University Musical Society - Ann Arbor District Library

UMS/Annals
UMS HISTORY
Through a commitment to presenta­
tion, education, and the creation of
new work, the University Musical
Society (UMS) serves Michigan audi­
ences by bringing to our community
an ongoing series of world-class artists, who
represent the diverse spectrum of today's vig­
orous and exciting live performing arts world.
Over the past 133 years, strong leadership
coupled with a devoted community has placed
UMS in a league of internationally recognized
performing arts presenters. Today, the UMS
seasonal program is a reflection of a thoughtful
respect for this rich and varied history, balanced
by a commitment to dynamic and creative vi­
sions of where the performing arts will take us
in this new millennium. Every day UMS seeks to
cultivate, nurture, and stimulate public interest
and participation in every facet of the live arts.
UMS grew from a group of local university
and townspeople who gathered together for
the study of Handel's Messiah. Led by Professor
Henry Simmons Frieze and conducted by Profes­
sor Calvin Cady, the group assumed the name
The Choral Union. Their first performance of
Handel's Messiah was in December of 1879 and
this glorious oratorio has since been performed
by the UMS Choral Union annually.
Many Choral Union members also be­
longed to the University, and the University Mu­
sical Society was established in December 1880.
UMS included the Choral Union and University
Orchestra, and throughout the year presented
a series of concerts featuring local and visiting
artists and ensembles.
For more information on UMS venues, please visit www.ums.org.
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Since that first season in 1879, UMS has
expanded greatly and now presents the very
best from the full spectrum of the performing
arts—internationally renowned recitalists and
orchestras, dance and chamber ensembles,
jazz and world music performers, and opera
and theater. Through educational endeavors,
commissioning of new works, youth programs,
artist residencies, and other collaborative
projects, UMS has maintained its reputation
for quality, artistic distinction, and innovation.
UMS now hosts over 60 performances and
more than 125 educational events each sea­
son. UMS has flourished with the support of
a generous community that this year gathers
in six different Ann Arbor venues.
The UMS Choral Union has likewise ex­
panded its charge over its 133-year history. Re­
cent collaborations have included the Grammy
Award-winning recording of William Bolcom's
Songs of Innocence and of Experience (2004),
Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13 ("Babi Yar")
with the Mariinsky Orchestra (2006), Orff's
Carmina Burana for Maestro Leonard Slatkin's
inaugural weekend as Music Director of the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra (2008), and Mahler's
Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection") with the San
Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas
(2010).
While proudly affiliated with the University
of Michigan, housed on the Ann Arbor campus,
and a regular collaborator with many University
units, UMS is a separate not-for-profit organiza­
tion that supports itself from ticket sales, cor­
porate and individual contributions, foundation
and government grants, special project support
from U-M, and endowment income.