Members of Dawn of Midi hold court into the late-night hours with concert sponsor Stuart Frankel; John Lewis, U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) jazz studies student and co-director of Arts Enterprise; and members of the U-M student organization at Trinosophes in Detroit.

Check out our next show in the Renegade Series– Compagnie Non Nova: Afternoon of a Foehn.

Photo by Mark Jacobson, UMS 

Many members of the UMS staff keep a watchful eye on local and national media for news about artists on our season, pressing arts issues, and more. Each week, we pull together a list of interesting stories  and share them with you.  Welcome to UMS’s Arts Round-up, a weekly collection of arts news, including national issues, artist updates, local shout-outs, and a link or two just for fun. If you come across something interesting in your own reading, please feel free to share!

Arts Issues

• Update on DSO strike, two more weeks of concerts canceled.

Artist Updates

• Kennedy Center Honors highlights.
• Grammy nominees announced here include several UMS presented artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Laurie Andersen,  Rosanne Cash and The Carolina Chocolate Drops, just to name a few!
• Louis Andriessen wins Grawemeyer Award.

UMS News

• AnnArbor.com review of the Carolina Chocolate Drops in the Michigan Theater.
• AnnArbor.com review of our 132nd Messiah in Hill Auditorium.

Local Shout-Outs

• Acclaimed composer and University of Michigan faculty member Michael Daugherty has been nominated for a Grammy Award. Congrats Michael!

Just For Fun

• How much would you pay for the King of Pop’s glove? How about a scan of Einsteins brain? Find out here just how much these and other items just went for.

It’s Messiah week at UMS–and extra special this year is our cast of soloists–all have Michigan connections! Some are Michigan natives, some are alumni from U-M’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and some are both!

This week, we will feature a post from each Messiah soloist, where they will reflect on what it means to return to Michigan and sing in our annual tradition of Handel’s Messiah!

Dr. Blackstone (whom my dad has always referred to as Dr. Whiterock) is the reason that I fell in love with music. I attended the Interlochen All-State High School Choir Camp for four summers and he was our conductor. He was my first real conductor and he terrified me! He was so smart and so serious about music-making and choral singing. His validation was my ultimate goal—I just wanted to be worthy of singing in his choir. When I was given a tiny solo in “Freedom Come” my first summer there, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Those summers at Interlochen were magical: I spent the first two with my best friend, Megan, singing through the camp, music everywhere…we loved every minute. All of us worshipped Dr. Blackstone. His passion for music was contagious and I most certainly caught the bug. His expectation of nothing less than our absolute best was fundamental in my development as a young musician. My final summer at Interlochen I was a senior in high school and was awarded a partial scholarship to study music at the University of Michigan. Four more years in Dr. B’s choirs! I am forever grateful to him for those lessons. Handel’s Messiah is my favorite oratorio and every opportunity I have to sing it feels like a true blessing. But the opportunity to sing this beautiful work at my alma mater with Dr. Blackstone conducting is truly a dream come true. Talk about coming full circle. I feel honored to be making music at Hill Auditorium and being presented under UMS auspices along with such fantastic other soloists (who happen to be friends). What a joy to have Dr. Blackstone keeping us all together.

-Caitlin Lynch, soprano soloist, Michigan native, and alumna of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance