UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY ANNOUNCES NOVEMBER 2012 EVENTS

Transcription

1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Truly Render, UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY ANNOUNCES NOVEMBER 2012 EVENTS ANN ARBOR, MI (September 14, 2012) The University Musical Society (UMS) continues the 12/13 season this November with three presentations of distinctive world-class artists working in the realm of chamber music, world music, and jazz, as well as a high-definition theater broadcast from the National Theatre, London. The first performance of the month comes from the Belcea Quartet, a London-based string ensemble that performs a program of Beethoven quartets (Sunday, November 11). The following week, Brazilian pop-icon Gilberto Gil performs everything from delicate bossa novas to jubilant sambas in Hill Auditorium (Friday, November 16). The following day, composer, band-leader, and double bass legend Dave Holland brings his 13-piece Big Band to the Michigan Theater for an evening of unforgettable jazz. Tickets to All Events On Sale Now How to Order: In person: Michigan League (911 North University Avenue) At the performance venue: beginning 90 minutes before performance start time Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed Sunday Performances & Events BELCEA QUARTET Sunday, November 11, 4:00 p.m. Rackham Auditorium (915 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor) Tickets start at $22 Program Beethoven Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127 (1825) Beethoven Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130 (1825) Sponsored by: Retirement Income Solutions Media Partner: WGTE 91.3 FM Established at the Royal College of Music in 1994, the Belcea Quartet is one of the leading quartets of the new generation. They consistently receive critical acclaim for their performances and

2 possess an impressive discography. Their most recent release for EMI, a double disc of Schubert s late quartets and the string quintet (featuring Valentin Erben) was nominated for a Gramophone Award. The Belcea has just embarked on an ambitious survey of the complete string quartets by Beethoven, with cycles planned in the UK, US, Austria, Sweden, and Germany. UMS welcomes them back for their third UMS concert, which features two of Beethoven s quartets from his late period. Artist Info: Previous UMS appearances: November 11 marks the Belcea Quartet s third UMS performance. The first was in March 2006; the group most recently performed under UMS auspices in October GILBERTO GIL Friday, November 16, 8:00 p.m. Hill Auditorium (825 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor) Tickets start at $10 Supported by: Renegade Ventures Fund Hosted by: Gary Boren Media Partners: Ann Arbor s 107one FM and WEMU 89.1 FM Gilberto Gil has modernized and continues to modernize Brazilian popular music. On the scene for over 40 years, Gil has developed one of the most relevant and renowned careers as a singer, composer, and guitarist. He performed a solo concert in Hill Auditorium in 2007, which showcased his breathtaking voice and unique approach to the guitar. This tour focuses on the joyful, upbeat, accordion-driven forró style of music, with Gil and a six-piece band reinventing old classics and presenting new songs dedicated to the form. He played delicate bossa novas, strummed rockers, and intimate sambas; he crooned, whispered, and whooped, equally at home in the fast patter of a samba or the curvaceous contours of a ballad. Mr. Gil didn t trumpet his virtuosity. It was offered genially, like his melodies and his undidactic thoughts on love, poetic license, and mortality. (New York Times) Note: Concert will be performed primarily in Gilberto Gil s native Brazilian Portuguese. Artist Info: Previous UMS appearances: November 16 marks Gilberto Gil s second UMS performance; he last performed under UMS auspices in November November 2012 Events Page 2 of 5

3 Dave Holland Big Band Dave Holland, double bass Antonio Hart, alto saxophone Mark Gross, alto saxophone Mark Turner, tenor saxophone Frank Basile, baritone saxophone Robin Eubanks, trombone Jon Arons, trombone Josh Roseman, trombone Taylor Haskins, trumpet Alex "Sasha" Sipiagin, trumpet Duane Eubanks, trumpet Steve Nelson, vibraphone and marimba Nate Smith, drums Saturday, November 17, 8:00 p.m. Michigan Theater (603 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor) Tickets start at $18 Media Partners: Metro Times, WEMU 89.1 FM, and Ann Arbor s 107one FM. A master of tone and rhythm, the bassist, composer, and bandleader Dave Holland is now in his fifth decade as a performer, and his music possesses a rich and kaleidoscopic history. His path has led him from the frontiers of free improvisation to his modern ensembles that fully embody the Sam Rivers-instilled philosophy of playing all of it. Holland got his big break from Miles Davis and became a dominant voice in the 1970s, partnering with Rivers and working with folk and rock musicians such as Bonnie Raitt and John Hartford. He even had a passing encounter with Jimi Hendrix. He formed his first working quintet in 1983, and released Jumpin In, and he continued to develop other varied and fruitful relationships with artists such as Anthony Braxton, Stan Getz, Cassandra Wilson, Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Betty Carter, Pat Metheny, Kenny Wheeler, Bill Frisell, Roy Haynes, and Herbie Hancock over the course of his career. With his third appearance at UMS since 2003, Dave is joined by his Big Band and their rich, lively, and utterly kinetic sound. Artist Info: Previous UMS appearances: Dave Holland has appeared twice on previous UMS seasons; in February 2003 he performed with the Dave Holland Quintet and the New York Big Band. In February of 2009 he performed with the Dave Holland Big Band and the Dave Holland Octet. November 2012 Events Page 3 of 5

4 NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: TIMON OF ATHENS Wednesday, November 28, 7:00 p.m. Michigan Theater (603 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor) Tickets: $22 adults $18 Michigan Theater Members / UMS subscribers & donors $12 students A partnership between UMS and the Michigan Theater UMS, in collaboration with the Michigan Theater, presents a high-definition screening of Shakespeare s Timon of Athens, in a production by the National Theatre, London. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, this screening is a delayed cinema broadcast of a live performance at the National Theatre. Simon Russell Beale takes the title role in Shakespeare s strange fable of consumption, debt and ruin, written in collaboration with Thomas Middleton. Wealthy friend to the rich and powerful, patron of the arts, ostentatious host, Timon of Athens is surrounded by freeloaders and sycophants. He vastly outspends his resources but, finding his coffers empty, reassures his loyal steward that all will be well. When he calls upon his associates, instead of offering help, they hang him out to dry. After a final, vengeful banquet, Timon withdraws to a literal and emotional wasteland, living off roots and pouring curses on a morally bankrupt Athens. The National Theatre, founded in 1963, and established on the South Bank of the River Thames in London in 1976, presents an eclectic mix of new plays and classics, with seven or eight productions in repertory at any one time. The National aims constantly to re-energize the great traditions of the British stage and to expand the horizons of audiences and artists alike, and aspires to reflect in its repertoire the diversity of the nation s culture. The National recognizes that the theatre doesn t begin and end with the rise and fall of the curtain. With National Theatre Live, it shares its work with audiences in the UK and abroad. ADDITIONAL FREE EDUCATIONAL EVENTS UMS Night School Monday, November 19, 7 p.m. Ann Arbor District Library - Downtown Branch (343 S. Fifth Avenue) Join UMS for a discussion of the Gilberto Gil concert (held three days earlier) and an end of term party. UMS on Film: Messiah (1999, William Klein, 117 min.) Tuesday, November 27, 7 p.m. U-M Museum of Art Multipurpose Room (525 S. State Street) Photographer-filmmaker William Klein takes on Handel s Messiah, creating a gorgeous concert-film that mixes the sacred with the profane. Performed in its entirety and conducted by Mark Minkowski, the oratorio provides a narrative of Christ s nativity, passion, and resurrection juxtaposed against images of the absurdities of and abuses against humans around the world. The film reveals a wide array of worshippers, from the Bodybuilders of Christ to the Lavender Light Gay and Lesbian Interracial Choir and the Dallas police choir. The UMS on Film series is designed to expand understanding of the artists and cultures represented on the UMS season and reveal some of the emotions and ideas behind the creative process. November 2012 Events Page 4 of 5

5 UMS on Film is presented in collaboration with the U-M Museum of Art. FAMILIES, TAKE NOTE: UMS Kids Club encompasses teach and every performance on the 12/13 UMS season. Two weeks before each performance date (opening night of a multiple-performance run), parents can purchase up to two kids tickets for $10 each with the purchase of an adult ticket for $20. Kids must be in grades 3-12 to be eligible for this program. Seating is subject to availability and box office discretion. UMS will reserve a limited number of seats for each performance (opening night for multiple-performance runs), even in the event of a sellout. Tickets will be available at the League Ticket Office or by phone; children must be present when picking up tickets. Comprehensive November 2012 Calendar of Events Sunday, November 11, 4 pm Friday, November 16, 8 pm Monday, November 19, 7 pm Saturday, November 17, 8 pm Tuesday, November 27, 7 pm Wednesday, November 28, 7 pm UMS Performance: Belcea Quartet Rackham Auditorium, $ UMS Performance: Gilberto Gil Hill Auditorium, $ UMS Night School Ann Arbor District Library - Downtown Branch (343 S. Fifth Avenue), Free UMS Performance: Dave Holland Big Band Michigan Theater, $ UMS on Film: Messiah (1999, William Klein, 117 min.) U-M Museum of Art Stern Auditorium, Free UMS Performance: NT Live: Timon of Athens Michigan Theater, $ November 2012 Events Page 5 of 5