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February 10, 2012
University Musical Society Presents: Chamber Ensemble of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra
Rackham Auditorium, 915 E. Washington Street, Ann Arbor
(734) 764-2538
The 20 members of the Chamber Ensemble of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra are drawn from the first large-scale modern orchestra of traditional instruments in China. The Chamber Ensemble performs music that represents the gallant warriors of the past, the happy days of childhood, a foggy spring morning after a night of rain, and other poetic images brought to life by these iconic musicians. They perform on the zheng, dizi, erhu, pipa, and other Chinese instruments seldom featured in the West. While Chinese stars such as Lang Lang have brought new attention to Western classical music in China, this ensemble provides a window into the traditional Chinese classical music that dates back many centuries.
Cost: Prices range from $18.00 - $38.00
8:00 pmFebruary 16, 2012
University Musical Society Presents: The Tallis Scholars
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 2250 East Stadium Boulevard, Ann Arbor
(734) 764-2538
The Tallis Scholars add a new dimension to UMS’s 11/12 focus on artistic renegades as part of Pure Michigan Renegade, presenting music of the wealthy Italian prince Carlo Gesualdo (b.1566). Gesualdo’s infamy relates to his obsessive double murder of his wife and her lover, but he was also a maverick Renaissance composer whose eccentric approach to creating music — and whose colorful life story — inspired both Nadia Boulanger and Igor Stravinsky several hundred years later. His music contains wild gesticulations and abrupt surprises, and contemporary Renaissance scholars now regard him as perhaps the most forwardthinking, expressive, and sensual composer of his time. Consumed by guilt after murdering his wife, Gesualdo devoted himself to composing church music. At the centerpiece of this program is the Tenebrae Responses for Holy Saturday, part of the liturgy for the final three days of Holy Week. Works by other “maverick” Renaissance composers round out the program.
A Prelude Dinner precedes the performance, with talk by Peter Phillips, director of the Tallis Scholars.
Watch the Pure Michigan Renegade trailer.
Program
· Gesualdo : Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday (1611)
· Lassus : Timor et tremor
· Gallus : Mirabile mysterium
· de Wert : O mors, quam amara est
· Appenzeller : Musae Jovis
· de Rore : Calami sonum ferentes
· Hassler : Ad dominum
· Zielenski : Vox in rama
· Monteverdi : Adoramus te
Cost: Tickets range from $35.00 - $45.00
7:30 pmFeb. 19, 2012 - May. 26, 2012
Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra 2012 Concert Season
WCC Towsley Auditorium, EMU Pease Auditorium and Ypsilanti's Riverside Park
(734) 507-1451
2012 Concert Season:
Feb. 19 - Friends in Song III, 3:30 pm at the WCC Towsley Auditorium
April 29 - Experience The Master, 3:30 pm at the EMU Pease Auditorium
May 26 - Annual Riverside Park Pops Concert, 2:00 pm at Ypsilanti's Riverside Park (This is a free event)
Cost: $12 Adults; $6 Seniors 65+ and Students; $6 Children 12 and under; Family of 4 or more $30.
3:30 p.m.February 23, 2012
Univeristy Musical Society Presents: Hagen Quartet
Rackham Auditorium, 915 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor
(734) 764-2538
“Their performance was filled with subtlety and wonder… the playing was breathtaking in its precision, dynamism, and agility…a thrilling encounter.” (The Independent) Regarded internationally as one of the foremost string quartets of the day, the Hagen Quartet consists of the two brothers Lukas (violin) and Clemens (cello) and their sister Veronika Hagen (viola), along with violinist Rainer Schmidt, who has been with the group for more than 20 years. For this return performance — they last appeared in Ann Arbor in 1998 — the Hagen Quartet presents a program of Beethoven quartets as part of Pure Michigan Renegade.
Watch the Pure Michigan Renegade trailer.
Program
· Beethoven : String Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1 (1801)
· Beethoven : String Quartet in f minor, Op. 95 (1810)
· Beethoven : String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 74 (1809)
Cost: Tickets range from $22.00 - $46.00
7:00 pmFeb. 24, 2012 -
The Art of the Duo
415 N. 4th Avenue, Ann Arbor
(734) 769-2999
Violinists Gabe Bolkosky and Rachel Noyes will explore the often surprisingly complex range of texture within the duo and solo violin repetoire. This performance is made possible with support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Program
- Prokofiev Solo and Duo sonatas
- Bartók Duo Sonatas
- Bach Solo Sonata
Cost: $25 Assigned Rows 1-2, $15 Assigned Rows 3-5, $10 General Admission , $5 Student
08:00 p.m.March 09, 2012
University Musical Society Presents: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Hill Auditorium, 825 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor
(734) 764-2538
Riccardo Muti, the Chicago Symphony’s new music director, makes his first UMS appearance since 2006, conducting an all-Brahms program. Violinist Pinchas Zukerman, recognized as a phenomenon for nearly four decades, returns to UMS for a performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto. “Youth sticks with some people…Zukerman seems the forever-young virtuoso: expressively resourceful, infectiously musical, technically impeccable, effortless. As usual, it was a joy to be in his musical company.” (Los Angeles Times)
A Prelude Dinner precedes the performance, with talk by Mark Clague, U-M Associate Professor of Music.
UMS will offer luxury coach transportation from Oakland County to Ann Arbor for this performance. Round-trip cost is only $10 per person! For tickets and information, call the UMS ticket office at (734) 764-2538.
Program
· Brahms : Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 (1878)
· Brahms : Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73 (1877)
Cost: Tickets range from $10.00 - $120.00
8:00 pmMarch 10, 2012
University Musical Society Presents: Max Raabe and Palast Orchester
Rackham Auditorium, 915 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor
(734)764-2538
“Max Raabe and his 12-piece Palast Orchester are re-creating the music of the Weimar era with verve and class.” (Time Out New York) A nostalgic homage to the legendary nocturnal flair of the Weimar era, Max Raabe and Palast Orchester embody the high style and music glory of the 1920s and 1930s. The debonair Raabe has a singular ability to capture the cunning rasp of the cabaret singer, the confident bel canto hero, the oily melodiousness of the revue beau, the carefree timbre of early jazz, and the falsetto of ragtime, all backed by his stellar 12-member band. His art lies in revealing the enigmatic intelligence, ambiguity, musical power and complexity of the “German chansons” from the turbulent Weimar Republic —and then shaking it up with a completely unexpected cover from the contemporary pop realm. In his amazing and simply fun performances, he keenly reminds us that between melancholy and irony, rebellion and resignation, elegy and slapstick, there is often only half a measure, sometimes just a single note, or a mere word. Max Raabe will surely “disarm and charm with impeccable glamour.” (The Boston Globe)“Fascinating. A born crooner.” (The Washington Post)
Cost: Tickets range from $10.00 - $48.00
8:00 pmMar. 22, 2012 - Mar. 25, 2012
University Musical Society Presents: The San Franscisco Symphony, American Mavericks
Hill Auditorium, 825 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor
(734)764-2538
As part of its centennial season, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony will present the second American Mavericks Festival, which will tour in its entirety to only two US venues: Hill Auditorium and Carnegie Hall. The 2012 festival celebrates the creative pioneering spirit and the composers who created a new American musical voice for the 20th century and beyond. Aaron Copland’s Orchestral Variations were composed for piano before his prolific period that resulted in his most well-known works, and orchestrated nearly 20 years later. Mason Bates’ new work takes as its subject the first time technology bridged oceans. It sets radio transcripts to music in a work for chorus, organ, and electronics, revealing shimmering choral sonorities through a quivering static field. Henry Cowell’s threemovement Piano Concerto uses Cowell’s signature “tone clusters” expertly played by the edudite blogger and terrific pianist Jeremy Denk. And Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Organ with Percussion Orchestra shines a spotlight on the famous Hill Organ, as well as on an array of standard percussion instruments augmented by such items as oxygen tanks.
Watch: Michael Tilson Thomas on Ann Arbor's audiences.
Program
· Aaron Copland : Orchestral Variations (1930, orchestrated in 1957)
· Henry Cowell : Piano Concerto (1928)
· Mason Bates : Mass Transmission (2010)
· Lou Harrison : Concerto for Organ with Percussion Orchestra (1973)
Thursday, March 22 | 7:30 pm
Friday, March 23 | 8 pm
Saturday, March 24 | 8 pm
Sunday, March 25 | 4 pm
The Sheraton Ann Arbor Hotel will offer a special room rate of $129/night, based on availablility, for the nights of this performance. To make a reservation, visit www.sheratonannarbor.com, click the box for SET # and enter 226544.
Cost: Tickets range from $10.00 - $75.00
April 05, 2012
University Musical Society Presents: St. Lawrence String Quartet
Rackham Auditorium, 915 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor
(734) 764-2538
One of the great finds of the 09/10 season was the St. Lawrence String Quartet, which made its UMS debut in a stellar program of Haydn, Ravel, and John Adams. Haydn returns to the program for this appearance, which is bookended with the composer’s quartets. In between, the ensemble performs a new work by Osvaldo Golijov, the Argentinean composer who has worked with the SLSQ since the early 1990s. The SLSQ appears twice with UMS in the 11/12 season; they also perform a new work by John Adams with the San Francisco Symphony as part of the American Mavericks concerts in March.
Please Note: The St. Lawrence String Quartet has postponed this concert from its originally scheduled date of Saturday, November 12.
Program
· Haydn : Quartet No. 57 in C Major, Op. 74, No. 1 (1793)
· R.M. Schafer : Quartet No. 3 (1981)
· Golijov : Kohelet (2011)
· Haydn : Quartet No. 61 in d minor, Op. 76, No. 2 (“Quinten”) (1796-97)
Cost: Tickets range from $22.00 - $46.00
7:00 pmApril 18, 2012
University Musical Society Presents: Pavel Haas Quartet
Rackham Auditorium, 915 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor
(734)764-2538
“The world’s most exciting string quartet? Well, they suit the tagline better than most. Their tone is large, quasi-orchestral. They take risks. Above all, they play with passion.”(The Times, London) Based in Prague, the Pavel Haas Quartet is named for Czech composer Pavel Haas, who was imprisoned at Theresienstadt and died at Auschwitz in 1944. While the Quartet is passionately committed to the Czech repertoire, and particularly the three wonderful string quartets that Haas composed (including the one on this program, scored for string quartet and percussion), all of their performances receive extraordinary acclaim. “In a class of their own…” (The Strad)
Program
· Tchaikovsky : Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11 (1871)
· Pavel Haas : Quartet No. 2, Op. 7 (“From the Monkey Mountains”) (1925)
· Smetana : Quartet No. 1 in e minor (“From My Life”) (1876)
Cost: Tickets range from $20.00 - $42.00
7:00 pmApril 22, 2012
UMS Presents: Academy of St. Martin in the Feilds Joshua Bell, leader and violin
Hill Auditorium, 825 North Univeristy Avenue, Ann Arbor
(734) 764-2538
Sir Neville Marriner says that the small ensemble he founded in 1958 “had no intention of giving any concerts or continuing forever.” Happily, whatever the initial intention, the Academy is firmly established more than 50 years later as one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras. Formed from a group of London musicians and working without a conductor, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in November 1959. For its first UMS appearance in 11 years, the Academy brings its highly lauded sound to an exquisite all-Beethoven program. Superstar violinist Joshua Bell attacks the stunning Beethoven Concerto with his breathtaking virtuosity and sumptuous tone and leads the rest of the program from the concertmaster’s chair.
Joshua Bell and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields will receive the 2012 UMS Distinguished Artist Award in a brief ceremony as part of their season-ending concert. The day also includes a Gala event, including the presentation of the DTE Energy Foundation Educator and School of the Year Awards, to raise funds for UMS’s Education and Community Engagement Programs. Tickets for the concert are available now; information about purchasing tickets for the Gala will be available later this fall.
UMS will offer luxury coach transportation from Oakland County to Ann Arbor for this performance. Round-trip cost is only $10 per person! For tickets and information, call the UMS ticket office at (734) 764-2538.
Program
· Beethoven : Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 (1807)
· Beethoven : Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 (1806)
· Beethoven : Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 (1811-12)
Cost: Tickets range from $10.00 - $100.00
4:00 pmMay 06, 2012
Water Hill Music Festival
Water Hill Neighborhood, Ann Arbor
The Water Hill Music Festival is a one-of-a-kind music festival featuring residents of the Water Hill neighborhood of Ann Arbor, Michigan, performing on their front porches for other neighbors and visitors who stroll from house to house.
2012 Line-Up (so far) - The Vibrations, Jerry Hancock, Dan Mulholland, Brian Delaney, Andy Adamson, Rich Dishman, Tree Town Community Chorus (more announcements to come).
Sunday, May 6th, 2012, 2 to 6 pm Wear comfortable shoes, loose-fitting clothes and a hat, fill a water bottle and set off to wander Water Hill. You’ll find festival yard signs planted in front yards all over the neighborhood indicating sites where resident musicians will be performing on their own front porches, front yards, driveways, etc. (Some pianists will be inviting people inside to their piano rooms.) Chairs will be available on some lawns, but carrying a lightweight folding chair or camp stool might be a good idea.
Who, where and when? To know who is performing where and when you can print out the latest program from this site before you leave home or find it in printed form at locations around the neighborhood on the day of the event.
Parking: The best place to leave your car is parked in your driveway. But if you’re not lucky enough to bike or walk to the event don’t worry, there’s plenty of free parking available on streets throughout the neighborhood. Wherever you land please plan to park just once and experience the festival on foot, unless you have special needs.
Public facilities: Hunt Park, at the top of Spring Street, is a nice place for a lunch or dinner picnic, and has water and public restrooms. Belize Park is centrally located in the neighborhood at the corner of Fountain & Summit. It also boasts a drinking fountain, play structure, tree-shaded benches and a picnic table. Big City Bakery, at the corner of Miller and Spring, is a good source for coffee, muffins, scones, and on May 6th they’re offering a 2-for-1 special on their famous homemade dingdongs and extending their hours to 6 pm. Newly landscaped West Park, which borders the neighborhood to the south across Miller Avenue, features a playground and fields, and has a parking lot off Chapin Street.
Cost: This is a free event.
2:00pm - 6:00pm