WHO: The Michigan Pops Orchestra
WHAT: Spring Concert “Game of Pops”
WHEN: Sunday, April 13th
WHERE: The Michigan Theater
COST: Free for students with Passport to the Arts
Centered around the theme of games, the Michigan Pops spring concert will feature music from Rocky, Hercules, Halo, Civilization, the Olympics and more!
Who: Art Spiegelman, author of Maus, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, legitimizer of comics as a medium.
Where: Eastern Michigan University
What: A talk about the history of comics as a medium, and commentary on their current state.
When: Thursday, April 10, 7:00 pm.
Art Spiegelman, who wrote Maus, is appearing at EMU. It’s an interesting reminder that EMU, which is a short bus ride away on Route 4, has a lot going on as well.
As one of the first warm and sunny weekends of the year comes to a close and Ann Arbor begins to recover from an eventful couple of days, I’m still riding a natural high in the wake of Johnnyswim’s performance at The Ark on Saturday night. The ghosts of endorphins are kicking around in my brain as we speak – and with good reason. My expectations were high, but the pressure was nothing for these two, whose energy upon their return to Ann Arbor in the wake of a crowd-pleasing performance at the Folk Festival in February left them shining like a couple of polished gems.
The intimate space of The Ark was a perfect venue for the acoustically driven sound and incredible vocals of this songwriting pair. The sold-out crowd was taken from the moment they stepped on stage, kicking off the show with a sweet and simple track from their upcoming debut LP. While their ability to weave their voices – each distinct and rich in their own right – into a unique and mesmerizing union was enough to capture the attention of the audience, it was the couple’s magnetism that set them apart. Married in real life, wife Amanda and husband Abner played off each other in a refreshing and intimate way that is seldom seen on stage.
As they moved on to the title track, Diamonds, the two offered an even deeper look into their lives by providing insight on the inspiration of this empowering song. Abandoning all pretenses for frank honesty, Abner explained that this song was their “suck it” song, directed at an individual in their personal life who continues to doubt them in spite of their mounting success. While in looking into the lyrics one can find that this message is there, the two were quick to point out that the song is also one of hope – indeed it stood for hopeful optimism to the 250 cancer children they performed it for soon after its conception.
This early peek into the minds of these talented musicians set the tone for the night, as the remainder of their performance was filled with anecdotes about various songs, new and old, and silly stories about their experiences. The audience particularly enjoyed a long and very involved story by Abner about the events surrounding his proposal to Amanda three years into their relationship, the inspiration of their soft and rhythmic piece Paris In June. Upon flying her to Paris for their three year anniversary on 24 hours’ notice, Abner found that just about everything that could go wrong did, though in the end he got his storybook proposal. These insights added to the charm of their songs, deepening one’s understanding of their already graceful tracks.
Their set list gave those excitedly anticipating their debut album, Diamonds, which drops at the end of the month, a taste of what to expect. Songs like Pay Dearly, a revenge-seeking piece full of falsetto and strong riffing, bring out the soulful side of the versatile couple, while tracks like Home capture the country-folk influence of Tennessee, where the two met. Their wide sampling of genres appeals to many different kinds of listeners, and by the end of the show everyone had found music that suited their style, calling excitedly for an encore. The two didn’t fill the request, instead showing their appreciation by holding a meet-and-greet in the lobby after the show.
As a fan of Johnnyswim, I wasn’t expecting to have the opportunity to meet them, so I was pleasantly surprised to make my way to the line near their merchandise. Their grace and charisma translated off-stage, and I was happy to find that they are even more kind and humble than I could have imagined. Their genuine interest in their fans was rather uplifting and I found myself walking away with a phone full of selfies that Abner insisted on taking. I will leave you with a few of my favorites, though the quality is not the best (it seems my iPhone has let me down once again.) Their debut album, Diamonds, hits iTunes on April 29th, and their EPs Home and Heart Beats are available now.
Saturday night was truly a University of Michigan night at the opera. Prior to A View from the Bridge’s Michigan Opera Theatre debut UM President Mary Sue Coleman was honored on stage as the new President and CEO of MOT Wayne S. Brown (UM alumni) spoke to his audience for the first time. Following a rousing rendition of “Hail to the Victors” was a superbly sung opera written by William Bolcom (former UM Professor) based on the Arthur Miller (UM alumni) play of the same name.
Set in the 1950s Italian neighborhood of Red Hook in Brooklyn, A View from the Bridge takes place over a span of a few weeks as Eddie (Baritone Kim Josephson) takes in two of his wife’s illegal immigrant cousins from Italy to stay with his wife and niece who he raised.
While the social commentary of the show focuses on illegal immigration there are moments of gay baiting and incestuous behavior that leaves your skin crawling. When Eddie’s niece Catherine (soprano Kiri Deonarine) announces her impending marriage to Rodolfo (tenor Eric Margiore) Eddie goes ballistic, first forcing himself on Rodolfo to “prove” that Rodolfo is gay and using Catherine to become a citizen, and then forcing himself on Catherine – acting on the urges which are hinted at throughout the opera. Adding to the uncomfortable nature of the scene is that Kiri Deonarine is Kim Josephson’s daughter and that the audience has just witness incestuous behavior regardless of the fact that it is staged.
The first act of the show reveals the operas origins in a play, relying on each character singing short phrases and replying as if reciting lines in a straight play. I enjoyed this change of format as the action of the piece occurred quicker than in a standard opera. This allowed the arias in the second act to be very powerful as I had already made a connection with the characters and felt that I knew something about their lives and their situations.
In the second act “A Ship Called Hunger” sung by Jonathan Lasch (Marco, UM Student) demanded the attention of the audience. With limited movement, Lasch allowed the force of his voice and strength of his presence to cut a daunting yet sympathetic figure while avoiding the cliché of opera singers who “Park and Bark”.
Throughout the show I was consistently impressed with the level of the investment the singers had in their characters as well as in their technique. The opera remain believable at all times and was a complete theatrical event that never crossed the line between spectacle, which is inherent in opera, and pageantry.
A View from the Bridge will play at the Detroit Opera House until April 13. Tickets are $25 for UM students with online promo code “GoBlue”.
Compared to the noise and excitement in the diag yesterday (the first Saturday of April, if that means anything to you), the calm atmosphere set by the Women’s Glee Club’s second song was a welcome change. After opening with “The University”, per tradition, the women sang a composition by Gustav Holst of “Ave Maria” that quickly reminded all in attendance that we were no longer walking about on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we were sitting in a nearly acoustically perfect space listening to talented women sing meaningful music.
One thing that I very much appreciate about the Women’s Glee Club is that they are not trying to be the Men’s Glee Club. The men’s organization is older with a wider alumni base and a bigger reputation that precedes them, and this allows them to fill Hill Auditorium more easily. The women do not have that advantage, and I think that this encourages them to take risks that are to their benefit. They are willing to change up the formations they stand in, to use all parts of the stage, and really add life in the performance of their songs to a degree that is not always matched by the more solemn men (I’m referring especially to the songs “El Vito” and “Usilethela Uxolo (South Africa)”, which both incorporated movements around the stage that enhanced the songs). Neither is the correct way to hold a concert and both are fantastic groups, but I do wish to stress that what works for one is not always best for the other.
My favorite song from the afternoon was “Two Strings, But One Voice (O Sweetest of Songs)”. The voices of the Women’s Glee Club soared in this arrangement, and it filled the auditorium effortlessly. I got so many chills during this song, it was insane. If you’re interested, it sounded like this (that’s not the Women’s Glee Club, obviously, but they’re still pretty good).
I’m so glad I attended the Women’s Glee Club Spring Concert. I really don’t think I’m biased in any way when I say that these ladies deserve much more love and attention from the university. The more of their concerts I attend, the more I realize how lucky I was to be a part of them for a couple semesters because they are an impressive group. This concert was enjoyable from beginning to end, and I look forward to seeing their a capella octet, Midnight Blue, perform on Friday.
