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Hello Writers and Editors!
The UMS lineup in November touches on just about every genre. The month kicks off with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in a stunning program that features cellist Alisa Weilerstein. From there, we'll present a mariachi celebration with Aida Cuevas, an HD broadcast of the Chichester Festival Theater's production of Shakespeare's King Lear, a virtuosic ukulele performance by Jake Shimabukuro, an evening of chamber music with the Danish String Quartet, a musical theater program by Audra McDonald, and a special holiday concert by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center
Orchestra.
Read on for more details about these events. Press images are always available at ums.org/press, or they can be downloaded by clicking the respective "Press Photos" buttons below.
As always, don't hesitate to reach out if I can help enhance your story with interviews, quotes, or additional photos.
Cheers,
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Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
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Semyon Bychkov, conductor Alisa Weilerstein,
cello
Thursday, November 1 // 7:30 pm Hill Auditorium
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For this concert, the legendary Czech orchestra brings a program of Dvořák and Tchaikovsky to Hill Auditorium, under the baton of renowned conductor Semyon Bychkov, the former Grand Rapids Symphony music director who was recently named music director and chief conductor
of the ensemble. Alisa Weilerstein joins the pantheon of great cellists in UMS history who have performed the Dvořák Cello Concerto, including Piatigorsky, Rostropovich, and Yo-Yo Ma.
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Cello Concerto in b minor, Op. 104
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Serenade for Strings, Op. 48
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Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32
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Presenting Sponsor: Martha Krehbiel, in memory of David Krehbiel Patron Sponsors: Ken and Penny Fischer Media Partner: WRCJ 90.9 FM and WGTE 91.3 FM
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Totalmente Juan Gabriel Aida Cuevas
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Friday, November 2 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium
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Known as the "Queen of Ranchera Music," Aida Cuevas brings her mariachi band, Mariachi Juvenil Tecalitlán,
to Ann Arbor for a performance paying tribute to her late friend and mentor, Juan Gabriel.
One of the most influential Latino artists in history, Gabriel passed away in 2016 after a prolific career that included writing more than 1,500 songs and selling over 200 million recordings. Cuevas is the only artist authorized by his estate to record and tour his music, and she's in the midst of paying tribute to the singer and songwriter through a five-CD release.
With a long-lasting career of nearly 40 years, she was recently awarded the 2018 Grammy Award for "Best Regional Mexican Music Album," the first time a woman has received the award.
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RELATED EVENTS
My Latinx Is… An Open Mic Event Thu, Oct 25 // 7 pm // Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery What does Latinx identity mean in today’s melting-pot culture of assimilation and appropriation? Join UMS, the U-M Libraries, and La Casa as they set out to explore the variety of identities and experiences that live under the umbrella of Latinx in this free open-mic event featuring live music, poetry, dance, and more.
Pre-show Performance Fri, Nov 2 // 7 & 7:30 pm A pre-show community performance by
Ballet Folklórico de Detroit will take place in the Hill Lower Lobby, with sets beginning at 7 pm and 7:30 pm. Must have a ticket to the Aida Cuevas concert to attend.
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Presenting Sponsor: Michigan Medicine Supporting Sponsors: Masco Corporation Foundation and Conlin Travel
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National Theatre, London Live in HD King Lear
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by William Shakespeare Jonathan Munby,
director Starring Ian McKellen A Chichester Festival Theatre Production
Sunday, November 4 // 7 pm Michigan Theater
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King Lear sees two aging fathers — one a King, one his courtier — reject the children who truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, as family and state are plunged into a violent power struggle with bitter ends.
The Chichester Festival Theatre’s production of Shakespeare's King Lear received five-star reviews for its sell-out run. Jonathan Munby directs this contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s tender, violent, moving, and shocking play.
Presented in partnership with the Michigan Theater.
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Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele
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Wednesday, November 7 // 7:30 pm Hill Auditorium
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Jake Shimabukuro combines 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.
As a member of the group Pure Heart, Shimabukuro became a local Hawaiian phenomenon. From Hawaii, his fame spread to Japan. He was signed to Epic Records (Sony/Japan) in 2001 as a solo artist, the start of what would become a deep catalog of solo albums noted for their dazzling fretwork, ambitious repertoire, and wistful melodicism.
Shimabukuro saw his career skyrocket in 2005 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. Widespread acclaim brought high-visibility collaborations with a wide range of artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy Buffett, Bette Midler, Cyndi Lauper, Jack Johnson, and more.
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RELATED EVENTS
UMS 101: Jake Shimabukuro & the Ukulele Wed, Nov 7 // 5:30 pm // Hill Auditorium Mezzanine Lobby Class begins at 5:30 pm, performance begins at 7:30 pm Registration fee with ticket: $49 Registration fee for workshop only: $15 The ukulele is an incredibly popular instrument that can often be too quickly pigeonholed to a specific genre of music. This class will explore the use of the ukulele as an instrument for a variety of music genres including everything from traditional Hawaiian music all the way to rock, jazz, and pop. Participants will end the night with a live performance from one of the most exceptional and innovative uke players in the history of
the instrument. Register for the workshop and performance, or the workshop only. Space is limited and class groups are intentionally kept small to create an engaging and intimate learning experience. Register at ums.org/ums101.
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Supporting Sponsor: Schweitzer Family Foundation
Patron Sponsors: Ellie Serras, Dody
Viola, and Stout Systems Media Partners: WEMU 89.1 FM, WDET 101.9 FM, and Ann Arbor's 107one
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Thursday, November 15 // 7:30 pm Rackham Auditorium
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The Danish String Quartet returns after its acclaimed UMS debut in 2015 with a program of Haydn, Beethoven, and Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen, whose first string quartet dates from 1973, when he was considered a member of the "new simplicity" movement that evolved as a reaction against the Central European
avant-garde.
The group debuted at the 2002 Copenhagen Festival, and over the past 15 years the ensemble has won First Prize in the London International String Quartet Competition, was named the Danish Radio Artist in Residence, and was appointed to the prestigious Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two program. The quartet was awarded the highly prestigious Carl Nielsen Prize, Denmark's largest cultural prize, in 2011.
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String Quartet in C Major, Op. 20, No. 2
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String Quartet No. 1 ("Ten Preludes")
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String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1
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Presenting Sponsor: Emily Bandera Patron Sponsors: Joel Howell and Linda Samuelson Media Partners: WRCJ 90.9 FM and WGTE 91.3 FM
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Songs from the American Musical Theater Audra McDonald
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Andy Einhorn, piano Mark Vanderpoel, bass Gene Lewis, drums
Saturday, November 17 // 8 pm Hill Auditorium
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Audra McDonald has secured her place atop Broadway’s pantheon with a record-breaking six Tony Awards, the only actor ever to achieve the Tony Grand Slam: "Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play" (as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill), "Best Featured Actress in a Musical" (Carousel and Ragtime), "Best Featured Actress in a Play" (Master Class and A Raisin in the Sun), and "Best Actress in a Musical" (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess).
Blessed with a luminous soprano and an incomparable gift for storytelling, she is equally at home on Broadway and opera stages and in roles on film and television (Private Practice, The Good Fight). A 2015 National Medal of Arts recipient, she is also a committed advocate for at-risk youth and LGBTQ equality, among other causes.
Supporting Sponsors: Anne and Paul Glendon
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Big Band Holidays Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
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Featuring Veronica Swift and Vuyo Sotashe,
vocals
Wednesday, November 28 // 7:30 pm Hill Auditorium
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Wynton Marsalis, recently named the honorary chair of UMS’s National Council, brings his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to Hill Auditorium with a special holiday program. The lineup includes soulful big band arrangements of songs both sacred and secular, including imaginative new versions of classics like "White
Christmas" and "Merry Christmas Baby," performed by two special guest vocalists: Veronica Swift and Vuyo Sotashe, both distinctive young talents who have been major hits when performing in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s smaller venues in New York.
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RELATED EVENTS
Immersion: Exploring the Legacy of Jazz in Detroit Sat, Nov 3 // 12 noon – 9 pm Meet at WISD Teaching and Learning Center (1819 S Wagner Rd, Ann Arbor) Fee: $75 When you think of music in Detroit, the first thing that
comes to mind is the soulful rhythm and blues sound of Motown. But Detroit also has an incredible jazz history. The Detroit music scene had a significant impact on the development of jazz in America, with its own distinctive sound that was different than the jazz scenes of New Orleans or Chicago.
This day long immersion will be led by Mark Stryker, one of the country’s leading authorities on the history of jazz in Detroit. The day will include visits to iconic jazz establishments, a lecture by Mr. Stryker, and a private concert performance by two of Detroit’s most important young jazz musicians, saxophonist Marcus Elliot and pianist Michael Malis. Register at ums.org/jazzimmersion.
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Presenting Sponsor: Michigan
Medicine Supporting Sponsor: Retirement Income Solutions Funded in part by: JazzNet Endowment Fund Media Partners: WEMU 89.1 FM, Michigan Radio 91.7 FM, Ann Arbor's 107one, Metro Times
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2014 National Medal of Arts recipient
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University Musical Society
Burton Memorial Tower
881 N University Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1011
United States
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