School of Music presents variety of concerts, lectures

It's not hard to find music at Michigan. A walk down North University takes you past Hill Auditorium, where on any given night, students can find an orchestral performance or a choir concert. Across the courtyard, the Michigan League's Mendelssohn Theater boasts a lineup of theater and drama performances, while Rackham Auditorium showcases chamber music. Cross Fletcher and the Power Center plays host to operas and musicals.

Across the bridge to the Hill area, The Betty Pease Studio Theater in the Dance Building features dance recitals. And a bus to North Campus brings you to the School of Music, the heart of the Michigan music experience, where recitals, lectures and master classes occur on a daily basis.

Students like LSA junior Katya Metidieri have ample opportunity to take advantage of this musical atmosphere. "I think it would be nice to hear what my peers are doing," Metidieri said. "I know we have a great music program, and I'd like to attend a concert."

The Michigan School of Music boasts one of the most active and varied concert lineups of any university in the country. With more than 400 performances in an academic year, the Music School provides an invaluable service to the University and Ann Arbor community.

According to Jeffrey Chase, editorial assistant of "Music at Michigan," published twice a year by the School of Music, "one of the advantages of having an extensive and high-quality music program is that students and the public have access to events which in other cities would have an admission."

In other words, if you're looking for it, the School of Music has it. In addition to the ensembles that focus on traditional band, choir and orchestral literature, Michigan is home to one of the most active jazz and improvisation programs in the country.

Beyond the larger ensembles, music students perform in a variety of smaller ensembles, which highlight the diversity within the music school. From the Early Music Ensemble, which plays music that predates the18th century, to the Digital Music Ensemble's multimedia performances, the scope is overwhelming.

Few people know that the School of Music, in addition to being a powerhouse for the performing arts, is a bargain hunter's dream.

"Ninety-five percent of the Music School's activities are free and open to the public, and the concerts are generally very high-quality," said Chase.

While most of the music performances are free, the theater and dance departments do charge admission to University Productions events, which include musical theater and drama performances. Events such as the Halloween Concert and Band-O-Rama also charge admission. Student tickets generally cost around $7, a steal in a town where tickets to concerts through the University Musical Society start at $10.

A stroll among the practice rooms at the Music School gives a good sense of the range of music presented during the school year. The notes of a Chopin etude melt into the improvisation of a trombonist, which mixes with the vocal runs of a soprano working on a Mozart aria.

The whirlwind of musical events taking place at any given time is mind-boggling. Performers plaster Music School stairwells with recital flyers and concert announcements for everything from a violin recital to a lecture on percussion in Japan.

But while performances provide public outlets for aspiring musicians, dancers, singers and actors, a different kind of performance is often overlooked. Events that involve the history and theory of music are also abundant at Michigan.

The Stearns Lecture Series, which takes place four times per academic year, spotlights ethnomusicological lectures. The annual Curry Lecture also explores musicology. Additional lectures can include topics ranging from music theory to the theory of singing or playing a particular instrument.

As Chase noted, "to a musicologist, a lecture or publication of an article is equivalent to a performance."

And what performances they are. Michigan plays host to top musicologists from around the country, as well as featuring faculty and guests in numerous recitals and master classes each academic year.

To help keep track of what's going on in the Music School, the Campus Information Centers are adding School of Music Events into their centralized information service.

"Starting the first of the year, the Music School will be part of that service for people who want to know what's going on on campus," said Chase.

Perhaps Ira Gershwin said it best: Who could ask for anything more?

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