How do you Series:You? feat. Mark Jacobson
Series:You is the most popular way to become a UMS season ticket holder, offering discounts and flexibility with any 5 or more events from the 2022/23 season.
We’re asking UMS staffers what events they would choose as their top five. We hope this provides inspiration for you to craft a Series:You performance season that’s as unique as you are!
This week, Mark Jacobson, UMS’s Senior Programming Manager, shares his picks:
Mark’s Top Five
Just by glancing at the billing, you have a sense of the epic scale of Wynton’s evening-length, through-composed, 12-movement piece for symphony orchestra, jazz orchestra, and chorus premiered by the New York Philharmonic and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at the turning of the Millenium. This (massive!) Michigan premiere will be a capstone in a week-long University of Michigan residency with Wynton and Jazz at Lincoln Center which will feature many other gems, including engagement activities and pubic events across campus and throughout southeast Michigan, a school-day performance at Hill Auditorium, a repertoire concert evening featuring JLCO with Wynton Marsalis, and a New Orleans-themed halftime show performance in collaboration with the Michigan Marching Band at the Big House!
The Rite of Spring / Common Ground[s]
Late German dance-maker and creator Pina Bausch greatly contributed to the evolution of 20th-century contemporary choreography by melding narrative expressionist constructs, intricate sets, and theatricality into what is now broadly known as Tanztheater. The Rite of Spring is one of her company’s seminal works…and a must-see. Also highly recommended is director Wim Wenders’ 3D documentary about Ms. Bausch, entitled Pina (2011), showcasing stunning performances by members of Tanztheater Wuppertal.
These four Danes bring spirituality and musical sensitivity to everything they offer in concert. The program features an exciting new work by Finnish composer Lotta Wennäkoski, bookended by unique interpretations of Schubert’s widely celebrated and mournful “Death and the Maiden” string quartet.
Pulitzer Prize finalist Maria Schneider leads her top-shelf New York-based large jazz ensemble in the long-awaited UMS debut of her beautifully intricate compositions. Writing specifically for her musicians in mind — including UMS favorite Julien Labro (accordion) and David Bowie Blackstar bandmates Donny McCaslin (saxophones) and Ben Monder (guitar) — Maria invokes “orchestral” timbres, textures, and colors rarely heard in this context. As a close musician friend recently mused, “Maria Schneider is the Duke Ellington of our time.”
Cécile McLorin Salvant returns to UMS to make her Hill Auditorium debut leading her long-standing quartet featured on her Nonesuch album, Ghost Song (2022). International accolades for Cécile’s vocal artistry are ubiquitous, and rightfully so. Her music will be interpreted by her esteemed colleagues including Keita Ogawa on drums and percussion (Snarky Puppy, Yo-Yo Ma) and Grammy-winning pianist Sullivan Fortner, who made his memorable, last-minute UMS debut last April with Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade at Hill Auditorium.
Feeling inspired?
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