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Last Thursday (September 23), UMS and Ann Arbor singer-songwriter Chris Bathgate hosted The Local “Lists” Show. Local and regional musicians were charged with creating their own personal lists of essential songs everyone should know—a task inspired by Rosanne Cash’s “The List” recording and concert. Each artist performed a few tunes off their list live for an audience of about 100 at Ann Arbor’s Yellow Barn.

This week’s list includes potential innovations in orchestral contracts, the difficulties of preserving Merce Cunningham’s legacy, review of Laurie Anderson’s Delusion from its New York premiere, and the history of meaty fashion (yes, you read that right!).

Many artists presented by UMS over its 132-year history have a long and rich history of performances with the organization. Soprano Beverly Sills was certainly no exception. Throughout the 1970s, Beverly Sills made numerous appearances under UMS auspices, culminating with this, her final appearance in 1977, just a few short years before announcing her retirement in 1980.

Seiji Ozawa has been in the news often lately, most recently for the celebration of his 75th birthday on September 1 this year, and on his anticipated return to the podium after battling esophageal cancer and undergoing surgery for it in January. Maestro Ozawa has performed six times at Hill Auditorium.

Rosanne Cash performs selections from “The List” — songs that her father, Johnny Cash, felt she needed to learn when she was first starting out — on Saturday night at Hill Auditorium. Tell us what’s on your list of essential songs.

This week’s news includes a look at season-opening galas across the nation, an NPR feature on Patti LuPone, reviews of a new Glenn Gould documentary and UMS’s theater presentation Susurrus, and more.

When bus #2010 rolled in for On the Road with UMS last Saturday evening, 312 guests were embraced by a fantastic vibe!

We continue our “UMS Living Archive” with a video interview with Joyce Holmes, volunteer usher. Joyce began ushering for UMS with her husband, Ken, in 1961, the same year they met and…

Back in July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring this week as Arts in Education Week. To that end, umsLOBBY.org will post a series of articles this week focused on arts education. This first post features UMS President Ken Fischer talking about UMS’s arts education focus, which was virtually non-existent when he arrived in Ann Arbor in 1987.