Author: JM

JM is a dual degree student in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance and the College of Engineering. Some of her favorite things include running, reading, all things creative, and the color purple.

REVIEW: Carrie Newcomer

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Carrie Newcomer’s music has long been a favorite of mine, but her Sunday evening concert at the Ark only deepened my appreciation of her artistry. At times quiet and contemplative, and at other times toe-tapping, the night’s program took the audience on quite a journey. It included several new songs from her upcoming album, as well as old classics for those familiar with Newcomer’s music, a poem from one of her two books of poetry and essays, and more than one occasion in which the audience was invited to join in song. She was joined by pianist Gary Walters.

Carrie Newcomer is at once wise, humble, humorous, and down-to-earth, all of which was evident as soon as the concert began. Rather than a far-off stage with the audience below, the atmosphere was one of a room filled with friends. Between each song, Newcomer shared musings and anecdotes, some which left the audience laughing, and others which left the audience silent in thought, but it is her music that I think communicates most deeply. It is clear to me that one woman and her acoustic guitar can communicate truth and wisdom more intensely than most of us could ever imagine.

In introducing her song If Not Now, Newcomer discussed hope. Hope, she said, is taking all that is, and all that could be, and working every day to narrow the distance between the two. The song’s refrain reflects often unnoticed work of those with this kind of hope: “If not now, tell me when / If not now, tell me when / We may never see this moment / Or place in time again / If not now, if not now, tell me when.”

Betty’s Diner, another song that Newcomer performed, celebrates the range of humanity that passes through the restaurant Betty’s Diner (“I’m an artist, so I’ve waitressed,” she remarked, to laughter).

On a separate note, if you’ve never been to the Ark, I would highly recommend it! The performance space, or listening room as it is called, is an intimate space that seats 400 people or so. It isn’t every day that one gets to sit in the front row at a concert of one of their favorite artists, but that is what I was lucky enough to experience at Carrie Newcomer’s performance! Most performances are general admission, and there are also tables in front of the stage that audience members can choose to sit at.

Carrie Newcomer manages to celebrate and affirm life, while challenging the audience to live each moment more intentionally, all within the space of musical notes. I don’t think that I could get tired of listening to her music!

 

PREVIEW: Carrie Newcomer

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This Sunday, January 13, one of my all-time favorite artists will be performing at the Ark in Ann Arbor! Carrie Newcomer is a folk singer-songwriter, as well as a writer, and I have been listening to her for a good portion of my life, having been introduced to her music by my dad. I have seen her in concert once previously, and it was one of my favorite concerts I’ve been to. My family drove to Indiana over my high school spring break to see her perform in a small auditorium at Ball State University, and it did not disappoint.

Described as a “prairie mystic” by the Boston Globe, her music has an intimate spiritual inclination that celebrates human connection. If you have never heard Carrie Newcomer before, check out the video below for a sample!

Tickets are general admission and can be purchased online for $20 through 11 am on Saturday, January 12. After that, they may be purchased at the door on the night of the show. The show begins at 7:30 pm and doors open at 7 pm. The Ark is located at 316 S Main St in Ann Arbor.

REVIEW: Paul Rand: The Designer’s Task (UMMA Exhibition)

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I’ve had a sort of casual interest in graphic design for a while, and so naturally, I was interested in the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s (UMMA) exhibition featuring graphic designer Paul Rand, entitled Paul Rand: The Designer’s Task.

If you’re anything like me, however, you probably have never heard of Paul Rand before. With a small amount of research, though, you’ll likely find that you’ve encountered his designs many times in the form of the logos of companies like the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), UPS, or IBM. Furthermore, you’ve probably seen these logos a hundred times without giving them a second thought, but you could probably also recognize them instantly. I know this is true for me. However, The Designer’s Task offers a window into intentional graphic design, and how Paul Rand came to create his clean, minimalist, and recognizable designs.

On the introductory sign for the exhibition, it is noted that for Rand, “visual communication of any kind…should be seen as the embodiment of form and function: the integration of the beautiful and the useful.” Additionally, he is credited with bringing “the concept of corporate identity into the mainstream during a period of rapid economic expansion in the United States after World War II.” As I took in Paul Rand’s work, these words made me think about, as is appropriate given the exhibition’s title, the task of a designer. Although you probably don’t have the ABC logo framed on your wall, graphic design is functional art with a very specific purpose. Perhaps it is a sign of excellent graphic design that the mention of UPS will subconsciously bring the company’s logo to mind, even though we don’t usually think about it overtly.

As a musician, one of my favorite pieces of Rand’s work featured in the exhibition was his portrait of 20th century Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, “designed for a 1956 edition of the composer’s critical test Poetics of Music in the Form of Six Lessons.” When I first looked at the portrait, before I had read the accompanying description of it, I saw black dots arranged in the shape of a face. Looking at it further, I noticed that the dots were superimposed on the repeated five-line pattern of music staff paper (something I have spent a lot of time looking at and writing on in my own music theory classes!). Finally, I realized that the black dots were on the staff such that they resembled musical notes! The design was simple, but somehow it occurred to me as genius. All the layers of meaning emphasizing the design’s purpose (the cover of a famous composer’s writings on music) in a way that had to have been meticulously planned.

The exhibition, although relatively small, featured various posters, book covers, and corporate booklets showcasing Paul Rand’s designs. Perhaps most interesting were the few scraps of paper with sketches of the initial stages of some of his designs. It did not disappoint, and I would recommend it if you are interested in learning more about graphic design and this form of functional and ultimately accessible art that we encounter every day!

REVIEW: Handel’s Messiah

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The moment that I entered Hill Auditorium for the Ann Arbor Symphony and UMS Choral Union’s performance of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, the festive and joyful mood was evident. A double-layered border of beautiful poinsettias graced the front of the stage, and a large festive wreath seemed to float in midair in front of the pipe organ. The orchestra and Choral Union filled the stage, and anyone there could sense that it was going to be a night of merry music-making. Soprano Yulia Van Doren, countertenor John Holiday, tenor Miles Mykkanen, and bass Alex Rosen joined the ensemble as soloists.

I have listened to recordings and even live radio broadcasts of Handel’s famous oratorio, but this was the first time that I have ever been present during a live performance of it, and it certainly did not disappoint. For one thing, the performers were of very high caliber – Scott Hanoian, the director of the UMS Choral Union is the former assistant organist and music director of the National Cathedral, and several of the soloists will be performing Messiah with the likes of the Saint Louis Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra.  Additionally, a nearly three-hour work written 300 years ago, it is impressively engaging. The audience was silent throughout, only to erupt in applause, cheers, and whistles at its conclusion.

One of the most moving moments of the performance was the famous “Hallelujah Chorus.” Ushers distributed sheet music prior to the performance, and when the most well-known composition of Messiah was reached, Mr. Hanoian turned out from the stage and conducted the entirety of Hill Auditorium as the audience stood and joined the Choral Union in singing. I remember looking around during this and being overtaken by the sheer number of people singing around me and above me in the mezzanine and balcony. Centuries after it was composed, this music still has immense power to bring people together, and I honestly had chills during the chorus. It reminded me of why I love music so much, and of its most essential purposes.

I also greatly enjoyed hearing the organ of Hill Auditorium in action. Normally the pipes are merely a backdrop for other performers, but during Messiah they came to life. For most of the piece, I was aware that the organ was playing, but it was on stops that blended with the orchestra and the vocalists. However, at the very conclusion of the work, all of the stops were quite literally pulled out, and I almost jumped in my chair out of surprise! The organ’s rich sound filled the entire hall, and its grand, majestic timbre is not something that I will forget in the near future.

The Ann Arbor Symphony and the UMS Choral Union’s undertaking of Handel’s Messiah was an experience that has made me love and appreciate the work even more fully. Even if you are not typically into classical music, the melodies of the “Hallelujah Chorus” and “For unto Us a Child is Born” will stay in your head for days after. In my opinion, the chance to hear Hill Auditorium’s organ was worth it in itself!

REVIEW: Contemporary Directions Ensemble

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The Contemporary Direction Ensemble’s Friday performance was emotionally powerful and also a challenge to conventional norms.

Their performance of “Die Schönste Zeit des Lebens,” or “The Most Beautiful Time of Life,” was breathtaking and haunting. The manuscript of this piece, a popular foxtrot of the 1940s, was recently discovered at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum by University of Michigan Professor Dr. Patricia Hall. Arranged by prisoners at Auschwitz for one of the camp’s orchestras, it was likely performed for Sunday concerts for the S.S.

As the ensemble performed this piece, the first time it has been heard in 75 years, images of Auschwitz were projected on the wall behind. The contrasts between the lighthearted music being played and the dark realities of the Holocaust in these images were stark, and for me, this highlighted the power of music and the strength of the human spirit. How could something so beautiful exist in a place of so much death? The melody, which out of the context that this arrangement was created from is carefree, took on a much more emotionally raw and evocative quality that stayed with me for long after the piece was over.

The final piece of the evening, which was vastly different from how the concert began, was the U.S. premiere of George Lewis’s P. Multitudinis. This piece, which was of “situational” form, consisted of several instrumental groups, a traveling percussionist and traveling conductor, and the “multitude.” Rather than playing music written out exactly as it is to be played on the page, the musicians reacted to what was going on around them and responded with their instruments accordingly. It was a very intriguing piece, more rhythmic and innovative than melodic, and it was fascinating to try to follow how the members of the ensemble communicated with each other throughout the piece. Music such as P. Multitudinus challenges the audience to be fully present in the moment, because the performance unfolds uniquely in a way that cannot be predicted, and it is a living, breathing form of art. Typical conventions of music performance were broken – at one point a trombone player borrowed a reed and bocal (the metal tube to which the reed is attached) from a bassoon and put it on the trombone. At other times, kazoo-like instruments were used. The piece was truly a broadening of creative boundaries.

I greatly enjoyed the Contemporary Direction Ensemble’s performance because it made me pause and really think about music and its roles in a way that more traditional concerts do not. The concert exemplified music as an interactive art form and as a means of communication.

REVIEW: Big Band Holidays Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis

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Big Band Holidays Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis was a great performance including a variety of festive classics, and it allowed me to escape, if only for an hour and twenty minutes, the stress of end-of-semester reality.

From the very first tune, which was “Jingle Bells,” the ensemble established a high standard. Various members soloed during that first piece, and audience members applauded and cheered after each, as is traditional for jazz.  One of the first soloists was Wynton Marsalis, and I have to say that his prowess on trumpet is clear in even just a few measures of improvisation. At one point during the concert, he played for an extended period in a range so high that I was sure he could break glass with his trumpet. And yet, for the majority of the concert, he was the modest MC of the night, announcing the program and various humorous anecdotes from the stage, playing trumpet in the back row, and applauding his colleagues.

Also impressive was the range of talent possessed by each and every member of the ensemble. Most of the woodwind players played as many as three instruments over the course of the evening. For example, one soloed on E flat clarinet, saxophone, and bass clarinet. The brass players had at least five different types of mutes each. Furthermore, the band’s performance of “What Child is This” began with a small group singing a capella alongside vocalist Vuyo Sotashe, and it was clear that those musicians could sing as well as excel on their instrument! Virtually all of the sets played were arranged by members of the ensemble, and each was innovative with its own personality. The closing song of Big Band Holidays was a jazzy version of “Silent Night,” which was intriguing and enjoyable for its contrast to how the song is traditionally interpreted, albeit it was amped a little too loudly for my own taste and eardrums. Another entertaining tune was “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” featuring baritone saxophone and bass clarinet playing the almost humorous melody. Some of my other favorites included “The Christmas Song” (which I learned from Wynton Marsalis’s introduction was ironically written in the middle of a July heatwave), “Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel”, and “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.”

My favorite song of the entire night, however, was Jazz at Lincoln Center’s incredible rendition of “Christmas Time is Here.” Joined by exceptional vocalist Veronica Swift, it was cool and quiet, in contrast to most of the other pieces performed, and it seemed to capture the mood of this time of year. Ms. Swift’s voice was smooth and warm and for the duration of the song, it drew me in and transported me to a place of holiday cheer and happy memories. The tune conjured simultaneous images of Snoopy skating among the snowflakes, cozy nights spent in the glow of a Christmas tree, and cheerful times with family and friends. I did not want the song to ever end!

The only letdown of the entire night was the fact that the audience did not call for an encore. I was surprised when the audience, which had been enthusiastic and engaged for the span of the concert, collectively got up, put their coats on, and left at the conclusion of the final piece. I, for one, certainly would have loved to have the privilege of hearing another song performed by Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis!