Welcome Back!

Welcome back to campus everyone and happy new year! I hope you all enjoyed your break as much as I did and are getting ready for our Winter Season, filled with amazing artists!

You're probably asking yourself where you've heard some of the big names of our Winter Season before, well here is a little refresher! You might recognize Bill T. Jones, from the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, from his appearance on The Colbert Report, which he was on in December. Ladysmith Black Mambazo might sound familiar because it was referenced in Mean Girls: "But you love Ladysmith Black Mambazo!" And you might have seen Lang Lang, who will be appearing here with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, on Oprah!

If your interested in tickets, remember that starting this Sunday, January 10th we will be having our 1/2 Price Ticket Sale! Go to www.ums.org for more details and to purchase tickets. Or if you simply prefer people to computers and you want to know more about our Winter Season or student ticket options, come visit the UMS Student Advisory Committee on the Diag on January 11th from noon to 4pm! Hope to see you there!

By: Rachel Lum
UMS Intern

Jean-Yves Thibaudet

As the lights dimmed in Hill Auditorium, all became silent, except for the rustling of a few coats and programs, as Jean-Yves Thibaudet took to the stage. A classical pianist recognized for the artistry and charisma he brings to the keys, his performance Saturday night exceeded his reputation. As is typical at UMS performances, I was impressed with the variety of people in the audience. From devout Thibaudet followers to Brahms fans to others who heard him play on the Pride and Prejudice and Atonement soundtracks, the artist offered a little something for everyone. Playing a mix of light and dark pieces, with not one, but two encores, Thibaudet‘s recital served as the perfect study break as UM students head into finals week.

Thibaudet opened with Pavane pour une infant défunte, by Maurice Ravel. The light sections of the piece were uplifting, and it was just the right length to set the mood. Ravel’s Miroirs followed, in which each movement has its own personality. The first, “Noctuelles,” (“Night Moths”) was fun and spritely, whereas “Oiseaux tristes” (“Sad birds”) was gloomy and fantastical. Throughout the arpeggios of “Une barque sur l’océan,” (“A Boat on the Ocean”) Thibaudet’s fingers flew up and down the keyboard. Although no movement offers a definite conclusion until the end, the audience could not help but applaud after “Alborada del gracioso,” (“Dawn Song of the Jester”) with its turn from a mechanical and focused sound to a flourishing dance rhythm. The last movement, “La vallée des cloches,” (“The Valley of the Bells”) presents a sound-sculpture that is not quite peaceful, but intriguing.

During intermission, someone came out to check the tuning on the piano. Perhaps he was prepping the D-flat for Brahms’s Sonata No. 3 in f minor, Op. 5. Angela Hewitt will play this same piece in February at UMS. I wonder what she will bring to the score, and look forward to comparing the two performers.

Photo: LSA Freshmen Lauren Ruben and Diana Juncaj await Thibaudet’s performance at Hill Auditorium.

A quick glance at the program told me that the Brahms movements would shift from “dramatic and powerful” to “gentle and lyrical” and back again. Prepared to get lost in the music, I sat back and let my imagination take over. By the third movement, I felt like I was at a carnival. The whirlwind of sounds circled around me, and I could almost see the “color of music” my conductors have tried to describe to me all these years.

Before I knew it, the song had ended, and Thibaudet was up for his third bow of the night. He was not quite through, and delighted the audience with an encore piece: Intermezzo in A, Op. 118 No. 2, also by Brahms. To me, a new ease seemed to have come over the pianist as he played this piece: Perhaps from the confirmation that the audience adored him? Or was he just having fun now that the official program was complete? I cannot imagine an artist who would not love performing in Hill Auditorium, and Thibaudet certainly seemed to enjoy himself.

Although Thibaudet bowed and left the stage once more, our audience refused to let him go. He graciously returned to present the moving melodies of Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2, as a tribute to his mother, who said, “A day without Chopin is not a good day.”

Take that one to heart. Happy listening!

By: Catherine R. Herzog

UMS Student Advisory Committee Member

Handel’s Messiah

Hill Auditorium was filled with timeless music and tradition last weekend. The Messiah, composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, was performed by the UMS Choral Union, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, featured soloists and instrumentalists, and conducted by the famous Jerry Blackstone. The UMS Choral Union has performed the Messiah every year since 1879. Hill Auditorium was decorated for the occasion, the organ was adorned with a beautiful wreath, and red poinsettias surrounded the stage.
At the arts and eats event before the concert, students listened to a lecture discussing “what to listen for” in the concert. Professor Jeffery Bloom explained some of the different methods composers used to express emotions through their music. For example, he mentioned that large jumps in pitch often represent joy, such as in the Hallelujah chorus.

Before the concert there was a palpable buzz at Hill as the packed auditorium prepared to hear the music. The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra began with the sinfonia, playing with great emotion and energy. That same amount of energy was maintained throughout the concert. All of the soloists did a fabulous job. Ava Pine’s strong, yet pure soprano and emotive facial expression captured audience attention. Her rendition of the air, “I know that my redeemer liveth,” in part three of the work was especially memorable. The alto/mezzo part, typically performed by a female singer, was sung in this performance by Anthony Roth Costanzo, a male countertenor. He gave a truly flawless, stand-out performance, stunning and delighting the audience. There were audible gasps in the audience when he first began to sing. Robert Bracey and Kyle Ketelsen, the tenor and bass soloists, respectively, were also very impressive.

The UMS Choral Union did a wonderful job providing the heart and soul of this work. One of UMS’s own staff members, Stephanie Normann, was one of the union’s alto singers. The union’s balance and careful use of dynamics, expertly managed by Jerry Blackstone, made each and every one of their pieces feel like an epic moment to the audience. My favorite came towards the end of the work, “…since by man came death.”The way the piece’s words moved fluidly through the choir made me feel as if I was surrounded by the sound: a wonderful feeling.

All in all, it was a great night filled with fabulous music and holiday cheer.

By: Dana Harlan

UMS Intern

UMS on the Diag

Beat the Cold, Feel the Beat!

January 11th 2009 from Noon to 4pm UMS Student Advisory Committee will be out on the Diag with some of your favorite student performing groups! Check out the upcoming UMS performances! Talk to us about the best way to get tickets! Have some of the free hot food and drink from our sponsoring partners! Watch your favorites, like The Friars and Amazin' Blue, perform on the steps of the Hatcher!

See you there!!!

Click here to RVSP on Facebook!

UMS Rush Bucks!

Click here to check out the new UMS commercial for Rush Bucks! Or copy and paste this url into your browser http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxMT5f1Io3Q

Rush Bucks is a great UMS ticket program, in which students get the 10 dollar rush-ticket price to any performance with the added bonus of getting your tickets up to TWO WEEKS in advance and ordering ONLINE!

The program is simple, buy a 6 or 10 ticket pack at anytime from the Michigan League Ticket Office. Then, when you find a UMS performance that you want to attend, go online to www.ums.org up to two weeks in advance and order your tickets. They will be waiting for you at will call the night of the performance!

Each ticket is only 10 dollars, so you get the benefit of a low price, without having to plan months in advance! The 6 ticket, 60 dollar pack and the 10 ticket, 10 dollar pack can be used at any time during the UMS season (from September to April), but you must use all of those tickets during the season in which they are purchased.

Special Thanks to: Minhdzuy Khorami, Sean FitzGerald, Catherine Mac, and Chelsea Rebecca