PREVIEW: Jade Simmons: Art of Impact

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The School of Music, Theater, and Dance is extremely fortunate to host powerhouse speaker and pianist Jade Simmons this weekend for a special MLK tribute event. It won’t just be a concert, it will be an EXPERIENCE!

SMTD had this to say about the event:

SMTD is proud to host Jade Simmons, a classical pianist who has taken her career outside the borders of classical music.  Through her exciting musical keynote, she will inspire artists to unleash purpose beyond the stage. Jade will be joined by SMTD violin and composition student, Stuart Carlson. Stuart was one of 5 winners of the 2016 VSA International Young Soloists Competition. He will be performing his arrangement of Amazing Grace, accompanied by Jade Simmons.”

 

Jade Simmons gave a talk to Music students earlier this week, and I was completely blown away by her passion, presence, and perspective as she explained how every individual possesses the ability to unlock his/her unique purpose. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say through music!

The performance will be Sunday, January 15th, from 4-6:30pm in Stamps Auditorium, which is located in the Walgreen Drama Center.

Tickets are FREE but must be reserved online here. Don’t miss this exciting performance!!

REVIEW: Japanese Prints of Kabuki Theater

Photo courtesy of the UMMA

Although the UMMA houses many intriguing exhibits, the Japanese Prints of Kabuki Theater has become a favorite for visitors of the museum. The art of kabuki theater, which is a classical form of Japanese drama that dates as far back as the 17th century, has been captured by colorful woodblock prints for the public to view. The exhibit currently showcases a collection of these prints, including those made by admired print-artists such as Utagawa Toyokuni and Toyohara Kunichika.

When I first stepped into the exhibit, I was greeted by oriental music and a large wall colored in blue, with text that described the art of kabuki theater. After reading the text, I make my way around the room—it was spacious, with clean white walls that had splashes of color from prints. These depictions of theater showcased famous actors and actresses in scenes from actual plays, as well as fictional ones. Some of the scenes included actors in disguise from enemies, lovers who were reunited, and battle scenes.

Photo courtesy of the UMMA
Photo courtesy of the UMMA

Among the collection of prints was a showcase for a bright red kimono with gold embroidery in the shape of various animals. This kimono was iconic for a specific kabuki actress, who was rarely seen wearing kimonos of other colors.
Next to the kimono was a TV that played a video recording of a kabuki theater performance from the late 1900s, a visual that seemed to bring the prints to life.

Overall, visiting the exhibit was a wonderful experience. I was enlightened of an aspect of Japanese culture that I did not know existed. Don’t miss the chance to view the exhibit for yourself—it will be at the UMMA until the 29th of this month, from 11AM – 5PM on Tuesdays through Saturdays, 12PM – 5PM on Sundays!

PREVIEW: La La Land

Interested in the movie that just won a record-breaking seven Golden Globes? Want to be able to make casual dinner conversation for the next year? Just want to see Ryan Gosling sing and dance a bit? Well, come on down to the Michigan Theater to watch La La Land, the most critically acclaimed film of the year. The movie will definitely be showing at the Michigan Theater for the rest of next week and likely several weeks after that, if you can’t make it this week. Student tickets are $8.

REVIEW: The Ark Open Stage (Open Mic)

The only way to go to an open mic is to go open-minded. What I immediately liked about the Ark was that it had a much more open atmosphere than more traditional open mic venues like coffee shops.

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Bradley playing “Strange”

The emcee for the night drew 15 names out of a star-covered bucket and the first performer, Bradley, came to the stage. Dressed like any other run-of-the-mill Ann Arbor hipster, he explained that he hadn’t expected to play. Then he belted out two incredibly well-crafted songs on guitar, harmonica, and piano that sounded polished enough to be heard on the radio.

Not everyone who came to the stage was polished, but they didn’t have to be. A guitarist named Max belted out his original “Snow in July” that sounded great as a raw, unfinished sound.

One of the pairs of the night, Remington Taylor, performed using only the piano as an accompaniment to their voices, and they were magnetic. Their songs of heartbreak and romance was in the vein of Once and Begin Again, but without an acoustic guitar.

Which brings me to the caveat about this event: come expecting to hear a lot of acoustic guitar and heartbreaking ballads. One song was title “Heart Shattered Like My Bones”–about a boy of course. The girl who announced did so with a “haha it’s dramatic I know I didn’t really mean it–but seriously that’s how I felt” vibe.

Even though each performer only had eight minutes, seeing and hearing acoustic pieces again and again started to sound a bit repetitive.

 

open-stage-2Then a young strapping lad named Kellen Marceau took the stage and sang his original pieces “Your Boyfriend” and “What if We Broke Up and Zombies Came.” Think Zooey Deschanel writing a break up song except weirder–and funnier.

Overall, open stage is not a bad way to spend your night, especially when it’s raining outside and the cost of admission is only $2. If you’re going though, I recommend that you don’t play acoustic guitar.

 

REVIEW: The Literary History of Layla and Majnun

The exhibit features an illuminated double-page opening of the Layla and Majnun story as written by Nizami. Photo courtesy of the Michigan Library

The Of Love and Madness: Layla and Majnun exhibit at the Hatcher Graduate library gives visitors a glance into the literary history of a romantic tale. With Arabian origins and a variety of versions to the story, some of these many versions are scripts from the library’s Islamic Manuscripts Collection. Aside from being a collection with scripts that date as far back as the 16th century, all of the manuscripts on display happen to be illuminated manuscripts — documents with text that are decorated with initials, borders, and/or illustrations.

The first illuminated manuscript I looked at was a copy of Nizami’s Persian version of the tale, pictured above. The beauty of a story about powerful love was reflected in the vibrant details of the pages: Persian words were cushioned in gold detailing, royal blue & crimson red contrasted wonderfully with the pages, and intricate floral designs tied the colors of the page together. The next manuscript I saw was a copy of Jami’s Persian version within his Haft Awrang, a collection of seven different tales with one of them pertaining to Layla and Majnun. This copy, pictured below, features a headpiece with title marks.

Jami’s Persian version of the Layla and Majnun tale within his Haft Awrang. Photo courtesy of Komel K
Fuzuli’s Turkish version of the tale, completed in 1536. Photo courtesy of Komel K
Along with these illuminated manuscripts of Layla and Majnun, the exhibit also features another famous couple in Islamic literature, Vamiq and Azra, through a papyrus fragment. I found all of these pieces to be wonderful, and would definitely recommend others to visit this exhibit. Stop by the 7th floor of the Hatcher Graduate Library anytime until the 22nd of February in order to view the physical variants of such an adorned tale!

PREVIEW: The Ark Open Stage (Open Mic)

Have you been honing those keytar skills throughout winter break and want to show off? Want to show off the results of all that practice singing to yourself in the car on your morning commute?

This is your chance!

On Wednesday, January 11th at 8 PM, 15 performers will be invited to the stage at the Ark for 8 minute performances each.

Sign up: 7:30

Selection: 7:45 and 8:30

It’s only $2 for students!

As the Ark states on its web site, locally famous acts such as Dick Siegel to nationally known artists like Gilda Rader have performed at open stage.