UMS 2016-17 Season: Full Season Brochure

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UMS salutes Ken Fischer.

UMS President Ken Fischer enters his 30th, and final, season as UMS’s president. Ken has announced that he will retire from UMS in June 2017.

Since 1987, when Ken took over as only the sixth president since UMS was founded in 1879, UMS has grown tremendously, expanding its programming with dedicated theater, dance, jazz, and global music series.

In addition, UMS has developed a highly-regarded education program that serves the entire community, from K-12 to university and community members through a wide variety of free and low-cost programs. In large part because of Ken’s initiatives, UMS moved out of the “ivory (Burton) tower” and into the community, becoming a critical part of what makes Ann Arbor Ann Arbor. His long-standing philosophy of “Everybody In, Nobody Out,” the inclusion policy of his mentor, Patrick Hayes, has opened UMS to a broad spectrum of people that transcends cultural, generational, and educational boundaries.

• A Beethoven string quartet cycle, which has been done only twice before in UMS’s history.

Ken has championed chamber music during his entire tenure and was awarded the 2016 Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award for significant and lasting contributions to the chamber music field.

• A holiday program performed by the King’s Singers. Ken launched his career as an independent concert presenter with the King’s Singers at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC — it’s an epic story that takes place during an epic snowstorm, and one that Ken, a natural raconteur, is always delighted to share. It combines all of the elements that Ken loves best: his family, a crisis, a happy ending, and, of course, the King’s Singers.

• The Budapest Festival Orchestra, which, along with the UMS Choral Union, will present Beethoven’s beloved Ninth Symphony for the very first time during Ken’s tenure.

• The Calidore String Quartet, winner of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance’s new M-Prize, representing Ken’s constant championing of young artists as well as his desire to work collaboratively with the School of Music, Theatre & Dance and many other units within the University.

Introduction

• The Berlin Philharmonic, with two different programs as part of UMS’s five-year orchestral residency program.

• Wynton Marsalis, who over the course of 18 performances since 1996 has become a friend of Ken’s and an annual visitor to UMS.

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

This 2016-17 season has been planned with Ken’s retirement in mind and includes several events that are particularly meaningful to him and represent many of his initiatives at UMS:

• An April concert of Bach trios by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile. Yo-Yo Ma has always been one of Ken’s favorite artists because they share something fundamental to those who are successful in this field: a desire to bring the arts to everyone.

Over the course of the season, there will be several opportunities to celebrate Ken and the many gifts he has given our community.

Ars longa, vita brevis.

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In the meantime, we hope you will enjoy this 2016-17 UMS season.

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September Sun 9/11

Added Event!

Falling Up and Getting Down Jason Moran & The Bandwagon with Skateboard Masters Sun 9/18

HD Broadcast (Almeida Theatre, London)

Shakespeare’s Richard III Starring Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave Thu 9/29-Sat 10/1

The TEAM’s RoosevElvis Calendar

Directed by Rachel Chavkin IMPORTANT DATES!

Fri 9/30 [NOTE NEW DATE]

Mon 8/1/16

Kamasi Washington & The Next Step

• Donor Single Ticket Day (for donors of $250+) Mon 8/15/16

October

• Single Ticket Day — tickets to all individual events on sale

Sat 10/8-Sun 10/9

Thu 9/1/16

Takács Quartet

• Student tickets on sale

Sun 10/9

• Kids Club tickets on sale

HD Broadcast (National Theatre, London)

Fri 9/23/16

Starring Helen McCrory

Mon 9/12/16

• Last day to order UMS subscriptions

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Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concerts 1 & 2

Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea

Layla and Majnun Mark Morris Dance Group The Silk Road Ensemble

December Sat 12/3-Sun 12/4

Handel’s Messiah

Mark Morris, director and choreographer Howard Hodgkin, set and costume designer with Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova, mugham vocals

UMS Choral Union Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Scott Hanoian, conductor

Sun 10/16

Shakespeare’s King Lear

Denis Matsuev, piano Thu 10/20-Fri 10/21

Dorrance Dance Michelle Dorrance, artistic director

Sat 11/12-Sun 11/13

Two Concerts!

Berlin Philharmonic Simon Rattle, music director and conductor Tue 11/15

A Venetian Coronation 1595 Gabrieli Paul McCreesh, music director and conductor Wed 11/16

Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele portrait of myself as my Nora Chipaumire

HD Broadcast (Royal Shakespeare Company) Starring Antony Sher Sat 12/10

Holiday Concert

The King’s Singers Christmas Songbook

January Sat 1/7-Sun 1/8

Last Work Batsheva Dance Company Ohad Naharin, artistic director Thu 1/12-Sat 1/14

Idiot-Syncrasy Igor and Moreno Thu 1/19

Prague Philharmonia Emmanuel Villaume, conductor Sarah Chang, violin BE PRESENT

Thu 11/17-Sun 11/20

Sun 12/4

Calendar

November

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Thu 10/13-Sat 10/15

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Fri 1/20

Sat 2/18

On Behalf of Nature Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble

Beyond Sacred: Voices of Muslim Identity Ping Chong + Company

Meredith Monk, music and direction

Written by Ping Chong and Sara Zatz

Sat 1/21-Sun 1/22

Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concerts 3 & 4

Takács Quartet

Calendar

Sun 1/29

Jelly and George Aaron Diehl and Cécile McLorin Salvant

Inon Barnatan, piano Anthony McGill, clarinet Alisa Weilerstein, cello

March

February

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Thu 2/2

Sat 3/4

Bruckner Orchester Linz

Thu 3/9-Sat 3/11

Dennis Russell Davies, conductor Angélique Kidjo, vocalist Martin Achrainer, baritone

The Beauty Queen of Leenane Druid

Fri 2/3

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Kaspars Putniņš, music director Sun 2/5

M-Prize Winner

Calidore String Quartet Fri 2/10

Budapest Festival Orchestra Iván Fischer, conductor Richard Goode, piano UMS Choral Union 6

Sun 2/19

Garry Hynes, director Sat 3/11

Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis UMS Choral Union Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Scott Hanoian, conductor Thu 3/16

Snarky Puppy

Betroffenheit Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre Created by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young Sat 3/18

Steve Reich @ 80 Music for 18 Musicians eighth blackbird and Third Coast Percussion Fri 3/24

Mitsuko Uchida, piano Sat 3/25-Sun 3/26

Takács Quartet Wed 3/29

DakhaBrakha Thu 3/30-Sat 4/1

The Encounter Complicite/Simon McBurney

Sat 4/1

Michael Fabiano, tenor Martin Katz, piano Wed 4/12

A Far Cry with Roomful of Teeth Sat 4/15

Sanam Marvi Fri 4/21

King Sunny Adé Sat 4/22

Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile Tue 4/25

Calendar

Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concerts 5 & 6

April

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Fri 3/17-Sat 3/18

Opera in Concert

Handel’s Ariodante Starring Joyce DiDonato The English Concert Harry Bicket, artistic director

Directed and performed by Simon McBurney

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Andy MacDonald by Morgan Andrew Somers 8

A L L AGES

FAlling Up and Getting Down Great improvisers are known for their ability to adapt quickly, and creating your own individual style through improvisation is at the root of both jazz and skateboarding. For this UMS season-opening event, which is the culminating event of the Ann Arbor Skatepark’s third annual celebration, UMS and Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark give back to the community with a unique event that brings together artists and athletes in unexpected ways. With Ann Arbor local and X Games legend Andy MacDonald leading a group of celebrated skateboarders and Jason Moran & The Bandwagon providing the charts, this 360-degree immersion showcases the art of improvisation in both music and sport.

Free, with advance registration required at ums.org.

This event will happen rain or shine, though the safety of the athletes will be prioritized if skating conditions are poor.

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Renegade Ventures Fund, established by Maxine and Stuart Frankel

F UNDE D IN PART BY

September 11

Featuring Jason Moran & The Bandwagon and professional skateboarders Andy MacDonald, Ron Allen, Chuck Treece, Natalie Krishna Das, and more with DJ sets by Tadd Mullinix and Alvin Hill Sunday, September 11 // Exhibition begins at 2:30 pm Ann Arbor Skatepark (350 N. Maple Rd.)

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

A Season-Opening Live Skateboarding + Music Celebration

A CO -PR ES ENTAT I O N W I T H

Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative of The Wallace Foundation WEMU 89.1 FM Ann Arbor’s 107one

a2skatepark.org

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MEDIA PART NER

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AG E S 1 4 + UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

The TEAM’s RoosevElvis On a hallucinatory road trip from the Badlands to Graceland, the spirits of Elvis Presley and Theodore Roosevelt battle over the soul of Ann, a painfully shy meat-processing plant worker, and what kind of man — or woman — Ann should become. Set against the boundless blue skies of the Great Plains and endless American highway, RoosevElvis is a playfully pointed new work about icons, gender, and nobodies and somebodies, which the New York Times calls “a spirited and insightful commentary on two archetypes of American masculinity.” Once described as “Gertrude Stein meets MTV,” the TEAM’s work crashes American history and mythology into modern stories that illuminate the current moment.

F U N D E D I N PART BY

Wallace Endowment Fund

MEDIA PART NER

WDET 101.9 FM

September 29-October 1

Directed by Rachel Chavkin Thursday, September 29 // 7:30 pm Friday, September 30 // 8 pm Saturday, October 1 // 2 pm & 8 pm Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre

Artist Q&A Thursday, September 29

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Tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington, “the most-talked-about jazz musician since Wynton Marsalis arrived on the New York scene three decades ago” (New York Times), comes to Ann Arbor fresh from the release of his groundbreaking solo album, The Epic, a 172-minute tripledisc masterpiece. Born into a musical family, he recently collaborated and appeared on rapper Kendrick Lamar’s platinum album To Pimp a Butterfly and has also performed with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Gerald Wilson, Mos Def, Quincy Jones, and Chaka Khan. Immersed in jazz since he was a teenager in South Central L.A., Washington was recently awarded the inaugural American Music Prize, which recognizes the best debut album of the previous year across all genres. “With his popular, political, uncategorizable jazz, the young saxophonist has become something his genre rarely produces anymore: a celebrity.” (New York Times)

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

September 30

Kamasi Washington, tenor saxophone Patrice Quinn, vocals Rickey Washington, soprano saxophone and flute Ryan Porter, trombone Brandon Coleman, piano and keyboards Miles Mosley, bass Tony Austin, drums Ronald Bruner, drums Friday, September 30 // 8 pm [NOTE NEW DATE] Michigan Theater

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Kamasi Washington & The Next Step

F UNDE D IN PART BY

JazzNet Endowment Fund MEDIA PART NERS

Anne and Paul Glendon

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S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS ORS

WEMU 89.1 FM WDET 101.9 FM

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Takács Quartet

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concerts 1 & 2 Saturday, October 8 // 8 pm Sunday, October 9 // 4 pm Rackham Auditorium

During this season, the Takács Quartet will perform the complete cycle in only four venues worldwide, coinciding with the release of a book by Takács first violinist Edward Dusinberre, Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet. Dusinberre says, “Playing the works is a thrilling and daunting experience. We feel like tennis players forced out of position, obliged to draw on our physical and mental resources to raise our game. We have rehearsed this music for many years, but performing a Beethoven quartet still inspires an exhilarating sense of danger.” (The Guardian, London)

October 8-9

The Beethoven string quartet cycle has only been performed in its entirety during the course of a single season by two ensembles in UMS’s 137-year history: the Budapest String Quartet performed all 16 quartets plus the Grosse Fuge over the course of an intense five days in 1965, and the Guarneri String Quartet performed it over six concerts in the 1976-77 season.

For other concerts in the Takács Quartet’s Beethoven Cycle, see pages 42-43 and 72-73.

PROGRAM (CONCERT 1: SAT 10/8)

PROGRAM (CONCERT 2: SUN 10/9)

Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18, No. 2 Quartet No. 11 in f minor, Op. 95 Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130 with original finale

Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1 Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74 Quartet No. 14 in c-sharp minor, Op. 131

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR (SAT U R DAY)

Charles A. Sink Endowment Fund MEDIA PART NERS

WGTE 91.3 FM WRCJ 90.9 FM

Pre-Performance Talk Exploring Beethoven’s String Quartets with Steven Whiting Saturday, October 8 at 7 pm Rackham Amphitheatre (4th floor)

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Ilene H. Forsyth Chamber Arts Endowment Fund

SUPPO RT ING SPO NSO R (SUNDAY )

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Photo by Peter Smith

Layla and Majnun Hermitage Museum 16

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Mark Morris Dance Group The Silk Road Ensemble

Mark Morris’s lyrical choreography, the soulful voices of Azerbaijan’s Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova, the vibrant musicality of the Silk Road Ensemble, and the striking visual palette of British painter Howard Hodgkin combine in this new, large-scale production that receives its world premiere in September. A Persian love poem that originated in ancient Arabia, Layla and Majnun is a timeless story of tragic love between two young people who are not allowed to unite. Uzeyir Hajibelyi’s powerful music — at once profoundly sorrowful and ecstatic — provides the perfect backdrop to the story that Lord Byron called “the Romeo and Juliet of the East.”

October 13-15

Mark Morris, director and choreographer Howard Hodgkin, set and costume designer James F. Ingalls, lighting designer with Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova, mugham vocals Music by Uzeyir Hajibelyi, arranged by Alim Qasimov, Johnny Gandelsman, and Colin Jacobson Thursday, October 13 // 7:30 pm Friday, October 14 // 8 pm Saturday, October 15 // 8 pm Power Center

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Layla and Majnun

A UMS Co-Commission. Co-presented with Michigan Opera Theatre.

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Frank Legacki and Alicia Torres

Dennis and Ellie Serras

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project MEDIA PART NERS

WDET 101.9 FM Ann Arbor’s 107one

Artist Q&A Thursday, October 13

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S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS ORS

F UNDE D IN PART BY

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AG E S 1 2+ UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Denis Matsuev Sunday, October 16 // 4 pm Hill Auditorium

PROGRAM

Beethoven Schumann Liszt Tchaikovsky Prokofiev

Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110 Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 Mephisto Waltz, S. 514 Meditation, Op. 72, No. 5 Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83 (“Stalingrad”)

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

SUPPO RT ING SPO NSO R

October 16

Denis Matsuev stands out as a virtuoso in the grandest Russian piano tradition. Since his 1998 triumph in the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition, he has established himself as one of the most prominent pianists of his generation. He returns for his fifth UMS appearance — and second recital — to open the 138th UMS Choral Union Series. “Even in today’s overrun piano virtuoso market, Denis Matsuev stands out…He possesses an epic technique, playing with seemingly superhuman speed, power, and agility.” (Boston Globe)

MEDI A PA R T NER S

WGTE 91.3 FM WRCJ 90.9 FM

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Catherine S. Arcure Endowment Fund

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A L L AGES UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Dorrance Dance Michelle Dorrance, choreographer Thursday, October 20 // 7:30 pm [ADDED PERFORMANCE!] Friday, October 21 // 8 pm Power Center

F U N D E D I N PART BY

Arts Midwest Touring Fund

October 20-21

Dorrance Dance elevates the great, indigenous, American art form of tap dance. But tap shoes and talent are only half the equation; the instrument underneath their feet — the floor — is the other essential element of their success, and the company travels with its own floor to ensure that every performance meets its exacting standards. The daughter of a ballet dancer and a champion soccer coach, former STOMP member and 2015 MacArthur “Genius” Grant awardee Michelle Dorrance is known for extending her brilliant choreographic creativity in new directions. She and her company perform excerpts from two works: ETM: Double Down (which stands for Electronic Tap Music and uses wooden platforms with sensors that are hooked up to computers) and SOUNDscape, a rhythmically explosive exploration of footwork. “Michelle Dorrance is not only a dynamo in tap shoes, but a compelling, imaginative choreographer as well…[of] works that stretch the boundaries of tap.” (Boston Globe)

Artist Q&A Thursday, October 20

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Berlin Philharmonic Returning to Hill Auditorium for the first time since 2009, the Berlin Philharmonic and music director Simon Rattle embark on their last US tour together, bringing two concerts to Ann Arbor. For the first program, they perform Pierre Boulez’s Éclat, a tribute to the late titan’s death earlier this year, paired with Mahler’s seldom-performed Symphony No. 7. The second program spotlights the remarkable path that music took in Vienna throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. “Watching these players sweat their way through these symphonies, using every muscle to make them dramas of sight as well as sound…their commitment was palpable, their energy persuasive, their ability to communicate with one another superior.” (New York Times) A Prelude Dinner, sponsored by Journeys International, precedes the performance. Reservations: 734.764.8489 PROGRAM (SAT 11/12)

PROGRAM (SUN 11/13)

Boulez Éclat Mahler Symphony No. 7 in e minor

Schoenberg Webern Berg Brahms

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Eugene and Emily Grant Family Foundation S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS OR

November 12-13

Simon Rattle, conductor Saturday, November 12 // 8 pm Sunday, November 13 // 4 pm Hill Auditorium

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Two Concerts

Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16 Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6 Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6 Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

F UNDE D IN PART BY

WGTE 91.3 FM WRCJ 90.9 FM

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The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs

MEDI A PA R T NER S

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Gabrieli

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

A Venetian Coronation 1595 Music by Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli Paul McCreesh, music director and conductor Tuesday, November 15 // 7:30 pm St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

November 15

Formerly known as the Gabrieli Consort & Players, Gabrieli is a pioneering British ensemble whose innovative use of liturgy brings repertoire to life in the context of the ceremony for which it was composed. For their first Ann Arbor appearance in over a decade, Gabrieli performs its sumptuous reconstruction of a glorious 16th-century Coronation Mass at St. Mark’s in Venice. The mass evokes the grand pageantry of what was truly a magnificent event: the coronation of the Venetian Doge Marino Grimani, whose love of ceremony and state festivals fueled an extraordinary musical bounty during his reign and gave rise to the musical riches of the period.

Their recording of the work won the Gramophone Early Music Award in 2013 and is “a marvelous achievement, incorporating the rapturous choral polyphony of Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli interspersed with passages of organ and period instrument arrangements of cornets, sackbuts, and shawms. It’s never less than enthralling.” (Independent)

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A L L AGES UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Jake Shimabukuro Wednesday, November 16 // 7:30 pm Hill Auditorium

S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS OR

Dody Viola

November 16

Known for his lightning-fast fingers, Jake Shimabukuro saw his career skyrocket when his video of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was posted on YouTube without his knowledge and became one of the first viral videos on the site. An adaptation of a stringed instrument that traveled with Portuguese immigrants who came to work in Hawaii’s sugarcane fields, the ukulele is now synonymous with Hawaiian music and culture. Shimabukuro comes from that same process of mixing both island and outside influences; he’s combined the qualities of a long line of virtuoso ukulele players with modern rock to create a sound that’s uniquely his own but still firmly grounded in Hawaiian tradition. In addition to traditional ukulele material, his singular approach combines elements of jazz, blues, funk, rock, bluegrass, classical, swing, and flamenco.

MEDIA PART NER

Michigan Radio 91.7 FM WDET 101.9 FM Ann Arbor’s 107one BE PRESENT 27

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AG E S 1 6+ UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

C ON TA I NS STRONG LAN G UAGE AND ADULT SIT UAT IO NS

portrait of myself as my father

Nora Chipaumire

She never knew her father. Now she will invent him.

Within a boxing ring and surrounded by spectators, she will tether him to her, as he becomes all that she envisions a man to be. Nora Chipaumire (chipoh-MEER-ay) lost her father as a child and was raised by women. In this visceral exploration of African masculinity, the Zimbabwe-born choreographer is joined by the specters of her estranged father, performed by two other dancers. In a makeshift boxing ring, under the harsh glow of halogen worklights, the three trade jabs steeped in Chipaumire’s contemporary African movements. They teeter between combat and play, exploding and exploiting stereotypes of black manhood with the subject a man who can embody the ancestral as well as the modern, a man both strong and fragile. “Ms. Chipaumire is an artist of ferocious intensity.” (New York Times)

November 17-20

Thursday, November 17 // 7:30 pm Friday, November 18 // 8 pm Saturday, November 19 // 8 pm Sunday, November 20 // 2 pm Downtown Boxing Gym (6445 E. Vernor, Detroit)

Bus transportation from Ann Arbor will be available for the Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon performances for a nominal fee. Call 734.764.2538 or ums.org for more information.

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Renegade Ventures Fund, established by Maxine and Stuart Frankel

F UNDE D IN PART BY

MEDIA PART NER

Metro Times

Pre-Performance Talk Thursday, November 17 at 7 pm

Artist Q&A Thursday, November 17

BE PRESENT

Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative of The Wallace Foundation and the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project

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An eagerly anticipated holiday season tradition, these performances are ultimately the heart and soul of UMS, dating back to the organization’s founding and first concerts in the 1879-80 season. The performances connect audiences not only with the talented artists on stage, but also with the friends and family who attend each year. In a true community tradition, the performances feature the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the voices of the Grammy Award-winning UMS Choral Union, all under the direction of Choral Union music director Scott Hanoian.

S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS ORS

MEDIA PART NER

Ann Arbor’s 107one

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Carl and Isabelle Brauer Endowment Fund

December 3-4

UMS Choral Union Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Scott Hanoian, conductor Janai Brugger, soprano Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano Michele Angelini, tenor Shenyang, bass-baritone Joseph Gascho, harpsichord Saturday, December 3 // 8 pm Sunday, December 4 // 2 pm Hill Auditorium

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Handel’s Messiah

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AG E S 8+

The King’s Singers

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Christmas Songbook Saturday, December 10 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium

S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS ORS

December 10

Acclaimed worldwide for their virtuosity, life-affirming energy, and charm, the King’s Singers are consummate entertainers, instantly recognizable for their immaculate intonation, vocal blend, diction, incisive timing, and delightfully British wit. UMS President Ken Fischer presented the King’s Singers during an epic 1980s snowstorm in Washington, DC, one of the very first groups that he ever presented, and the group returns to celebrate Fischer’s final year before retiring with a special holiday program that includes works by Lassus, Tchaikovsky, Holst, Rutter, and Irving Berlin, as well as many traditional favorites. “These six singers can do almost anything a full-sized chorus can do, with a degree of perfection that drops the jaw and delights the ear.” (Seattle Times)

MEDIA PART NER

Michigan Radio 91.7 FM

Tom and Debby McMullen Susan B. Ullrich Endowment Fund

BE PRESENT

Ken and Penny Fischer

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Batsheva Dance Company

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Last Work

Ohad Naharin, artistic director Saturday, January 7 // 8 pm Sunday, January 8 // 2 pm Power Center

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Renegade Ventures Fund, established by Maxine and Stuart Frankel Cheryl Cassidy

Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative of The Wallace Foundation and the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project MEDIA PART NERS

Michigan Radio 91.7 FM Metro Times

Pre-Performance Talk Saturday, January 7 at 7:30 pm Power Center Lobby

Artist Q&A Saturday, January 7

BE PRESENT

S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS OR

F UNDE D IN PART BY

January 7-8

The stage is bare. In the distance a woman runs on a treadmill. Her non-stop running traces the line of time, of history being repeated.

UMS presents the North American premiere of Last Work, a new evening-length piece by Ohad Naharin performed by 18 dancers from one of the world’s preeminent dance companies. With its shifts from sustained, meditative movement to frenzied bursts of energy, this exploration of human motion — and emotion — generates powerful images that will not soon be forgotten. Naharin’s innovative movement language, Gaga, has enriched his extraordinary movement invention and revolutionized the company’s training, and has emerged as a growing international force in the larger field of movement practices for both dancers and non-dancers alike. Contains strobe lights and partial nudity.

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AG E S 8+ UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

idiot-syncrasy igor and moreno Igor Urzelai and Moreno Solinas, creators Thursday, January 12 // 7:30 pm Friday, January 13 // 8 pm Saturday, January 14 // 8 pm Arthur Miller Theatre

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Renegade Ventures Fund, established by Maxine and Stuart Frankel

F UNDE D IN PART BY

Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative of The Wallace Foundation Ann Arbor’s 107one Metro Times

Pre-Performance Talk Thursday, January 12 at 7 pm Walgreen Drama Center

Artist Q&A Thursday, January 12

BE PRESENT

MEDIA PART NERS

January 12-14

The Urban Dictionary describes “idiotsyncracy” as “any method or procedure based in ritual or dogma that continues by force of momentum beyond the limits of common sense.” That’s certainly what’s in store when Igor and Moreno take the stage. Launching their performance by singing a Sardinian folk song, they proceed to bounce —literally — for the duration of the piece. Igor Urzelai and Moreno Solinas say that when they set out to create Idiot-Syncrasy, they wanted to “change the world.” Recognizing that this would likely not be possible through performance, they started jumping, singing, and testing different ideas and actions that require perseverance and create a sense of empowerment. Direct from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, these two London-based dancers take audiences on a unique journey of self-discovery, exploring both togetherness and solitude, and reclaiming dance as an agent for change. “Idiot-Syncrasy feels very human.

More than that: humane…I left feeling an expanded person.” (LondonDance)

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AG E S 1 2+ UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Prague Philharmonia Emmanuel Villaume, conductor Sarah Chang, violin Thursday, January 19 // 7:30 pm Hill Auditorium

PROGRAM

Smetana Dvořák Dvořák

“Die Moldau” from Má vlast Violin Concerto in a minor, Op. 53 Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Ilene H. Forsyth Choral Union Endowment Fund

January 19

Founded in 1994, The Prague Philharmonia demonstrates its tremendous love for the music it performs, with a sparkling passion that makes every listener return home from its concerts full of joie de vivre. The late Yehudi Menuhin called Sarah Chang “the most wonderful, perfect, ideal violinist I have ever heard” — this at the age of eight, when she made her debut with the New York Philharmonic. Chang has continued to impress with her technical virtuosity and refined emotional depth and serves as the featured soloist in this all-Czech program of some of classical music’s most beloved scores.

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On Behalf of Nature

Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble Music and direction by Meredith Monk Friday, January 20 // 8 pm Power Center

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Renegade Ventures Fund, established by Maxine and Stuart Frankel Ilene H. Forsyth Theater Endowment Fund

Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative of The Wallace Foundation MEDIA PART NERS

Ann Arbor’s 107one Metro Times

Pre-Performance Talk 7:30 pm, Power Center Lobby

Artist Q&A BE PRESENT

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January 20

For her newest music-theater work, Meredith Monk offers a poetic meditation on our intimate connection to the natural world and the fragility of its ecology. Drawing inspiration from writers and researchers who have sounded the alarm on the precarious state of our global ecosystem, Monk and her acclaimed Vocal Ensemble create a space where human, natural, and spiritual elements are woven into a delicate whole, illuminating the interconnection and interdependency of us all. “A rapturous new work… some of the finest music Monk has yet written.” (Los Angeles Times)

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Takács Quartet

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concerts 3 & 4 Saturday, January 21 // 8 pm Sunday, January 22 //4 pm Rackham Auditorium

Composed against the turbulent backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars and their aftermath, this radical music is as invigorating now as it was for its first performers and audiences. The Takács Quartet returns for the third and fourth installments of their six-concert cycle this season.

For other concerts in the Takács Quartet’s Beethoven Cycle, see pages 14-15 and 72-73.

PROGRAM (CONCERT 3: SAT 1/21)

PROGRAM (CONCERT 4: SUN 1/22)

Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18, No. 5 Quartet No. 4 in c minor, Op. 18, No. 4 Quartet No. 15 in a minor, Op. 132

Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 18, No. 3 Quartet No. 8 in e minor, Op. 59, No. 2 Quartet No. 12 in E-flat Major, Op. 127

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR (SAT U R DAY)

Helmut F. and Candis J. Stern Endowment Fund

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January 21-22

“The are not for you, but for a later age!” So wrote Ludwig van Beethoven about his Op. 59 quartets, but the sentiment applies to all of the great composer’s quartets. His artistic odyssey is considered one of humanity’s great achievements, the musical equivalent of the building of cathedrals.

Pre-Performance Talk

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Exploring Beethoven’s String Quartets with Steven Whiting Saturday, January 21 at 7 pm Rackham Amphitheatre (4th floor)

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Anthony McGill by David Finlayson 44

AG E S 1 2+ UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Inon Barnatan, piano Anthony McGill, clarinet Alisa Weilerstein, cello Sunday, January 29 // 4 pm Rackham Auditorium

PROGRAM

Beethoven Hallman Brahms

Clarinet Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 11 short stories (UMS co-commission) Clarinet Trio in a minor, Op. 114

S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS ORS

Jerry and Gloria Abrams

January 29

This powerhouse trio brings together some familiar faces — Inon Barnatan was the featured piano soloist with the New York Philharmonic last fall, Anthony McGill is the New York Philharmonic’s principal clarinetist, and MacArthur “Genius” Grant winner Alisa Weilersten has performed on both the Choral Union Series and the Chamber Arts Series in recent years. This concert of beloved clarinet trios includes a new work by Joseph Hallman, a prolific young composer based in Philadelphia, which was co-commissioned

by UMS as part of the Music Accord commissioning consortium. The performance also includes Beethoven’s playful Clarinet Trio in B-flat and Brahms’s Clarinet Trio, written near the end of his career and prompting a musicologist friend to proclaim that “it is as though the instruments are in love with each other.”

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Bruckner Orchester Linz Dennis Russell Davies, conductor Angélique Kidjo, vocalist Martin Achrainer, baritone Thursday, February 2 // 7:30 pm Hill Auditorium

February 2

This unique concert features an Austrian orchestra performing works by composers who wrote about the experience of Africans and AfricanAmericans. The program includes Alexander Zemlinsky’s Africa Sings, which was written in 1929 and features poetry by Langston Hughes and other prominent writers from the Harlem Renaissance. The program also features Phillip Glass’s recent collaboration with the Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo, one of the great international artists performing today, based on three poems of Ifé, where the Yoruba people believe the world was created. “The power of Kidjo’s unflappable voice, the range of her emotional expression, the stellar, genre-bending musicians who back her, and the infectious, activist energy that course through her songs all transcend any native tongue.” (NPR Music) PROGRAM

Gershwin Zemlinsky Ellington Glass

Porgy and Bess Suite (arr. Morton Gould) Symphony Songs from Africa Sings, Op. 20 Black, Brown, and Beige Suite Ifé: Three Yorùbá Songs

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H. Gardner and Bonnie Ackley Endowment Fund MEDIA PART NERS

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WGTE 91.3 FM WRCJ 90.9 FM WDET 101.9 FM Ann Arbor’s 107one

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Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Kaspars Putniņš, music director Friday, February 3 // 8 pm St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

PROGRAM: THE UNORTHODOX TRADITION

Alfred Schnittke Tchaikovsky Rachmaninoff Rachmaninoff Schnittke Georgy Sviridov Rachmaninoff

February 3

When the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir landed in New York for its first North American tour in 1995 (including a stop in Ann Arbor for UMS’s very first concert at St. Francis), they were known only as the performers on the best-selling CD of fellow-Estonian Arvo Pärt’s austere Te Deum. The concerts showed much more — a virtuosic ensemble that could dazzle in everything from Bach to folk songs. Coming from a country where musical virtuosity is prized and where the choral tradition is closely linked to a sense of national identity, the 25-voice ensemble returns with newly-named artistic director Kaspars Putniņš in a program called “The Unorthodox Tradition.” The New York Times described the group as “so wondrously talented…the selections and performances were so fine that they left you feeling like an ingrate, greedily hungry for more.”

Three Sacred Hymns Nine Sacred Pieces (excerpts) The Theotokos Ever-Vigilant in Prayer All-Night Vigil (Vespers), Op. 37 (excerpts) Penitential Psalms (excerpts) Inexpressible Miracle Liturgy of St John Chrysostum (excerpt)

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Calidore String Quartet

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

M-Prize Winner Sunday, February 5 // 4 pm Rackham Auditorium

PROGRAM

Mozart Caroline Shaw Mendelssohn

Quartet in d minor, K.421/417 New Work Quartet in e minor, Op. 44, No. 2

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Carl Cohen, whose bequest will establish an endowment to support a Chamber Arts performance in perpetuity

February 5

Winner of the grand prize at the inaugural M-Prize Chamber Music Competition at the University of Michigan in May, the Calidore String Quartet is “a miracle of unified thought,” (La Presse, Montreal). The quartet’s palpable energy and intelligent, passionate performances have led to international acclaim. The group formed at the Colburn School in in 2010, taking its name from their home state of California and the French word for “gold,” and counts the Emerson Quartet and violinist Arnold Steinhardt (Guarneri String Quartet) among their mentors. “Calidore’s lustrous, beautifully matched sound, meticulous attention to detail, intellectual rigor, and worldly musicianship would be the envy of groups that have been playing together twice as long.” (Ottawa Citizen)

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“It’s hard to think of an orchestra that can stir greater thrills than the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Iván Fischer,” wrote the New York Classical Review. Pianist Richard Goode joins the Budapest Festival Orchestra for this all-Beethoven program after performing the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos with the ensemble in a “truly revolutionary” recording. (New Yorker) The concert also features the UMS Choral Union in a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the orchestra’s only performance of the work on its US tour. As the University of Michigan celebrates its bicentennial in 2017, this program commemorates the role of the volunteer UMS Choral Union in the University’s history, as an organization that has brought together the campus and the community in making music for nearly 140 years.

February 10

Iván Fischer, conductor Richard Goode, piano UMS Choral Union Laura Aikin, soprano Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano Robert Dean Smith, tenor Matthew Rose, bass Friday, February 10 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Budapest Festival Orchestra

A Prelude Dinner, sponsored by Journeys International, precedes the performance. Reservations: 734.764.8489 PROGRAM

Beethoven Beethoven

Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 Symphony No. 9 in d minor, Op. 125

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Karl V. Hauser and Ilene H. Forsyth Choral Union Endowment Fund

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AG E S 1 4 +

Ping Chong + Company

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Beyond Sacred: Voices of Muslim Identity

Written by Ping Chong and Sara Zatz, with Ryan Conarro Saturday, February 18 // 8 pm Power Center

This interview-based theater production, part of Chong’s 25-year series entitled Undesirable Elements, explores the diverse experiences of young Muslim New Yorkers who came of age in post-9/11 New York City at a time of increasing Islamophobia. Participants come from a range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and include young men and women who reflect a range of Muslim identities: those who converted to Islam, those who were raised Muslim but have since left the faith, those who identify as “secular” or “culturally” Muslim, and those who are observant on a daily basis. Beyond Sacred illuminates the daily lives of Muslim Americans in an effort to work toward greater communication and understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS OR

Islamic Studies Program of the International Institute, University of Michigan

F UNDE D IN PART BY

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Endowment Fund Michigan Radio 91.7 FM

Artist Q&A

BE PRESENT

MEDIA PART NER

February 18

Ping Chong + Company creates theater that crosses boundaries of identity, community, and form. His projects have explored a wide variety of subject matter, from a hidden genocide in Africa to class struggles in America and modernization in China, but the common thread is a unifying commitment to artistic innovation and social responsibility.

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Aaron Diehl & Cécile McLorin Salvant

Jelly Roll Morton was a ragtime and stride legend, while George Gershwin worked on the borders of jazz, classical, and popular song. Now a new generation of musicians, led by pianist Aaron Diehl and vocalist extraordinaire Cécile McLorin Salvant, turns the spotlight on timeless classics and littleknown gems by these two jazz masters, tracing a musical lineage that spans a century. Diehl, a leading force in today’s generation of jazz contemporaries, was the 2014 Monterey Jazz Festival Commission Artist and spearheads a distinct union of traditional and fresh artistry. McLorin Salvant, though practically unknown to any of the judges or participants, walked away with first place at the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, and the buzz began immediately. A 2016 Grammy winner (“Best Jazz Vocal Album”), she frequently draws comparisons to the Big Three — Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald — able to bend notes to her will and get inside each song the way an actress inhabits a starring role.

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS ORS

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MEDIA PART NERS

Richard and Norma Sarns

JazzNet Endowment Fund WEMU 89.1 FM Ann Arbor’s 107one

BE PRESENT

Gary Boren

February 19

Aaron Diehl, piano Adam Birnbaum, piano Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals Evan Christopher, clarinet Corey Wilcox, trombone Bruce Harris, trumpet Paul Sikivie, bass Lawrence Leathers, drums Sunday, February 19 // 4 pm Michigan Theater

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Jelly and George

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Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Saturday, March 4 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium

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March 4

“The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis is so far from the usual big-band cliché that it’s mind-blowing.” (Dallas) Since 1988, Wynton Marsalis has led the 15-piece Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which simultaneously honors the rich heritage of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong while presenting a stunning variety of new works from illustrious names, many of whom perform regularly with the ensemble. From swinging to supple, it’s all sheer jazz perfection — and no wonder these annual appearances have become a favorite of UMS audiences. “You know it’s a good gig when you can’t tell if the band or the audience is having more fun.”

(Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

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WEMU 89.1 FM Ann Arbor’s 107one

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Gil Omenn and Martha Darling

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Druid

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

The Beauty Queen of Leenane Written by Martin McDonagh Directed by Garry Hynes Thursday, March 9 // 7:30 pm Friday, March 10 // 8 pm Saturday, March 11 // 8 pm Power Center

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR (F R I DAY )

Emily Bandera

The James Garavaglia Theater Endowment Fund

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Endowment Fund

Artist Q&A Thursday, March 9

BE PRESENT

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March 9-11

“Please avail yourself, and brace yourself, for the virtuosic turbulence of one of modern theater’s most giddily diabolical minds.” (Washington Post) Druid, which made its acclaimed UMS debut in 2011 with The Cripple of Inishmaan, returns with a new production of Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy The Beauty Queen of Leenane (pronounced lee-NAHN). As tragically funny as it is horrific, this brilliantly subversive play takes place in an economically depressed Irish village in the early 1990s, with a vicious and relentless war of wills between a manipulative, aging mother, Mag, and her plain and lonely 40-year-old daughter, Maureen. After years of caring for her ungrateful mother, Maureen has little hope of happiness or escape, especially after Mag ruins her first, and perhaps only, chance of a loving relationship. This is confrontational theater at its most potent, with characters locked in mortal combat and mutual loathing. This new production casts Marie Mullen in the role of the scheming mother; she won a Tony Award for the role of the daughter in the 1996 Broadway production.

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Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis UMS Choral Union Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Scott Hanoian, conductor Saturday, March 11 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

The Jerry Blackstone UMS Choral Union Performance Fund

March 11

Beethoven spent more time writing his massive Missa Solemnis than any other work he composed. Written to honor Rudolph, the Archduke of Austria, who was Beethoven’s foremost patron and was to be invested as Archbishop in March 1820, the mass is eclipsed by the better-known Ninth Symphony, which premiered around the same time (and which will be performed on a UMS concert by the Budapest Festival Orchestra a month earlier). Missa Solemnis has been performed only four times in all of UMS’s history: at three May Festivals (with the Chicago Symphony in 1927 and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1947 and 1955), and most recently by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1977. The UMS Choral Union and Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Scott Hanoian, bring this monumental work to UMS audiences for the first time in 40 years. Soloists to be announced.

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Snarky Puppy Thursday, March 16 // 7:30 pm Hill Auditorium

March 16

Michael League formed Snarky Puppy as a student at the University of North Texas, which has one of the best jazz programs in the country. In the intervening years, this now Brooklyn-based quasi-collective has gone from a best-kept secret to one of the biggest bands on the international scene.

Although still “underground” in many respects, the band followed up its first Grammy in 2014 (“Best R&B Performance”) with its second this past February for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.” They have earned high praise from critical stalwarts like the BBC, Village Voice, the Guardian, and the New York Times, as well as from the world’s most respected musicians, from Pat Metheny to David Crosby and Prince. The group was voted “Best Jazz Group” in the Downbeat 2015 Reader Poll as well as “Best New Artist” in the JazzTimes 2014 Reader Poll. Their music is a mixture of funk, jazz, gospel, rock, and R&B that seamlessly fuses a deep knowledge and respect for musical tradition with sonic and conceptual innovation in a way that is able to reach the most critical — or most carefree — audience.

Opening act to be announced.

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JazzNet Endowment Fund MEDIA PART NERS

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AG E S 1 6+

Betroffenheit

Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

C ON TA I NS STRONG LAN G UAGE AND ADULT SIT UAT IO NS

Created by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young Friday, March 17 // 8 pm Saturday, March 18 // 8 pm Power Center

S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS ORS

Joel Howell and Linda Samuelson

March 17-18

A gripping and visually arresting journey through the maze of trauma, addiction, and recovery, Betroffenheit exemplifies what can happen when theater and dance combine to achieve what neither could accomplish alone. Crystal Pite, the choreographer who brought The Tempest Replica to Ann Arbor four seasons ago, is back with her 2015 work for Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre: Betroffenheit, which is a German expression for a deep-rooted shock and bewilderment. This searing work has its roots in a deeply personal tragedy, the deaths of writer Jonathon Young’s teenage daughter and two cousins in a fire. With unflinching honesty, it probes the depths of despair and the battle to reclaim normalcy, achieving broad resonance through a boundary-stretching hybrid of theater and dance.

“I can’t remember the last time I heard so much audience-sobbing at a curtain call. Betroffenheit is a harrowing representation of trauma and suffering — but it’s also a stunning testament to what can be made when life undergoes a pretty strange and irreducible process — when it’s turned into art.” (The Globe and Mail)

Artist Q&A Friday, March 17

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Steve Reich @ 80 Music for 18 Musicians eighth blackbird and Third Coast Percussion Saturday, March 18 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium

PROGRAM

Reich Sextet Reich Music for 18 Musicians

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Renegade Ventures Fund, established by Maxine and Stuart Frankel Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative of The Wallace Foundation

Pre-Performance Talk 7:30 pm, Hill Mezzanine Lobby

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WGTE 91.3 FM WDET 101.9 FM Ann Arbor’s 107one Metro Times

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F U N D E D I N PART BY

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March 18

The Guardian in London asserts, “There’s just a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history, and Steve Reich is one of them.” Reich, whom the New Yorker called “the most original musical thinker of our time,” celebrates his 80th birthday in 2016; the year also marks the 40th anniversary of the premiere of Music for 18 Musicians, considered by many to be his greatest composition. Two of Chicago’s world-class ensembles, eighth blackbird and Third Coast Percussion, team up to perform this seminal piece. Reich’s Sextet rounds out the program.

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AG E S 1 4 + UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Mitsuko Uchida Friday, March 24 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium

PROGRAM

Mozart Schumann Widmann Schumann

Sonata in C Major, K. 545 Kreisleriana, Op. 16 Sonatina facile (US premiere) Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

SUPPO RT ING SPO NSO RS

Randall and Nancy Faber and the Faber Piano Institute

March 24

Mitsuko Uchida has long devoted much attention to the mainstream German and Viennese repertoire, but she also takes a keen interest in the music of today. She opens her first UMS concert since her 1998 debut with a delicate Mozart sonata, and rounds it out with the US premiere of a new work by the German composer JÜrg Widmann. Two Schumann masterpieces, including Kreisleriana, a wildly inventive set of pieces inspired by characters from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s works, and his Fantasy in C Major, penned as a love song to his future wife, complete the program.

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Ken and Penny Fischer Ann and Clayton Wilhite

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Bob and Marina Whitman

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AG E S 1 2+

Takács Quartet

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concerts 5 & 6 Saturday, March 25 // 8 pm Sunday, March 26 //4 pm Rackham Auditorium

For other concerts in the Takács Quartet’s Beethoven Cycle, see pages 14-15 and 42-43.

PROGRAM (CONCERT 5: SAT 3/25)

PROGRAM (CONCERT 6: SUN 3/26)

Quartet No. 6 in B-flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6 Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135 Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3

Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1 Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130 with Op. 133 “Grosse Fuge”

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March 25-26

“Commenting to a friend on the startling originality of his late quartets, Beethoven explained, ‘Art demands of us that we do not stand still.’ No other composer has posed so many questions about the form and emotional content of a string quartet, and come up with so many different answers.

The need we feel to revisit our interpretations of the quartets is inspired in part by the spirit of exploration that runs through them.” (Ed Dusinberre, violinist with the Takács Quartet, in his book Beethoven for a Later Age) With these final two concerts of the Takács Beethoven cycle, the first time in 40 years that UMS has presented the cycle in a single season, audiences will no doubt agree with critic Alex Ross in the New Yorker: “[The Takács Quartet’s] survey, now complete, stands as the most richly expressive modern account of this titanic cycle.”

Pre-Performance Talk

BE PRESENT

Exploring Beethoven’s String Quartets with Steven Whiting Saturday, March 25 at 7 pm Michigan League Koessler Room (3rd floor)

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AG E S 8+ UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

DakhaBrakha Wednesday, March 29 // 7:30 pm Michigan Theater

March 29

Drones and beats, crimson beads, and towering black lambswool hats all serve as a striking backdrop for an unexpected, refreshingly novel vision of Eastern European roots music. This hit Ukrainian folk-punk quartet stirs up a mesmerizing sound that melds traditional Ukrainian folk music, African grooves, Eastern colors, and a contemporary, trans-national sensibility that the band calls “ethno-chaos.” With one foot in the urban avant-garde and the other in Ukrainian village culture, DakhaBrakha made NPR music host Bob Boilen’s “Top 10 Events of 2015” — no small feat given the 506 concerts he attended that year. Rolling Stone’s report on their Bonnaroo appearance was enthusiastic: “Ukrainian folkdrone Björkpunk quartet DakhaBrakha ended up with one of the most receptive crowds of the weekend…turning the tent into a happy menagerie.” National Public Radio added, “At times, DakhaBrakha is simply a rock band whose crazy homeland harmonies are filled with joy…it’s refreshing to hear the power of acoustic music and the many worlds of sound still waiting to be explored.”

M E DI A PARTNERS

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Photo by Guy Coletta 76

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The Encounter

Complicite / Simon McBurney In 1969, Loren McIntyre, a National Geographic photographer, found himself lost among the people of the remote Javari Valley in Brazil. It was an encounter that was to change his life: bringing the limits of human consciousness into startling focus. In this solo performance, Simon McBurney traces McIntyre’s journey into the depths of the Amazon rainforest, using binaural technology (3D audio) to build an intimate and shifting world of sound. “This production from the genre-bending Complicite company is one of the most fully immersive theater pieces ever created.” (New York Times) The Encounter comes to Ann Arbor following a three-month Broadway run this fall.

Headphones will be provided and must be worn throughout the performance.

If you are hearing-impaired, please visit ums.org for information on best to experience this event.

P R E S E N T I N G S P ONS OR

Renegade Ventures Fund, established by Maxine and Stuart Frankel S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS ORS

David and Phyllis Herzig

Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative of The Wallace Foundation MEDIA PART NERS

WDET 101.9 FM Metro Times

Pre-Performance Talk Thursday, March 30 at 7:30 pm Power Center Lobby

Artist Q&A Thursday, March 30

BE PRESENT

Carl and Charlene Herstein

F UNDE D IN PART BY

March 30-April 1

Directed and performed by Simon McBurney Inspired by the book Amazon Beaming by Petru Popescu Thursday, March 30 // 7:30 pm Friday, March 31 // 8 pm Saturday, April 1 // 8 pm Power Center

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Michael Fabiano and Martin Katz Saturday, April 1 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium

April 1

“No one reignites that golden-age magic the way Michael Fabiano does… [he is] reminiscent of the young Luciano Pavarotti.” (Opera News) A 2005 University of Michigan graduate, tenor Michael Fabiano was the first singer to receive major career recognition in the same year with two prestigious prizes: the Richard Tucker Award (for an American singer posed on the edge of a major national or international career) and the Beverly Sills Artist Award (for young singers who have appeared in solo roles at the Metropolitan Opera). His vibrant voice and emotional commitment to every role that he sings brings an intensity to his art that is all too rare in the world of opera today. “A marvel… Fabiano’s sound was so beautiful, and the transition from the bottom to the top of his range so seamless as to proclaim him ‘the’ tenor that we have all been waiting for.” (San Francisco Classical Voice) Program includes works by Duparc, Richard Strauss, Liszt, Puccini, Toscanini, and Bernstein.

A Prelude Dinner, sponsored by Journeys International, precedes the performance. Reservations: 734.764.8489

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William R. Kinney Endowment Fund

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Roomful of Teeth by Bonica Ayala 80

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A Far Cry with Roomful of Teeth Wednesday, April 12 // 7:30 pm Rackham Auditorium

PROGRAM

Shaw Prokofiev Hearne Hearne

Music in Common Time Visions Fugitives Coloring Book Law of Mosaics

April 12

A Far Cry stands at the forefront of an exciting new generation in classical music. The 17-member, self-conducted chamber music collective joins forces with virtuosic vocalists Roomful of Teeth, a Grammy-winning vocal octet dedicated to mining the expressive potential of the human voice. The result is a sonic patchwork that is ever-changing with its fleeting burst of colors, timbres, and visions. The program opens with the lush writing of Caroline Shaw (2013 Pulitzer Prize winner and member of Roomful of Teeth), with the second half devoted to two raw, energetic, and captivating works by Ted Hearne. “A thoroughly modern, century-spanning, globe-trotting sonic adventure. Catch the group live.� (Boston)

M E DI A PARTNER

WGTE 91.3 FM

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Photo by Jinsaar Kandhro-5000BC Photography 82

AG E S 1 2+ UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Sanam Marvi Saturday, April 15 // 8 pm Rackham Auditorium

April 15

With compelling interpretations that draw deeply from one of the world’s great music traditions, Sanam Marvi is Pakistan’s next inspiring diviner of South Asia’s Sufi texts. A vocal warrior for tolerance and peace, this contemporary daughter of the Sindh province is a brilliant interpreter of South Asia’s spiritual, folk, and classical poetry, with performances that balance immediacy and elegant ornamentation. Like the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Marvi’s devotional joyousness is meditative and trance-inducing one moment and thrillingly ecstatic the next. An in-demand performer too rarely heard outside émigré circles, she makes her first extended tour to the US.

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AG E S 8+ UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

King Sunny Adé Friday, April 21 // 8 pm Michigan Theater

April 21

King Sunny Adé stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Fela Kuti and Hugh Masekela as masters of modern African music. Since the evolution of jùjú music in Nigeria in the 1930s, no one has made a more lasting impact in the genre than this pioneer of global music, who has succeeded in taking Nigerian social music to international heights. A beloved singer, composer, and guitarist, Adé formed his first band in 1967 and has been in the limelight in Nigeria ever since. Singing in his native Yorùbá language, Adé went on to define the terms “Afropop” and “World Beat” and to open the door to the West for other African musicians. He will lay down his trademark mix of talking drum-driven grooves, multi-guitar weaves, lilting vocal harmonies, and pedal steel guitar accents, taking the audiences on an intoxicating journey. “King Sunny is to Nigerians what James Brown has been to Americans.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

M E DI A PARTNERS

WDET 101.9 FM Ann Arbor’s 107one BE PRESENT 85

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Photo by by Danny Clinch 86

AG E S 1 2+

Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Bach Trios

Saturday, April 22 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium

PRESENTING S P ON S OR

S U P PORTI NG SPO NSO RS

April 22

This special concert near the end of UMS’s season brings together three artists who have been collaborating for the better part of a decade, most notably on the best-selling recording The Goat Rodeo Sessions. Yo-Yo Ma’s multi-faceted career is a testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Here, he is joined by mandolinist Chris Thile (Punch Brothers, Nickel Creek) and bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer for a special concert that brings together three string masters who come from wildly different backgrounds yet excel in virtually all genres. They pool their talents for a fresh, new perspective on brilliantly-conceived music by Johann Sebastian Bach.

MEDI A PA R T NER S

WEMU 89.1 FM Michigan Radio 91.7 FM Essel and Menakka Bailey Endowment Fund David Sarns and Agnes Moy-Sarns Diane and Gary Stahle James and Nancy Stanley The Zelenock Family

BE PRESENT

Medical Community Endowment Fund

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Photo by Josef Fischnaller 88

AG E S 1 4 +

Handel’s Ariodante

Contemporary opera composer Jake Heggie enthused in Gramophone magazine, “The staggering, joyful artistry of Joyce DiDonato reminds us that in any generation there are a few giants…Those who know her repertoire are in awe of her gifts, and those who know nothing of it are instantly engaged…

Joyce sings, and the world is suddenly brighter.” DiDonato enchants audiences across the globe with her 24-carat voice and performances that “leave one bereft of superlatives.” (Telegraph) First among equals in a spectacular cast, DiDonato sparkles in this brilliantly melodic tale of obsession and betrayal, which will be performed in concert with conductor Harry Bicket and The English Concert in only three places in the country: Hill Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. Performed in Italian with English supertitles.

S U P P O R TI N G S P ONS ORS

Joel Howell and Linda Samuelson

MEDIA PART NERS

WGTE 91.3 FM WRCJ 90.9 FM

BE PRESENT

Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Morelock

April 25

Starring Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano The English Concert Harry Bicket, artistic director Christiane Karg, soprano Joélle Harvey, soprano Sonia Prina, contralto David Portillo, tenor Matthew Brook, bass-baritone Tuesday, April 25 // 7:30 pm Hill Auditorium

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Opera in Concert

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HD Theater Broadcasts

HD Theater Broadcasts co-presented

by UMS and the Michigan Theater

Richard III starring Ralph Fiennes Photo by Marc Brenner 90

Shakespeare’s Richard III Starring Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave Rupert Goold, director Sunday, September 18 // 7 pm Michigan Theater

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

From the Almeida Theatre, London

War-torn England is reeling after years of bitter conflict. King Edward is ailing, and as political unrest begins to stir once more, Edward’s brother Richard — vicious in war, despised in peacetime — awaits the opportunity to seize the crown. Through the malevolent Richard, Shakespeare examines the allconsuming nature of the desire for power amid a society riddled by conflict.

From the National Theatre, London

Starring Helen McCrory Carrie Cracknell, director Sunday, October 9 // 7 pm Michigan Theater It’s 1952. When Hester Collyer is found by her neighbors in the aftermath of a failed suicide attempt, the story of her tempestuous affair with a former RAF pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court judge begins to emerge. Behind the fragile veneer of post-war civility burns a brutal sense of loss and longing.

HD Theater Broadcasts

Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea

From the Royal Shakespeare Company

Shakespeare’s King Lear Starring Antony Sher Gregory Doran, director Sunday, December 4 // 7 pm Michigan Theater

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King Lear has ruled for many years. As age begins to overtake him, he decides to divide his kingdom among his children, living out his days without the burden of power. Misjudging his children’s loyalty and finding himself alone, he is left to confront the mistakes of a life that has brought him to this point.

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Renegade

Where Curious Audiences Meet Unexpected Ideas

Artists engage daily in a creative enterprise full of risk-taking, experimentation, and boundary pushing.

But artists aren’t alone in this venture: many audience members seek out adventure, searching for the extreme moments of challenging artistic work that is often edgy, sometimes controversial, and always surprising. From a dance show created for a boxing ring to a theater production that lives inside your head, this year’s Renegade events may take you out of your comfort zone and into a whole new world of possibility.

This year’s Renegade events include: Falling Up and Getting Down / Jason Moran and The Bandwagon with Skateboard Masters Nora Chipaumire / portrait of myself as my father Batsheva Dance Company / Last Work Igor and Moreno / Idiot-Syncrasy Meredith Monk / On Behalf of Nature Steve Reich / Music for 18 Musicians Complicite / The Encounter

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UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Renegade Ventures Fund The Renegade Ventures Fund was established by Maxine and Stuart Frankel, who recognize that a national leader in the performing arts must push the boundaries of knowledge forward by supporting new works, remounting important works from the past, and providing a venue and funding for artists to create.

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO:

Renegade Ventures Fund UMS Burton Memorial Tower 881 N. University Ave. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1011 MORE INFO:

Marnie Reid 734.647.1178 marnreid@umich.edu BE PRESENT

For the past six seasons, the Fund has supported a variety of events: the remounting of Einstein on the Beach, a four-day American Mavericks Festival by the San Francisco Symphony, bass saxophone player Colin Stetson, a ballet for plastic bags, finger dancing (the much talked-about Kiss and Cry), Ryoji Ikeda’s superposition, Taylor Mac, Tanya Tagaq, and many other events by and featuring artists who, in their own time and place, broke with the past and forged new ground.

UMS must raise matching gifts each year to meet the Renegade Ventures Fund challenge. We invite you to engage in this exciting adventure by partnering with us to make these performances possible.

Renegade Ventures Fund

To encourage innovative and cutting-edge work, the Frankels established the Renegade Ventures Fund with a multi-year challenge grant to support UMS in providing Renegade performances for our audiences.

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Development Events BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!

Development Events

UMS Prelude Dinners Park early, enjoy a delicious meal, and get an insider’s look at the evening’s performance. Each dinner features a renowned guest speaker, who will provide insights about the artist, composer, or program.

Dinners are held at 5:30 pm near the performance venues.

For reservations and information, contact Esther Barrett at 734.764.8489 or embarret@umich.edu.

SAVE THE DATE

Ovation - May 6, 2017 This year’s Ovation will honor and celebrate UMS President Ken Fischer. All proceeds will benefit UMS education programs.

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Berlin Philharmonic Saturday, November 12 Budapest Festival Orchestra Friday, February 10 Michael Fabiano & Martin Katz Saturday, April 1

SUPPO R T I NG S PO NS O R

Uncommon and engaging experiences.

A sense of connection between audience and artist.

Moments of clarity, inspiration, and reflection. The performing arts provide us with these elemental experiences, offering a shortcut to our creative selves.

Your gift will help in the following areas:

UMS.ORG/SUPPORT 734.764.8489

Visit us online or call the UMS Development Office to make your gift today.

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

You have a part to play.

ACCESS AND INCLUSIVENESS

Helping make tickets more affordable.

Helping create free educational events and community-building activities. Providing opportunities for all to experience the transformative power of the arts.

ENGAGED LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS

BOLD ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP

Commissioning work that reflects our commitment to tradition and innovation.

Solidifying and elevating our position as a recognized national and international artistic leader. Unique and bold programming.

Be a Victor for the Arts

Integrating performing arts into the student experience. Creating meaningful connections between the arts and life.

Encouraging creative thinking, collaboration, and experimentation.

As a Leader and Best among arts presenters, UMS wants anyone and everyone, students and community alike, to experience the transformative power of the performing arts.

We seek generous partners who want to help us achieve our goal.

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Series Subscriptions

Series Subscriptions UMS subscription packages, including genre-based packages and the popular Series:You, are available until Friday, September 23, 2016.

Subscribers receive great perks including free ticket exchanges up to 48 hours before a performance and discounts of up to 25%.

Full details are available at ums.org/tickets.

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In addition to the tangible perks, subscribers also enjoy:

Personal Fulfillment Let’s be honest — it’s hard to find those moments of personal escape, and sometimes we have to schedule them into our lives. UMS takes you to a place where the imagination is thriving, and a UMS series allows you to invest in yourself while supporting the quality of life in our community.

Building Relationships When you attend with family and friends, you create memories with people who are important to you, whether you join up for dinner before or meet up at the performance. And even if you attend alone, you can build lasting friendships with others who enjoy the arts.

Discovery We hope you’ll take a chance and discover something new this year — an artist you’ve never heard of, an art form you’ve never experienced, a hands-on experience through our highly-lauded education programs… With UMS, you can count on unexpected moments that will stay with you for a lifetime.

University Engagement: From the Concert Hall to the Classroom.

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Education

Throughout our 138-year history, UMS has partnered with the University of Michigan to transform lives and minds through world-class performances in music, theater, and dance.

Taylor Mac at Engaging Performance class,

by Peter Smith

For more information, visit ums.org/education/university-programs

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We also work with faculty across campus to infuse arts experiences throughout the curriculum. Our online guide for faculty, “Arts in Context: UMS in the Classroom,” supports the integration of UMS performances into university courses, and we work with the UMS Faculty Insight Group to stay up to date on the latest academic developments at U-M. Since 2014, 40 faculty members from across the disciplines have joined the UMS Mellon Faculty Institute on Arts Academic Integration to learn more about arts-integrative teaching strategies. In the 2015-16 season, we more than doubled the number of students who attended a performance as a required experience for a class, totaling more than 2,600 tickets.

Education

UMS’s signature undergraduate course, “Engaging Performance,” invites students from all class years and academic disciplines to discover the performing arts through the lens of UMS’s programming.

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Education

EDUCATION

K-12: UMS is Committed to Bringing Young People to the Arts and the Arts to Young People.

For over 25 years UMS has been connecting young people to a rich and diverse array of educational events and extraordinary performances.

We believe that exposure to great arts experiences helps young people to become innovative, collaborative, critical thinkers, and, most importantly, compassionate and culturally aware individuals.

To make a gift to support education and community engagement programs, contact umsdevelopment@ umich.edu or call 734.647.1175.

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UMS continues to be a leader in advocating transformative arts education experiences for our K-12 community. Each season, we welcome thousands of K-12 youth from the region to our 60-minute school day performances; for many students this may be their first opportunity to experience live performance. UMS is proud to introduce young people to groundbreaking artists and multidisciplinary performances from around the globe. We also support K-12 educators in bringing the arts directly into their classrooms by providing online learning guides, teaching artist visits, inclass pre- and post-show workshops, and a variety of professional development opportunities.

Learn how to involve your child’s school in our K-12 educational program: visit ums.org/k12 or email umsyouth@umich.edu.

Photo by Peter Smith

Artist Q&As

Mark Morris Dance Group and The Silk Road Ensemble Thursday, October 13 Power Center

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

The TEAM Thursday, September 29 Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre

EDUCATION

Dorrance Dance Thursday, October 20 Power Center Nora Chipamuire Thursday, November 17 Downtown Boxing Gym

Photo by Doug Coombe

Where does inspiration come from? What makes an artist tick? In conjunction with most opening night dance and theater performances, join us for a postperformance artist Q&A and get a glimpse into the lives and minds of the artists who bring creativity to the stage. Must have a ticket to that evening’s performance to attend.

Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble Friday, January 20 Power Center Ping Chong + Company Saturday, February 18 Power Center Druid Theatre Company Thursday, March 9 Power Center Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre Friday, March 17 Power Center Complicite Thursday, March 30 Power Center

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Look for the Artist Q&A callout on artist pages

Igor and Moreno Thursday, January 12 Arthur Miller Theatre

Education

Batsheva Dance Company Saturday, January 7 Power Center

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EDUCATION

Pre-Concert Lecture Series: Exploring Beethoven’s String Quartets Beethoven scholar and U-M Professor of Musicology Steven Whiting presents a series of three lectures in conjunction with the Takács Quartet’s complete Beethoven cycle.

Saturday, October 8 at 7 pm Rackham Amphitheatre (4th floor) Saturday, January 21 at 7 pm Rackham Amphitheatre (4th floor)

Education

Saturday, March 25 at 7 pm Michigan League Koessler Room (3rd floor)

Photo by Doug Coombe 100

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Pre-Performance Talks: Renegade Join UMS for a brief preperformance talk before select Renegade performances. Just 15 minutes long, each talk offers interesting information and provocative questions for thinking about and watching the performance. Renegade celebrates artistic innovation, experimentation, and discovery.

Look for the Pre-Performance Talk callout on artist pages

Nora Chipamuire Thursday, November 17 at 7 pm Downtown Boxing Gym Batsheva Dance Company Saturday, January 7 at 7:30 pm Power Center Lobby

Education

EDUCATION

Igor and Moreno Thursday, January 12 at 7 pm Walgreen Drama Center Studio Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble Friday, January 20 at 7:30 pm Power Center Lobby

Complicite Thursday, March 30 at 7 pm Power Center Lobby

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Steve Reich @ 80: Music for 18 Musicians eighth blackbird and Third Coast Percussion Saturday, March 18 at 7:30 pm Hill Mezzanine Lobby

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FamilyFriendly Opportunities

Family-Friendly Opportunities

All Ages Falling Up and Getting Down Jason Moran and Skateboard Masters Sun, Sep 11 Dorrance Dance Thu, Oct 20-Fri, Oct 21 Jake Shimabukuro Wed, Nov 16

Ages 8+ 3rd grade King’s Singers Christmas Songbook Sat, Dec 10 Igor and Moreno Idiot-Syncrasy Thu, Jan 12–Sat, Jan 14 Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis Sat, Mar 4 DakhaBrakha Wed, Mar 29 King Sunny Adé Fri, Apr 21

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While parents are the best judges about what’s age-appropriate for their own children, UMS offers these recommendations to guide you through our season. If in doubt, feel free to contact the UMS Ticket Office, who will be happy to discuss whether an event might be appropriate for your family.

Ages 12+ Middle school Kamasi Washington & The Next Step Fri, Sep 30

Prague Philharmonia with Sarah Chang Thu, Jan 19

Takács Quartet: Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concerts 1 & 2 Sat, Oct 8–Sun, Oct 9

Takács Quartet: Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concerts 3 & 4 Sat, Jan 21–Sun, Jan 22

Layla and Majnun Mark Morris Dance Group & The Silk Road Ensemble Thu, Oct 13–Sat, Oct 15

Inon Barnatan, Anthony McGill & Alisa Weilerstein Sun, Jan 29

Denis Matsuev Sun, Oct 16 Gabrieli Tue, Nov 15 Handel’s Messiah Sat, Dec 3–Sun, Dec 4 Batsheva Dance Company Sat, Jan 7–Sun, Jan 8

Budapest Festival Orchestra Fri, Feb 10 Jelly and George Aaron Diehl & Cecilé McLorin Salvant Sun, Feb 19 Snarky Puppy Thu, Mar 16

A Far Cry with Roomful of Teeth Wed, Apr 12 Sanam Marvi Sat, Apr 15 Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile Sat, Apr 22

RoosevElvis Thu, Sep 29– Sat, Oct 1 Berlin Philharmonic Sat, Nov 12– Sun, Nov 13 Nora Chipaumire (16+) Thu, Nov 17– Sun, Nov 20 Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble Fri, Jan 20 Bruckner Orchester Linz with Angélique Kidjo Thu, Feb 2 Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Fri, Feb 3 M-Prize Winner Calidore String Quartet Sun, Feb 5

Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis Sat, Mar 11 Betroffenheit (16+) Kidd Pivot & Electric Company Theatre Fri, Mar 17– Sat, Mar 18 Steve Reich Music for 18 Musicians Sat, Mar 18 Mitsuko Uchida Fri, Mar 24 Complicite The Encounter Thu, Mar 30– Sat, Apr 1 Michael Fabiano Sat, Apr 1 Handel’s Ariodante Opera in Concert Tue, Apr 25 BE PRESENT

Ping Chong + Company Beyond Sacred: Voices of Muslim Identity Sat, Feb 18

The Beauty Queen of Leenane (16+) Druid Thu, Mar 9– Sat, Mar 11

Family-Friendly Opportunities

Takács Quartet: Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concerts 5 & 6 Sat, Mar 25– Sun, Mar 26

Ages 14+ High School

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Please remember that children under the age of 3 are not permitted at UMS mainstage performances. All children attending must be able to sit quietly in their seats and not distract other patrons.

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Kids Club Tickets Open to youth in grades 3-12 and encompassing the entire UMS season, the UMS Kids Club Tickets program allows families to purchase up to two kids’ tickets for $10 each with the purchase of at least one adult ticket for $20 (seats will be together).

Kids Club

ON SALE

Mon, Sep 12 9 am

UMS Kids Club Tickets will go on sale for the entire season beginning Monday, September 12, 2016 at 9 am. Seating is subject to availability and ticket office discretion, but UMS guarantees that at least 30 tickets will be available for each event (selected performances for multiple-performance runs).

Act early to lock in your seats.

UMS Kids Club Tickets are available in person, online, and by phone (handling fees apply for online and phone orders). Kids Club Tickets will be available at the door unless the allotment is sold out. Limit two kids per adult and two adults per kid.

Photo by Peter Smith 104

CMYK Form (preferred)

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation University of Michigan

Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs

Cheryl Cassidy Black and White Form

Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

THE MOSAIC FOUNDATION (of R. & P. Heydon)

Dance/USA

National Endowment for the Arts

DTE Energy Foundation

New England Foundation for the Arts

Jim and Patsy Donahey Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

Dan and Sarah Nicoli

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Endowment Fund

PNC Foundation

The File Esperance Foundation Format: CMYK.EPS Ford Oval: BW.EPS

CMYK Black

Stephen and Rosamund Forrest Student Ticket Endowment Fund

Quincy and Rob Northrop Mary R. Romig-deYoung Music Fund

Text: Black BlackAppreciation

Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation

Prudence and Amnon Rosenthal K-12 Education Endowment Fund Stout Systems

Eugene and Emily Grant Family Foundation

Karen and David Stutz

David and Phyllis Herzig Endowment Fund

U-M Credit Union

Richard and Lillian Ives Endowment Fund Mardi Gras Fund

Toyota Wallace Endowment Fund The Wallace Foundation BE PRESENT

JazzNet Endowment

Educational Support

Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation

d Fund Master

3

Reflects donations to UMS education programs at $5,000 or more, made between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016.

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Educational Support

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UMS.org

The New UMS.org The new UMS.org has launched, giving you a complete view into the UMS experience.

BIGGER

MORE CONNECTED

Our site now matches our vision: bold and far-reaching. We encourage you to use UMS.org as a resource throughout the year as we continue to add new articles, insights, and events.

We've brought together UMS.org, UMSLobby.org, and UMSRewind.org into one online experience. Now, you can find relevant content from all three sites under each performance page. You can comment directly on a performer’s page, search related educational events, and find historically relevant information — all at one address.

EASIER

We've worked with users to make sure the new experience makes it simple to navigate, find content, comment, and get the information you need when you need it. We've also made it more accessible and more readable on both desktop and mobile devices.

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UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

National Medal of Arts

In September 2015, UMS received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama at the White House. We are deeply honored to be the first university-based arts presenters to receive this recognition, which is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the US government.

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Several of the artists on our 2016-17 season have also been named National Medal of Arts recipients: Ping Chong (2014), Yo-Yo Ma (2001), Wynton Marsalis (2005), and Meredith Monk (2014).

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Ticket Info HOW TO ORDER WEB

IN PERSON

ums.org

Visit the UMS Ticket Office on the north end of the Michigan League building (911 North University Avenue). The Ticket Office also sells tickets for all U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance productions and the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

PHONE

Ticket Info

734.764.2538 Outside the 734 area code, call toll-free 800.221.1229 FAX

734.647.1171

MAIL

UMS Ticket Office Burton Memorial Tower 881 North University Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1011

HOURS

Summer Hours (May-August) Mon-Fri 10 am to 5 pm Sat-Sun Closed Regular Hours (beginning Tuesday, September 6, 2016) Mon-Fri 9 am to 5 pm Sat 10 am to 1 pm Sun Closed Venue box offices open 90 minutes before published start time

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AUTHORIZED TICKETING AGENT

Service fees of $3.00–$6.00 per ticket apply to all online and phone orders.

There are no fees for tickets purchased at the League Ticket Office or at the venue immediately before the performance.

UMS assumes no liability for tickets purchased through unauthorized channels, including Craigslist, eBay, StubHub, and other secondary market or ticket broker services. We strongly advise against purchasing tickets from any source other than the UMS Ticket Office or tickets.ums.org. Tickets purchased from unauthorized sources may be stolen, counterfeit, or otherwise compromised, and if so, are not valid for event admission.

If you are unsure whether a ticket seller has been authorized to sell UMS tickets, please contact the Ticket Office prior to purchasing from that source.

NEW THIS YEAR! PRINT-AT-HOME TICKETS When you order online or by phone, you’ll now have the option to print your tickets at home and avoid long lines at will-call. Please ask about this option when you place your order, or select the print-at-home option delivery method when ordering online. Print-at-home is not available for student, group, or other discounted tickets.

STUDENT TICKETS

Students may purchase subscriptions at half-price through September 23 and receive full subscriber benefits; please call the Ticket Office at 734.764.2538 or order online at ums.org/students.

GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE Groups of 10 or more people attending a single event save 20% off the regular ticket prices to most performances.

For more information, contact the UMS Group Sales Office at 734.763.3100 or umsgroupsales@umich.edu.

REFUNDS Due to the nature of the performing arts, programs and artists are subject to change. If an artist cancels an appearance, UMS will make every effort to substitute that performance with a comparable artist. Refunds will only be offered if a substitute cannot be found, or in the event of a date change. Service charges are not refundable.

Ticket Info

Specially-priced student tickets are available for students in accredited degree programs, subject to availability, beginning Thursday, September 1, 2016.

All tickets cost $20 (main floor and mezzanine) and $12 (balcony). Student tickets for the Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile concert on April 22 will be available by lottery at a later date.

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

FEES

UMS will not cancel performances or refund tickets because of inclement weather. An artist may choose to cancel a performance if weather prevents the artist’s arrival in Ann Arbor, but that decision rests with the artist and not with UMS. PLEASE GIVE US YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

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UMS sends updated concert-related parking and late seating information via email a few days before each event.

Please be sure that the Ticket Office has your correct email address on file. This information is also used to communicate event changes or cancellations. While these happen infrequently, timing is often critical and email is the fastest way to reach audiences.

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TICKET EXCHANGES

TICKET MAILING VS. TICKET PICK-UP

Subscribers may exchange tickets free-of-charge up to 48 hours before the performance. Non-subscribers may exchange tickets for a $6 per ticket exchange fee.

Any ticket order received fewer than 10 days prior to the performance will be held at will-call, which opens in the performance venue 90 minutes before the published start time. Or choose the printat-home delivery method to avoid the lines and have your tickets emailed to you!

Exchanged tickets must be received by the Ticket Office (by mail or in person) at least 48 hours prior to the performance.

You may also fax a photocopy of your torn tickets to 734.647.11 71, or email a photo to umstix@umich.edu.

Ticket Info

The value of the ticket(s) may be applied to another performance or will be held as UMS Credit until the end of the 2016-17 season. Credit must be redeemed by April 25, 2017. Unused credit will be converted to a donation after that date, with a receipt mailed to the address on file.

Exchanges within 48 hours of the performance are subject to a $10 per ticket exchange fee (applies to both subscribers and single ticket buyers).

Tickets must be exchanged at least one hour before the published concert time.

Tickets received less than one hour before the performance will be returned as a donation.

TICKET DONATIONS/ UNUSED TICKETS Tickets may be donated to UMS until the published start time of the concert. A receipt will be issued for tax purposes; please consult your tax advisor. Unused tickets that are returned after the performance begins are not eligible for UMS Credit or as a donation.

LOST OR MISPLACED TICKETS Call the Ticket Office at 734.764.2538 to have duplicate tickets waiting for you at will-call or sent to your email address.

Duplicate tickets cannot be mailed.

PARKING/PARKING TIPS Detailed directions and parking information will be mailed with your tickets and are also available at ums.org.

ACCESSIBILIT Y Accessible parking is provided in University of Michigan parking structures for those with a state-issued disability permit or a U-M handicap verification permit. There are drop-off areas near Hill Auditorium and Rackham Auditorium and inside the Power Center structure.

All UMS venues have barrier-free entrances. Patrons with accessibility or special seating needs should notify the UMS Ticket Office of those needs at the time of ticket purchase. We will make every effort to accommodate special needs brought to our attention at the performance, but we request that these arrangements be made in advance if at all possible.

Seating spaces for patrons with mobility disabilities and their companions are located throughout each venue, and ushers are available to assist patrons.

Please let the usher know how best to assist you.

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performance and makes every effort to contact ticketbuyers via email if there will be no late seating. Be sure the Ticket Office has your email address on file.

Relay calls are welcome via the Michigan Relay Service. Dial 711 to access the service.

Children under the age of three will not be admitted to UMS performances. All children attending UMS performances must be able to sit quietly in their own seats without disturbing other patrons, or they may be asked to leave the auditorium. Please use discretion when choosing to bring a child, and remember that everyone must have a ticket, regardless of age. See pages 100-101 for information about family-friendly performances.

Large-print programs are available upon request from an usher at our performances.

Please note that there is no elevator access for balcony seating in the Power Center, the Michigan Theater, or Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre.

VENUE SEAT MAPS Detailed seat maps of all UMS venues are available at ums.org/visit/venues.

UMS Kids Club tickets, which provide discounted tickets for children in grades 3-12 and an accompanying adult, will go on sale on Monday, September 12, 2016.

Ticket Info

Further accessibility information is available at ums.org/accessibility.

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES/ UMS KIDS CLUB

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

Assistive listening devices are available in Hill Auditorium, Rackham Auditorium, Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, the Michigan Theater, the Arthur Miller Theatre, and the Power Center. Earphones may be obtained upon arrival. Please ask an usher for assistance.

START TIME & LATECOMERS UMS makes every effort to begin concerts at the published start time.

Latecomers will be asked to wait in the lobby and will be seated by ushers at a predetermined time in the program, which may be as late as intermission. The late seating break is determined by the artists and will generally occur during a suitable break in the program, designed to cause as little disruption as possible to other patrons and the artists on stage.

Please allow extra time to park and find your seats.

BE PRESENT

Occasionally, performances will have no seating break. For example, dance and theater performances often have a “no late seating” policy. UMS may not learn a specific company’s late seating policy until a couple of weeks before the

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138TH SEASON

Venues Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre 911 N. University Ave.

Hill Auditorium 825 N. University Ave.

Michigan Theater 603 E. Liberty St.

S TA G E

4

5

S TA G E

S TA G E

2

3

4

1

2

3

A MAIN FLOOR

10

9

MAIN FLOOR

MEZZANINE

ORCHESTRA

16

15

21

19

11

12

13

14

20

BALCONY

Venues

6

7

8

17

18

BALCONY BALCONY

Power Center 121 Fletcher St.

Rackham Auditorium 915 E. Washington St S TA G E

S TA G E

1

3 2

1

5 4

3

8

2

4 7

10 9

6

MAIN FLOOR

5 6

7 8 BALCONY

GENERAL ADMISSION VENUES

Downtown Boxing Gym 6445 E. Vernor, Detroit

Ann Arbor Skatepark 350 N. Maple Rd.

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church 2250 E. Stadium Blvd.

Arthur Miller Theatre 1226 Murfin Ave.

NOTE: Reserved seating at St. Francis is by pew; specific seats are not designated 112

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

UMS Choral Union 2016-17 Season This group of volunteer singers is best-known for their annual performances of Handel’s Messiah, but they perform throughout the region. The UMS Choral Union 2016-17 schedule includes:

TICKETS: ums.org, 734.764.2538

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Budapest Festival Orchestra Friday, February 10 Hill Auditorium TICKETS: ums.org, 734.764.2538

Debussy’s Nocturnes with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Saturday, March 18 Michigan Theater TICKETS: a2so.com, 734.994.4801

Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra Friday, April 28 Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle Theater TICKETS: toledosymphony.com,

419.246.8000

Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Saturday, March 11 Hill Auditorium

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Thursday, May 18–Sunday, May 20 Orchestra Hall (Detroit)

TICKETS: ums.org, 734.764.2538

TICKETS: dso.org, 313.576.5111

UMS Choral Union Season

Handel’s Messiah with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Saturday, December 3– Sunday, December 4 Hill Auditorium

AUDITION FOR THE UMS CHORAL UNION!

Monday, August 29 // 6-10 pm Monday, September 12 // 6-10 pm

Additional information at ums.org/choralunion

BE PRESENT

Contact choralunion@umich.edu for more information and to set up an audition time.

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138TH SEASON

Public & Private Support RENEGADE VENTURES FUND

Public & Private Support

This multi-year challenge grant created

by Maxine and Stuart Frankel supports artistic, innovative, and cutting-edge programming.

ANN ARBOR AREA COMMUNIT Y FOUNDATION General operating support is provided by the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

ARTS MIDWEST TOURING FUND Dorrance Dance is funded in part by Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Crane Group.

COMMUNIT Y FOUNDATION FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN The co-presentation with Michigan Opera Theatre of Mark Morris Dance Group’s Layla and Majnun is funded in part by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, part of a three-year initiative focused on dance.

MEDIA PARTNERS

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THE WILLIAM DAVIDSON FOUNDATION In honor of his service on its Board of Directors, The William Davidson Foundation established the Oscar Feldman Endowment Fund.

DORIS DUKE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ENDOWMENT FUND Special project support for several components of the 2016-17 UMS season is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Endowment Fund, established with a challenge grant from the Leading College and University Presenters Program at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a multi-year grant to UMS that supports artist residencies and other initiatives, all designed to integrate the arts more fully into the academic experience at the University of Michigan and into the life of our community.

MICHIGAN COUNCIL FOR ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS General operating support is provided

by Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION The Berlin Philharmonic residency is funded in part by a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

Special project support for several performances in the 2016-17 season is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

UMS.ORG / 734.764.2538

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

NEW ENGLAND FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS / NATIONAL DANCE PROJECT Mark Morris Dance Group, Nora Chipaumire, and Batsheva Dance Company are funded in part by grants from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The University of Michigan provides special project support for many activities in the 2016-17 season through the U-M/UMS Partnership Program. Additional support is provided by other individual academic units.

UNIVERSIT Y OF MICHIGAN HEALTH SYSTEM The University of Michigan Health System provides multi-year support for UMS programs.

WALLACE ENDOWMENT FUND RoosevElvis is funded in part by the Wallace Endowment Fund, established with a challenge grant from the Wallace Foundation to build participation in arts programs.

Public & Private Support

UNIVERSIT Y OF MICHIGAN

WALLACE FOUNDATION Special project support for components of UMS Renegade is provided by a multi-year grant from the Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative at The Wallace Foundation.

UMS IS A MEMBER OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF MICHIGAN ARTS CONSORTIUM, THE ARTS ALLIANCE, AND CULTURESOURCE. BE PRESENT

A NON-DISCRIMINATORY, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER.

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Cover: Kamasi Washington by Mike Park. Publication Date: July 2016

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Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1011

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