ANN ARBOR — The University Musical Society (UMS) ushers in the holiday season with three marvelously rich performances sure to inspire audiences while putting the spotlight on today’s finest talents.
At the start of December, the Ann Arbor Symphony and the UMS Choral Union continue a 145-year-old Ann Arbor tradition with the performance of Handel’s Messiah (Saturday, December 2, and Sunday, December 3). The following weekend, UMS welcomes ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro in a special holiday program, Holidays in Hawai’i (Friday, December 8).
Finally, two of today’s most celebrated artists, Michael Feinstein and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, bring a program for two pianos featuring works of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and others from the Great American Songbook to Hill Auditorium. (Sunday, December 10). Tickets and additional information are available at ums.org.
Also, please note a change in our November calendar: Mariachi Herencia de México was invited to perform at the Latin Grammy Awards in Spain and are postponing their concert with La Marisoul to Tuesday, January 23, 2024. Please update any calendar listings your publication maintains to reflect this change.
Handel’s Messiah
UMS Choral Union Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
Scott Hanoian, music director and conductor
Saturday, December 2, 2023 // 7:30 pm Sunday, December 3, 2023 // 2 pm
Hill Auditorium
Tickets from $14 at ums.org or 734.764.2538
Handel composed his oratorio Messiah over a single month in 1741, six months before its triumphant premiere at a new concert hall in Dublin. Nearly 300 years later, Handel’s Messiah fills Hill Auditorium with its ravishing beauty brought to life by friends and colleagues from the community. Music director Scott Hanoian conducts the UMS Choral Union and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra in this annual holiday tradition, which features soprano Rachele Gilmore, alto Gina Perregrino, tenor Paul Appleby, and bass-baritone Nicholas Newton as soloists.
Holidays in Hawai’i
Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele
Friday, December 8, 2023 // 7:30 pm
Hill Auditorium
Tickets from $14 at ums.org or 734.764.2538
Photo: Main photo (top) by Kurt Stevens
Known for his lightning-fast fingers, Shimabukuro saw his career skyrocket two decades ago 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 videos to go viral on the platform. His seemingly limitless vocabulary, on perhaps the unlikeliest of instruments, has brought new appreciation to the four-string instrument, causing many to call him “the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele.” Beloved for his open, magical, and transcendent connection with audiences, Shimabukuro draws on a vibrant catalog of holiday classics for this return appearance, performing alongside Jackson Waldhoff (bass), and other musicians to be announced.
In addition to the public performance, Jake Shimabukuro will perform for K-12 school groups as part of UMS’s School Day Performance Series.
On Tuesday, December 5 at 6 pm, UMS hosts “UMS 101: All About the Uke,” a 90-minute workshop led by Mike Brooks of the Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective. Tickets are $15, available at ums.org/ums101 (UMS 101 tickets do not include tickets to the December 8 concert).
Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?
Michael Feinstein and Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Sunday, December 10, 2023 // 4 pm
Hill Auditorium
Tickets from $20 at ums.org or 734.764.2538
Born of a serendipitous encounter where the two musicians discovered their common love for two-piano music and the Gershwin era, this event showcases each artist’s unique gifts for creativity, virtuosity, and joy. Feinstein is one of the leading authorities on the Great American Songbook, and he and Thibaudet dig deep into the extraordinary heritage of music from the 20th century that straddles the worlds of classical and popular, connecting the two with rich anecdotes and incredible musicality. The concert features piano duos, solos, and vocals, with Gershwin’s beloved Rhapsody in Blue, arranged for two pianos, as a centerpiece.
About UMS
A recipient of the 2014 National Medal of Arts, UMS (also known as the University Musical Society) contributes to a vibrant cultural community by connecting audiences with performing artists from around the world in uncommon and engaging experiences. One of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, UMS is an independent non-profit organization based in Ann Arbor and affiliated with the University of Michigan. The organization presents dozens of music, theater, and dance performances by professional touring artists each season, along with many free public and private educational activities throughout Southeast Michigan. Since 1990, the organization has co-commissioned and supported the production of more than 80 new or reimagined works. Matthew VanBesien became the organization’s seventh president in July 2017.
