2022-2023 Season

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

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.

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! returns for another summer of movement and community across southeast Michigan.

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! returns for another summer of movement and community across southeast Michigan.

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! returns for another summer of movement and community across southeast Michigan.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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)

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

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

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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, 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

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.

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

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

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

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)

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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)

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.