By Anna Prushinskaya, University Musical Society

This winter, University Musical Society (UMS), an arts presenting organization based in southeastern Michigan, is presenting a 10-week, 10-event ‘Renegade’ series, focusing on thought-leaders and game-changers in the performing arts.  The series will be bookended by two highly prestigious events, both bringing national attention to the Detroit metropolitan area.

The opera Einstein on the Beach opened the series.  Widely credited as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the 20th century, Einstein launched director Robert Wilson and composer Philip Glass to international success when it was first produced in Avignon, France in 1976. Check out the video below, featuring co-creators Glass and Wilson, and choreographer Lucinda Childs.

San Francisco Symphony’s American Mavericks Festival , which celebrates the creative pioneering spirit and the composers who created a new American musical voice for the 20th century and beyond, closes the series. In the following video, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor of SFS, explains why the festival is coming to Ann Arbor.

The artists and crew for Einstein on the Beach were in residence for the month of January in Michigan, remounting the opera in the Power Center for the Performing Arts in Ann Arbor to prepare for an international tour.  In addition to three preview performances of Einstein at the Power Center on January 20, 21 and 22, UMS offered several related community engagement events to enrich the performance experience for the community, which are covered here. The members of the San Francisco Symphony will be in Michigan March 22-25 for a residency that will include four performances and numerous community engagement activities, with more details available here.