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2022-2023 Season

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You Can Dance–Outside! Ypsilanti: Hip Hop and Afrobeat
Family Friendly
Free
Public Workshop

You Can Dance —Outside! returns for another summer of movement and community across southeast Michigan.

Ash Arder: Solar Juke
Free
Installation
Performance

Ash Arder: Solar Juke

Saturday, September 3, 2022

Join Ash Arder, UMS’s Flint Artist-in-Residence, in a Detroit garden party and sound performance that uses “Whoop House” — a completely solar-powered sound sculpture — as a musical instrument.

NT Live: Straight Line Crazy
Film Screening

Ralph Fiennes leads the cast in David Hare’s searing social critique of the most powerful man in New York, a master manipulator whose legacy changed the city forever.

You Can Dance–Outside! Ann Arbor: West African Dance
Family Friendly
Free
Public Workshop

You Can Dance—Outside! returns for another summer of movement and community across southeast Michigan.

Trevor Noah: Back to Abnormal
Performance

Experience Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central’s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show, in his first live UMS appearance!

You Can Dance — Outside! Ypsilanti: Step Dance
Family Friendly
Free
Public Workshop

You Can Dance—Outside! returns for another summer of movement and community across southeast Michigan.

This Is America: Johnny Gandelsman & Kinan Azmeh
In Person or Digital
Partner Event
Performance

Celebrating a 20-year friendship, violinist Johnny Gandelsman and clarinetist & composer Kinan Azmeh explore the sounds of their adopted home through music written by American and U.S.-based composers.

You Can Dance–Outside! Ann Arbor: Afro-Cuban Rhythms
Family Friendly
Free
Public Workshop

You Can Dance—Outside! returns for another summer of movement and community across southeast Michigan.

Songs of Freedom
Free
Partner Event

UMS is partnering with Sidewalk Detroit to present Songs of Freedom, an evening of music, dance, and a candlelight healing ceremony. Join us!

Emerson String Quartet
Performance

The Emerson String Quartet returns to Ann Arbor as part of its farewell tour.

Program

Felix Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 12
Johannes Brahms String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major, Op. 67
George Walker Lyric for Strings
Antonin Dvořák String Quaret No. 14 in A-flat Major, Op. 105

Tunde Olaniran: Everything is a Portal
Free
Partner Event
Performance

Tunde Olaniran: Everything is a Portal

Friday, October 7 - Saturday, October 8, 2022

‘Everything is a Portal’ is a live performance companion to Cranbrook Art Museum’s current exhibition, Tunde Olaniran: Made a Universe.

Sir András Schiff, piano
Performance

Sir András Schiff brings masterful and intellectual insights to his performances which have inspired audiences and critics alike. The program will include works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, with each selection introduced from the stage.

Penny Stamps Speaker Series: Wynton Marsalis & Warde Manuel
Free
Talks & Discussions

Wynton Marsalis sits down with UM Director of Athletics Warde Manuel to explore art, athletics, and the creative process. These two successful New Orleans natives come together in a conversation moderated by Christopher Audain, Managing Director of the U-M Arts Initiative.

School Day Performance: JLCO 2223
In Person or Digital
School Day Performance

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra kick off our season of in-person School Day Performances with a Big Band concert tailored for young people.

Wynton Marsalis’s All Rise
Performance

Wynton Marsalis’s All Rise combines a symphony orchestra, a jazz orchestra, and a chorus in a 12-movement arc built on the structure of the Blues, that moves from uplifting and energetic to dark and distressing to Marsalis’s vision of the “togetherness and ascendance” of humanity.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (2022)
Family Friendly
Performance

Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra honor the rich heritage of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, while presenting a stunning variety of new works from illustrious names.

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Performance

Electrifying conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla brings the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to Ann Arbor as part of a limited US tour with cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

Program

Benjamin Britten Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Edward Elgar Cello Concerto in e minor, Op. 85
Thomas Adès The Exterminating Angel Symphony
Claude Debussy La mer

Hill Auditorium Student Open House 2223
Free
U-M Student Event

Go behind the scenes of Hill Auditorium and experience the venue like never before. Stroll through the venue, check out the view from the stage, and learn interesting facts about the history of the building. Bonus: we’ll send you off with a free bagel and coffee to enjoy on your way to your next class!

The Rite of Spring / common ground[s]
Performance

Pina Bausch’s pioneering work, one of the first that established her iconic approach to dance theater, is danced by a newly assembled company of dancers from more than a dozen African countries. Rite is paired with a new work created, performed, and inspired by the lives of two remarkable women: Germaine Acogny, the founder of the Senegalese company École des Sables who is widely considered “the mother of contemporary African dance,” and Malou Airuado, who performed leading roles in many of Bausch’s early works as a member of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.

Danish String Quartet: Doppelgänger
Performance

In its third UMS appearance, The Danish String Quartet brings its Doppelgänger project, an ambitious four-year international commissioning project in which composers create new works in response to a masterwork by Franz Schubert.

Program

Franz Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in d minor, D. 810 (“Death and the Maiden”)
Lotta Wennäkoski Pige
Franz Schubert “Death and the Maiden” (Schubert song arranged by the Danish String Quartet)

What Does the Sand Say?
Free
No Safety Net

How can we access the beauty and power of the earth while it is simultaneously disrespected, colonized, and exploited?

NT Live: Frankenstein on Halloween
Film Screening

Captured live in 2011, this thrilling production has become an international sensation and appears for one night only — a perfect way to celebrate Halloween!

UMS 101: Ranchera
Public Workshop

Explore the world of the mariachi art song and learn about the history, traditions, and interpretations of artists in traditional Mexican and Latin American music.

NT Live: Jack Absolute Flies Again
Film Screening

Based on Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Rivals, Jack Absolute Flies Again is a rollicking new comedy that The Guardian called “one of the funniest productions in the National’s history.”

School Day Performance: Aida Cuevas with Mariachi Aztlán
In Person or Digital
School Day Performance

For this School Day Performance Aida Cuevas, known as the “Queen of Ranchera Music,” exhibits her stunning vocals and her unwavering devotion to traditional mariachi music.

Aida Cuevas with Mariachi Aztlán
Family Friendly
Performance

With a career of over 40 years and nearly as many albums, Grammy Award-winner Aida Cuevas, “the Queen of Ranchera Music, “is joined by Mariachi Aztlán, one of the top collegiate mariachi bands in the country.

Berliner Philharmoniker
Performance
Pre-Performance Talk

Berliner Philharmoniker
in two different programs

Friday, November 18 - Saturday, November 19, 2022

The Berlin Philharmonic’s new chief conductor, Kirill Petrenko, makes his UMS debut with this two-concert residency.

Fri Program

Andrew Norman Unstuck
W.A. Mozart Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Major, K. 207
Erich Korngold Symphony in F-Sharp Major, Op. 40

Join host Doyle Armbrust for “The Society for Disobedient Listeners” — a special pre-performance talk. (Friday only)

Sat Program

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 7

Berlin Philharmonic Master Classes
Free
Master Class

Berlin Philharmonic Master Classes

Friday, November 18 - Saturday, November 19, 2022

Join members of the internationally renowned Berlin Philharmonic and students from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance for a series of master classes on North Campus.

NT Live: Much Ado About Nothing
Film Screening

Shakespeare’s rom-com on sun, sea, and mistaken identity takes place at the family-run Hotel Messina on the Italian Riviera, a legendary spot that has been visited by artists, celebrities, and royalty. But when the owner’s daughter weds a dashing young soldier, not all guests are in the mood for love. A string of scandalous deceptions soon surrounds not only the young couple but also the adamantly single Beatrice and Benedick.

Handel’s Messiah
Performance
Pre-Performance Talk

Handel’s Messiah

Saturday, December 3 - Sunday, December 4, 2022

Ann Arbor’s most beloved holiday tradition with the UMS Choral Union and the Ann Arbor Symphony in Hill Auditorium.

Anansi the Spider
Digital Event
Family Friendly
School Day Performance

Classic West African and Caribbean tales come to life through the magic of digital storytelling!

Itzhak Perlman and Friends
Performance

For this special performance in Hill Auditorium, superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman brings together pianists Emanuel Ax and Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Juilliard String Quartet for a mixed chamber music program.

Program

Jean-Marie Leclair Sonata for Two Violins in e minor, Op. 3, No. 5
W.A. Mozart Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, K. 493
Ernest Chausson Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, Op. 21

UMS 101: Bluegrass
Public Workshop

Learn about the origins of American roots music known as bluegrass, and get to know some of the instruments and artists that make this uniquely American genre so soulful.

Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart and Punch Brothers
Family Friendly
Performance

When Punch Brothers and Béla Fleck come together in this special double-bill evening, one thing is certain: audiences benefit from their lifelong devotion to bluegrass as much as the musicians.

Ash Arder: Whoop House Work-in-Progress Showing
Free
Installation

Ash Arder: Whoop House
Work in Progress Showing

Monday, January 9 - Monday, January 23, 2023
Penny Stamps Speaker Series: Robin Frohardt
Free
No Safety Net
Talks & Discussions

Hear from the creator of The Plastic Bag Store, part of UMS’s No Safety Net 3.0 Festival.

The Plastic Bag Store
Film Screening
Installation
No Safety Net
Performance

The Plastic Bag Store is a public art installation and immersive film experience that questions our culture of consumption and convenience — specifically, the enduring effects of our single-use plastics.

salt:dispersed
Digital Event
No Safety Net
Performance

salt:dispersed
Selina Thompson

Tuesday, January 17 - Monday, February 13, 2023

In this digital presentation, performance artist Selina Thompson recreates her award-winning dramatic monologue about a journey she made by cargo ship to retrace the triangular route of the transatlantic slave trade.

Takács Quartet with Jeremy Denk, piano
Performance

The Takács Quartet and Jeremy Denk return to Rackham Auditorium with a program featuring Fanny Mendelssohn, Haydn, and Schumann.

Program

Franz Joseph Haydn String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77, No. 2
Fanny Mendelssohn Quartet in E-Flat Major
Robert Schumann Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 44

Ypsilanti Freighthouse Community Arts Forum
Free
Talks & Discussions

UMS is thrilled to share some exciting news about a partnership with the City of Ypsilanti, that will result in a two- to four-week artistic residency at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse twice each year. Join a free Community Arts Forum to provide input on and ideas for the kinds of programming you’d like to see during these residencies.

School Day Performance: Are we not drawn onward to new erA
School Day Performance

Climate change — an issue that is frequently cited by youth as one of the most pressing issues of our time — takes center stage in this ingenious theatrical presentation.

Are we not drawn onward to new erA
No Safety Net
Performance
Q&A

Are we not drawn onward to new erA
Ontroerend Goed

Friday, January 20 - Saturday, January 21, 2023

Like its title, this performance is a palindrome that you will be able to see both forwards and backwards. A visual metaphor for this crucial moment in our future history, tracing the process of humans moving towards their downfall — or their salvation.

The Plastic Bag Store Family Art-Making Activity
Family Friendly
Free
Installation
No Safety Net
Public Workshop

The Plastic Bag Store
Family Art Making Activity

Saturday, January 21 - Saturday, January 28, 2023

Families are invited to visit The Plastic Bag Store and participate in a guided hands-on workshop.

Cultural Exchange Rate
Installation
Interactive
No Safety Net

Cultural Exchange Rate
Tania El Khoury

Tuesday, January 24 - Sunday, January 29, 2023

Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury presents an interactive live art project, in which you immerse yourself into one family’s secret boxes to explore sounds, images, and textures that trace more than a century of border crossings.

Penny Stamps Speaker Series: Tania El Khoury
Free
No Safety Net
Talks & Discussions

Hear from the creator of Cultural Exchange Rate, part of UMS’s No Safety Net 3.0 Festival.

Aaron Diehl Trio: Mirrors
Performance

Diehl’s new project, Mirrors, showcases his fluency in both classical repertoire and dynamic jazz improvisation, connecting Bach’s counterpoint with the vocabulary of bebop.

Sphinx Symphony Orchestra with EXIGENCE
Performance
Pre-Performance Talk

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra of top Black and Latinx professional musicians from around the country presents its first national tour.

Program

Carlos Simon Motherboxx Connection
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Ballade for Orchestra
Valerie Coleman Seven O’Clock Shout
Michael Abels Delights and Dances
Traditional, arr. Augustus Hill Fix Me, Jesus
Carlos Cordero Holding Our Breath
Joel Thompson Seven Last Words of the Unarmed
John Legend / Common, arr. Eugene Rogers “Glory” from Selma

Talking Trash: an Interactive Discussion Inspired by The Plastic Bag Store
Free
In Person or Digital
No Safety Net
Talks & Discussions

Turn inspiration into impact with insights from researchers, scientists, artists, and activists tackling the question: What can we do about single-use plastics?

Our Carnal Hearts
No Safety Net
Performance

Our Carnal Hearts
Rachel Mars

Wednesday, February 1 - Saturday, February 4, 2023

Rachel Mars and four belting female singers come at you with a hilarious dark show about the hiding workings of one of our uglier emotions…envy.

No Safety Net: Closing Student Party
Free
No Safety Net
U-M Student Event

Join the University Musical Society Student Committee for a night of performances to celebrate UMS’s No Safety Net Festival, featuring two sets of music from Cece June and the Calista Quartet.

Your Sexts Are Shit: Older Better Letters
No Safety Net
Performance

Rachel Mars’s filthy, funny, and intimate show creates a love letter to the lost art of letter writing…which has degraded into X-rated anonymized sexts from platforms like Whatsapp and Grindr.

Prelude Dinner: Joshua Bell
Development Event

Join us at the Michigan League for an opportunity to park early, gather with friends, enjoy a meal, and learn more about the evening’s performance.

Joshua Bell, violin
Performance

Joshua Bell, one of the most celebrated violinists of his era, returns for his fifth recital program with UMS.

Program

Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12
Robert Schumann Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121
Ernest Bloch “Nigun” from Baal Shem
César Franck Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano

Brno Philharmonic
Performance
Pre-Performance Talk

Brno Philharmonic

Friday, February 10, 2023

Dennis Russell Davies and the Brno Philharmonic perform works from Leoš Janáček and William Bolcom alongside the UMS Choral Union, brass players from SMTD, and organist Christian Schmitt.

Program

Leoš Janáček Sinfonietta
William Bolcom Humoresk for Organ and Orchestra
Leoš Janáček Glagolitic Mass

Join host Doyle Armbrust for “The Society for Disobedient Listeners” — a special pre-performance talk.

You Can Dance: Detroit Jit 22/23
Free
Public Workshop

Calling All Curious Movers…You Can Dance! returns for another season of movement and community at Riverside Arts Center.

Getting Dressed
Digital Event
Family Friendly
School Day Performance

Travel into a digital world of swirling skirts, sashaying socks, glitter ball jackets, and tumbling t-shirts.

Ballet Preljocaj: Swan Lake
Performance
Pre-Performance Talk

Ballet Preljocaj
Swan Lake

Friday, February 17 - Sunday, February 19, 2023

Contemporary dance superstar Angelin Preljocaj tackles the Mount Everest of the ballet world with his new take on Swan Lake.

NT Live: The Seagull
Film Screening
Performance

Following his critically acclaimed production of Cyrano de Bergerac, Jamie Lloyd brings Anya Reiss’s adaptation of Chekhov’s classic play to the stage. Starring Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones). “A maverick show that proves how dangerous and daring a revival can be.” (The Guardian)

UMS 101: Stepping
Public Workshop

Immerse yourself in the world of stepping and learn some of the signature styles.

Maria Schneider Orchestra
Performance

The NEA Jazz Master, Pulitzer Prize finalist, David Bowie collaborator, and seven-time Grammy winner Maria Schneider brings her 18-member collective to Hill Auditorium for its UMS debut.

You Can Dance: Ballroom 22/23
Free
Public Workshop

Calling All Curious Movers…You Can Dance! returns for another season of movement and community at Riverside Arts Center.

Step Afrika!
Family Friendly
Performance

Step Afrika!

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Step Afrika! introduces audiences to the importance of stepping in cultural identity and the use of body percussion as a means of communication.

School Day Performance: Stepping with Step Afrika!
School Day Performance

Step Afrika! integrates song, dance, storytelling, humor, and audience participation in highlighting the importance of stepping in cultural identity and the use of body percussion as a means of communication.

Prelude Dinner: Daniel Hope with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra
Development Event
Pre-Performance Talk
Daniel Hope with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra
Performance

Violinist Daniel Hope returns with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra in a new program that takes a deep dive into the rich repertoire of American music, exploring its roots and distinctive qualities.

Program

Aaron Copland “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo
Duke Ellington “Come Sunday” from Black, Brown and Beige
Florence Price Adoration
Kurt Weill American Song Suite
Samuel Barber Adagio for Strings, Op. 11
Aaron Copland “At the River” from Old American Songs
Philip Glass Echorus
George Gershwin Song Suite

Canceled: Farida and the Iraqi Maqam Ensemble
Performance

Due to health considerations, Farida has canceled her March 2023 concert with the Iraqi Maqam Ensemble. We are in the process of reaching out to ticketholders for this event.

Chineke! Orchestra
Performance
Pre-Performance Talk

Chineke! Orchestra

Saturday, March 25, 2023

UK-based Chineke! Orchestra makes its UMS debut, in a program featuring Florence Price’s first symphony and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto performed by Elena Urioste.

Program

Carlos Simon Fate Now Conquers
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Violin Concerto in g minor, Op. 20
Florence Price Symphony No. 1 in e minor

Join host Doyle Armbrust for “The Society for Disobedient Listeners” — a special pre-performance talk, 7 pm in the lower lobby of Hill Auditorium. Armbrust will be joined by LaRob K. Rafael, producer and director of Chicago-based Hearing in Color and host, WFMT.

You Can Dance: Tap 22/23
Free
Public Workshop

Calling All Curious Movers…You Can Dance! returns for another season of movement and community at Riverside Arts Center.

NT Live: The Crucible
Film Screening
Performance

Lyndsey Turner directs this contemporary new staging, designed by Tony Award-winner Es Devlin (The Lehman Trilogy). Starring Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Brendan Cowell. “A gripping revival of Arthur Miller’s masterpiece.” (The Telegraph)

Cécile McLorin Salvant
Performance

A UMS favorite since her 2017 debut, Cécile McLorin Salvant continues to defy expectations with her genre-obliterating virtuosity.

Julius Eastman’s Femenine
Performance

American composer, pianist, vocalist, and dancer Julius Eastman was young, gay, and Black when it was even more difficult to be young, gay, and Black in America. The Los Angeles music collective Wild Up is carrying the music of Julius Eastman forward, performing his chamber work Femenine.

Come Together: An Evening of Community and Song
Free
Performance
Ypsi Freighthouse

UMS’s Ypsilanti Freighthouse residency begins with an invitation to community members to share their voices through a Community Sing, led by Detroit native Dr. Brandon Waddles, a transcriber of Black gospel music whose choral compositions and arrangements have been performed around the world.

Audra McDonald
Performance

Audra McDonald

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald returns to the Hill Auditorium stage for one night only!

Power Moves: Breakdancing, Art, and Creativity
Family Friendly
Free
Public Workshop
Ypsi Freighthouse

In this workshop, local movement artist Maurice Archer will lead families in an interactive breakdancing demonstration and a graffiti artist will guide families through developing their b-boy and b-girl names.

Kaleigh Wilder Trio: The Story Cuts Across What the Map Cuts Up
Pay What You Wish
Performance
Ypsi Freighthouse

Baritone saxophonist Kaleigh Wilder has performed around the world, led her first album release, and now has plans to release two more albums as a bandleader with a New York-based record label—among several other ongoing projects. Hear her perform at the Freighthouse with Jaribu Shahid on bass, drummer Ben Hall, and dancer Alexandria Davis.

The Regenerate! Orchestra
Free
Performance
Ypsi Freighthouse

The Regenerate Orchestra, which is made up of community members of every stripe, comes together to bring Ypsilanti a one-of-a-kind musical experience.

Marsae Lynette – Reconnecting Currents: A Healing at the Huron
Pay What You Wish
Performance
Public Workshop
Ypsi Freighthouse

In this participatory public event, Marsae Lynette presents an evening of film, performance, and community, inviting audiences to reconnect with one another and freshwater sources like the Huron River.

Open Mic Night at the Freighthouse
Free
Ypsi Freighthouse

Open Mic Night

Friday, April 28, 2023

Bring yourself, your friends, and whatever unique creative contribution you can offer in a local artist showcase hosted by Ypsilanti resident and singer/songwriter Rochelle Clark.

Late Night DJ Set with Todd Osborn
Free
Ypsi Freighthouse

Ghostly International artist Todd Osborn leads a free late-night DJ set, following Open Mic Night at the Freighthouse.

John E. Lawrence & The Power Band
Pay What You Wish
Performance
Ypsi Freighthouse

In the closing performance of UMS’s April Ypsilanti Freighthouse residency, John E. Lawrence and The Power Band take the stage for a sophisticated evening of jazz.

Puppetry Workshop: The Power of Light & Shadow
Family Friendly
Free
Public Workshop
Ypsi Freighthouse

Experience Detroit Puppet Company’s presentation of The Carnival of the Animals and learn how to make your own shadow puppets.

NT Live: Othello
Film Screening
Performance

Shakespeare’s compelling tragedy of boundary-defying love is brought startlingly up-to-date by a stellar cast, including Giles Terera (Hamilton) as Othello, Rosy McEwen as Desdemona, and Pal Hilton as Iago.

Snarky Puppy
Performance

Snarky Puppy

Sunday, September 10, 2023

With their 2023 Grammy-winning Empire Central, the genre-defying super-band Snarky Puppy returns to Ann Arbor for its third UMS appearance and its first since 2019.

Shakti: 50th Anniversary Tour
Performance

Following word of the Summer 2023 release of This Moment – their first new studio album in 46 years – revolutionary ensemble Shakti will continue to discover and explore the musical common ground bridging East and West on an extensive U.S. tour.

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