PREVIEW: Kit Yan Slam Poetry Performance

Lindsay Fedewa

In honor of Trans* Awareness Week, Kit Yan, a queer, transgender, and Asian American Brooklyn based slam poet from Hawaii, will be performing his poetry this evening at 7 pm at Trotter Multicultural Center. Kit performs entertaining, educational, and theatrical slam poetry pieces about his life as a queer, transgender, and Asian American through stories about family, love, and social justice. Kit has performed his poetry on several national and international tours, as well as received countless awards for his inspiring work. Whether or not you identify as a sexual or gender minority, this is a performance you won’t want to miss. Check out a recap of the details below.

Image via www.ecaasu.org
Image via www.ecaasu.org

Kit Yan Slam Poetry Performance

Monday, 17 November 2014, 7-8 pm

Trotter Multicultural Center

No cost

 

REVIEW: Kate Voegele

Natalie Minor

Wednesday night’s cold weather gave Kate Voegele fans the perfect opportunity to gather in the intimate space of the Blind Pig for the singer’s latest tour stop, which she made in promotion of her new EP, The Wild Card.  The latest in a collection that includes two other extended plays and three studio albums, the release provided some long-awaited new material to a fan following that dates back to her time on the hit show One Tree Hill from 2008 to 2011.

The show started off strong with her charismatic opening act, Briar Rabbit, a singer-songwriter and Michigan native who made his start in Bloomfield Hills.  His acoustic set consisted of lyrically dense pieces about love, loss, and self-confidence, relatable themes that struck a chord with many in the audience who were being introduced to him for the first time.  On full display along with his lyrical talent was his charm, as he filled the gaps between songs with stories, jokes, and appeals to the audience to show their support.  The best example of this was two songs into his set, when he pulled out a clipboard and jokingly said he had forgotten to give his email list to the person working merch in the back.  He asked the people in the front to pass it back towards the back of the room, and if anyone wanted to put their name on the email list while they were at it, well that would be just fine.  Humorous moments like this were small gems set between emotionally compelling songs that set the tone for Voegele, who came on to an already excited crowd.

Kate Voegele entered the stage and started off with a song from her new EP, her smooth voice and acoustic pop sound setting the pace for the entire show.  Giving fans who know her well from One Tree Hill a taste of the past, she mixed older songs into her set, including hit singles that she performed while on the show.  These were the pieces that set the crowd wild, as many fans in the audience were twenty-somethings who grew up with her music and character.  One of the most popular of this group is Only Fooling Myself, a song Voegele won a song-writing award for in 2005, prior to performing it as Mia Catalano upon joining the OTL cast. Among her new songs, one of my favorites was Ooh La La, an upbeat love song that seemed to set the crowd into dance mode.  Another favorite off of her new release was a cover of the recent hit Cups from Pitch Perfect, which Voegele slowed down and put a ballad spin on.

The overall successful performance of Voegele at the end of the night saw one small hiccup that fortunately doesn’t eclipse her performance.  As the concert began winding down and she got ready to leave the stage, the crowd cheered for an encore, and she was more than happy to oblige.  There was just one problem – the song that she had prepared as an encore was not the song that the audience begged for.  Back in 2008, she released a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, an acoustic performance that quickly rose to fan-favorite status. Several fans screamed for her to perform it as the crowd cheered for an encore, but though she took the encore in a different direction, her final song seemed to do the job and cap off a fun night.

REVIEW: San Fran Symphony

Acrimonious Funk
Photo Courtesy of UMS
Photo Courtesy of University Musical Society

The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra took a residency in Ann Arbor this weekend, with two performances at Hill Auditorium and numerous master classes being given around town (Gil Shaham’s violin master class being one of them). This artistic residency would not be possible without the help of the University Musical Society, which coordinates functions such as these several times a season.

Michael Tilson Thomas received great applause as he first stepped on the stage at Hill this Thursday, raising his baton before a close-to-capacity crowd. With no hesitation, he gave a downbeat to start the nocturnal stroll in the park that is Mahler’s seventh. The SFSO played at a very high level, albeit with some faults that only the musically inclined would have caught. Michael Tilson Thomas, however, put on a show. From stomping his foot at the apex of the fourth movement to his fluid body movements in the andante portion of the work, MTT was definitely a sight to see. It must be noted, as well, that MTT is known for playing Mahler well, and Thursday’s performance was a testament to that notion.

Something must also be said about the choice to play Mahler’s seventh in a college town such as Ann Arbor. Mahler was the product of the late German romantic period, meaning that his works (along with Bruckner and late Brahms) involved some form of intricacy and musical abstractionism that only veterans of the symphony could appreciate. Now, the brand of the SFSO definitely attracted a lot of patrons to Hill, but the ambient-nocturnal nature of the particular piece was not captivating enough for much of the student body. The students that were in attendance, however, were either symphony fans or die-hard Mahler fans. Fortunately, the author is both.

Discrepancies aside, the SFSO played a wonderful show Thursday night. From what I heard, Friday night was also a spectacular performance (they played Mephisto Waltz!). The SFSO received grand standing ovations both nights, and have been very well received throughout their residency here in Ann Arbor.

PREVIEW: Jake Shimabukuro: Ukulele Wizard

camsterdam

 

Image via Shorefire.com

 

“If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a happier place,” Jake says in his 2010 Ted Talk.

And for those of us who have not picked up the underdog of all stringed instruments, perhaps we’ll just be happier watching Jake turn contemporary jams, such as Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” into perfectly plucked tunes with a uniquely island breeze about them.

Who: Jake Shimabukuro, the YouTube Ukulele Extraordinaire (part of the UMS season)

When: Wednesday, November 19 at 7:30 pm

Where: Hill Auditorium

How Much?: $16-$25 for students (in the Mezzanine section only…you’ll still have a good view!)

While you wait for the show to begin, watch Jake perform the song that sent him to stardom: The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” … or should we say, Ukulele?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gaWuadgL3g

PREVIEW: Dead Man Walking

Tsukumo
design courtesy Boston Opera Collabroative

If you want to go to the scariest, most powerful, and most thought-provoking event during this weekend, this is the one. Based on a book by Sister Helen Prejean, “Dead Man Walking” by Jake Heggie is one of the most performed contemporary operas today.

The story, as taken from the School of Music website, goes like this:

“Dead Man Walking tells the true story of [Sister Helen Prejean’s] experience as a spiritual advisor to a convict on Louisiana’s death row. Through his appeals for pardon to the inevitable final execution, Sister Helen stands by Joe de Rocher despite her internal struggle to reconcile her faith in his humanity with the heinousness of his crimes. Her unpopular and controversial choice to attempt to save his soul leads to confrontations with those closely affected by his actions. A powerful tale of compassion and the effect of crime on the families of both the victim and perpetrator, Dead Man Walking is both inspirational and devastating.”

As the students in the School of Music, Theater, and Dance pour their heart into the production for countless hours, their performances will surely leave you with some intense feelings and food for thought. And what’s even better? This performance is on the Passport to the Arts, so you can actually get a free ticket!

Be advised that this opera contains violence and vulgarity.

When: Thursday, November 13, at 7:30pm*; Friday-Saturday, November 14-15, at 8pm; Sunday, November 16, at 2pm

Where: Power Center for the Performing Arts

Tickets: Students $10 with ID (or free using the Passport to the Arts); buy online or at Michigan League Ticket Office

* Sister Helen Prejean, the author of the original book, will be present to lead a discussion session after Thursday’s performance.