April 19 | 7pm | The Michigan Theater
The Michigan Pops is one of the most beloved student organizations on campus—and don’t ask me. Ask any one of the hundreds of attendees at the Michigan Theater on April 19.
Founded in 1995, the Michigan Pops brings talented musicians from across the University Campus to perform a concert each academic semester. The orchestra is led by music director Luca Antonucci, and associates Nicholas Bromilow and Francisco Fernandez, three fierce Doctoral Conducting students from the School of Music.
“Pops En Pointe” discovered a selection of repertoire surrounding dance (if that wasn’t completely obvious from the title). The first pieces were the non-negotiables in the dance-related classical canon, including Brahms’s “Hungarian Dance No. 5” and Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite”, in which a touching “Waltz of the Flowers” warmed my heart. Auruto Marquez’s fiery “Danzón no. 2” featured striking solos across the ensemble.
If you know Pops, they aren’t without their fun. Instrumentalists introduce pieces in mouse hats or bird costumes. They accompany full-length selections with silly videos made by members of the ensemble. And host a mini game show onstage with members of the audience mid-concert. Quirky, engaging bits (that are often too long) are always a memorable part of the Michigan Pops experience.
The slightly underwhelming but charming DJ’s A Cappella group performed selections from ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” after intermission. This is not the first time I’ve heard the Michigan Theater’s sound system being unsatisfactory for vocalists. With boomy mics and offset balance, this performance was no different, washing the voices. Some solos remained intact, but were delivered somewhat unexuberantly, perhaps inhibited by the sound constraints.
The Michigan Pops hosts an annual concerto competition for high school students. This year, stunning young cellist Trevor Nelson from Huron High School was the recipient. He performed a cut from Camille Saine-Saëns’ “Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor”, a beautifully dramatic and declamatory piece. A gifted and humble performer, he plays for the Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra and has brought his musicianship around the world to Spain and Toronto.
Pavani Anand, the Executive Director of the Michigan Pops, closed the concert with a heartfelt speech about her relationship to the cello and her mother, who encouraged her throughout her youth. Equally, her speech emphasized the defunding of arts organizations across America. Her call to support live music comes at a crucial time as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recinds hundreds of grants to major arts organizations across America.
Music gives us the facility to dance and bring communities together, and without it, who are we?
Photos thanks to The Michigan Pops.
