is made possible in part by the University of Michigan Credit Union
April —
Sir András Schiff, piano
On Demand Apr 8 – 18
Schiff recorded this multi-camera program for just a few US presenters in the iconic Church of St. Peter in Zurich, Switzerland’s old town. One of music’s most revered pianists, he was originally scheduled for an in-person recital this month, five years after his last UMS appearance.
Program
J. S. Bach Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in d minor, BWV 903
Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 17 in d minor, Op. 31, No. 2 “The Tempest”
J. S. Bach Capriccio on the Departure of his Beloved Brother, BWV 992
Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81a “Les Adieux”
Schumann Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18
Supporting Sponsor: Robert O. and Darragh H. Weisman
Penny Stamps Speaker Series
Ken Fischer and Wynton Marsalis: Everybody In, Nobody Out
Moderated by Lisa Richards Toney, President and CEO of Association of Performing Arts Professionals
Fri Apr 9 // 8 pm
This year’s final Penny Stamps Speaker Series event, sponsored by the U-M Stamps School of Art & Design, features UMS President Emeritus Ken Fischer and jazz musician and frequent UMS performer Wynton Marsalis in conversation. Wynton wrote the forward to Ken’s book, Everybody in, Nobody Out, and together they talk about finding connections to community through the performing arts, the primary focus of Ken’s book. The talk will be available on the Stamps website and on Detroit Public Television, in partnership with PBS Books.
