On April 23, 2025, Hill Auditorium will be the setting for an extraordinary musical moment as 21-year-old pianist Yunchan Lim returns to Ann Arbor to perform J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. This will mark only the fifth time in UMS’s 146-year history that the Goldbergs have been presented — and the first by a pianist so early in his career.

For many pianists, the Goldberg Variations are a milestone to be approached with reverence and experience, often a crowning achievement rather than an early-career endeavor. UMS audiences have previously heard the work performed only four times: by Glenn Gould in 1959 (who was only 27 at the time!), William Doppmann in 1965, Murray Perahia in 2000, and András Schiff in 2013. Each brought insight and maturity to this intricate, deeply expressive piece.

Lim burst onto the international stage in 2022 when, at just 18, he became the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then, he’s captivated audiences around the world with his technical brilliance, poetic touch, and fearless approach to repertoire.

The Goldberg Variations are both a technical tour de force and a spiritual journey: 30 variations built around a single, serene aria, woven into a structure of dazzling symmetry and emotional depth. As pianist András Schiff has reflected, “An aria with 30 variations—this is the most perfect architecture in music. And to return to the aria at the end, unchanged, after all that… it’s a spiritual experience.”

Lim, whose teacher Minsoo Sohn is himself a celebrated interpreter of the Goldberg Variations (and a former faculty member at Michigan State University), has spoken of his interest in the piece: “A huge universe of pianists have played this repertoire, and I have always wanted to become a fundamental musician like them, so I decided to follow their route. The etudes contain a range of expression that encompasses the groans of the earth, the regrets of elderly people, and love letters, and I could feel the freedom of longing within them. Even when I was not practicing them, their songs were still maturing in my mind.”

They require not only formidable technique but a sense of architecture, imagination, and patience — qualities usually associated with pianists decades into their careers.

And yet, Yunchan Lim seems undaunted.

Critics around the world are noting his bold choice, with The Guardian in London saying, “In the Korean musician’s first UK performance of the Goldberg Variations [at Wigmore Hall], his playing felt simultaneously spontaneous and impeccably thought through.” San Francisco Classical Voice praised the “fearless, uncompromising display of the pianist’s breathtaking musicianship…His playing radiated joy and spontaneity here, totally unencumbered by the rocky difficulties of the passagework.”

His performance in Hill Auditorium isn’t just bold — it’s historic. He joins a rare lineage of Goldberg interpreters on the UMS stage, not merely replicating their legacies, but beginning to write his own.

Be there to witness an extraordinary artist at a pivotal moment, taking on a work that has both humbled and inspired generations of pianists and their fans.

More Info & Tickets

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Be Present.

Milestone celebrations. Visionary works. Engaging experiences. Welcome to UMS’s 147th season.

Explore All 25/26 Events

View 25/26 Season Ticket Packages

Or browse season highlights below.

For Patrons & Season Ticketholders

Current subscribers can renew their series now. Season ticket packages are available to the general public starting Thursday, May 1. Learn more or flip through our interactive season brochure.

Individual event tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 29, 2025.

For the Press

View Full Press Release (PDF)

Season Highlights

Great American Orchestras

Chicago Symphony Orchestra and music director designate Klaus Mäkelä (photo by Todd Rosenberg)

The Choral Union Series includes two great American orchestras performing monumental repertoire:

• The 25/26 Season opens with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Verdi’s Requiem, featuring DSO music director Jader Bignamini*, the UMS Choral Union, and a stellar international cast of soloists. (Fri, Sep 26, 2025)
• The Chicago Symphony Orchestra returns for the first time in a decade, with new music director designate Klaus Mäkelä leading Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. (Mon, Feb 23, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

International Touring Ensembles

Philharmonia Orchestra, London with conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali and pianist Víkingur Ólafsson

The Choral Union and Chamber Arts Series welcome esteemed ensembles and artists on tour from around the world:

• London’s Philharmonia Orchestra returns to Hill Auditorium, with Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali* and Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson* making their UMS debuts. (Fri, Oct 24, 2025)
• Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in an all-Brahms program, joined by violinist Veronika Eberle* and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras*. (Thu, Dec 11, 2025)
• After their roaring UMS debut in 2023, México’s Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería and conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto return with trumpet soloist Pacho Flores*. (Wed, Jan 21, 2026)
• The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, under the direction of Tõnu Kaljuste, celebrates the famed Estonian composer Arvo Pärt in a 90th birthday celebration. (Fri, Feb 13, 2026)
• The Berliner Philharmoniker Karajan Akademie* presents some of the world’s finest young artists alongside renowned Philharmoniker principal musicians. (Fri, Mar 13, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist/ensemble

American Icons 250

Martha Graham Dance Company performing Appalachian Spring (photo by Melissa Sherwood)

As we approach the 250th year of our country, six cross-genre events celebrate America’s diverse and iconic voices, exceptional creativity, and innovative spirit:

• The Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates its milestone 100th anniversary season with three unique programs that exemplify Graham’s timeless and uniquely American style. (Fri-Sun, Jan 16-18, 2026)
• Julia Keefe* and a 16-piece ensemble of Native musicians from across the country highlight an oft-forgotten but rich history of Indigenous bands in the early 20th century. (Thu, Jan 29, 2026)
• Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will be joined by orchestral musicians from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, in a preview performance of Marsalis’s new Symphony No. 5. (Fri, Feb 6, 2026)
• Terence Blanchard* and Ravi Coltrane honor the legacies of two towering figures who were born 100 years ago and reshaped the landscape of modern jazz music: Miles Davis and John Coltrane. (Sun, Feb 15, 2026)
• A century after the publication of The Great Gatsby, Elevator Repair Service’s GATZ cleverly reenacts Fitzgerald’s masterpiece word-for-word. (Fri-Sun, Mar 27-29, 2026)
• Celebrating one of the most influential composers of our time, the Complete Piano Etudes of Philip Glass will be performed by 10 different pianists in collaboration with The Gilmore Piano Festival. (Sat, Apr 18, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Jazz Greats

Herbie Hancock (photo by Danny Clinch)

The 25/26 Jazz Series brings returning and new artists to Ann Arbor across five performances:

• Chicago-based drummer Makaya McCraven* blends past, present, and future into jazz-rooted 21st-century folk music. (Fri, Oct 10, 2025)
• One of the most celebrated artists in American history, the brilliant Herbie Hancock brings his signature mix of jazz and funk. (Sat, Oct 25, 2025)
• Vocalist Julia Keefe and her Indigenous Big Band* deepen and challenge our understanding of the “uniquely American” art form known as jazz. (Thu, Jan 29, 2026)
• The venerable Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis pairs classic big band energy with bold, fresh improvisation. (Sat, Feb 7, 2026)
• Trumpeter Terence Blanchard* and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane bring their limited tour honoring Miles Davis and John Coltrane to Hill Auditorium. (Sat, Feb 15, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Pioneering Choreography

Ballet BC’s PASSING (photo by Luis Luque)

The 25/26 Dance Series showcases past and present cutting-edge movement in the Power Center:

• Vancouver’s Ballet BC* will be on display with two different programs for their UMS debut, featuring 20 dancers in works by some of today’s leading contemporary choreographers. (Fri-Sat, Oct 17-18, 2025)
• The Martha Graham Dance Company presents three different performances, and will bring some of its original sets by the Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. (Fri-Sun, Jan 16-18, 2026)
• Brooklyn-born, Basel-based choreographer Jeremy Nedd* presents from rock to rock…aka how magnola was taken for granite, diving into the complexities of dance ownership and cultural appropriation. (Fri-Sat, Apr 3-4, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist/ensemble

Unique Theater Experiences

Dimanche (photo by Mihaela Bodlovic)

Discover three unique works that have never been presented together in any other US city:

• Nigamon/Tunai* (the words translate to “song” in the Anishinaabemowin and Inga languages) is an immersive performance ritual rooted in the presence of the natural world. (Thu-Wed, Oct 2-8, 2025)
• Combining puppetry, video, mime, and clowning, Dimanche* paints a witty and tender portrait of humanity surprised by the uncontrollable forces of nature. (Wed-Sun, Jan 7-11, 2026)
• Elevator Repair Service’s GATZ comes to Ann Arbor after its sold-out run at New York’s Public Theater in November 2024. (Fri-Sun, Mar 27-29, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist/ensemble

Complete Piano Etudes and Preludes

Pianist Christian Sands, one of 10 different artists performing Philip Glass’s complete Piano Etudes (photo courtesy of Lincoln Center)

Two events in the closing month of the 25/26 season offer rare programs of piano repertoire:

• 10 outstanding pianists will rotate in performance of Philip Glass’s Complete Piano Etudes on the Hill Auditorium stage in a co-presentation with The Gilmore Piano Festival. (Sat, Apr 18, 2026)
• Short in length but limitless in imagination, all of Claude Debussy’s magical Preludes will be performed by one of their supreme living interpreters, Jean-Yves Thibaudet. (Wed, Apr 22, 2026)

Collaborative Chamber Artists

Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason (photo by James Hole)

• The Imani Winds join forces with Pulitzer Prize finalist and five-time Grammy nominated composer Andy Akiho, whose bold works push preconceived boundaries of Western classical music. (Sun, Oct 26, 2025)
• Violinist James Ehnes is joined by pianist Inon Barnatan, violist Jonathan Vinocour*, and cellist Raphael Bell* for a program of Fauré’s Piano Quartets. (Thu, Feb 12, 2026)
• Siblings Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Isata Kanneh-Mason bring their extraordinary musical chemistry to a program that bridges Romantic lyricism and 20th-century innovation. (Sat, Mar 21, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Powerful Voices

Angelique Kidjo

• Boz Scaggs* captivates audiences with his polished yet gritty voice nearly 50 years after his hit 1976 album Silk Degrees became part of the decade’s musical fabric. (Fri, Nov 7, 2025)
• Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo returns for the first time since 2020 with her powerhouse voice, electrifying stage presence, and joyous music. (Thu, Mar 26, 2026)
• Rhiannon Giddens, the U-M Arts Initiative’s inaugural artist-in-residence, takes the Hill Auditorium stage with her latest musical exploration. (Tue, Apr 21, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Sensational Strings

Nicola Benedetti (photo by Craig Gibson)

• The Belcea Quartet opens the 25/26 Chamber Arts Series with an evening of masterworks by Webern, Mozart, and Beethoven. (Sun, Oct 19, 2025)
• One of the foremost violinists of our time, Gil Shaham returns to UMS for the first time in a decade, performing an all-Beethoven program with his longtime recital partner Akira Eguchi. (Thu, Nov 13, 2025)
• The Danish String Quartet returns with a unique program that includes works by Stravinsky, Beethoven, and film composer and Radiohead founding member Jonny Greenwood, plus arrangements of traditional Nordic folk tunes and original compositions. (Sat, Nov 22, 2025)
• Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti* makes her UMS debut with an ensemble featuring guitar, accordion, and cello. (Sun, Feb 8, 2026)
• The Takács Quartet returns in a program that includes a UMS co-commission by U-M alumna Clarice Assad, plus works by Franz Joseph Haydn and Claude Debussy. (Fri, Apr 17, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Holiday Traditions

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

• Béla Fleck and the Flecktones start the holiday season with an unforgettable Thanksgiving weekend concert. (Sun, Nov 30, 2025)
• Handel’s Messiah is brought to life each year by friends and colleagues from the community who perform with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the UMS Choral Union. (Sat-Sun, Dec 6-7, 2025)
• Fiddler Martin Hayes and the Common Ground Ensemble lead a family-friendly concert celebration a few days after St. Patrick’s Day. (Fri, Mar 20, 2026)

Discover all upcoming events. Additional 25/26 Season programming — including School Day Performances, UMS Digital Presentations, and our Fall residency at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse — will be announced over the coming months.

Burt the falcon confiscating a grossly overcharged ticket from a notorious reseller.

In a groundbreaking effort to protect patrons from predatory ticket resellers, UMS has announced a revolutionary new initiative: the Falcon Ticket Patrol. This cutting-edge program enlists the beloved resident peregrine falcons of Burton Memorial Tower to intercept and retrieve tickets that have been resold at inflated prices.

For years, UMS has worked diligently to ensure fair ticketing practices, but the rise of secondary market reselling has required bold action. Enter Burt and Gerta, the highly trained falcon duo who have undergone an intensive, months-long training regimen in ticket detection and retrieval. Working alongside UMS’s Patron Services team, these avian enforcers have been trained to recognize barcodes associated with resold tickets and swoop down to recover them from patrons’ hands.

Anné Renforth, UMS’s Director of Patron Services, with Gerta the peregrine falcon

“Our goal is to ensure that everyone has access to the performing arts at a fair price,” said Anné Renforth, UMS director of patron services. “We realized an answer to our problems was literally right over our heads! We have a team of sharp-eyed aerial navigators right here at Burton Tower…their sight is eight times better than that of humans, and they can spot an invalid ticket from two miles away.”

The Falcon Ticket Patrol operates with remarkable precision. Reaching dive-bombing speeds of over 200 mph, these fastest animals on earth can distinguish between a properly purchased ticket and one that has been marked up 500% by an unscrupulous reseller. Once a fraudulent ticket is detected, Burt or Gerta will swiftly intercept it in flight, returning it to our box office for efficient seat reassignment.

UMS patrons have already begun spotting the falcons in action. One concertgoer, whose resold ticket was retrieved just before entering Hill Auditorium, described the experience: “At first, I thought I was under attack. But then I saw the UMS logo on the falcon’s tiny vest, and I knew I was in good hands—or rather, good talons.”

So resellers, beware! If you see a shadow overhead around Hill Auditorium, it may not be a cloud—it might be Gerta, ensuring justice for the performing arts.

And please, always remember, UMS.org is the only authorized ticket seller for UMS Events.

Kurt Elling and Peter Erskine

Two-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling is known for his singular blend of robust swing, poetic insight, and vocal ingenuity. On Friday, April 11, he brings his one-of-a-kind artistry to the Michigan Theater for a special performance celebrating Weather Report, one of jazz fusion’s most influential supergroups.

Joining Elling for this electrifying tribute is drummer and Weather Report alumnus Peter Erskine, whose dynamic contributions helped define the band’s sound during its peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Together, they will explore Weather Report’s groundbreaking catalog, reinterpreting its most iconic compositions with fresh arrangements and Elling’s distinctive lyrical approach.

The Legacy of Weather Report

An early iteration of Weather Report featured on their first vinyl artwork: Alphonse Mouzon, Joe Zawinul, Miroslav Vitouš, Wayne Shorter, and Airto Moreira

While often labeled as a jazz fusion band, Weather Report defied easy categorization. DownBeat magazine described their debut album as “music beyond category,” a sentiment that continued throughout their 16-year career.

Formed in 1970 by Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul and American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, along with Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš—each of whom had worked with Miles Davis—Weather Report pushed the boundaries of jazz. The band’s pioneering fusion style wove together elements of funk, rock, R&B, and global folk traditions, crafting an electrifying sound that transcended genres.

“The rock and roll energy coupled with the incredible intellectual and compositional abilities of the band—that’s a very potent thing to come across in the 1970s.” – Kurt Elling

Over the years, Weather Report evolved through various lineups, featuring luminaries like bassists Jaco Pastorius and Alphonso Johnson, drummers Alphonse Mouzon, Chester Thompson, and Peter Erskine, and percussionists Airto Moreira and Alex Acuña. Their biggest commercial success came in 1977 with Heavy Weather, which featured their signature hit, “Birdland.”

A New Take on Timeless Classics

Elling’s tribute to Weather Report will reimagine classics such as “A Remark You Made,” “Three Views of a Secret,” and “Continuum,” breathing new life into these masterpieces with his evocative storytelling and intricate vocal interpretations.

“When someone asks me to do a Weather Report-themed project, I usually shy away from it. But with Kurt, it was an easy decision. He’s a brilliant singer—his pitch, chops, and storytelling are extraordinary.” – Peter Erskine

Elling’s approach to reinterpreting Weather Report’s music is deeply rooted in respect and creativity. By listening intently to the original compositions and channeling the composer’s intent, he crafts lyrics that honor the spirit of the music while adding his own artistic perspective.

“Well, Wayne Shorter has inspired untold numbers of people over the years. I feel particularly privileged to have been given his permission and blessing to write lyrics to some of his compositions.” – Kurt Elling

Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter

A Unique Concert Experience in Ann Arbor

With Erskine’s firsthand experience in Weather Report and Elling’s unparalleled vocal prowess, this concert promises to be a singular exploration of jazz fusion’s golden era. Join UMS at the Michigan Theater on April 11 for an unforgettable night of musical innovation and celebration, and a rare opportunity to experience these legendary compositions in a completely new way.

“He is doing a combination of scat and lyrics and I can tell you he’s written some incredible lyrics. What he’s chosen to do is also inspired and not just the obvious choices. It’s a brilliant choice of material… I also think it’s fun for people to hear me play this music again because I’m the last man standing from the quartet version of Weather Report. It’s also different enough that it warrants being done.” – Peter Erskine

More Info & Tickets

Weather Report: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine and Jaco Pastorius

An orchestra plays along with a scene from the film Alexander Nevsky.

On Saturday, March 22, the UMS Choral Union and the Ann Arbor Symphony will perform Alexander Nevsky. Sergei Prokofiev’s score to the film, which was transcribed as a cantata several years after the film’s premiere, is considered a choral masterpiece, yet one that is rarely performed — and that the UMS Choral Union has performed only three times in UMS’s history: in 1946, with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy; in 1973 with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and a young Neeme Järvi on the podium; and in 1991 with the Leipzig Gewandhaus and Kurt Masur.

This year’s presentation, however, is different in that it presents the music alongside the original film that it was written for: Sergei Eisenstein’s 1938 film, which was commissioned by Joseph Stalin to promote Soviet ideals and nationalism in the face of Nazi Germany’s territorial expansion.

Today we can view the film with a critical eye, more fully understanding the propaganda inherent in its creation while also appreciating it as a cinematic and musical masterpiece. Alexander Nevsky stands as a testament to the complex relationship between art and power. It’s a stark reminder of how history can be manipulated for political purposes, and how even under the most repressive regimes, artists can find ways to express their creativity.

Prince Alexander Nevsky marshals his troops in a scene from the film Alexander Nevsky.

Prior to Nevsky, Eisenstein had only worked in silent film, and he enlisted Sergei Prokofiev to collaborate on the project — and it was a true collaboration in that Prokofiev didn’t just write music for an already-finished film but in some cases wrote the music to which Eisenstein edited the visual picture.

Both men, having faced professional challenges and living under the constant threat of state reprisal, found themselves navigating a perilous tightrope — in fact, Stalin assigned an advisor to oversee Eisenstein’s progress on the film. They managed to balance Stalin’s propaganda demands with moments of breathtaking artistic brilliance. Like many artistic works from a different era, the film can be painful to watch nearly 90 years after its release, and it’s important to acknowledge the context in which it was created.

The historical figure Alexander Nevsky was a great military genius who defended the Russian Orthodox Church in the 13th century, when it was under attack from the Catholics and Teutonic armies in the west and the Mongols in the east. More than seven centuries later, the film mixes historical and contemporaneous religious and political symbols, including Nazi swastikas.

At the time of its creation, Alexander Nevsky was lauded for its original cinematography that culminates in a 30-minute “Battle on the Ice” (a scene that is remarkable both for the technological capabilities of the time and the fact that it was shot outdoors during a hot Moscow summer, requiring extraordinary cinematic efforts to make it seem authentic).

John Goberman, a former cellist with the American Symphony Orchestra, remembers performing the cantata with Leopold Stokowski in 1968 at Carnegie Hall and being completely taken with the music. He subsequently became the founding producer of Live from Lincoln Center and the person who started the “film with live orchestra” concerts in 1987 with this particular film.

Goberman observed, “There was a lot of really good music written for film, and one of the issues is you can’t really understand the music without seeing the film, so to do them together makes the music work in a way that it couldn’t without the film, and to a certain extent, the film without the music.

“It was made to be a popular film, not an esoteric art film, and that’s why it’s so successful with an audience, because they really get into it. There’s battles between the good guys and the bad guys, sort of a Western of its time, and of course great music that is on equal footing with the film itself.”

We hope you can join us on Saturday, March 22 for Alexander Nevsky with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the UMS Choral Union.

The film is unrated but contains a scene where a child is thrown into a fire, and imagery of Nazi swastikas.

There is a pre-concert Society of Disobedient Listeners talk with music writer Doyle Armbrust and DePaul University associate professor of screenwriting Scott Myers at 6:15 pm in the Modern Languages Building.

Additionally, Michigan State University musicologist Kevin Bartig will offer a public talk about Alexander Nevsky on Wednesday, March 26 at 12 noon in Weiser Hall.

“How can we reimagine a future in which we thrive as Black and Brown people, in which our bodies are rendered spaces of regeneration and potential and connection and community?”
– Shamel Pitts

Throughout his work, American choreographer and performer Shamel Pitts explores the idea of Black futures alongside the arts collective TRIBE, which he founded in 2019.

TRIBE works across mediums to create a platform for artists of color, both local and international, and draws inspiration from the Afrofuturism movement. Ultimately, they aim to humanize Black and Brown bodies and share “the colorfulness within Blackness that allows us to be multiplicitous.”

On March 14 & 15 UMS will present BLACK HOLE: Trilogy and Triathlon. Performed by TRIBE and choreographed by Pitts, three Black dancers share the stage in a narrative of unity, vigor and unrelenting advancement.

Ahead of the performance, take a deeper look at the rich history of Afrofuturism which inspired it.

Arts collective TRIBE performing BLACK HOLE: Trilogy and Triathlon

The term “Afrofuturism” was first coined by American cultural critic Mark Dery in his 1994 essay Black to the Future. The idea was then elaborated upon, most notably by writers Alondra Nelson, who led early conversations on the topic and Ytasha L. Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture.

“Afrofuturism is a way of looking at the future and alternate realities through a Black cultural lens. Black cultural lens means the people of the African continent in addition to the Diaspora, the Americas, Europe, etc. It is an artistic aesthetic, but also a kind of method of self-liberation or self-healing. It can be part of critical race theory and in other respects it’s an epistemology as well. It intersects the imagination, technology, Black culture, liberation, and mysticism.”
– Ytasha L. Womack

The cultural aesthetic was brought prominently into the mainstream in 2018 with Marvel’s Black Panther, which depicted an African nation far more technologically advanced than the rest of the world, providing a glimpse into an alternate reality unaffected by colonialism.

While the term ‘Afrofuturism’ wasn’t used until the ’90s, the culture of imagining and expressing alternate Black futures already abounded throughout the 1900’s. This label was applied after the fact to many artists and works that fit its themes.

Science fiction author and MacArthur Fellow Octavia E. Butler

Afrofuturism owes much of its foundation to seminal science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, who is sometimes called the “Mother of Afrofuturism.” Butler saw that the genre lacked representation of her lived experiences—so she wrote herself into it.

“I never bought into my invisibility or non-existence as a Black person. As a female and as an African American, I wrote myself into the world. I wrote myself into the present, the future, and the past.”
– Octavia E. Butler

In her work, Butler critiqued social hierarchies and explored themes of power, identity, and inequality. Her writing often featured Black protagonists who face racial and gender-based discrimination, yet also she depicted egalitarian futures unaffected by racism.

In particular, her 1993 novel Parable of the Sower explores a post-apocalyptic world dealing with climate disaster and societal collapse. Its protagonist Lauren Olamina, a Black teenager, must navigate this reality as she strives to establish a new home and community that aligns with her beliefs.

Sun Ra in his 1974 movie Space Is the Place

Though it’s most often associated with science fiction, Afrofuturism is an aesthetic that transcends genres and can be found in all artistic mediums.

One of the pioneers of Afrofuturism in music was jazz composer and synthesizer player Sun Ra who led the band, the Sun Ra Arkestra. He combined his avant-garde music with a mystical persona and outfits inspired by ancient Egypt and the Space Age. His 1974 movie Space Is the Place, depicts himself and the Arkestra preparing to settle on a new planet and start a new afro-centric civilization.

’70s artists like George Clinton and Earth, Wind and Fire, were also considered innovators of the aesthetic through their albums, lyrics, and bold performance attire. The 1975 outer space-themed album Mothership Connection by George Clinton’s band Parliament is an especially poignant example with lyrics that reference spiritual and protest songs.

Solange Knowles performing on Saturday Night Live

Contemporary Afrofuturism continues to build on the same aesthetic that came before while further reacting to the current world climate. Artists such as Solange, Missy Elliott, and Janelle Monáe have created poignant commentaries on police brutality, displacement, heritage and racist rhetoric. Many also use the aesthetic to explore intersecting identities like gender and sexuality.

In particular, Monáe is acknowledged as one of the foremost artists embracing Afrofuturist themes in music. Their albums Metropolis: The Chase Suite, The ArchAndroid, and The Electric Lady tell the story of their alter-ego Cindi Mayweather, an android on the run who becomes a messianic figure, liberating citizens from the control of a secret society.

Shamel Pitts and TRIBE continue to build on the rich legacy of Afrofuturism with BLACK HOLE: Trilogy and Triathlon.

The piece explores the transformative potential of the Black body. Within an evocative soundscape featuring samples from Sun Ra, Nina Simone, and more, the dancers embark on an hour-long, journey in movement. Their tenacity and grace are emphasized by cinematic video projections and stark, monochromatic lights.

“When people encounter my work, I would love for them to experience the power of dance and collaboration, and proclaim the pleasure and liberation through and beyond our bodies”
– Shamel Pitts

We hope you can join us March 14-15 for performances of BLACK HOLE at the Power Center. You can also join a free discussion with Shamel Pitts and Neil Barclay, President & CEO of the Wright Museum at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on March 12.

More Info & Tickets

For 15 years, PNC Foundation has helped UMS meet a growing need for K-12 students throughout Southeast Michigan and beyond to have access to arts education programs that support their educational, social, and emotional well-being.

From music to theater to modern dance, UMS School Day Performances feature some of the world’s best performing artists, using the arts to ignite student imagination and support student growth and development.

K-12 students at a UMS School Day Performance

“There is now abundant evidence that engagement with the arts plays a critical role in K-12 education.” — James Coleman, PNC

James Coleman (left), with the PNC Foundation team

“We know that arts education activities help students develop the ‘Four C’s’ of collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking skills along with socio-emotional learning, no matter the age or ability of the student or the environment in which the learning takes place. This is why it’s important for PNC to support arts education programs like those at UMS,” said James Coleman, PNC’s Director of Client and Community Relations for Southeast Michigan.

Coleman, who joined UMS’s Board of Directors in July, noted that PNC has been investing in arts and culture, K-12 education, and economic development for decades. Their signature program, PNC Grow Up Great, has invested $500 million in early childhood education since 2004 and has expanded to a bilingual initiative.

Terri Park, UMS Associate Director for Learning & Engagement, has overseen UMS’s K-12 programs for more than 10 years, and has seen increased demand for Mexican and Spanish-speaking artists among schools. Indeed, nearly 1,300 students will visit Hill Auditorium next month for a School Day Performance by Mexican-born singer/songwriter Sonia De Los Santos, with over 2,500 more watching in their classrooms via live stream. And the learning doesn’t stop there.

Every School Day Performance is complemented by a UMS learning guide to facilitate meaningful connections to classroom curricula. For select events, UMS also offers SDP+ workshops, where highly skilled and knowledgeable artist facilitators visit classrooms to offer arts-integrated experiences that prepare students for the performance. The 30-45 minute workshop (in-person or digital) connects directly to school curricula and allows students to actively explore, experience, and express the art form and themes from the performance right in their classrooms. After the performance, the UMS artist facilitator returns to lead students in discussion to help them synthesize what they learned.

Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro with students after his School Day Performance

“One of the elements I love most about UMS’s approach to K-12 arts education is the care they take to meet every school, classroom, and student where they are,” says Coleman. “The downloadable learning guides and classroom workshops make it easy for teachers to prepare their classroom regardless of their own level of expertise in the subject. If a school serves primarily low-income students, our grant helps provide ticket and transportation subsidies. It’s a thoughtful approach that really levels the playing field so any school, any student can participate.”

“Philanthropic support from our corporate partners, foundations, and like-minded individuals is so critical to UMS’s K-12 programs. It allows us not only to share incredibly talented artists from all over the world with young people, but to do so in a way that is accessible to everyone,” noted Park. “PNC’s partnership and support these past 15 years have impacted thousands and thousands of students, inspiring curiosity, sparking conversation and dialogue, and fostering a global perspective of the world around them.”

K-12 students arriving at Hill Auditorium

Learn more about the variety of programs UMS offers for K-12 students and teachers.

L-R: Branford Marsalis, saxophone; Liz Ames, piano; Timothy McAllister, saxophone

Kansas City, Missouri is rich with a vibrant culture that is unlike any other place in the country…

It is home to artists like the legendary Count Basie Orchestra and is considered “The Home of the Sax,” referring to great saxophonists Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, and Lester Young. Kansas City has served as a hub for many Jazz artists, especially during the Great Depression, when the public relied on accessible speakeasies and nightclubs to bring their city back to life.

On February 21, 2025, members of the University of Michigan community and legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis will revisit this illustrious space and time in the world premiere of Kansas City Confidential, commissioned by UMS and written by six-time Grammy-winning composer Michael Daugherty for two saxophones and piano. Marsalis will be joined by distinguished classical saxophonist and U-M professor Timothy McAllister, accompanied by collaborative pianist Liz Ames.

L-R: Photos of Timothy McAllister and Branford Marsalis rehearsing Michael Daugherty’s Kansas City Confidential; Liz Ames rehearsing on piano and harmonica

Painting by Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975)
Portrait of a Musician, 1949
From University of Missouri: Museum of Art and Archaeology

“For many years, Kansas City was also the residence of regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton, whose colorful, provocative wall murals depicted jazz musicians, dancers, and gamblers in American nightclubs and speakeasies during Prohibition.

In addition, Benton was a skilled harmonica player who often hosted folk music gatherings on Saturday nights at his home.

My composition is in five movements, each named after a musical venue in Kansas City from the 1920s and 1930s and echoes a time when musicians from all walks of life gathered for legendary jam sessions.”

– Michael Daugherty

These venues have major historical significance, comparable to those in other major Jazz cities like New Orleans, New York, and Detroit.

In addition to Thomas Hart Benton’s house, Daugherty will take us on a musical tour of Kansas City’s Pla-mor Ballroom, Gem Theater, The Blue Room, and Dante’s Inferno Speakeasy, pictured below.

Clockwise from left: Pla-mor Ballroom, Gem Theater, Dante’s Inferno Speakeasy & The Blue Room

We hope you can join us and hear Branford Marsalis, Timothy McAllister, and Liz Ames give a virtuosic tour of historic Kansas City through Michael Daugherty’s unique musical storytelling!

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Clockwise from left: Drummer Christian Euman with the Akropolis Reed Quintet and composer/pianist Pascal Le Boeuf, jazz vocalist Samara Joy, tenor and U-M alumnus Nicholas Phan, Sō Percussion member Eric Cha-Beach, and banjoist Béla Fleck

The 2025 Grammy Awards ceremony was a particularly memorable celebration for UMS. Seven unique voting categories featured UMS guest artists and ensembles as winners! Discover them all and explore their award-winning music below:

Best Jazz Performance & Best Jazz Vocal Album

Sensational vocalist Samara Joy and pianist Sullivan Fortner both appeared in UMS’s 23/24 season. Joy made her exciting UMS debut in Hill Auditorium, and Fortner joined trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire on the Rackham Auditorium stage.

Samara Joy in her UMS debut, March 2024

Sullivan Fortner with Ambrose Akinmusire in Rackham Auditorium

Joy and Fortner took home a 2025 Grammy for ‘Best Jazz Performance,’ for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me,” part of Joy’s A Joyful Holiday album. The album ALSO won a Grammy for ‘Best Jazz Vocal Album.’

Listen to the full album on Apple Music or Spotify.

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

In his words, banjoist Béla Fleck explains that the album Remembrance is an emotional final document of the deeply creative and personal relationship that he and the late jazz pianist Chick Corea first explored in The Enchantment, which won a Latin Grammy in 2007.

Listen to the full album on Apple Music or Spotify.

Bela Fleck has performed five times with UMS since 2010, last appearing as a special guest on Shakti’s 50th Anniversary Tour in September 2023.

Béla Fleck in Hill Auditorium, September 2023

Chick Corea, one of the most prolific jazz greats of our time, passed away in 2021. UMS first presented Chick in 1994 at the Power Center and, most recently, in 2019 as part of his ‘Trilogy’ tour with Christian McBride and Brian Blade. In addition to his seven UMS appearances spanning nearly three decades, Chick’s remarkable discography of nearly 90 albums includes a special connection to Ann Arbor and Hill Auditorium.

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media

Yannick Nézet-Séguin with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Hill Auditorium, in April 2024.

Superstar conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin is no stranger to UMS, having led performances by the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, and multiple tours by The Philadelphia Orchestra across the past 10 years.

Nézet-Séguin coached actor Bradley Cooper in his portrayal of Leonard Bernstein in the film Maestro, and he also led the London Symphony Orchestra in its now Grammy-winning soundtrack.

Listen to the full album on Apple Music or Spotify.

Best Instrumental Composition

Ann Arbor’s own Akropolis Reed Quintet, composer and jazz pianist Pascal Le Boeuf, and celebrated drummer Christian Euman took home the Grammy for “Strands” from the album, Are We Dreaming The Same Dream?.

Listen to the full album on Apple Music or Spotify.

UMS had the honor of debuting this fantastically energetic ensemble and program in the 23/24 season, in advance of the album release.

Akropolis Reed Quintet with Pascal Le Boeuf and Christian Euman in Rackham Auditorium

Best Opera Recording

Tenor Nicholas Phan with pianist Martin Katz in a UMS Live Session digital performance from 2022.

Tenor and U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumnus Nicholas Phan performed in the ‘Best Opera Recording’ featuring Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s second opera Adriana Mater, alongside maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony.

Listen to the full album on Apple Music or Spotify.

Phan last joined UMS in 2022 for a special digital-exclusive recital of songs written by women composers. He was accompanied by pianist and distinguished Michigan faculty member Martin Katz, as well as U-M’s Calista String Quartet.

In 2019, Salonen led the Philharmonia Orchestra of London in two unique programs performed at UMS, including Salonen’s own cello concerto that had recently been premiered by Yo-Yo Ma.

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

Caroline Shaw

Just days after her January 2025 UMS recital with Gabriel Kahane, composer and musician Caroline Shaw won a Grammy alongside Sō Percussion for “Rectangles and Circumstance.”

Listen to the full album on Apple Music or Spotify.

UMS presented Sō Percussion in 2010 in performances at the U-M Museum of Art.

Sō Percussion in the UMMA Apse, 2010

At UMS, we love celebrating champions of artistic “marathons,” from our Marathon Series subscribers who get tickets to every event of the season, to guest artists who take a deep dive into a single composer’s entire catalog.

On February 7, internationally celebrated pianist Seong-Jin Cho makes his much-anticipated UMS debut in Hill Auditorium. This is not just any recital — it is a rare and extraordinary feat of artistry, stamina, and musical storytelling, as Cho will perform the complete solo piano works of Maurice Ravel in a program that is as ambitious as it is breathtaking.

“Since I was a child, Ravel has been one of my favorite composers…I’ve always been fascinated by the ideas, colors, and emotions.” — Seong-Jin Cho

Ravel’s music demands not only supreme technical ability but also a profound sensitivity, and Cho, renowned for his poetic touch and crystalline precision, is uniquely suited for this monumental endeavor. His accompanying all-Ravel album has been lauded for its nuanced interpretation and exquisite attention to detail.

Hear Cho speak more about his relationship with the composer’s works:

“It was my first time to perform and record one composer’s complete piano music, and I can now say that I understand Ravel’s music much better than before.”

From the haunting simplicity of “Pavane pour une infante défunte” to the jazz-inflected rhythms of “Le Tombeau de Couperin,” Cho’s interpretations exude musical impressionism and virtuosity.

Preview both of these masterpieces in new music videos from the album release:

Since winning the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015, Cho has captivated audiences worldwide with his refined musicianship and deeply introspective performances. His command of the keyboard, combined with an innate sense of storytelling, makes him one of the most compelling pianists of his generation. It’s only fitting that his UMS debut is not just a performance but a milestone “marathon” event that will stay in the hearts and minds of those who experience it for years to come.

Ann Arbor joins only five other US cities (and is the only Midwest location) on Seong-Jin Cho’s limited recital tour. Join us on February 7 at Hill Auditorium for his journey through some of the most evocative and mesmerizing music ever written for piano.

More Info & Tickets

In the meantime, we encourage you to listen to Cho’s new Ravel album. Stream now and enjoy on Apple Music or Spotify.

La Marisoul is the stage name of Marisol Hernández, a Mexican-American singer and songwriter who is best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning band La Santa Cecilia. She is one of the most prominent voices in Mexican-American music today, creating original and innovative music that transcends borders and genres.

After her UMS debut with Mariachi Herencia de México in the 23/24 season, La Marisoul returns to the Hill Auditorium stage with La Santa Cecilia on March 9, joined by Sonia De Los Santos. Learn more about her distinctive and versatile voice that leaves audiences breathless.

La Marisoul was born and raised in downtown Los Angeles, where she was exposed to a diverse and vibrant musical culture. Introduced to song by her mother’s voice and her father’s love of music, she began to interpret various musical styles at an early age, ranging from traditional Mexican songs, to romantic boleros, to jazz classics and rock. Growing up part-time in Mexico and the United States created a duality of American pop culture and the roots of traditional folkloric music that shaped her unique voice.

Her voice is a reflection of her bicultural identity and her musical influences, switching between Spanish and English with ease and fluidity. (Check out her cover of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” below, featured in the HBO series Amsterdam.)

La Marisoul can adapt her voice to different genres and moods, from soft and sweet to powerful and passionate. She has a rich and expressive tone that can convey both joy and sorrow, love and pain, hope and despair. And, she can also improvise and scat with ease, adding her own signature flair and personality to performances.

She has collaborated with many artists from different backgrounds and genres, and he has performed with Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, Juanes, Café Tacvba, Lila Downs, Pepe Aguilar, Little Joe Hernández, and many others.

But perhaps the most inspiring aspect of La Marisoul’s voice is her ability to connect with the audience and the message of the songs. She sings with heart and soul, putting her own emotions and experiences into the lyrics, and her charismatic and captivating presence on stage radiates warmth and energy.

We hope you can join us March 9 to hear La Marisoul and La Santa Cecilia, joined by Sonia De Los Santos.

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“The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite, perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries.”

This evocative opening line from “The Library of Babel,” a 1941 short story by Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges, sets the stage for a world brimming with mystery. The story, which explores themes of infinite knowledge and existential uncertainty, has inspired composers and musicians Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane in their newest musical collaboration, Hexagons. The duo will perform this work in Ann Arbor on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

Borges, known for his masterful blend of fiction, poetry, essays, and translations, was a pioneer of postmodernism and magical realism. In “The Library of Babel,” he imagines a library of infinite proportions, structured as an endless maze of hexagonal rooms. Each room holds 120 bookshelves, each bookshelf has  32 books, and each book consists of 410 pages filled with a random arrangement of letters.

The result? Most books contain nothing but meaningless gibberish. Yet, within the vast expanse of the library, every possible combination of letters is contained, including every meaningful text that could ever be written. The library offers both an overwhelming sense of possibility and an existential question: can we ever truly find meaning in a world flooded with information?

As Borges’ characters grapple with the absurdity of this infinite repository, some spiral into despair, while others remain driven by the hope of discovery.

For Shaw and Kahane, this story’s profound meditation on meaning and the search for understanding resonated deeply.

“Gabe and I both had wanted to make something about this story, and we’ve decided to come together. There’s a mix of songs…and with a viola, and piano, and our voices, and a little bit of electronics, and a loop pedal, we’re constructing a world that doesn’t really tell the story of the Library of Babel, but maybe hints at the colors of the world that Borges constructs.” — Caroline Shaw

“It’s impossible to read the story in the 21st century without seeing the library as a metaphor for the internet age. But I don’t think either of us could have anticipated the extent to which Borges’ animating premise would resonate with our increasingly vexed information landscape.” — Gabriel Kahane

Hexagons marks the duo’s first large-scale collaboration, co-commissioned by UMS and several other presenters across the country. The multi-movement piece invites listeners to explore the intersection of joy, grief, wonder, and the bewilderment that arises from living in a world oversaturated with information.

Join Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane in Rackham Auditorium, Thursday, January 23, and immerse yourself in the existential contemplation of infinity, human knowledge, and the complexities of our digital age.

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Before the audience hears Hexagons, Shaw and Kahane will perform some of their previous original compositions, announced from the stage. Both artists have the unique ability to blend diverse musical genres with intellectual depth, creating emotionally resonant works that explore complex themes and engage listeners in thought-provoking ways. Enjoy this sampling of some of our favorites:

Composer, trumpeter, bandleader, and storyteller Etienne Charles brings his new multimedia work, Earth Tones, to the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre on January 17-18, 2025. In advance of these performances, Etienne was interviewed by Anastasia Tsioulcas, the University of Michigan Knight-Wallace 24/25 Arts Journalism Fellow.

AT: It is such a joy to talk to you! It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to chat about your work. You’re bringing Earth Tones to the University of Michigan next month. Tell me a little bit about the genesis of this project — where it got started, what your inspiration was, and why you want to do it now.

EC: I’ve been learning about climate change since I was very small. I’m from a small island state, Trinidad and Tobago, and my mother is a retired urban planner. So I always knew, but back then, they used to call it “global warming” and “sea level rising.”

A few years ago, when I lived in [Lansing] Michigan, I was kind of in a bubble, and I didn’t really see much of the effects. And then I started going back to Trinidad, and every time I would see the water higher. So I started thinking about a project that can kind of highlight the places and people who have been and will be affected by climate change, specifically from the standpoint of coastal erosion and sea rising, from the standpoint of landslides, from the standpoint of forest fires, and from the standpoint of food production, which is one of the main challenges that we see from climate change.

And you know it was a fascinating journey…I’m still on it. It took me to the Maldives, which is the fastest-sinking country in the world. It took me to Homer, Louisiana, the bayou, where they lose about a football field worth of land per minute. So yeah, you know, very sobering places, but very lovely people. And so it’s really about centering the people and these issues, but also just about letting people know that there are solutions to these challenges.

AT: You and I have spoken in the past about storytelling through multimedia work, and it feels like Earth Tones is another multimedia project. Tell me a little bit about what the audience is going to see.

EC: They’re going to kind of get transported to these different places to see what I saw. Also. they’re going to hear from the actual people there. It’s a big part of my work to center the voices of the actual people affected by the changes that happen.

So you’ll hear from a fisherman and photographer in Rasdhoo, Maldives who also has a coffee shop. He’s a very fledgling entrepreneur. You’re going to hear from people in Louisiana who have watched their land disappear. They’ve watched their fisheries drop. They’ve watched the produce that they make dwindle when they went from a thousand pounds of crab and shrimp per day to a thousand pounds of crab or shrimp per week.

You meet these people, you hear their stories. And that’s what it’s about.

AT: So the audience is really going to have the opportunity to step in and experience what they’re experiencing.

EC: Yeah. And I mean for me, I always care about immersion. I mean, the same thing happened with San Juan Hill. I wanted people to see what was there before and what is there now. And it’s kind of a similar approach with this, but simply because what happened in San Juan Hill is kind of gradually happening with Earth Tones.

As a musician, I’m lucky to get to see all kinds of places on this planet. And as a result, I just kind of want to bring what I saw on stage with me, so people could learn about not just the places, but the peoples.

AT: And music is your channel and your passport. Since you referenced San Juan Hill: A New York Story, we should just say what it was. This was a piece that premiered at Lincoln Center in 2022, again in a multimedia format. It chronicled the displacement of black and brown communities out of the San Juan Hill neighborhood that became Lincoln Center, and I thought that was a very powerful piece of storytelling with beautiful music.

I’m hoping you can talk a little bit about music as that sort of storytelling vehicle, because it is so crucial to what you do.

EC: You know for me, music is a way to highlight uncomfortable scenarios while making people feel less uncomfortable. There’s this topic, right? But then there’s this distraction while you listen to it. But the information is still there, and so you know, San Juan Hill was pretty overt because it’s literally something that had happened. There were styles of music that came out of this place, so there was a lot of content to kind of pull from to then extract, synthesize, and then compose.

But with Earth Tones, these are dynamic places that are constantly changing, and these dynamic people that are having to adjust. I call parts of it a “prequiem,” because it’s like not a requiem yet, but it’s the precursor to a requiem. Some of these places are literally going to be gone.

When you find out about a sandbank in Rasdhoo that literally in the last 4 years has shrunk 90% of its size, and you will see the video of me walking where there once was sand. And now there is water, and it was a huge beach that hundreds of people can go to. So that is a part of the storytelling, and then the music is a kind of coloring.

But at the end of the day, it’s all about hope. What I love about the blues is that “the blues is eternal optimism in the face of adversity,” as the great Wynton Marsalis says. It’s a great definition for the blues. And that’s what this is as well. It’s optimism. The music is very hopeful. It bounces. It’s very energetic. Everybody’s having a good time. It’s a great band, and all the musicians get lots of time to shine.

There’s mandolin and cuatro, because I wanted to make sure and show all of the different sounds of wood. I have marimba and piano played by Warren Wolf. Of course there’s drums. I play percussion. Marcus Strickland plays bass clarinet on a lot of it, and then and then we have a DJ Val Jeanty who does a lot of electronic stuff. And then, of course, there’s the bass player, Jonathon Muir-Cotton, who’s from Ann Arbor. And so it was about all of these different ways that you could use the sound of wood and natural instruments. So it’s a fun project so far.

AT: I hear you saying that the audiences are sort of going to be walking through your point of view, walking through these other people’s points of view, right? Because you’re centering their voices and their stories. Do you hope that this is a work of advocacy or awareness for the audience? What do you hope that they’ll take away from this?

EC: My work, my practice, my music — I don’t see it as advocacy. I just see it as highlighting places of people, and from that people might see a particular dimension of it that they may not have seen or known about before. And it might cause them to change something in their life. It might not. But through interaction with what we’ve done with this piece they might know a little more.

The last movement is called “Coming Together.” And it’s really because of the fact that this challenge of climate change won’t really go away. It won’t get better unless we come together like big countries and small companies, big corporations and small corporations, big people and little people. The message is really about the scenarios that we’re in all over the country and different parts of the world, and it’s a new way for us to have a common denominator that connects us. At the end of the day, the more people who know that that’s the challenge, the better off we are.

AT: Art, as you well know, is an incredible vehicle for creating empathy, and being able to step into other people’s perspectives. Good storytelling in general, is that you create these channels for empathy and sort of shared experience or recognition of shared experience.

EC: I totally agree. It’s opening the door and giving people insight into what’s going on. And then the human tradition is that of seeing and then deciphering. You know we don’t know how tall something is until we measure it, but we see it before we decide that we want to know how tall it is.

AT: The storytelling that you do through your work has garnered a ton of support for some very big people and organizations. And now, government, right? You got a Guggenheim fellowship, a Creative Capital award specifically for Earth Tones. And then the French Government, the Ministry of Culture, just named you a “Chevalier,” which is a huge honor! Do you find that recognition bolstering, validating, exciting?

EC: I don’t do mainstream work, right? Like, I’m not on a major label. I don’t have major representation. I book myself.

A lot of jazz musicians do stuff for the approval of their peers, the engaging of their peers. And I feel like, yeah, music is supposed to engage your peers. But that’s like surgeons only talking with surgeons about surgery. They’re not out there like using it to make humanity better.

Through these stories, it’s always about finding these pockets of people that you won’t see on a big screen. You won’t read about them in Time Magazine or in Rolling Stone, but they deserve a stage. They deserve a platform.

And so, recognition like being named “Chevalier” was validating. So it’s a form of recognition that I’m grateful for, because it just reminds me that we do the work with blinders on. We do the work a lot of times in the dark. We don’t come up for air. We don’t look up, and we don’t really look around.

And so when somebody pats you on the shoulder, and is like, “I see what you’re doing. and you know we see it as valid. We see it as important. and we salute you for it,” it’s a great feeling. It pushes me to go further. It pushes me to want to engage more every time I might get discouraged. People are caring about it, and so it kind of pushes me forward, and you know that’s you know we’re here to do. We’re here to work.

We hope you can join us January 17-18 for performances of Earth Tones at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. You can also join a free discussion with Etienne Charles at the U-M Ford School on January 17, in-person or online.

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2024 has been a transformative year of growth and outstanding programming at UMS! Join us as we revisit some of our favorite memories:

Starting With a Bang

Marlon Brando in The Godfather

2024 kicked off with a concert experience audiences couldn’t refuse…a film-in-concert presentation of The Godfather Live in Hill Auditorium. The Grand Rapids Symphony brought Nino Rota’s celebrated score to life, giving Francis Ford Coppola’s epic film a full sensory experience.

Snow Day School Day Performance

Mariachi Herencia de México in Hill Auditorium. Photo by Peter Smith Photography.

Ann Arbor schools were shut down because of inclement weather on the same day as our much-anticipated School Day Performance by Mariachi Herencia de México. Thankfully, we were able to livestream the performance and make it available to watch and listen on demand for nearly 60 classrooms and 5,000 students!

A New World Premiere

Standing ovation after the world premiere of Nkeiru Okoye’s When the Caged Bird Sings. Photo by Peter Smith Photography.

A huge collaboration between UMS and the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance featured a new commission and world premiere by American composer Nkeiru Okoye. When the Caged Bird Sings fused elements of oratorio, theater, and opera in a multi-movement musical ceremony, performed live in Hill Auditorium and recorded for a future album release on the Naxos label.

Martha Graham, Martha Graham!

Martha Graham Dance Company performing Rodeo in the Power Center. Photo by Peter Smith Photography.

The iconic Martha Graham Dance Company presented a novel twist on Agnes de Mille’s classic Rodeo, with Aaron Copland’s score reorchestrated for a bluegrass ensemble. Their program also included a new work, We the People, set to music by Rhiannon Giddens (perhaps foreshadowing Giddens’ return to UMS in the Fall…more on that below!).

The company immersed itself on the U-M campus and in the Ann Arbor community through masterclasses, a free You Can Dance! event for dancers of all ages and experiences, and a School Day Performance.

Two Superstar Debuts

Yunchan Lim and Klaus Mäkelä with Orchestre de Paris. Photo by Peter Smith Photography.

The Orchestre de Paris returned to Hill Auditorium for the first time since 2002, featuring the UMS debuts of two young superstar artists — music director Klaus Mäkelä and Van Cliburn gold medal-winning pianist Yunchan Lim — in a thrilling program of Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Stravinsky.

Weeks after their performance, Mäkelä was named music director designate of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Lim will be back in April 2025 for his UMS solo recital debut, performing J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

Undeniable Joy

Samara Joy performing in Hill Auditorium. Photo by Peter Smith Photography.

The 2023 Grammy winner for Best Jazz Vocal Album AND Best New Artist made a dazzling UMS debut to a nearly sold-out crowd in Hill Auditorium. Check out this timelapse of enthusiastic audience members waiting their turn to meet Joy after her performance!

 

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Back to the Freighthouse

Freighthouse crowd dancing to Las Guaracheras. Photo by Peter Smith Photography.

UMS presented multi-week residencies at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse in April and September, featuring an eclectic array of free or pay-what-you-wish performances and events for multi-generational audiences.

The Largest Gift in UMS History

UMS Board of Directors co-chairs Brian Willen and Christina Kim, Dick Caldarazzo and Eileen Weiser, and UMS president Matthew VanBesien

With a generous gift of $5 million, University of Michigan alumna Eileen Weiser and her husband Richard “Dick” Caldarazzo established the Weiser Caldarazzo Iconic Artists Endowment Fund at UMS. The fund supports two performances annually by significant artists or ensembles recognized as icons in today’s vibrant performing arts scene.

An Only-at-Michigan Kind of Residency

Kayhan Kalhor and Yo-Yo Ma. Photo by Eric Bronson.

Last year, Yo-Yo Ma’s management team approached UMS about an opportunity to host a one-of-a-kind musical gathering. After months of complex planning and preparation, this project came fully to life with a residency by the Orchestra of the Americas and a culminating sold-out performance with Yo-Yo Ma and Kayhan Kalhor.

Learn more about the residency or watch our recap video below:

Huge Student Turnout for Fight Night

U-M students attending Fight Night. Photo by Peter Smith Photography.

Our 24/25 mainstage season began with Fight Night, an interactive theater work centered around voting and democracy. Students made up over 40% of the audience across six performances, which included class groups from a diverse range of academic disciplines across the U-M campus: College of Engineering, Ford School of Public Policy, Knight-Wallace Journalism fellows, and departments of history, psychology, and acting, just to name a few!

A New Artist-In-Residence at U-M

Rhiannon Giddens and Silkroad Ensemble in American Railroad. Photo by Peter Smith Photography.

The Silkroad Ensemble, founded by Yo-Yo Ma and now led by Rhiannon Giddens, brought its American Railroad tour to Ann Arbor. The project illuminates the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad on the indigenous communities it displaced and the immigrant laborers who built it, and includes commissions by jazz artist Cécile McLorin Salvant and renowned pipa player Wu Man, as well as new arrangements by Giddens and other Silkroad musicians.

Listen to Silkroad Ensemble’s new American Railroad album

Days before the concert, it was announced that Rhiannon Giddens will become the University of Michigan Arts Initiative’s inaugural U-M Artist-in-Residence. This new program aims to bring innovative artists to campus in order to create, grow and impact the world while engaging the university community in the transformative power of the arts.

Bringing Jazz to the World

Tyshawn Sorey Trio at the Blue LLama. Photo by Peter Smith Photography.

UMS collaborated with Blue LLama Jazz Club to present Pulitzer prize-winning drummer/composer Tyshawn Sorey and his trio in two unique sets in the gorgeous downtown Ann Arbor space. Both sets sold out quickly, but free HD livestreams enabled us to share them with a global audience that included viewers and listeners as far away as Brazil and Finland!

A Milestone Visit

A standing ovation after Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5. Photo by Rob Davidson

The Berliner Philharmoniker has a rich history of performances in Hill Auditorium dating back to 1955 — the first year the orchestra ever toured the United States. In addition to two stunning, sold-out performances in Hill Auditorium, their return in November included extensive opportunities for audience and community engagement off the stage.

Read an event-by-event recap

UMS and the DTE Energy Foundation are pleased to honor Estabrook Elementary’s Tyler Rindo as the 2024 DTE Energy Foundation Educator of the Year.

The award recognizes and celebrates educators who value the importance of arts education and create a culture for the arts to flourish in their school communities. Rindo (he/they), who has taught music at Estabrook since 2017, has designed a student-centered curriculum, organized performances, and received multiple “Teacher of the Year” nominations from Embracing Our Differences Michigan and elsewhere.

Tyler Rindo teaching at Estabrook Elementary

A music graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Rindo is currently pursuing a master’s in Teaching and Learning with an ESL endorsement at Wayne State University.

The selection team was especially impressed by their experience supporting the arts in early childhood, historically teaching first-grade English and music in China, developing music programs for Kindergarten through 4th-grade classes in Wisconsin, and leading school-wide initiatives like Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Unified Arts.

Rindo is also passionate about the performing arts and stage performance. A clarinetist outside of the classroom, he shines as a member of the award-winning local ensemble Djangophonique and supports art-making in the larger community in ways such as hosting the UMS Open Mic Night at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse in the fall of 2024.

They bring these qualities to the classroom, celebrating and showcasing the unique talents of Ypsilanti students through school-wide concerts and talent shows. Last April, Rindo organized field trips so that every single Estabrook student had the opportunity to enrich their education with a live performing arts experience hosted by UMS at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse.

“We’re so thrilled to present Tyler Rindo with the DTE Educator of the Year Award for 2024,” said Terri Park, UMS Associate Director of Learning & Engagement. “We’ve been able to see Rindo’s light firsthand through his continued participation in a variety of our K-12 programming and through working with him at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. He so often uplifts and supports creativity in all students and we wanted to take this opportunity to uplift him.”

As part of the award, UMS will bring an artist for a class visit or provide an opportunity to meet with the artist at a UMS School Day Performance next season, in addition to a $250 award honorarium.

Terri Park (UMS associate director of learning & engagement), Tyler Rindo, and Patricia Hinojosa (Senior Strategist, DTE Energy Foundation)

“The DTE Energy Foundation is proud to support the University Musical Society and to honor Tyler Rindo,” said Rodney Cole, president, DTE Foundation. “Teachers play a crucial role in their students’ lives, and Tyler’s dedication to making the arts an integral part of education will have a lasting impact. His work exemplifies what it means to be the DTE Energy Foundation Educator of the Year.”