Photos from the first North Campus Photo Competition, sponsored by Living Arts, were on display in the Duderstadt connector from March 12-16. Students were given the opportunity to capture North Campus as they see it in a photo, and submit it to Living Arts to be judged for the competition. Winners were given cash prizes–first place was given $300, second place was given $150, and third place was given $75. 125 photos were submitted, and only three winners were chosen!

First place went to Peter Shin, for his beautiful depiction of the nature and culture of North Campus.

Second place was awarded to Daniel Chern, for his depiction of the North Campus fountain at night, the still water reflecting the lamps and the trees like glass. (As a North Campus resident myself, the fountain, especially at night, is a really cool place to hang out in the spring and summer!)

Third place went to Jerald Shi, for capturing the North Campus Belltower, surrounded by the fall foliage, and of course, the most sure sign of fall having arrived, a student walking to class with his backpack.

Other favorites of my own include:

A beautiful mosaic wall (though I’m not sure where this is located on North!) by Nadine Dyskant-Miller,

the shadowy modern lines cast upon the stairs on North Campus, by Daniel Chern,

and the architectural “Reflecting Upon the Reflecting Pool” by Nathan Hartmann,

Though the exhibit in the Duderstadt hardly did these photographs justice, I hope that anyone who sees these photos recognizes the beauty of North Campus that many students never take the time to appreciate. Come see the beauty of North Campus for yourself, through your own personal lens!

To find out more about the North Campus photo competition, check out the website: http://livingartsatum.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/living-arts-photo-competition/

Last Thursday, March 15th, from 8-10 p.m. 4 music students took the stage at Pierpont Commons, performing improvisational jazz for students in the lounge.

Pierpont Commons was transformed into a quaint coffee shop/lounge, with the lights dimmed and a spread of free coffee, tea, and delicious fudge  brownies and fruits. The musicians, students in the Department of Jazz and Improvisation Studies, were incredibly talented. They rarely took a break from playing, obviously enjoying playing music together. The evening didn’t feel like a performance, but rather the opportunity to sit in on a jam session. The informality and playfulness of the performance reminded me of a blues bar I visited in Chicago, but college-student style. It was really enjoyable to sit in the comfy chairs in Pierpont Commons, listen to the relaxing jazz music, and work on some of my homework. (While drinking FREE coffee and eating yummy FREE brownies I might add!) The opportunity to hear some live music in a relaxing atmosphere makes for a good night of studying.

Jazz Jam happens every other Thursday at  Pierpont Commons on North Campus. If you’re looking for a change of pace in your studying routine, or just something relaxing to do on a Thursday evening, come check out Jazz Jam! For more information, check out the website: http://www.umich.edu/~uuap/programs/performance/jazz.html

This past Sunday, the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theater, and Dance, presented a collaboration between the Michigan Youth Band and the Michigan Concert Band. Both groups, under the direction of Rodney Dorsey, assistant director of bands at the University, each presented a 45 minute set of music.

As a musician myself, I must say I was quite impressed by the level of musicianship present in these young musicians. It was very rewarding to hear such young artists excelling so beautifully at their craft.

When the concert band took the stage, however, there was a completely different aura about the concert. The level of professionalism seemed to rise as the Michigan Concert Band opened their portion of the concert with a piece by George called “Firefly”. Virtuosic runs and effortless elegance filled the sound.

The concert took a very interesting turn as the Michigan Concert Band performed a piece by Schwantner entitled “From a Dark Millennium”. I guess it is safe to say that the title should have been warning enough. Between eerie singing, high pitched whistling, and non-chordal harmonines, the piece indeed felt like it was, well, from a dark millennium.

The fun began when the band performed a very lively rendition of Frank Ticheli’s “Blue Shades”. The highlight of the piece came in with the bluesy clarinet solo halfway through the piece. Okay, sue me, I might have a slight clarinet-player bias. Really, though, it was amazing! The ease with which the soloist ripped through runs was absolutely beautiful.

A band concert would not be a band concert without a good ol’ Sousa march. The Concert Band closed the concert with a crowd pleasing rendition of “Pride of the Wolverines”. It was nice to move away from the atonal and arhythmical structure of the Schwantner to the toe-tapping ease of Sousa.

I definitely recommend these concerts to everyone. They’re fun, and free! And most of them have a pre-concert lecture which helps in understanding the pieces to be performed.