07/08 Education Events

Past Public Programs

Jazz 101: Contemporary Jazz
Monday, March 31, 7 pm
Ann Arbor District Library (343 South Fifth Ave.)

Contemporary Jazz Session Presented by Ellen Rowe, Associate Professor and Chair of Jazz Piano & Improvisational Studies and Robert L. Hurst III, Associate Professor of Jazz Bass and Improvisational Studies, U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

The University Musical Society is launching a four-part series of free lectures on Monday nights called Jazz 101, with one lecture each month from January-April, 2008. The lectures will be scheduled in conjunction with four UMS jazz events scheduled for the winter/spring 2008 season: the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Ahmad Jamal, SFJAZZ Collective, and the Brad Mehldau Trio.

This lecture series is designed for general audiences who love music, but want a more comprehensive study of what is considered America’s “classical” music…jazz. All lectures will feature broad overviews of each era of jazz through listening, lecture, and recommended readings and recordings.

A collaboration with the WEMU 89.1 FM, the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and the Ann Arbor District Library

Artist Interview: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
Saturday, March 29, 11am - 12 noon
Palmer Commons, Forum Hall

Robin Wilson, former member of Urban Bush Woman and professor in the U-M Department of Dance, interviews Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, artistic director of Urban Bush Women.

A collaboration with the U-M Women of Color in the Academy Project and the U-M Center for the Education of Women

Masterclass: Compagnie Jant-Bi
Saturday, March 29, 1-3 pm
Power Center Stage, 121 Fletcher St.

A member of Senegal's all-male Compagnie Jant-Bi leads an African dance masterclass for members of the university and community.

50 spaces available on a first come, first serve basis. Open to the public for observation.

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Film Screening: Glenn Gould - Hereafter
Tuesday, March 18, 8 pm
East Quad Auditorium, 701 E. University Ave.

The latest of Mr. Bruno Monsaigeon's films Glenn Gould: Hereafter, a winner of numerous international awards, including the prestigious FIPA D'Or will be shown at the Residential College as part of his residency. Bruno Monsaingeon worked with Glenn Gould on twenty three television programs and seven films and has written four books about the great Canadian pianist. His films about Glenn Gould have been seen on PBS Television and they were central to the Lincoln Center film series, Glenn Gould Unveiled, part of the Voices and Visionaries Festival, 2006.

A collaboration with the U-M Residential College

Film Screening: Richter the Enigma
Sunday, March 16, 3 pm
Michigan Theater

Throughout a life dedicated to music, Richter maintained a stubborn silence about his own ideals and aspirations. Here at last, one of the greatest performers of the century, opens up his heart in exceptional interviews with Bruno Monsaingeon, with whom he maintained a friendship over many years, offering the film maker full access to his diaries. The interviews are also published in Bruno Monsaingeon's book, Sviatislav Richter: Notebooks and Conversations. Richter the Enigma is a winner of numerous international awards (FIPA d'Or 1998, Documentary Prize - Banff Festival, Canada, 1998, Grand Prix Pratt & Whitney Canada Art Film Festival of Montreal, 1999, Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, 1999, Diapason d'Or Classical Music DVD, 2001 and the Cannes Classical Award, Classical Music DVD, 2001, among others).

A collaboration with the U-M Residential College

Bach's St. Matthew Passion -- "Then and Now"
Tuesday, March 11, 7 pm
Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. 5th Ave.

UMS Choral Union conductor Jerry Blackstone will discuss the historical background, the distinctive features of the St. Matthew account, Bach's magnificent setting of the text, and the particular challenges of presenting this monumental landmark work.

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance and the Ann Arbor District Library

Jazz 101: Big Band/Jazz Collective - CANCELED
Monday, March 10, 7 pm
Ann Arbor District Library (343 South Fifth Ave.)

Big Band/Jazz Collective Session Presented by Robert L. Hurst III, Associate Professor of Jazz Bass and Improvisational Studies, U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

The University Musical Society is launching a four-part series of free lectures on Monday nights called Jazz 101, with one lecture each month from January-April, 2008. The lectures will be scheduled in conjunction with four UMS jazz events scheduled for the winter/spring 2008 season: the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Ahmad Jamal, SFJAZZ Collective, and the Brad Mehldau Trio.

This lecture series is designed for general audiences who love music, but want a more comprehensive study of what is considered America’s “classical” music…jazz. All lectures will feature broad overviews of each era of jazz through listening, lecture, and recommended readings and recordings.

A collaboration with the WEMU 89.1 FM, the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and the Ann Arbor District Library

Ramayana: Cambodian and Thai Dance and Masks
Saturday, March 8, 10-11 am
Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave.

Join Pornrat Damrhung, professor of Dramatic Arts at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, and Charley Sullivan from the University of Michigan Center for Southeast Asian Studies, as they lead simple Cambodian and Thai classical dance in two forms -- Ogres and Monkeys. This activity will be followed by mask-making in the Youth Story Corner on the first floor. For children ages three year olds and up.

This event is part of Ann Arbor Family Days.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the Ann Arbor District Library

Artist Reception: Jo Kanamori and Noism08 company members
Friday, February 15, post-performance
Michigan League Vandenberg Room, 911 N. University

Everyone is welcome to meet the artists featured in the production of Noism08 Nina: matieralize sacrifice at this post-performance reception. Sponsored by the U-M Center for Japanese Studies.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Japanese Studies

Gifts of Art Performance: Wu Man, pipa
Wednesday, February 13, 12-1 pm
University Hospital, Main Lobby, 1st Floor

As part of “I LOVE UMS Week”, Wu Man will perform traditional and contemporary Chinese music on her pipa as part of the U-M Hospital Gifts of Arts Program.

A collaboration with the U-M Hospital Gift of Arts Program

Brown Bag: Wu Man and the World of Chinese Music
Tuesday, February 12, 12-1:30 pm
Center for Chinese Studies, School of Social Work Building, 1080 S. University

Join world-renowned pipa virtuoso Wu Man as she discusses the world of Chinese Music, both traditional and contemporary.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Chinese Studies

Gifts of Art Performance: Derek Bermel, clarinet
Monday, February 11, 12-1 pm
University Hospital, Main Lobby, 1st Floor

As part of “I LOVE UMS Week”, noted performer and composer Derek Bermel will perform selections on his clarinet.

A collaboration with the U-M Hospital Gift of Arts Program

Jazz 101: Modern Jazz
Monday, February 11, 7 pm
Ann Arbor District Library (343 South Fifth Ave.)

Modern Jazz Session Presented by Mark Clague, Assistant Professor of Musicology, U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

The University Musical Society is launching a four-part series of free lectures on Monday nights called Jazz 101, with one lecture each month from January-April, 2008. The lectures will be scheduled in conjunction with four UMS jazz events scheduled for the winter/spring 2008 season: the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Ahmad Jamal, SFJAZZ Collective, and the Brad Mehldau Trio.

This lecture series is designed for general audiences who love music, but want a more comprehensive study of what is considered America’s “classical” music…jazz. All lectures will feature broad overviews of each era of jazz through listening, lecture, and recommended readings and recordings.

A collaboration with the WEMU 89.1 FM, the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and the Ann Arbor District Library

Meet the Artists: Guarneri String Quartet, Johannes String Quartet, William Bolcom, and Derek Bermel
Saturday, February 9, post-performance
Rackham Auditorium

Join the featured ensembles and composers as they discuss the evening's repertoire and concert. Led by Ken Fischer, President of UMS.

Open Rehearsal/Master Class
Friday, February 8, 7 pm
Britton Recital Hall, School of Music, 1100 Baits Dr.

Observe the Guarneri String Quartet and the Johannes String Quartet as they coach and perform with U-M School of Music students. Open to the public for observation.

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Beethoven: The Sonata Obsession - Student Concert #8
Thursday, February 7, 8 pm
Stamps Auditorium, Walgreen Drama Center, 1226 Murfin, North Campus

Inspired by the UMS Beethoven Sonata Project featuring the artistry of András Schiff, students of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance perform all of Beethoven's sonatas, solo and collaborative, in a two-year exploration comprising lecture-recitals and chamber concerts. The lecture-recitals have been scheduled to prepare listeners for each concert in Mr. Schiff's Beethoven cycle.

This event features student performers and lecturers from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance performing Beethoven sonatas. Included on this concert are: Op. 12 - 3 Violin Sonatas: Sonata in D major, Op. 12, No. 1; Sonata in A major, Op. 12, No. 2; Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 12, No. 3; and Quintet for Winds and Piano: Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 16

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Brown Bag with composer William Bolcom:
Thursday, February 7, 12-1:30 pm
U-M Institute for the Humanities, 2nd Floor, 202 S. Thayer

Pulitzer-prize-winning composer William Bolcom will talk about his new Double Quartet (2007) which was co-commissioned by the University Musical Society. William Bolcom is Ross Lee Finney Distinguished Professor of Composition at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Named "2007 Composer of the Year" by Musical America and honored with multiple Grammy Awards for his ground-breaking setting of Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Bolcom is renowned composer of cabaret songs, concertos, sonatas, operas, symphonies and more.

A collaboration with the U-M Humanities Institute

Brown Bag with composer Derek Bermel:
Tuesday, February 5, 12-1:30 pm
U-M Institute for the Humanities, 2nd Floor, 202 S. Thayer

Derek Bermel will talk about the new piece of music, co-commissioned by the University Musical Society, that he composed for the Guarneri Quartet. He will also talk more generally about chamber music for strings, sharing a composer’s insight into the inner workings and history of the string quartet.

Derek Bermel earned his DMA from the U-M School of Music in 1997, and is the winner of the 2007 Paul Boylan Award. He comes from New York City, where he is composer-in-residence of the American Composers Orchestra.

A collaboration with the U-M Humanities Institute

Beethoven: The Sonata Obsession - Student Concert #6
Sunday, February 3, 4 pm
Stamps Auditorium, Walgreen Drama Center, 1226 Murfin, North Campus

Inspired by the UMS Beethoven Sonata Project featuring the artistry of András Schiff, students of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance perform all of Beethoven's sonatas, solo and collaborative, in a two-year exploration comprising lecture-recitals and chamber concerts. The lecture-recitals have been scheduled to prepare listeners for each concert in Mr. Schiff's Beethoven cycle.

This event features student performers and lecturers from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance performing Beethoven sonatas. Included on this concert are: Horn Sonata in F major, Op. 17; Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 23; and Violin Sonata in F major, Op. 24 ("Spring").

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Jazz 101: Classic Jazz
Monday, January 14, 7 pm
Ann Arbor District Library (343 South Fifth Ave.)

Classic Jazz Session Presented by Linda Yohn, music director, WEMU 89.1 FM

The University Musical Society is launching a four-part series of free lectures on Monday nights called Jazz 101, with one lecture each month from January-April, 2008. The lectures will be scheduled in conjunction with four UMS jazz events scheduled for the winter/spring 2008 season: the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Ahmad Jamal, SFJAZZ Collective, and the Brad Mehldau Trio.

This lecture series is designed for general audiences who love music, but want a more comprehensive study of what is considered America’s “classical” music…jazz. All lectures will feature broad overviews of each era of jazz through listening, lecture, and recommended readings and recordings.

A collaboration with the WEMU 89.1 FM, the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and the Ann Arbor District Library

Master Class with eighth blackbird
Monday, December 3, 8-10 pm
McIntosh Theater, 1360 Moore Building, 1100 Baits Drive

A master class with students from the U-M String, Wind and Brass Programs. Open to the public for observation.

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, U-M Department of Dance

PREP with Dr. Jerry Blackstone
Sunday, December 2, 1-1:30 pm
Hill Auditorium Mezzanine Lobby

UMS Choral Union conductor Jerry Blackstone will give a pre-performance lecture on the historical and musical background of Handel’s Messiah. You must have a ticket to the performance to attend.

PREP with Dr. Jerry Blackstone
Saturday, December 1, 7-7:30 pm
Hill Auditorium Mezzanine Lobby

UMS Choral Union conductor Jerry Blackstone will give a pre-performance lecture on the historical and musical background of Handel’s Messiah. You must have a ticket to the performance to attend.

Engaging Chamber Music: A Very Open Rehearsal
Friday, November 30, 7 pm
U-M Alumni Center (200 Fletcher St.)

Eric Booth will use a live performance of a School of Music chamber ensemble to demonstrate strategies for engaging the audience during the performance.

Eric Booth brings four careers to his speeches and workshops about the arts and arts in education. As an actor for 20 years, he performed in many plays on Broadway and around the country. As a businessman, he started a company, Alert Publishing, that analyzes trends among American people (the largest of its kind). As a teacher, he has taught at more than 50 universities, 100 museums and cultural organizations, and led countless workshops for teachers and students (kindergarten through graduate school). Eric was also on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Institute, and Tanglewood, and a consultant to the Kennedy Center Education Department, The College Board, and other organizations across the country. As an author, he has had four books published and is the founding editor of the Teaching Artist Journal.

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Keynote Lecture: Eric Booth Residency
Wednesday, November 28, 5:30 pm
Rackham Amphitheatre

Creativity is a national buzzword -- in bestselling books, economic conferences, corporate priorities, education and the arts. But what are we really talking about? Pulling together the research on creativity, and three decades of work within the arts, education and business, Eric Booth will share his view (tested widely in practice around the country) of the actual skills we are talking about -- the capacities humans use when they engage creatively in ANY medium, be it marketing plans or strings of musical notes, be it entrepreneurial in business media or innovative in artistic media. These essential core capacities, these verbs of art, can be developed, can be assessed, and can make a difference both the bottom line (corporate or artistic) and the lives of those who live them fully. There will be hands-on demonstrations, and a question and answer period.

A collaboration with the U-M Public Goods Council, U-M Office of the Provost, Ann Arbor Rotary Club, Ann Arbor Public Schools, U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, U-M Museum of Art, U-M Ross School of Business, U-M School of Education, Washtenaw Intermediate School District, U-M Arts Enterprise Initiative

Lecture: Ksenia’s Lament: Women’s Voices in the Muscovite Theater and Beyond
Wednesday, October 31, 12 noon
School of Social Work Building, Room 1636 (1080 South University Avenue)

Led by Claudia Jensen, affiliate faculty of music history, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Washington.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Russian and East European Studies.

Lecture: Russian Orthodoxy: Music and Tradition
Tuesday, October 30, 6:30-7:30 pm
St. Francis of Assisi Church, Parish Activity Center (2250 E. Stadium Blvd.)

Music is essential to the life of the Russian Orthodox Church. Father Gregory Joyce, rector of St. Vladimir Orthodox Church, will provide a liturgical context for the music to be performed by the Russian Patriarchate Choir and will also discuss the historic reconciliation that took place earlier this year between the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia and the Russia Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). In a manner of speaking, this event marked the final chapter of the Russian Revolution, begun in 1917. Russian Patriarchate Choir Director Anatoly Grindenko will also speak briefly about the choir and performance.

A collaboration with the St. Vladimir Orthodox Church and St. Francis of Assisi Church.

Artist Interview: Hubbard Street Chicago Choreographers
Saturday, October 27, 2:30 pm
Palmer Commons, 3rd floor (100 Washtenaw Ave.)

Choreographers from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago talk about the art of dance and their choreographic process. Featuring Jim Vincent, artistic director; Lucas Crandall, artistic associate; Alejandro Cerrudo and Brian Enos, principal dancers.

A collaboration with the U-M Department of Dance.

Artist Interview: eighth blackbird
Friday, October 26, 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Britton Recital Hall, U-M School of Music (1100 Baits Dr.)

Evan Chambers, U-M Chair and Associate Professor of Composition, interviews members of the provocative, engaging and highly innovative ensemble, eighth blackbird. Based in Chicago, it is widely lauded for its performing style – often playing from memory with virtuosic and theatrical flair – and its efforts to make new music accessible to wide audiences.

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

Lecture/Demonstration: Mystics, Nomads, and Troubadours in Central Asian Music
Wednesday, October 24, 12 noon - 1:30 pm
Palmer Commons, Forum Hall, 4th floor (100 Washtenaw Ave.)

The rich diversity of Central Asian music and expressive culture is brought to life in this lecture-demonstration featuring performers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Karakalpakstan, and Tajikistan.

This lecture will be led by Theodore Levin, Parents Distinguished Research Professor at Dartmouth College, who first visited Central Asia in 1974, and has traveled there frequently ever since. He is the author of The Hundred Thousand Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia (and Queens, New York), and Where Rivers and Mountains Sing: Sound, Music, and Nomadism in Tuva and Beyond. His most recent project is the ten-volume CD-DVD anthology Music of Central Asia, co-produced by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies.

Family Workshop: Pamina Devi
Saturday, October 20, 11-12:30 pm
U-M Almuni Center (corner of Fletcher and Washington Streets)

A special workshop for families prior to the Pamina Devi Family Performance. This workshop will include songs, dance, clothing, and food from Cambodia.

A collaboration with the U-M Alumni Association and U-M Center for South East Asian Studies.

Lecture: Islamic Perspectives in Southeast Asian Performing Arts
Friday, October 19, 12 noon
U-M School of Social Work, Room 1636 (1080 S. University Ave.)

What is "Islamic" and what is "Southeast Asian" in Islamic performing arts in the region? Dr. Anis Mohd Nor of the University of Malaya will discuss this fundamental question in a talk that first introduces concepts of Islamic Philosophy and then explores several themes: Abstractions, Stylizations and Repetitions in Islamic Arts, Eclecticism and Syncreticity of Islamic aesthetics and philosophy in indigenous Southeast Asian Performing Arts, Performative time and space, modularity, continuity and arabesque in indigenous performing arts in Southeast Asia, and Handasah Al-Sawt and Impressionistic representations of musical sounds, dance and drama in Southeast Asian Performing Arts.

For more information, contact the U-M Center for South East Asian Studies at
734-764-0352.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for South East Asian Studies and the U-M Islamic Studies Initiative.

Roundtable: Traditional Modernity: A Panel Discussion on Identity and Culture in Asian Performing Arts
Thursday, October 18, 4-5:30 pm
School of Social Work Building, Room 1636 (1080 South University Avenue)

A panel of experts on Asian performing arts and theater practitioners will discuss the “identity” of contemporary Asian performing arts and social and cultural function of the performing arts throughout the Asian continent. Moderated by Joseph Lam, U-M Professor of Musicology and Director, Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments, and Center for Chinese Studies. Discussants include Haiping Yan, UCLA and Visiting Fellow, Institute for Humanities (China); Pornrat Damrhung, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand); Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, Khmer Arts Academy (Cambodia); Judy Mitoma, UCLA and Emiko Susilo and I Dewa Putu Berata, Cudamani (Indonesia); Anis Nor, University of Malaya and President, World Dance Alliance-Asia Pacific; and William Allen Neilson Visiting Professor, Smith College (Malaysia/Southeast Asia).

A collaboration with the the U-M Center for Chinese Studies, U-M Center for South East Asian Studies, U-M Center for World Performance Studies, U-M Institute for Humanities, U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

Lecture/Demonstration: Sophiline Cheam Shapiro – Cambodian Dance and History
Wednesday, October 17, 12:45-2:15 pm
U-M Department of Dance, Betty Pease Studio, (1310 N. University Ct., behind CCRB)

The co-founder and artistic director of the Khmer Arts Academy, Sophiline Cheam Shapiro is a choreographer, dancer, vocalist and educator whose original works have infused the venerable Cambodian classical form with new ideas and energy. She will talk about her work Pamina Devi: A Cambodian Magic Flute, a contemporary re-imaging of Mozart’s fantastical opera.

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance; U-M Department of Dance; U-M Center for South East Asian Studies

Lecture: John Shapiro, Khmer Arts Academy
Wednesday, October 17, 3:45 pm
Michigan Union, Anderson Room, 1st floor (530 S. State St.)

John Shapiro is the co-founder and executive director of the Khmer Arts Academy, a fast-growing and transnational performing arts organization based in Long Beach, California and in Takhmao, Cambodia (outside Phnom Penh). KAA creates, presents and tours innovative theatrical dance works, conducts professional and amateur training programs and develops wide-ranging media projects. Prior to co-founding the Khmer Arts Academy, Shapiro worked in development and grant writing and has a background in film/video production, graphic design and literature. He holds a BFA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina.

For this talk, Mr. Shapiro will discuss critical partnerships between creative and administrative leaders in medium sized ($250k-1 million) tax-exempt arts organizations and the relationship between earned and contributed income in the current arts economy.

A collaboration with the U-M Ross School of Business Arts Enterprise Initiative and U-M Nonprofit and Public Management Center.

Guitar Master Class: Romero Lubambo
Sunday, October 14, 9:30-11 am
Herb David Guitar Studio (302 E. Liberty)

Guitarist Romero Lubambo will give a master class for local guitar students. Open to the public for observation; $10 for participants. Free for observers.

A collaboration with the Herb David Guitar Studio

Lecture: Foodgetting, Ritual, and Values in Cambodia
Friday, October 12, 12 noon
U-M School of Social Work, Room 1636 (1080 S. University Ave.)

To say that the king rules in Cambodia is to say that the king 'eats' his kingdom, and the people in it. Far from being an unusual way of imagining rule, it is common both to the region, and beyond it. This presentation draws on recent fieldwork to address long-standing questions about the relationship between different forms of cultural subsistence and the religious imagination. Erik Davis contends that different forms of subsistence methods profoundly influence the ways in which cultures imagine the world, especially the conceptual ghost haunting the anthropological imagination, 'power.' Archaeology and anthropology have, despite ongoing debates, largely agreed that different subsistence means lead directly to certain general but crucial results in the culture itself. This presentation will move from archaeology to psychological anthropology in an attempt to demonstrate the unity of concerns that these share, and to identify important areas of too-often neglected concern. Drawing on works by Condominas, Hanks, Rappaport, and Castoriadis, Davis will present a general schematic of the argument, and then exemplify it with Cambodian examples drawn from historical research and personal fieldwork.

For more information, contact the U-M Center for South East Asian Studies at
734-764-0352

A collaboration with the U-M Center for South East Asian Studies.

Symposium: Simply Sonata: Reflections on Beethoven’s Transformation of a Musical Genre
Thursday, October 4, 4 pm
School of Social Work Building, Room 1636 (1080 South University Avenue)

As part of the András Schiff Beethoven Sonata Project, the Center for European Studies is organizing a public symposium on Beethoven’s solo sonatas as part of their “Conversations on Europe” series. This symposium will focus on fresh perspectives on the three historic periods of Beethoven’s career. Featuring Alan Gosman, Assistant Professor of Music, U-M Department of Music Theory; Kevin Korsyn, Professor, U-M Department of Music Theory; and Steven Whiting, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Associate Professor, U-M Department of Musicology.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for European Studies – European Union Center

Beethoven: The Sonata Obsession — Student Concert #3
Sunday, September 30, 4:30 pm
U-M School of Music, Britton Recital Hall, 1100 Baits Dr.

Inspired by the UMS Beethoven Sonata Project featuring the artistry of András Schiff, students of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance perform all of Beethoven's sonatas, solo and collaborative, in a two-year exploration comprising lecture-recitals and chamber concerts. The lecture-recitals have been scheduled to prepare listeners for each concert in Mr. Schiff's Beethoven cycle.

Titled “Grand Designs”, this event features student performers and lecturers from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance performing Beethoven piano sonatas. Included on this concert are: Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 7 and Sonata in c minor, Op. 13 (“Pathétique”).

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Dragon Boat Festival
Sunday, September 30, 10 am - 5 pm
Gallup Park (2970 Fuller Rd.)

The first ever University-sponsored Chinese dragon boat race comes to Ann Arbor as part of a campus/community festival to launch the ChinaNow LSA Theme Year — a series of ground-breaking lectures, exhibitions, symposia, films, and performances building up to the 2008 Olympics.

Dragon boat races (the second most popular water sport in the world) are the heartbeat of the festival, a centuries old tradition in China. Teams of twenty paddlers per boat comprised of U-M departments, student organizations, and the community will race to drummer's beats in heats throughout the day. Activities on the banks of the river include a drum and gong procession (U-M Percussion Ensemble), lion dancing (Asian Martial Arts Studio), performances by high energy percussion group Groove, Chinese opera-style face painting, kite making, yo-yo spinning (Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan), food, and more. The festival is a green event to bring about greater awareness of natural resources, particularly water.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Chinese Studies. Part of the ChinaNow LSA Theme Year series of outreach events.

Exhibit: Stearns Collection of Chinese Instruments
Saturday, September 29, Pre-performance
Power Center Lobby

The U-M Stearns Collection will assemble and host a variety of historic Chinese instruments in the lobby of the Power Center prior to the Friday and Saturday performances of Shen Wei Dance Arts. Open only to ticketholders of Shen Wei Dance Arts.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Chinese Studies, LS&A ChinaNow Theme Year, and the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments.

Opera Symposium: Beijing Opera and Shen Wei's Second Visit to the Empress
Saturday, September 29, 2-4 pm
Britton Recital Hall, 1100 Baits Drive, School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Generations of Beijing opera actors and musicians developed an artistic system of words, music, dance, and visuals to economically and dramatically present the world of traditional China on what was practically a bare stage. What is that world and what are its sonic and visual expressions? How are they transformed and presented in Shen Wei's creative Second Visit to the Empress? Professors David Rolston and Joseph Lam will address these and other questions through audio-visual examples and an interview with artistic director Shen Wei.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Chinese Studies and U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Beethoven: The Sonata Obsession — Student Concert #2
Friday, September 28, 7:30 pm
U-M School of Music, Britton Recital Hall, 1100 Baits Dr.

Inspired by the UMS Beethoven Sonata Project featuring the artistry of András Schiff, students of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance perform all of Beethoven's sonatas, solo and collaborative, in a two-year exploration comprising lecture-recitals and chamber concerts. The lecture-recitals have been scheduled to prepare listeners for each concert in Mr. Schiff's Beethoven cycle.

Titled “Bundles of Joy (and Woe) II”, this event features student performers and lecturers from the U-M School of Music, Theatre, & Dance performing Beethoven piano sonatas. Included on this concert are: Sonata in c minor, Op.10, No.1; Sonata in F Major, Op. 10, No. 2; and Sonata in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3.

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Exhibit: Stearns Collection of Chinese Instruments
Friday, September 28, Pre-performance
Power Center Lobby

The U-M Stearns Collection will assemble and host a variety of historic Chinese instruments in the lobby of the Power Center prior to the Friday and Saturday performances of Shen Wei Dance Arts. Open only to ticketholders of Shen Wei Dance Arts.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Chinese Studies, LS&A ChinaNow Theme Year, and the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments.

Beethoven: The Sonata Obsession — Student Concert #1
Sunday, September 23, 4:30 pm
U-M School of Music, Britton Recital Hall, 1100 Baits Dr.

Inspired by the UMS Beethoven Sonata Project featuring the artistry of András Schiff, students of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance perform all of Beethoven's sonatas, solo and collaborative, in a two-year exploration comprising lecture-recitals and chamber concerts. The lecture-recitals have been scheduled to prepare listeners for each concert in Mr. Schiff's Beethoven cycle.

Titled “Bundles of Joy (and Woe) I”, this event features student performers and lecturers from the U-M School of Music, Theatre, & Dance performing Beethoven piano sonatas. Included on this concert are: Sonata in f minor, Op.2, No.1; Sonata in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2; and Sonata in C Major, Op. 2, No. 3.

A collaboration with the U-M School of Music, Theatre, & Dance and the U-M Center for European Studies

Dragon Boat Workshop
Sunday, September 23, 1-4 pm
Ann Arbor Hands On Museum (220 E. Ann St.)

How can you steer a boat with 20 paddlers, a drummer, and over 4000 pounds of water momentum? Explore the engineering dynamics of traditional Chinese dragon boats--how do these vessels stay afloat, move through water, and carry loads without sinking. Presented by U-M College of Engineering professors and students.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Chinese Studies and U-M College of Engineering.

Lecture/Demonstration: Chinese Drums and Gongs
Sunday, September 23, 4:30-5:30 pm
Ann Arbor District Library (343 S. Fifth Ave.)

Musicologist and specialist in Chinese Daoist music from Nanjing Normal University Dr. Pu Hengqiang introduces gong-and-drum music, luogu yue, a feature of traditional Chinese festivals and processions. This lecture/demonstration is a prelude to the U-M Drum Ensemble's procession at Gallup Park highlighting the Dragon Boat Festival, a campus-community event to launch the ChinaNow LSA Theme Year on Sept 30.

A collaboration with the U-M Center for Chinese Studies and the U-M Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments

Lecture: Wagner and Respighi: A Study in Contrasts
Sunday, September 23, 3 pm
Ann Arbor District Library (343 S. Fifth Ave.)

Rechard LeSueur will discuss the difference between Wagner, the giant of the 19th century, and Respighi, the most important composer of the post-Puccini generation, which provides an interesting contrast in regards to composition and the composer's understanding of his craft. Mr. LeSueur will offer his expertise on this topic as well as share multiple excerpts from this vast collection of sound recordings. The event will also include a discussion of the works to be performed by the Filarmonica della Scala.

A collaboration with the Ann Arbor District Library