Blog

This year, the Institute for Humanities gallery opens with John Cage’s installation, “Lecture on the Weather,” a multi-media presentation based on the writings of Thoreau that brings together speech, music, lighting, and a weather soundscape. The installation sets the stage for a year of fantastic presentations and programming university-wide that will consider experimental music, dance, and performance, and the value of revisiting and re-creating time-based work.

Rather than solely relying on our own ideas, we consult quite a bit with our UMS Teacher Advisory Committee, an invaluable and indispensable resource to us. Its members (about 40 educators from throughout southeastern Michigan) represent the range of K-12 stakeholder and service providers: classroom and retired teachers, administrators, school board members, university faculty and staff, and others.

This week’s news includes an update on the Detroit Symphony Orchestra contract negotiations, an interview with jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, and a debate about the impact of live cinema broadcasts by the Met and others.

This week’s news includes a behind-the-scenes look at the folks who make those Steinways sing, a look at Brazilian dance troupe Grupo Corpo, and the announcement of a new ballet company in metro Detroit.

UMS had nearly 40 student workers last season, assisting us in all areas of our organization: the ticket office, production, programming, education, marketing, development, and administration.

I am looking forward to experiencing the power and genius of Mahler’s music in the hands of Leonard Slatkin. This piece is Mahler’s magnum opus; in his words, “the greatest thing I have done.” For Mahler enthusiasts, this is the pinnacle

In honor of Single Ticket Day, we dug deep into our photo archive to share photos of past Single Ticket Days with you.

This week’s news includes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Renée Fleming’s new album, the restoration of a famous set of jazz recordings from the 1930s and 40s, coverage of the DSO’s contract negotiations, and more.

For a lot of performing artists, summer is the season of creativity–and it’s brimming with residencies, summer festivals, and the creation and performance of new artistic work.