Staff Picks: Must-See Events in the 2021/22 Season

By UMS

Want to know which 2021/22 season events UMS staff members are most excited about as we return to our venues? Meet some of our team and use their recommendations to help create your own Series:You package, or browse all events for more inspiration as you plan your performance season!

Christina Bellows

Director, Patron Services
Joined UMS in 2012

Must-See Event: Parable of the Sower

Starting in the not-so-distant-future of 2024, Octavia Butler’s novels Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents, written in the 1990s, envision a time where climate change and social disparities have come to a head — and it’s not so far off from where we have found ourselves in reality. Toshi Reagon & Bernice Johnson Reagon gave Butler’s works a soundtrack that is moving, engaging, and brings the story to life!

Ryan Davis

Vice President and Chief Development Officer
Joined UMS in 2018

Must-See Event: Sphinx Symphony Orchestra with EXIGENCE

The Sphinx Organization has a long history of collaboration with UMS, and I’m proud that we will kick off Sphinx Symphony Orchestra’s first national tour as part of its 25th Anniversary celebration. This will be my first time seeing an all-Black Orchestra.

Anne Grove

Artist Services Manager
Joined UMS in 2010

Must-See Event: Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández

I had been looking forward to Ballet Folklórico de México’s performance originally scheduled for our 2020-21 season, which was cancelled due to COVID. UMS was able to present a digital School Day Performance by Ballet Folklórico de México this past season and it was spectacular: wonderful music, beautiful costumes, and uplifting, engaging dancing. I’m really looking forward to presenting them live in Ann Arbor during our 2021-22 season.

Cayenne Harris

Vice President, Education and Community Engagement
Joined UMS in 2020

Must-See Event: Philadelphia Orchestra

I’m excited to hear this magnficent orchestra in Hill Auditorium over two nights with two really exciting conductors. I’m especially excited to hear Wynton Marsalis’s new tuba concerto and a work by one of my favorite composers, Missy Mazzoli.

Mark Jacobson

Senior Programming Manager
Joined UMS in 1998

Must-See Event: A MoodSwing Reunion

UMS audiences have had the opportunity to follow the all-star careers of the individual artists that comprise A MoodSwing Reunion as ensemble members and bandleaders over the course of the last 25 years through concert presentations offered on the UMS Jazz Series. Sparks are bound to fly when these heavyweight improvisers and close collaborators share the Hill Auditorium stage together in April!

Michael Kondziolka

Vice President, Programming and Production
Joined UMS in 1988

Must-See Event: Geoff Sobelle’s HOME

Pure theatrical magic and wonder. The audience gets to feel like a kid again and also ruminate on the meaning of our own homes post-pandemic, when our relationship to “home” changed quite profoundly. Don’t miss it!

Lisa Murray

Associate Director of Development, Foundation & Government Relations
Joined UMS in 1997

Must-See Event: Ali Chahrour’s Layl (Night)

The simple act of experiencing art with other people will be a treat in and of itself! Experiencing live theater, though, will be an even greater treat, and witnessing inventive, moving, thoughtful theater like Layl will be the greatest treat of all.

Terri Park

Associate Director of Education & Community Engagement
Joined UMS in 2014

Must-See Event: Swing Out

Caleb Teicher is extraordinary. Their ability to move with fluidity and precision will leave you speechless. The company’s performances are always rich in innovation, playfulness, and pure joy.

Eric Woodhams

Director of Digital Media
Joined UMS in 2018

Must-See Event: Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason

Sheku and Isata performed to a sold-out audience in Rackham in 2019 and recorded a brilliant UMS Digital Presentation from their UK home last year. I cannot wait to welcome them back to Ann Arbor in the new season. Both are phenomenal talents, and I’ve enjoyed their new albums countless times since I first heard them live.

Feeling inspired? Craft a perfect performance season just for you and become a Series:You season ticketholder.