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.”

Berliner Philharmoniker in Hill Auditorium, November 2024. 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. Their return this November marked the Philharmoniker’s milestone 10th visit to Ann Arbor, and included extensive opportunities for audience and community engagement on and off the stage. 

Revisit a remarkable week of performances and events:

Unique Among Orchestras

The Berliner Philharmoniker flew into Ann Arbor from Boston on Friday, November 22. That evening, UMS and the School of Music, Theatre & Dance held a free panel discussion with leadership from the Philharmoniker’s musicians and administrative staff. Together, they discussed what makes the Berliner unique among orchestras, including its governing structure, innovative educational and research initiatives, and the flagship Digital Concert Hall.

Panel discussion on U-M North Campus. Photo by Rob Davidson

Panelists included:

• Andrea Zietzschmann, Berliner Philharmoniker general manager
• Stefan Dohr, horn player and orchestra board member
• Katja Frei, director of education
• Olaf Maninger, principal cellist, and board member and general manager of Berlin Phil Media GmbH

The discussion was moderated by Kate Cagney, Director of the Institute for Social Research at U-M, with guest Shinobu Kitayama, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Culture & Cognition Program at U-M.

A Day of Learning on Campus

Horn masterclass led by Sarah Willis. Photo by Rob Davidson

Throughout the day Saturday, members of the Berliner Philharmoniker led more than a dozen different masterclasses with students from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance. All events were free and open for the public to observe.

Clarinet masterclass led by Wenzel Fuchs. Photo by Rob Davidson

Cello masterclass led by Knut Weber. Photo by Rob Davidson

Trombone masterclass led by Jesper Busk Sørensen. Photo by Rob Davidson

Visiting Another Iconic Venue

Hill Auditorium is spectacular, but there’s another can’t-miss venue when visiting the University of Michigan campus…

Photo by Mark Jacobson

UMS president Matthew VanBesien welcomed our colleagues from the Berliner Philharmoniker to the Big House for the Michigan vs. Northwestern football game!

A Special Welcome Home

After the game, the Berliner Philharmoniker performed the first of two sold-out performances in Hill Auditorium. It was a joy to welcome soloist Benjamin Beilman back to Ann Arbor in a breathtaking performance of Korngold’s violin concerto, and he graciously treated audiences to an encore from J.S. Bach’s third violin sonata.

Standing ovation for violinist Benjamin Beilman and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Photo by Rob Davidson

No stranger to UMS and Ann Arbor, Beilman attended Community High School, where as a freshman he performed in the very first Neutral Zone / UMS collaboration Breakin’ Curfew in 2005! He is now one of the leading violinists of his generation and one of the youngest artists ever appointed to the faculty of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music.

Chief conductor Kirill Petrenko brilliantly led the Philharmoniker throughout the evening, framed by Rachmaninoff’s hauntingly beautiful Rachmaninoff ‘Isle of the Dead’ and Dvořâk’s Symphony No. 7.

Berliner Philharmoniker chief conductor Kirill Petrenko. Photo by Rob Davidson

Photo by Rob Davidson

Sound of Science Day

On Sunday, UMS and the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum presented a special opportunity to explore the science of sound. A brass quartet from the Berliner Philharmoniker and two ensembles from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance — a string quartet and a flute/percussion duo — each gave three short performances, allowing kids to explore how different sounds work.

A brass quartet from the Berliner Philharmoniker performs for kids at the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. Photo by Peter Smith

Additional hands-on activities were led by UMS 21st Century Intern Renata Rangel, who spent this past summer working in Berlin with the Philharmoniker’s education team. An instrument “petting zoo” was kindly provided by the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.

Music Meets Medicine

Katja Frei, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s director of education, joined Medical Arts at Michigan for a discussion on a joint research project. Launched in 2001, Creativity During Pregnancy aims to learn how creative interventions like music can significantly reduce maternal stress factors.

A Rare Gem: Bruckner’s Fifth

On Sunday afternoon, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Ann Arbor visit came to a triumphant close in Hill Auditorium. Chief conductor Kirill Petrenko masterfully led Bruckner’s fifth symphony — a rarely performed treasure, presented in a timely celebration of the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

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

In a glowing review of the Philharmoniker’s performance in Carnegie Hall last week, The New York Times remarked that “The orchestra’s agility is such that it can shift from pummeling roar to shining chorale to turbulence to hush, each turn precise and graceful.”

Our Ann Arbor audience, in an extended standing ovation, most certainly concurred.

Thank You to All Our Supporters

We thank all of our sponsors for their incredible generosity in support of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Ann Arbor visit on their 2024 US Tour.

Title Sponsors

Menakka and Essel Bailey
Howard Bond
Richard Caldarazzo and Eileen Weiser

Presenting Sponsor

Principal Sponsors

Emily Bandera
Laura Chang and Arnold Chavkin
James and Nancy Stanley
Shaomeng Wang and Ju-Yun Li

Supporting Sponsors

Charles and Julia Eisendrath
Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Morelock

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s residency is funded in part by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan

This December 7 & 8, we warmly embrace our cherished holiday tradition of Handel’s Messiah in Hill Auditorium. Under the baton of Scott Hanoian, the Ann Arbor Symphony and the UMS Choral Union will take the stage with four remarkable soloists.

We are honored to be joined by Lauren Snouffer, Eric Jurenas, Lunga Eric Hallam, and Christian Simmons for our 2024 Messiah performances.

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Lauren Snouffer, soprano

Recognized for her unique artistic curiosity in world-class performances spanning the music of Claudio Monteverdi and Georg Frideric Handel through to Missy Mazzoli and Sir George Benjamin, American Lauren Snouffer is celebrated as one of the most versatile and respected sopranos on the international stage.

During the past season Lauren Snouffer made a Glyndebourne Festival debut as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte under the baton of Constantin Trinks and she created the principal role of Justine in the world premiere of Mikael Karlsson and Royce Vavrek’s opera Melancholia at the Royal Swedish Opera. Lauren Snouffer’s concert profile has yielded marvelous results with many of the world’s most distinguished conductors and orchestras including performances with Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra, Rafaël Pichon and the Handel & Haydn Society, Maasaki Suzuki and the San Francisco Symphony, Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony, Jaap van Zweden and the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert conducting the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Edo de Waart and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and with Marin Alsop and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo.

Listen to Lauren Snouffer’s magnificent voice here:

Eric Jurenas, countertenor

Praised by The New York Times for his “beautiful, well-supported tone and compelling expression,” American countertenor Eric Jurenas has been featured on some of the world’s largest and most reputable stages. His dedication to baroque-era music, newly-created works, and everything in between, has established him as an influential voice.

Recent operatic engagements include productions at the Wiener Staatsoper, Komische Oper Berlin, Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Theater an der Wien, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, The Santa Fe Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Philadelphia, The Glimmerglass Festival, and Opera Lafayette.

A frequent concert performer and recitalist, he has been featured in programs of varied repertoire. Recent solo recitals include a program of Purcell, Ravel, and Mahler at New York’s Lincoln Center, British Heroes – a program of Handel’s English repertoire with La Chapelle Harmonique – at the Palace of Versailles, and Zeit steht still – a program of English lute song – at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music. A frequent performer of Handel and Bach, he has performed countless works with both modern symphony orchestras and baroque ensembles, including Boston Baroque, Colorado Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, American Bach Soloists, Harvard Baroque Orchestra, Juilliard 415, Dayton Philharmonic, and Colorado Bach Ensemble.

Preview this selection of Handel featuring the wonderfully talented Eric Jurenas:

Lunga Eric Hallam, tenor

This season, Hallam will make major orchestral debuts, singing Mozart’s Mass in C Major with Nathalie Stutzmann and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, later performing Handel’s Messiah with Masaaki Suzuki and the National Symphony Orchestra and also singing a baroque programme with Emmanuelle Haim and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

He will also debut Schubert’s Mass no.5 in A-flat with the São Paulo Symphony and sing a recital with Craig Terry at the Kennedy Center in Washington for Vocal Arts DC. On the stage, Lunga will make a debut at Minnesota Opera returning to the role of Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Hallam debuted last season with the Houston Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Opera and a return to Wolf Trap Opera for his first Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte. He began his career in Cape Town, where he studied at the University of Cape Town College of Music, and was in the Young Artist Programme at Cape Town Opera.

At the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lunga appeared in the Harris Theater’s Beyond the Aria series alongside Joyce DiDonato, and his recent debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Riccardo Muti as the Judge in Un ballo in maschera. Recent performances at the Lyric Opera include the Sunday in the Park with Lyric’s Rising Stars concert, as well as in the Chicago premieres of Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Adult Nathan) and Le Comte Ory (First Courtier).

Hear Lunga Eric Hallam’s sensational voice in this performance of Bellini’s “La ricordanza” from Sole e Amore:

Christian Simmons, bass-baritone

Washington, D.C. native Christian Simmons, bass-baritone, was a winner in the 2023 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. Simmons made his European debut with Deutsche Oper Berlin for the 2023-24 season, as a winner in the Opera Foundation’s 37th Annual Scholarship Competition.

With Deutsche Oper Berlin, Mr. Simmons was seen in Carmen, Anna Bolena, Tosca, Gianni Schicchi, Nabucco, Die Zauberflöte, Madama Butterfly, Lohengrin, La traviata, and La bohème. Also in the 2023-24 season, Simmons made his Atlanta Opera debut in La bohème and joined the Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist.

As a member of the Cafritz Young Artists of the Washington National Opera, Simmons has appeared on many stages within the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In the concert setting, Simmons was a featured soloist with Maestro Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra, performing the bass soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and concert aria “Per questa bella mano” at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Simmons has performed with various festivals and companies around the world including the Morgan State University Theater, Bel Cantanti Opera Company, Washington Opera Society, Castleton Music Festival, Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Berlin Opera Academy, Bare Opera Company, and the Maryland Opera Studio. Simmons has also been featured as the bass soloist in such works as G.F. Handel’s Messiah, J.S. Bach’s Magnificat, Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, and Franz Schubert’s Mass in G Major.

Hear Christian Simmons beautifully perform a selection from Mozart’s Don Giovanni:

“Giving back is fundamental to Golden Limousine’s mission and my personal values… It’s about creating a new bottom line that’s not focused solely on profit, but also about lifting the community as a whole.”

Sean Duval is the president and CEO of Golden Limousine International, an Ann Arbor-based private luxury and executive-level transportation service, and one of UMS’s generous corporate supporters. We asked Sean about his background in the arts, favorite UMS moments, and what makes giving back to the community such an important part of his company’s values.

Tell us a little about your background with the arts: First performing arts experience? Did you grow up with the arts or come to them as an adult?

I’ve always appreciated the arts, though my exposure to them grew as an adult. Moving around as an Army brat from community to community and attending various schools in different states allowed me to experience diverse cultural expressions, usually in church or school experiences. However, the exposure gave me an early respect for art in its many forms. It wasn’t until I became more involved in the Ann Arbor community, however, that I fully embraced the performing arts, especially through organizations like the Ann Arbor Symphony, Young People’s Theatre and UMS and later, the Detroit Opera House and Fisher Theatre. Over time, the arts have become an essential part of my life and my family’s life, enhancing our connection to the community.

We see Golden Limousine everywhere in our community. Tell us why is it important for you to give back?

Giving back is fundamental to Golden Limousine’s mission and my personal values. I believe that a strong business community should actively support the environment it operates in. By contributing time, resources, and services, we strive to make the Ann Arbor region vibrant and thriving. My involvement with organizations like the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation or Washtenaw Community College has shown me firsthand the positive impact businesses can have on the lives of our residents. It’s about creating a new bottom line that’s not focused solely on profit, but also about lifting the community as a whole.

What are your favorite UMS performance memories?

Trevor Noah’s Back to Abnormal tour was hands-down one of my favorite UMS moments. His humor was spot-on, and he tackled tough topics in a way that had everyone laughing while thinking. Nothing felt off-limits, and it was refreshing to hear someone just lay it all out there with such sharp humor. I also really enjoyed Fight Night — getting to be part of the action made it a fun and thought-provoking experience. It’s great that UMS brings these kinds of performances to Ann Arbor, in addition to all the great musical selections.

What role do you see the arts playing in the Ann Arbor community?

The arts bring people together, serving as a bridge across different backgrounds and experiences. In Ann Arbor, UMS and similar organizations enrich our cultural landscape, making the community more inclusive and more vibrant. Bringing UMS to Ypsilanti and the Ypsi Freighthouse was a stroke of genius. The arts also foster creativity and innovation — qualities that make Ann Arbor a unique and attractive place to live and work. Golden Limousine is proud to support these cultural efforts. It helps to fuel our local economy with visitors while enhancing the quality of life for all of us.

Golden Limo is a new corporate donor to UMS. What makes you most excited about this new partnership?

I’m thrilled to join UMS as a corporate donor, as it aligns perfectly with our commitment to enhancing the Ann Arbor community. Partnering with UMS allows us to connect with audiences who appreciate quality, sophistication, and community — a perfect match with Golden Limousine’s values. Beyond financial support, this partnership provides an opportunity for Golden Limousine to serve the community directly, offering comfortable, reliable transportation for events, potentially making the arts more accessible to a broader audience.

How does your support of UMS complement your relationships with other areas of the greater U-M community?

Supporting UMS enhances our commitment to the University of Michigan community, where Golden Limousine has long provided safe, reliable transportation services. We work with U-M athletics, academic departments, and various university events, and now, our relationship with UMS deepens that bond. It’s rewarding to know that we’re not only supporting the logistical needs of the university but also contributing to the broader cultural and artistic life on campus.

Finally, how is it working with your spouse?!

Working with Alina is both a joy and a challenge! She has an incredible eye for detail and a dedication that matches my own, which means we often push each other to be our best. Of course, we have our moments, like any couple working together, but we make it work by respecting each other’s strengths and knowing when to turn off “work mode” and just be a couple. It’s a unique partnership, and I’m grateful to have her by my side in both life and business. Having her support and insight has been invaluable, both personally and professionally. Plus, she’s not afraid to keep me grounded when needed.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre performing 13 TONGUES, choreographed by Cheng Tsung-lung. Photo by Liu Chen-hsiang.

Thirteen can be a lucky number! After a 13-year absence, the world-renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan returned to Ann Arbor this past month to kick off their 2024 North American tour. The contemporary dance company presented 13 TONGUES, a work created by company artistic director Cheng Tsung-lung, which transforms his childhood memories of Taipei into a dreamlike fantasy world accompanied by Taiwanese folk song, Taoist chant, and electronica.

In addition to their two stunning performances at the Power Center, Cloud Gate connected with students and curious dancers in the community. They presented a masterclass to dance majors at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance and a free You Can Dance! workshop at the Riverside Arts Center.

Cloud Gate’s time in Ann Arbor was enhanced through a partnership with the Michigan Taiwanese American Organization (MITAI), which is dedicated to promoting cultural exchange between Michigan residents and Taiwanese Americans in Michigan. MITAI had a busy week as well, accompanying the artists throughout their time in Ann Arbor, providing meals and receptions for the artists, and hosting their own community engagement event to discuss the connections between 13 TONGUES and Taiwanese culture.

Take a look back at this terrific week!

From Hearts to Horizons

Sunday, October 20

MITAI prepared for the company’s arrival by partnering with the Ann Arbor District Library for 13 Tongues and 13 Taiwanese Tales, a series of presentations about the diverse and vibrant culture of Taiwan. Through food, healthcare, industry, arts, religion, and more, MITAI introduced the audience to elements at the heart of both Taiwanese society and Cloud Gate’s performance. Watch the full presentation on YouTube.

Welcome Back to Ann Arbor

Wednesday, October 23

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre first performed at the Power Center in 1979, and their most recent appearance was in 2011, when they presented Water Stains on the Wall. Since then, choreographer and founder Lin Hwai-min handed the reins of the company to current artistic director Cheng Tsung-lung, who, along with the company, arrived in Michigan early Wednesday morning (despite travel delays!)

MITAI President Theresa Yang 楊逸鴻 (right) and board member Tzywen Gong 龔姿文 (left) welcome Cloud Gate Dance Theatre artistic director Cheng Tsung-lung 鄭宗龍 (center) at the airport.

Masterclass

Thursday, October 24

Cloud Gate dancers Hsu Chih-hen and Huang Po-kai led a class for a group of 60 U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance students. The pair put the full group through warm ups and somatic exercises before teaching some of the choreography found in the weekend’s performances.

Cloud Gate member Hsu Chih-hen leading the class through warm ups.

Good Friends and Good Food

Friday, October 25

MITAI hosted a dinner with Cloud Gate artists at China Palace in Ypsilanti. After lots of hard work and travels, everyone had a wonderful time getting to know each other, sharing stories and celebrating community the night before opening!

Members of the Michigan Taiwanese American Organization and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

You Can Dance!

Saturday, October 26

Students weren’t the only ones who got to learn and move! Hsu and Huang also led UMS’s first You Can Dance! workshop of the season for the community-at-large. Thirty dancers of all ages and experience levels learned body awareness and contemporary vocal and movement basics before getting their own try at some of the choreography in 13 TONGUES.

Cloud Gate dancer Huang Po-kai modeling a fragment of the show’s choreography for the You Can Dance! participants.

The Hand Bell Sounds

Saturday, October 26 & Sunday, October 27

Beginning and ending with the sound of a single hand bell, 13 TONGUES captivated audiences in two performances. The brilliant colors of costumes and projections, the musicality of voices and electronica, and the sharp movements of the ensemble left audiences with impressions of spirituality, humanity, and journey.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre performing 13 TONGUES, choreographed by Cheng Tsung-lung. Photo by Liu Chen-hsiang.

The title refers to a legendary 1960s street artist and storyteller known as “Thirteen Tongues,” who could conjure up all the characters of Bangka/Wanhua, Taipei’s oldest district, in the most vivid, dramatic, and fluently imaginative narratives. Choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung first heard about “Thirteen Tongues” when he was a child, through stories shared by his mother. Hear Cheng speak more about his inspiration and creation:

Bravo!

As the projection of the koi fish darted its way off of the curtain into the darkness, audiences leaped to their feet, recognizing both the artists and the choreographer for their illustrious work with several minutes of applause and bows.

Our Sincerest Appreciation

Every staff member at UMS played a significant role behind the scenes in bringing this residency to life. We especially thank our Programming, Production, and Learning & Engagement teams for their tireless dedication over the past months.

UMS has been supported by passionate university, individual, and corporate sponsors who were essential in supporting this residency at the University of Michigan. We thank all of our sponsors for their incredible generosity and commitment to our mission of connecting audiences and artists in uncommon and engaging experiences.

In particular, a special thank you to the Michigan Taiwanese American Organization for their partnership in presenting these wonderful artists.

Presenting Sponsor

Tim and Sally Petersen

Funded in Part by

Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation

Media Partner

“Few artists are so fearless and so ravenous in their exploration” as Rhiannon Giddens, proclaimed the influential online music magazine Pitchfork.

We could not agree more. And it’s no wonder why legends like Yo-Yo Ma and Beyoncé have collaborated with Giddens during milestone moments in their own careers. Learn more about Giddens’ unique virtuosity and passion for a more accurate understanding of our country’s musical origins before she returns to UMS with the Silkroad Ensemble on Friday, November 8.

Rhiannon Giddens’ resume is beyond impressive. She is a two-time Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist, a MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and a composer of opera, ballet, and film. Her rise to fame is a testament to her unique artistic vision, centered around lifting up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased.

“I believe that knowing your history as a musician is super important. It’s important as a person, it’s important as a country, it’s important as a people.”

Hear her elaborate in a 2017 TED Talk and performance:

Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Giddens first gained national recognition as part of the Grammy Award-winning folk group Carolina Chocolate Drops (which UMS presented in 2010). Her powerful vocals, banjo, and fiddle skills were a noted focal point of the ensemble.

Hear Carolina Chocolate Drops in a cover of Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em up Style (Oops!)”

Giddens’ name recognition has skyrocketed in recent years, especially after a collaboration with one of the world’s biggest superstars. Beyoncé’s 2024 album, Cowboy Carter, features Giddens playing banjo and viola in the now-iconic (and TikTok viral!) “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM.”

Following the album’s release, Giddens spoke to ABC News about how she looks to reclaim the Black history of the banjo:

In 2022, Giddens took on a new role as the artistic director of the illustrious Silkroad Ensemble, succeeding Yo-Yo Ma. Ma founded Silkroad in 1998 to be both a touring ensemble composed of world-class musicians from all over the globe and a social impact organization making a positive impact across borders through the arts.

Under Giddens’ leadership, Silkroad creates music that engages difference, sparking cultural collaboration and passion-driven learning. The ensemble strives to help build a more hopeful and inclusive world through performances, the creation and commissioning of new music, social impact initiatives, and educational partnerships.

Silkroad’s upcoming album and tour, American Railroad, illuminates the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad and westward expansion on the communities it displaced and those who labored to build it, taking a more accurate look at the global diasporic origin of the American Empire.

We hope you can join us Friday, November 8, when Rhiannon Giddens and Silkroad Ensemble bring American Railroad to Hill Auditorium. This highlight of UMS’s 24/25 season is one of our most anticipated programs, featuring new commissions by other UMS audience favorites — jazz artist Cécile McLorin Salvant and renowned pipa player Wu Man — as well as new arrangements by Giddens and other Silkroad musicians.

We also encourage you to dive deeper into American Railroad on Silkroad’s website.

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Students look at a display of cereal boxes in Robin Frohardt’s immersive The Plastic Bag Store, January 2023. Photo by Peter Smith

Engaging Performance, a class that brings together resources from U-M and UMS, connects undergraduate students directly to the world-class touring artists who perform music, theater, and dance on the U-M campus. Students enrolled in the course attend live performances, talk with artists and arts administrators, and explore how the performing arts are an integral part of our lives and the world. 

IS IT FOR ME?

Engaging Performance is open to undergraduate students at all levels and across all departments at the University of Michigan; no previous experience or special training in arts is required!

Last year, Maddy Wildman, UMS’s University Programs Manager, spoke to three students to hear the key takeaways from their semester in Engaging Performance. Here are some excerpts from their conversations.

MW: What is your prior experience in the performing arts?

Student: I had no experience with it. I went to a couple of orchestra performances through field trips with my elementary school, and that’s about it.

Student: Not much. It wasn’t really until the pandemic that I experimented with costume design and makeup and a little bit of acting. I was in sports before that, and I thought about doing theater my senior year of high school, but it conflicted too much with varsity sports. I really got to dive deeper into the arts once I got to college.

Student: I’ve been writing poetry since I was about 10 years old and been singing all my life; I’ve always had an interest in the arts.

MW: Why did you sign up for this course?

Student: I’ve always loved the performing arts. I really enjoy classical music and I have a strong appreciation for it, but I never had the avenue to explore and attend these performances. I learned during orientation that many amazing performers come to campus, but first semester went by and I did not attend a single performance. I was busy and I just didn’t make time for it. When I saw this class I got really excited. The class forces you to attend these performances and it’s something I could finally make time for.

MW: What was the most memorable moment in the course?

Student: Attending the first performance, Latasha Barnes’ Jazz Continuum, with the group and discussing different points of view on the performance. The class is from a variety of backgrounds; it’s not just majors in SMTD (School of Music, Theater, and Dance) or Stamps (School of Art and Design), so you get a feel for people from business majors, STEM majors, etc. You get to understand their experience of a performance, even if they don’t know the lingo or comprehend what it means to put on a performance. Getting the opportunity to understand those points of views, collaborate with people, and see their perspectives from a non-artistic point of view was really interesting.

LaTasha Barnes’ The Jazz Continuum

MW: What surprised you the most in this course?

Student: I didn’t expect that the class was going to enhance my experience of the performances so much. I knew we were going to attend performances, but I wasn’t sure what we were going to do in class. I was surprised to interact with so many guests who helped us learn about the art forms and performances. It made me more excited to attend.

MW: How will what you’ve learned in this course affect you in the future?

Student: I want to work with youth and families. I’d like to host events and workshops that introduce children and youth to the arts. I want to ask them questions like, “Have you ever tried playing an instrument? Have you ever been to this type of performance?” You never know what things are pivotal until that person is older and they come back and tell you “Wow, this experience really made a difference for me.” You have to give people a chance to latch on to things and then see what blossoms from it. 

Student: As a business major, I see so many open roads and paths I can take, so I really value being well-rounded. Even as a person, it’s important to be well-rounded, building these experiences and learning how to appreciate other cultures. There’s a whole hidden language within the performing arts audience, like when you clap while watching an orchestra. Immersing yourself in different communities and learning to appreciate them is so important when you go into any career – and especially business careers – to share and connect with people.

MW: Would you recommend this course to a friend?

Student: I would definitely recommend it to a friend. This course is a chance to deepen your appreciation of performances and explore, have fun, and be surprised.

Student: I’d recommend it. It’s a great opportunity to see things that you’re already familiar with, but also to help you better understand performance as a whole. It can also open you up to new mediums that you may not have experienced before. I think it could really help people that aren’t as involved in the arts open up and see what they might like or want to explore further. For people that really love concerts, orchestra, and entertainment, I think it can deepen your understanding and appreciation for those forms.

Winter 2025 Class Information

Term: Winter 2025 // Course Name: Engaging Performance

Course Listing: MUSPERF 200, ALA 260, ENGLISH 290

Instructors: Jason Fitzgerald and Matthew Thompson

Credits: 3 Credits (Humanities Distribution)

Class Schedule: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11:30 am – 1 pm, Room TBD (Central Campus)

Course Listing

Students will attend live performances of:

• Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane – January 23 // 7:30 pm 
• Natalie Palamides’ Nate – A One Man Show – February 5-9 // 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm
• Branford Marsalis Quartet – February 19 // 7:30 pm
• Shamel Pitts | TRIBE’s BLACK HOLE: Trilogy and Triathlon – March 14-15 // 8:00 pm
• Peeping Tom’s Triptych – March 28-29 // 7:30 pm
• Les Arts Florissants – April 9 // 7:30 pm

These performances constitute the course’s primary “texts”, and the full package of tickets is available to students enrolled in the course for the reduced rate of $90. Additional funds are available for students who need financial support.

Engaging Performance is made possible through a partnership between the University of Michigan and the University Musical Society (UMS).

Some responses have been edited for clarity and brevity, and not all answers have been included in this article. 

Thank You to Our Supporters

The Ehrenberg Family Charitable Fund 

The Berliner Philharmoniker in Hill Auditorium, November 2022.

For the first time in UMS’s 146-year history, Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 takes center stage. This piece will be performed on November 24 in Hill Auditorium by the legendary Berliner Philharmoniker. This is an exciting opportunity for Ann Arbor to experience this symphony under the baton of chief conductor Kirill Petrenko.

Petrenko, who has gained acclaim for his dynamic interpretations and deep understanding of the symphonic repertoire, is a champion of this monumental work. His extensive experience leading orchestras worldwide and his dedication to bringing both classic and overlooked composers to life make this concert an unmissable experience.

Bruckner composed his Fifth Symphony during an especially difficult period of his life. 

“My life has lost all joy and pleasure,” he famously wrote to a friend at the time.

Yet, from this challenging place, he created one of his most ambitious masterpieces, weaving together a vibrant display of motifs and themes. The symphony culminates in a finale that is both powerful and transformative, echoing the grandeur of Beethoven’s Ninth and the intricate counterpoint of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony.

This symphony is immense but thorough. It is a challenging piece of repertoire for a musician to perform, mentally and physically. If this is your first time experiencing Bruckner, then hearing the Berliner Philharmoniker is a perfect introduction.

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s performances of this piece this season have already garnered a radiant media spotlight:

“Petrenko’s triumph was making the work’s logic and architecture clear while enhancing its mysteries, its direct access to a brain thinking unlike any of ours… So much in the Fifth is dependent on the brass, and the Berliners were immaculate: each voice came through distinctly, which can be hard when you’re thundering out a chorale and competing with hurrying strings. As the symphony progressed, Petrenko darted about his podium, swinging his arms wide, and he seemed to be enjoying himself. We certainly were. ★★★★★”– The Financial Times

Kirill Petrenko by Monika Rittershaus

On November 24, make sure to arrive at Hill Auditorium with enough time to settle in before the performance begins. You won’t want to miss a moment of this grand symphonic 79 minute journey. There are many details to catch in this expansive piece of repertoire, and this brief listening guide will help you prepare for it.

Introduction: Adagio – Allegro (B♭ major)

The symphony opens with a chilling pizzicato from the cellos and basses, followed by a stirring chorale from the upper strings that may cause you to lean forward in your seat. But Bruckner is known for extreme and sudden dynamic contrast, employing the brass section for powerful chorales very suddenly after a gentle moment. 

“It’s the tone quality that hits you first with the Berlin Philharmonic: like a shot of adrenaline if you’re in the direct firing line of the superb lower brass.” – The Guardian

The brass boldly lead the way, while the woodwinds and strings join in for the full tutti orchestral sound that is uniquely Bruckner. Here is a preview from the Philharmonkier’s recent performance in their Digital Concert Hall: 

In the Allegro section, listen for the violas and cellos taking the lead, transitioning into an overlapping melody with the oboe. The dotted eighth-sixteenth motif unapologetically recurs throughout the movement. The brass provides a stunning blend and balance with every entry, aiding the orchestra into the movement’s breath-taking conclusion. 

Adagio: Sehr langsam (D minor)

The second movement begins gently with pizzicato strings, leading to a haunting yet captivating oboe melody. This is soon joined by a bassoon, creating a beautiful duet filled with tension. As the movement unfolds, it transforms into a charming yet heroic ballad, showcasing a sense of optimism.

Scherzo: Molto vivace (D minor)

The third movement is a scherzo that, unlike its sibling movements, does not start with pizzicato. The strings start in an unrelenting waltz motion that persists until the trio,  which is in a duple meter. 

The trio section is gentle, curious, and hopeful, reminiscent at times of pastoral music with frequent stirring swells in the brass. But it is brief — just about two minutes to be exact. We then return to the beginning of the Scherzo and its beloved triple meter until the very end, creating a symmetrical listen for the audience.

Finale: Adagio – Allegro moderato (B♭ major)

Finally, the fourth movement opens in an adagio fashion similar to the first movement, only this time with a solo clarinet gently interjecting.

Bruckner briefly sends us into the familiar dotted eighth-sixteenth Allegro section from before, but later interrupts himself with the second movement’s creeping oboe melody for just a few bars. The Allegro section returns with the strings repeating our familiar dotted eighth-sixteenth theme to each other, overlapping to create a captivating fugue. This movement is constantly changing as themes come and go before we even realize they have happened.

The final pages of this movement are nothing short of epic; the entire orchestra cries in emotionally complex harmonies that lead to a simple yet bold B-flat major chord.

Don’t miss your chance to witness Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker. It is a work that not only reflects the struggles of its composer but also stands as a testament to resilience and artistic brilliance. Join us for an evening that promises to resonate long after the final note fades.

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Janice McCoy “Printing Say Nice Things”. Photo: Flint Institute of Arts

UMS is pleased to welcome Janice McCoy as this season’s Flint Artist in Residence. As an artist, Janice seeks to create dialogue between people and the natural world, using flora, fauna, and man-made objects as visual symbols driving dramatic storylines.

Born and raised in Michigan, her fine art studio focuses on drawing, printmaking, painting, and the intersectionality between these practices. Janice attended the University of Michigan-Flint from 2012-18 and holds two degrees in Visual Arts Education (BS) and General Studio Art (BFA). She currently works full-time at the Flint Institute of Art Museum + Art School as the 2-D Programs Manager and is an active member of the Buckham Fine Arts Project.

Janice hopes that her residency will bring attention to the necessity of creative work as part of being human, especially in her exploration of the Flint community and landscape and her education on the process and power of printmaking.

UMS University Programs Manager Maddy Wildman recently interviewed Janice about her hopes for the residency, personal connections to Flint, and overall artistic process.

What is your connection to Flint, MI and how will it inspire your work during this residency?

I’ve lived in Flint for 12 years now, and this is one of my top 10 favorite places on earth. When I first moved here to study biology at UM-Flint, I don’t think I quite got it, but after a year of living here, I started to value the connections that I was able to make. The people here are so authentic, honest, and generous with what they have, and they all possess a real sense of scrappy problem solving, trying to do better or to be better.

I’m an artist because I moved to Flint. I came from a small town, and the notion of a “working artist” or anyone in the arts beyond a high school art teacher was foreign to me. When I took a general education credit in art here, with an instructor who was a working and teaching artist, I saw for the first time someone who was able to support their life making art, and something just clicked.

The community has provided so much support and inspiration for me, be it the teaching staff at UM-Flint or the people in the community who are a part of institutions like Buckham Gallery, Greater Flint Arts Council, and MW Gallery. At this point I feel the need to represent Flint and give back to Flint in any ways that I can, helping others who are a little bit further back in their path with recognizing that they might want to be an artist, that they want to do creative work.

I hope to create something that does justice to Flint and all of its complexities, something that represents the spirit of Flint. I hope that by sharing what I do it’ll give people something new to consider about Flint, something interesting that they’ve never seen before, or even inspire them to be creative.

You plan to host a public printmaking demonstration at the end of the residency. How does printmaking differ from other forms you work in? What value do you think programming like this has for the community?

Printmaking is a really cool medium that a lot of people don’t know about. The multiplicity of the practice is appealing for both artists and collectors because you can sell prints at a much lower price point than something like paintings or drawings. You can also get a lot of different results from utilizing marking, shape and color layering, and combining various methods. Because of this, it’s naturally a very experimental medium. And it also has such a big communication role in social movements, as well as in technology and development.

There’s always a nice atmosphere with printmaking and printmakers too; everyone is willing to share information about their process and their materials. Unlike the “solitary artist” archetype, printmaking opens doors to a vibrant, hands-on community.

Artist Janice McCoy holding “Your Flint River Is Alive”. Photo: Matthew Osmon

Your work has previously explored residents’ connection to the Flint River. Might this show up in the work of this residency, and if so, how?

I’ve always been interested in natural forms like plants and animals, mostly because I grew up in such a rural area. In moving to an urban area, I therefore gravitated towards those green spaces where I could see glimpses of a natural environment.

A few years ago, I did a project with Buckham Fine Arts Project/Buckham Gallery and the Flint River Watershed Coalition called On-Screen. For this project, we created prints for different nonprofits in the community that might be lesser known, bringing awareness to their mission and to the work that they’re doing. It was important to me to bring attention to the fact that the river has an ecosystem; it’s not just barren. There are many misconceptions regarding bodies of water that have been abused in industrial environments; the Flint River has long been associated with sewage, industrial waste, lead poisoning, bacteria which led to Legionnaires’ disease, and more. This is entirely understandable and valid for people who have been through a traumatic event like the Flint Water Crisis, but that event and its consequences was largely caused by human error and government mismanagement. When you look at the condition of the river, that is a little more nuanced. Organizations like the Flint River Watershed Coalition are charged with care of the river and surrounding areas, encouraging programming and use of the river, and helping change people’s perception of the river to encourage public recreation. The Flint River still supports an ecosystem and that’s what I tried to highlight with Your Flint River Is Alive.

As I was thinking about this residency over the past few months, I walked along the river quite a few times and noticed the recent redevelopment efforts. There are several groups trying to clean up both the river and its reputation, promoting efforts to remove decaying infrastructure, to be able to walk up to the river, to introduce recreation along the river. There’s still a lot of work to do, obviously with the physical aspects to the river but also with changing the community’s mind about the river. With the work in this residency, I want to explore the history of the river, how it got to where it was, how people feel about the river, and what the river could be and is moving towards.

In practical terms, I have been thinking about different print techniques and how they could be introduced to support the ideas in my body of work. For instance, I am considering how to use river water as a tool in the printmaking process, experimenting with trays of river water, placing the ink on top to create these organic patterns depending on the wind and the weather. There’s also such an abundance of plant life around the river, so I think there’s potential for impression printing to be done, capturing the texture and the shape of the local greenery.

“It Is What It Is,” 2023. Hand Carved Linoleum

Some of your recent prints feature nihilistic themes and statements, e.g. “It is what it is” and “Screaming Crying Throwing Up”. What are your motivations and goals in exploring these themes?

Most of the time when you see a letterpress relief print in a workshop setting, the text content is aspirational and meaningful, which makes sense as people want to surround themselves with positivity. As I was thinking about the different messages that I was seeing online and the general feeling about the world at that time, sometimes it seems overwhelmingly negative in an almost comical way. So I thought it would be funny to carve and print out all of these ideas. The multiplicity of having a message printed so many times as part of one piece, it seemed to parallel the repetition of something trending online, how it hits you over and over and over again.

I wonder why negativity and apathy seem to be our only ways to respond today, both offline and online. I think part of it is that people get overwhelmed, with their lives, with the sheer amount of information out there, or with the kinds of suffering they see through the media. When we relate to all of these emotions and responses, sometimes we can only laugh — no matter how overwhelmingly unfunny these problems are.

I see two major themes in some of your recent work: one of the natural world, flora and fauna and its relationship with humans, and another of internet cultural references and the proliferation of memes. Some may view these themes as unrelated or even opposed. Are they opposed to you? Are they related? What do you find in the tension (or lack thereof) between these ideas?

I do believe that there is a tension between these themes, and I like that tension. They’re both part of the 2024 human experience, and as we continue venturing into these online spaces we’ve created as a society — social media, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence — tension between how we utilize technology and our connection to the real world will continue to grow.

I don’t think that technology and the natural world are completely at odds, though. As with much of life, we have to find a conscious balance between these categories. They exist within the same sort of ecosystem even if they don’t naturally overlap, and so each of us are responsible for our own prioritization and responsibility for maintaining the usefulness of this tension and balance in our lives.

Can you share some of your artistic heroes and how their work has impacted yours?

In regards to letterpress, one artist I like is Amos Kennedy, a Detroit-based artist with a special knowledge of texture and unconventional printing. His works are steeped in historical or social justice. I admire how he prints very intuitively with the layering of type and shapes, almost looking like paintings because of how rich and colorful the outcomes are.

I’m also a big fan of Caledonia Curry, who uses the street name Swoon. She combines printmaking, sculpture and painting to create these massive installations, often incorporating the natural world into her work.

Finally, Robert Rauschenberg has explored a variety of types of printing, as well as combining them with other artistic mediums. All three of them seem to be expanding the definition of printing, taking risks and being bold, and for me, that’s inspirational.

All this to say that the heart of my artistic practice is the people I’m directly talking to and working with in Flint. Having exchanges about what it’s like to make work and to be an artist inspires me to create and evolve, and being a teacher is also fundamental to my work. Talking with students, friends and colleagues about art or the things they’re thinking about and struggling with is the crux of the human experience, and it helps me to find my voice.

Explore more of Janice’s work at janicemccoy.com or on Instagram.

O, rocks!

We all have those projects that we take on to prove something to others or to ourselves. In anticipation of Elevator Repair Service’s production of Ulysses, I spent the summer reading the James Joyce novel.

Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t read Ulysses, I’m here to assure you that you can still enjoy the theatrical adaptation of the novel, which, as its director notes, “uses only Joyce’s words, but not all of them.” (While the audio version of Ulysses clocks in at over 18 hours, the stage production is only 2 hours and 40 minutes, including intermission.)

When I began, I was only tangentially aware of Ulysses‘s reputation (it is considered by many the second most difficult book in the English language, the first being Finnegan’s Wake, also by James Joyce). But by the time I realized what I had taken on, pride left me no choice but to follow through.

Overview

Ulysses was, in short, a difficult read but ultimately a rewarding one. The text is dense, references erudite and dated, and perspectives shifting between a character’s internal monologue to a third person narrator without a line break or punctuation to distinguish between them. James Joyce himself bragged,

“I’ve put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that’s the only way of insuring one’s immortality.”

Professors have indeed spent a century arguing over it, with some scholars dedicating their entire careers to studying the book.¹

As a bit of background, James Joyce spent about seven years writing Ulysses. First published in its entirety in 1922, it has been celebrated as a modernist masterpiece and an achievement in Irish literature. At the same time, its controversial descriptions of sexuality caused it to be banned and censored across the globe, including in the United States.

The novel is grounded in Dublin and takes place on a single day, June 16, 1904. In honor of the book and its protagonist, June 16 is dubbed “Bloomsday” — a holiday that is still celebrated with readings of the novel and tours along the exact routes its characters took.

Characters and Plot

There are three main characters in Ulysses. Our protagonist is Leopold Bloom, a Jewish husband, father, and advertising agent who spends his day wandering about in Dublin, trying to distract himself from his knowledge that his wife’s lover will be paying her a visit while he’s out.

We also spend time with Stephen Dedalus, a struggling teacher and a stand-in character for Joyce himself. Finally, Leopold’s wife, Molly, who narrates the final chapter, delivering a lengthy, punctuationless stream of consciousness monologue (which I’m told is quite a tour-de-force in the staged production!).

We follow Bloom throughout his day as he wanders, attends a funeral, sells newspaper ads, and tries to avoid thinking of the affair Molly is having that afternoon. There’s a lot more that I’m glossing over, but Ulysses’s plot often feels more like a series of events in a trenchcoat. Why then is this novel such a classic? 

Let’s start with The Odyssey.

The Odyssey

Ulysses is inspired by and directly parallels Homer’s epic poem. Indeed the title “Ulysses” is the Latinisation of the name Odysseus. Every chapter in Joyce’s book is named for a segment of The Odyssey, and the plot’s structure mirrors its events.

Furthermore, each character in Joyce’s novel has a direct parallel to one of Homer’s, though Joyce twists some of the expectations created by these parallels. Bloom, who spends his entire day roaming around Dublin before finally retreating home, is our Odysseus, who spends 10 years facing various perils on his long journey home.

But instead of loyal wife Penelope waiting for him, Bloom has Molly, whom he knows is actively cheating on him. Stephen Dedalus fills the role of Odysseus’ son Telemachus. Stephen is estranged from his father, and Bloom had a son who died as a baby (a factor in his fraying relationship with Molly), and the two develop a filial sort of connection over time. All secondary and minor characters have an Odyssey counterpart as well.

These parallels are interesting, but they alone do not make a masterpiece. It’s time to talk schema.

Schema

Each chapter — or “episode” — in Ulysses is written in its own style and corresponds with its own art, organ of the body, color, and more. If it sounds complicated, that’s because it is. Joyce kindly wrote two tables (referred to as schema) to help his friends understand the book, the Linati schema and the Gilbert schema, which break it down.

Of all these columns, I found the technic, or style, to be both the most interesting and readily apparent. Some of Joyce’s narrative styles are well-established techniques like monologue or catechism.

My favorite technic was found in Chapter 11, “Sirens.” “Fuga per canonem” is the Latin term used for a musical round. As befits its title, this chapter is filled with music. The first 62 lines appear to be utter nonsense. But these act as the chapter’s overture. Everything that shows up in these first 62 lines reappears later, with meaning provided by context. The chapter is also filled with onomatopoeia, repeating words and meanings, lending it a lyrical quality.

What’s the Point?

All of this begs the question: why on earth did Joyce do all this?

These techniques elevate a story about the banalities of daily existence to the status of an epic. As Joyce described in a letter to his brother, he was “converting the bread of everyday life into something that has a permanent artistic life of its own.” A day’s wandering is ultimately no different than a 10-year journey, which is just a series of many individual days. Our ordinary lives are art, just as much as any story.

That’s the poetic answer. But of course, Joyce also used Ulysses to show off his own writing ability and cement his place in history. And I’ve not even touched on the multitude of themes he addresses within its pages, including nationalism, antisemitism, religion, and sexuality.

The Enduring Allure of Ulysses

The more time and effort you put into reading and studying Ulysses, the more you’ll get out of it. But in part, it’s meant to fly over readers’ heads. Despite the book being around for over a century, plenty of mysteries remain that will no doubt keep scholars active for another 100 years.

Looking ahead, I’m so excited to see Elevator Repair Service’s take on the classic novel. I expect the theatrical form will make it far easier to understand the events on the page, eliminating the struggle of determining the speaker (though with seven actors playing more than two dozen roles, there will no doubt still be some confusion!). The play promises to take audiences on a fast-forward tour of the novel, with stops in all 18 episodes. Listen carefully and see if you can spot the difference in writing styles, or sit back and let the chaos and artistry of this amazing and unconventional theater company wash over you.

And if you’ve never read the novel, you’ll at least be able to say you’ve experienced it. October 19-20, 2024 at the Power Center in Ann Arbor.

Get Tickets

1. Patrick Hastings’ UlyssesGuide.com was an invaluable resource that aided in my own comprehension.

After a summer break, it was a joy to return to the Ypsilanti Freighthouse for a three-week residency of performances and events in September. In total, over 1,300 people registered or purchased tickets to attend nine public events at the Freighthouse, and we welcomed every second-grade student in Ypsilanti Public Schools!

This residency was all about celebrating cherished traditions — from the history and footwork of Detroit Jit to the movements and sounds of South America and Eastern Europe. Enjoy this recap of our memorable month:

Week 1

Will you have this dance?

Robins and larks (dance partners to the right and left) gathered ‘round for a lively evening of Contra Dance. Participants promenaded, did the do-si-do, and participated in a variety of traditional folk moves with English and Scottish roots, featuring live music by AACTMAD (Ann Arbor Community for Traditional Music and Dance).

Contra Dancing at the Freighthouse

Noise can be beautiful

Sonic textures and stunning projections came together in an unforgettable Friday the 13th event showcasing the diverse subgenre of Noise Music. WDET journalist and DJ Liz Warner hosted the packed evening and mixed beats between sets by three Michigan Noise artists: Monster Island, Infinite River, and Dr. Pete Larson. The party continued after the Freighthouse concert with even more noise music at Ziggy’s in downtown Ypsi.

Infinite River performing in ‘Beautiful Noise’

Browse through more photos on our Instagram post:

 

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Bringing the world to Ypsi

Guitar, violin, oud, percussion, and synthesizer transported listeners to Eastern Europe and beyond in an evening with the Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet. The ensemble is a favorite among Detroit Jazz Festival and Concert of Colors attendees, and it was a joy to present them at the Freighthouse for the first time.

Setting up to film a UMS Live Session with Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet

The day after their performance, the quartet returned to the Freighthouse to record and film a digital-exclusive UMS Live Session, which will be available for streaming in the coming months. Sign up for our Digital Presentations and Livestreams email to get a reminder once it’s online!

Week 2

Moving to the music

Hailing from Colombia, the all-female salsa sextet Las Guaracheras performed to a sold-out audience at the Freighthouse as part of their US tour. Their music was filled with so much energy and joy that the audience couldn’t help but get on their feet to dance!

Freighthouse crowd dancing to Las Guaracheras

Always full of surprises

We never know who or what to expect when we host Open Mic nights…and they never disappoint! Our free, fan-favorite event returned, welcoming community members to take the stage and share their talents. Across two and a half hours, more than 20 performers showcased Diabolo juggling, comedy, poetry, guitar, original songs, and more.

Flip through some snapshots of the evening:

 

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Special thank you to Tyler Rindo, music teacher at Estabrook Elementary School in Ypsilanti, for hosting the evening!

The FreightHouse of Jit

Detroit-based House of Jit brought an explosive performance to the Freighthouse in Michael Manson’s Rhythm of the Feet, which showcased the history and exhilarating footwork of the Detroit dance style.

House of Jit in ‘Rhythm of the Feet’

 

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The following morning, House of Jit hosted families in a dance party for kids of all ages.

Week 3

From the Crescent City to Ypsi

More than 200 young students — representing every second-grade classroom in Ypsilanti Public Schools — joined special performances by Jazzy Ash and The Leaping Lizards. Ash and crew led a New Orleans-inspired musical adventure that reimagined traditional songs, rhythms, and rhymes handed down by African-American communities for a new generation.

Jazzy Ash and The Leaping Lizards

The next day, Jazzy Ash and The Leaping Lizards welcomed more than 50 families to sing along and get on their feet during two free public performances.

Closing time with Kittel & Co

Finally, GRAMMY-nominated composer Jeremy Kittel and his ensemble blended classical and acoustic roots with Celtic and bluegrass aesthetics, and folk and jazz sensibilities. Kittel & Co brought a spirited concert to the Freighthouse on violin, mandolin, guitar, bass, and hammered dulcimer.

Nic Gareiss dancing alongside Kittel & Co

They were joined by special guest Nic Gareiss, whose percussive dance was beautifully woven into the music.

Thank you to our generous sponsors, and to everyone who joined us for our September residency at the Freighthouse. Sign up for our Ypsilanti Freighthouse interest list and be first to learn about our April 2025 lineup as soon as it’s announced.

The September 2024 Ypsilanti Freighthouse residency was supported by Menakka and Essel Bailey, and Linh and Dug Song.

Family Programming Presenting Sponsor

Promotional Partner

UMS’s residencies at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse welcome audiences to uncommon performances in collaboration with artists and partners deeply rooted in the community.

On September 13, we invite you to join us for a “night crawl” of Noise Music in two pillar concert spaces in Ypsi. Start at the Freighthouse in Depot Town for Beautiful Noise — an immersive concert experience featuring members of the Michigan noise and punk scene — then head downtown to Ziggy’s where the celebration continues with iconic band Wolf Eyes.

Note that entry/admission is sold separately for each venue.

Infinite River

Meditation. Metal. And everything in between…

If you’re new to the genre, noise music embraces unconventional sounds and sonic textures that might be considered “noise” in a traditional sense. Rather than focusing on melody, harmony, or rhythm, it explores the aesthetic and artistic potential of sound itself. This can include everything from static and feedback to industrial sounds and manipulated recordings.

Many noise musicians are interested in the conceptual and philosophical aspects of sound and challenge perceptions of what constitutes music. Take a deeper dive into the diverse soundscapes of Noise on our playlist, available on Apple Music or Spotify:

It’s all about the live experience…

Noise music is best experienced live, when you can truly immerse yourself in the sonic worlds crafted by each artist. This September night crawl in Ypsi is the perfect opportunity to hear a ton of local talent contributing to the noise scene. Learn more about the participating artists of Beautiful Noise at the Ypsi Freighthouse and get Pay-What-You-Wish tickets starting at just $5.

Tickets to Ziggy’s late-night sets are available through Eventbrite.