UMS Concert Program, October 13, 2016 - October 15, 2016 - Layla and Majnun

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138TH SEASON // UNIVERSIT Y OF MICHIGAN | ANN ARBOR

2016-17
FALL
PROGRAM
BOOK

You have a
part to play.
Uncommon
and engaging
experiences.
A sense of
connection
between audience
and artist.
Moments of clarity,
inspiration, and
reflection. The
performing arts
provide us with
these elemental
experiences,
offering a shortcut
to our creative
selves.

Your gift will help in the following areas:

UMS.ORG/SUPPORT
734.764.8489

Visit us online or call the UMS Development
Office to make your gift today.

ACCESS AND INCLUSIVENESS

Helping make tickets more affordable.
Helping create free educational events and
community-building activities. Providing
opportunities for all to experience the
transformative power of the arts.
ENGAGED LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS

Integrating performing arts into the
student experience. Creating meaningful
connections between the arts and life.
Encouraging creative thinking, collaboration,
and experimentation.
BOLD ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP

Commissioning work that reflects our
commitment to tradition and innovation.
Solidifying and elevating our position as
a recognized national and international
artistic leader. Unique and bold
programming.
As a Leader and Best among arts presenters,
UMS wants anyone and everyone, students
and community alike, to experience the
transformative power of the performing arts.
We seek generous partners who want to
help us achieve our goal.

BE PRESENT

Be
Present
FA L L 2 0 1 6

UMS unleashes the power of the
performing arts in order to engage,
educate, transform, and connect
individuals with uncommon
experiences. The Fall 2016 season
is full of exceptional, world-class,
and truly inspiring performances.
Welcome to the UMS experience.
We’re glad you’re present. Enjoy
the performance.

1

When you attend a UMS performance,
you’re part of a larger equation:

ARTS
+ CULTURE
= ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY
nonprofit

in the greater Ann Arbor Area

$100 million annually
Together, we invest in our local community’s vibrancy.

Ann Arbor Area

Community Foundation
aaacf.org

MARK SCHLISSEL
President, University of Michigan

FA L L 2 0 1 6

We’re delighted that you’re joining us in our 138th season, one
that will be marked by significant change as we celebrate UMS
President Ken Fischer’s 30 years of transformative leadership
and welcome a new president to continue Ken’s superlative work.
This season has been planned with Ken’s retirement in mind
and includes several exciting, diverse, and engaging events that
are particularly meaningful for him. As expected, in addition to
what you’ll see on stage, UMS has a robust education program
serving people of all ages and also oversees the 175-voice
Grammy Award-winning UMS Choral Union. We welcome you
to learn more about all of our programs at the new ums.org and
to become engaged with UMS, whether it’s by making a gift to
our campaign, joining us at the Ann Arbor Y for a community
dance class with a visiting dance company, or buying a ticket to a
performance. We’re always eager to hear from you, too! Join the
conversation and share your thoughts after a performance at the
now-easier and more-connected ums.org. And if you have any
comments, questions, or concerns, we know that Ken would be
pleased to receive them at 734.647.1174 or at kenfisch@umich.edu.
We hope to see you again soon.

BE PRESENT

Welcome to this UMS
performance.

STEPHEN R. FORREST
Chair, UMS Board of Directors
3

Thanks to thousands of generous individuals, families
and businesses, the Community Foundation for Southeast
Michigan is a permanent source of community capital,
dedicated to creating lasting positive benefit in
our region. Through grantmaking, education and
leadership on community issues, we help improve the
quality of life for all residents of Southeast Michigan.
cfsem.org. 1- 888 -WeEndow

BE PRESENT

Table of
Contents
6
2016-17
SEASON CALENDAR

9
EDUCATION

11
HISTORY
FA L L 2 0 1 6

12
LEADERSHIP DONORS

14
CORPORATE CHAMPIONS

21
FOUNDATION, GOVERNMENT,
& UNIVERSIT Y SUPPORT

23
PEOPLE

31
GENEROUS DONORS

5

2016-17 Season
September
Dorrance Dance

9/11 Falling Up and Getting Down
Jason Moran &
The Bandwagon with
Skateboard Masters
9/18 HD Broadcast
(Almeida Theatre, London)
Shakespeare’s Richard III
9/29-10/1 The TEAM: RoosevElvis

9/30 Kamasi Washington &
The Next Step

November

11/12-13 Berlin Philharmonic

Kamasi Washington

11/15 Gabrieli:
A Venetian Coronation 1595

11/16 Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele

11/17-20 Nora Chipaumire
portrait of myself as
my father

October

10/8-9 Takács Quartet
Beethoven String Quartet
Cycle, Concerts 1 & 2

10/9 HD Broadcast
(National Theatre, London)
Terence Rattigan’s
The Deep Blue Sea
10/13-15 Layla and Majnun
Mark Morris Dance Group
The Silk Road Ensemble

10/16 Denis Matsuev, piano

10/20-21 Dorrance Dance

6

December

12/3-4 Handel’s Messiah
UMS Choral Union
Ann Arbor Symphony
Orchestra

12/4 HD Broadcast
(Royal Shakespeare
Company)
Shakespeare’s King Lear
12/10 The King’s Singers
Christmas Songbook

1/7-8 Batsheva Dance Company

March

1/12-14 Igor and Moreno
Idiot-Syncrasy

3/4 Jazz at Lincoln Center
Orchestra with
Wynton Marsalis
3/9-11 Druid
The Beauty Queen of
Leenane

1/19 Prague Philharmonia with
Sarah Chang, violin
Andrew Von Oeyen, piano

1/20 Meredith Monk &
Vocal Ensemble
On Behalf of Nature

3/11 Beethoven’s
Missa Solemnis

3/16 Snarky Puppy

1/21-22 Takács Quartet
Beethoven String Quartet
Cycle, Concerts 3 & 4

3/17-18 Kidd Pivot and
Electric Company Theatre
Betroffenheit

1/29
Inon Barnatan, piano
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Alisa Weilerstein, cello

3/18 Steve Reich @ 80
Music for 18 Musicians

3/24 Mitsuko Uchida, piano

February

2/2 Bruckner Orchester Linz
with Angélique Kidjo
2/3 Estonian Philharmonic
Chamber Choir

2/5 M-Prize Winner:
Calidore String Quartet

2/10 Budapest Festival Orchestra
with Richard Goode, piano

2/18 Ping Chong + Company
Beyond Sacred: Voices of
Muslim Identity

2/19 Jelly and George
Aaron Diehl and
Cécile McLorin Salvant

3/25-26 Takács Quartet
Beethoven String Quartet
Cycle, Concerts 5 & 6

3/29 DakhaBrakha

3/30-4/1 Complicite
The Encounter

FA L L 2 0 1 6

BE PRESENT

January

DakhaBrakha

April
Ping Chong + Company

4/1 Michael Fabiano, tenor
Martin Katz, piano

4/12 A Far Cry with
Roomful of Teeth

4/15 Sanam Marvi

4/21 King Sunny Adé

4/22 Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer &
Chris Thile

4/25 Handel’s Ariodante:
Opera in Concert
7

THE
GILMORE
2016-2017
SEASON

PRESENTING
PIANO MASTERS
& RISING STARS
BOX OFFICE
269.359.7311

thegilmore.org

SUPPORTING THE ARTS
As longtime patrons of the arts,
Honigman and its Ann Arbor attorneys
are proud to support UMS.
For more information, please contact David Parsigian
at 734.418.4250 or DParsigian@honigman.com.

WWW.HONIGMAN.COM

BE PRESENT

Education &
Community
Engagement
Educational experiences
for everyone.

FA L L 2 0 1 6

Taylor Mac at Engaging Performance class;
photo: Peter Smith.

At UMS, our mission goes beyond performance. We want you to create,
to explore, and to experience extraordinary new things. That is why we
offer a fascinating lineup of artist Q&As, conversations, workshops,
and interactive experiences, each designed to bring you closer to
performance and creation, and to expand your comfort zone. If you
want to experience something new, different, highly engaging, and
eye-opening, we invite you to participate in events inside and outside
of the theater.

9

WELCOME TO
GRADUATE ANN ARBOR—

COME TO
Where your intellectual curiosity meets
your favorite place to stay.
DUATE ANN
ARBOR—

Ideally located across the street from campus,

your intellectual
curiosity
meets
Graduate
Ann Arbor has
204 guest rooms and over
square feet of meeting space for banquets
vorite place to11,000
stay.
and events. Get ready for experiences like you’ve
never had before, where little moments of surprise

andstreet
discovery
meet you
down each corridor and
ocated across the
from
campus,
around every corner.
Ann Arbor has 204 guest rooms and over
quare feet of meeting space for banquets
ts. Get ready for experiences like you’ve
d before, where little moments of surprise
overy meet you down each corridor and
very corner.

BE PRESENT

Tradition
Builds the Future

FA L L 2 0 1 6

In our 138th season, we continue to showcase traditional performances
alongside contemporary artists for an offering that is unlike anything
available in the Midwest. UMS grew from a group of local members of the
University and townspeople in the 1870s who gathered together for the
study of Handel’s Messiah. Led by Professor Henry Simmons Frieze and
conducted by Professor Calvin Cady, the group assumed the name The
Choral Union. Many Choral Union members were also affiliated with the
University, and the University Musical Society was established soon after
in December 1880.
Since that first season, UMS has expanded greatly and now presents the
very best from a wide spectrum of the performing arts: internationally
renowned recitalists and orchestras, dance and chamber ensembles, jazz
and global music performers, and contemporary stagework and classical
theater. Through educational programming, the commissioning of new
works, youth programs, artist residencies, and collaborative projects,
we continue to strengthen our reputation for artistic distinction and
innovation.

Hill Auditorium opening-night audience: May 14, 1913
11

Leadership
Donors
We recognize the donors who have made multi-year campaign commitments of
$100,000 or more during the last year.
BERTRAM ASKWITH (1911-2015)
PAT TI ASKWITH KENNER
“The arts made a significant difference in my father’s life
and in my life, too. My father wanted every U-M student
to have the opportunity to experience the impact of the
performing arts at UMS. This is why I am continuing to offer
every first- and second-year student one free ticket —
Bert’s Ticket — to introduce them to a cultural experience at
Michigan and keep my father’s passion for the arts alive.”
MAURICE AND LINDA BINKOW
“Our love of opera and the human voice, rivaled only by our
affection for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson, began
nearly 70 years ago as teenagers in New York City. That’s why
we are so pleased to create an endowment that will bring song
recitals to UMS audiences for generations to come.”

STEVE AND ROS FORREST
“As students, we benefited from low-cost student tickets,
fostering a lifelong love of the performing arts. Our donation
will help to ensure that affordable tickets will be available to
today's students.”

ILENE FORSY TH AND KARL HAUSER
“An endowment is a gift which keeps on giving forever, so
it is rewarding to know — while we are yet living — that our
gift will still be giving when we’re not here.”

12

BE PRESENT

MAXINE AND STUART FRANKEL
“We are delighted to partner with UMS for the sixth
year of Renegade. Supporting Renegade programming
allows UMS to provide experiences for the curious,
adventurous, and experimental audience member —
allowing us to challenge our existing beliefs and push
our own boundaries.”

EUGENE AND EMILY GRANT
“We are proud to support UMS and the many programs
they offer University students. It is great to know that
students will have access to the greatest performing
artists from around the world. The arts are an important
part of a Michigan education.”

DAVID LEICHTMAN AND LAURA MCGINN
FA L L 2 0 1 6

“UMS is an inspiration — from the Big House of the Arts
to the master classes taught to University students
by the New York Philharmonic. This organization
contributes significantly to the culture of Ann Arbor and
to the University we love. We are pleased to support its
mission.”

STUART AND LINDA NELSON
“Our connection to the University of Michigan is
through our grandson’s incredible experience as a
student. We are dazzled by the array of cultural events
available to everyone on campus and beyond. At the
heart of this phenomenon is UMS, where Ken Fischer’s
legacy will continue its magic long after his retirement.
We feel privileged to participate in the UMS Endowment
Fund in his honor.”
MAX WICHA AND SHEILA CROWLEY
“We are delighted and proud to support UMS and the rich,
diverse programs they offer each season. The arts play a
vital role in enhancing the quality of life in our community,
while bringing beauty and meaning to everyday life. UMS
is a gem we treasure and will continue to do so, for many
years to come.”

13

Corporate
Champions
We thank the following businesses for their commitments of $5,000 or more for the
2016–17 season.
ALICIA M. TORRES
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Altarum Institute
“The arts stimulate the mind and inspire creativity. Hence, we
at Altarum are thrilled to support UMS and provide inspiring and
enjoyable cultural opportunities for our team and our community.
Altarum Institute serves the public good by solving complex systems
problems to improve human health through objective research,
technology, analysis, and consulting leadership skills.”

SCOT T DAWSON
Vice President of Engineering, Arbor Networks
“Ann Arbor is a thriving hub for both the arts and technology.
With the arts playing such a critical role fostering innovation and
creativity, we are delighted to support UMS this season.”

TIMOTHY G. MARSHALL
President and CEO, Bank of Ann Arbor
“We take seriously our role as a community bank. While there have
been sizable cuts in arts funding over the years by both the private
and public sectors, Bank of Ann Arbor is delighted to continue to
sponsor UMS year after year. We are firm believers that the arts are
vital to the vibrancy of our cities, both culturally and economically.”

ALMAZ LESSANEWORK
Owner, Blue Nile Restaurant
“At the Blue Nile, we believe in giving back to the community that
sustains our business. We are proud to support an organization that
provides such an important service to Ann Arbor.”

14

“As a company with a long-standing commitment to diversity
and our community, Comerica is proud to continue its support
of UMS. We salute UMS on its efforts to enrich our community
by showcasing the talents of performing artists from around
the world. Congratulations to the leader and best in the
performing arts.”

BE PRESENT

LARRY BRYANT
Ann Arbor Region President, Comerica Bank

CHRIS CONLIN
President, Conlin Travel, Inc.
“Conlin Travel has been a proud supporter of UMS for over
50 years. I will never forget attending one of my first UMS
concerts in 1975, listening to Vladimir Horowitz perform Chopin,
Rachmaninoff, Schumann, and others. UMS makes Ann Arbor
the most vibrant cultural community in Michigan today.”

FAYE ALEXANDER NELSON
President, DTE Energy Foundation
FA L L 2 0 1 6

“The DTE Energy Foundation is pleased to support exemplary
organizations like UMS that inspire the soul, instruct the mind,
and enrich the community.”

NANCY AND RANDALL FABER
Founders, Faber Piano Institute
“We are proud to support UMS in its tradition of program
excellence and outreach that enriches our thoughts, our
families, and our community.”

JAMES G. VELLA
President, Ford Motor Company Fund
“Experiencing the world through music and the arts makes
us better as individuals while bringing us together as a
community. We are proud to support UMS and the important
role it plays in enriching our lives.”
CMYK Form (preferred)

15

DAVID N. PARSIGIAN
Ann Arbor Office Managing Partner, Honigman Miller
Schwartz and Cohn LLP
“In our firm’s tradition of supporting major cultural institutions,
Honigman has been a long-time supporter of UMS. Our Ann Arbor
office is proud to carry on that tradition on behalf of all of our
attorneys, especially those who work and live in the Ann Arbor area.
We all view the exceptional cultural experiences that UMS provides
as key to the success of our community and our firm.”
JOHN AND JACKIE FARAH
Owners, Imagine Fitness & Yoga
“My wife Jackie and I share a deep devotion to our hometown of
Ann Arbor and all the opportunities it presents. UMS is a huge part of
this community. The programming that UMS offers is internationally
recognized and Ann Arbor would not be the same without it. Imagine
Fitness & Yoga is honored to support such a great organization and
community.”

MOHAMAD ISSA
Director, Issa Foundation
“The Issa Foundation is sponsored by the Issa family, which has
been established in Ann Arbor for the last 30 years, and is involved
in local property management as well as area public schools.
The Issa Foundation is devoted to the sharing and acceptance
of culture in an effort to change stereotypes and promote peace.
UMS has done an outstanding job bringing diverse and talented
performers to Ann Arbor.”
ROBIN WEBER POLLAK
President, Journeys International
“Journeys International and UMS have a lot in common: we both
provide opportunities for powerful and impactful experiences.
Founded and based in Ann Arbor, Journeys has been crafting lifechanging international travel adventures for nearly four decades.
We are thrilled to support UMS and its programs that change people
through the performing arts.”

JAMES HOFFMAN
Michigan Market President, KeyBank
“KeyBank remains a committed supporter of the performing arts
in Ann Arbor and we commend UMS for bringing another season
of great performances to the community. Thank you, UMS, for
continuing the tradition.”

16

BE PRESENT

MICHAEL CONLIN
Director of Business Development, Level X Talent
“Level X Talent enjoys supporting UMS and its ongoing success
bringing world-class artistic talent to the community. Please
join us in congratulating UMS. As with the arts, consistently
finding and attracting exceptional talent in Advanced
Technology can be difficult. Level X Talent partners with our
clients to meet that challenge.”

DENNIS SERRAS
Owner, Mainstreet Ventures, Inc.
“As restaurant and catering service owners, we consider
ourselves fortunate that our business provides so many
opportunities for supporting UMS and its continuing success
in bringing internationally acclaimed talent to the Ann Arbor
community.”

KEITH ALLMAN
President and Chief Executive Officer, Masco
FA L L 2 0 1 6

“Masco is proud to support UMS and salutes its commitment to
providing excellent and diverse programs that spark a lifelong
passion for creativity. Thank you, UMS, for allowing all of us to
experience the transformative power of the performing arts!”

THOMAS B. MCMULLEN
President and CEO, McMullen Properties
“A Michigan-Ohio State football ticket is still the best ticket in
all of sport. However, a UMS ticket always provides the best in
educational and artistic entertainment.”

STEVE ARWOOD
CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
“We are proud to support UMS, an outstanding organization
bringing world-class artists to Michigan. By partnering with
UMS to bring the Berlin Philharmonic to our state, we are
showing once again the wide variety of offerings Michigan has
that enhance our quality of life and help to make our state an
amazing place to live, work, and do business.”

17

STEPHEN G. PALMS
Principal, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.
“Miller Canfield proudly supports UMS for enhancing our quality of
life by bringing the unfiltered immediacy of live performing arts to
our community.”

TODD CLARK
Regional President, Old National Bank
“At Old National Bank, we’re committed to community partnership.
That’s why, last year alone, we funded over $5 million in grants and
sponsorships and our associates donated almost 100,000 volunteer
hours. It’s also the reason we’re pleased to once again support UMS
as a corporate sponsor for the 2016–17 season.”

RICHARD L. DEVORE
Detroit and Southeast Michigan Regional President,
PNC Bank
“PNC Bank is proud to support the efforts of UMS and the Ann Arbor
community.”

TODD KEPHART
Managing Partner, Retirement Income Solutions
“With strong roots in the community for more than 30 years, our
team of investment advisors is proud to support UMS. We salute
Ken Fischer on his marvelous stewardship and applaud his team’s
ongoing commitment to presenting authentic, world-renowned
artists to the Ann Arbor community.”

SAVA LELCAJ
Chief Executive Officer, Savco: Hospitality
“One of Ann Arbor’s greatest assets is UMS, which brings amazing,
best-in-class performances to our city season after season. Savco
Hospitality is honored to support UMS and its mission of engaging,
educating, transforming, and connecting the arts to our community.”

18

“UMS is an important cultural asset for our community. The Sesi
Lincoln Volvo Mazda team is delighted to sponsor such a fine
organization.”

BE PRESENT

JOE SESI
President, Sesi Lincoln Volvo Mazda

SesiMotors.com

JOHN W. STOUT
President, Stout Systems
“Supporting UMS is really a labor of love — love of music and
the performing arts and love of arts advocacy and education.
Everyone at Stout Systems knows we cannot truly be
successful without helping to make our community a better
place. It is an honor to be part of the UMS family.”

TOM THOMPSON
Owner, Tom Thompson Flowers
FA L L 2 0 1 6

“Judy and I are enthusiastic participants in the UMS family.
We appreciate how our lives have been elevated by this
relationship.”

OSAMU “SIMON” NAGATA
President, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North
America, Inc.
“Toyota Technical Center is proud to support UMS, an
organization with a long and rich history of serving diverse
audiences through a wide variety of arts programming.”

TIFFANY FORD
President and CEO, University of Michigan Credit Union
“The University of Michigan Credit Union is excited to launch
“Arts Adventures” with UMS and UMMA! With this endowment,
we promote the celebration of the arts through amazing
experiences and exceptional learning opportunities for the
entire community.”

19

MARK SCHLISSEL
President, University of Michigan
“The University of Michigan is proud to support UMS as a natural
extension of our academic enterprise. UMS’s outstanding
performances and educational programs add tremendous value for
our students, faculty, alumni, and regional community.”

MARSCHALL RUNGE
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of
Michigan, and CEO, University of Michigan Health System
"We are proud to partner with UMS for its 2016–17 season. Music
improves the quality of life for all of us, and, increasingly, is
recognized as an important ingredient for better health.”

Layla and Majnun
Performed by
Mark Morris Dance Group
Mark Morris
Artistic Director
and
The Silk Road Ensemble
with
Alim Qasimov / mugham vocals
Fargana Qasimova / mugham vocals
Thursday Evening, October 13, 2016 at 7:30
Friday Evening, October 14, 2016 at 8:00
Saturday Evening, October 15, 2016 at 8:00
Power Center
Ann Arbor

Layla and Majnun is presented in partnership with Michigan Opera Theatre, Detroit.
Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Performances of the 138th Annual Season
26th Annual Dance Series

Layla and Majnun is a production of Mark Morris Dance Group/Cal
Performances, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California, in association with
University Musical Society of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Meany
Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle, Washington; Harris Theater for
Music and Dance, Chicago, Illinois; Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth
College, Hanover, New Hampshire; The John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts, Washington, DC; Krannert Center for the Performing Arts,
Urbana-Champaign, Illinois; Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New
York, New York; Melbourne Festival, Victoria, Australia; and Sadler’s Wells,
London, England.

The Michigan Opera Theatre’s 2016–17 Dance Series Sponsor is Lear Corporation.
This week’s performances are funded in part by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and
the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project.
This week’s presenting sponsor is the University of Michigan Health System.
This week’s supporting sponsors are Frank Legacki and Alicia Torres and Dennis and Ellie Serras.
Media partnership provided by WDET 101.9 FM and Ann Arbor’s 107.1 FM.
Special thanks to Karla Mallette, Benjamin Schmidt, Ariel Mallett, Christiane Gruber, Cameron Cross,
Marysia Ostafin, and the U-M Islamic Studies Program; and Grace Lehman and the Ann Arbor Y for their
participation in events surrounding this week’s performances.
Layla and Majnun is made possible, in part, through the MMDG New Works Fund with support from the
Friends of MMDG, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, the Howard Gilman Foundation, Ellsworth Kelly
Foundation, Elizabeth Liebman, a special grant from The Henry Luce Foundation, PARC Foundation, Poss
Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Trust for Mutual Understanding.
Funding has also been provided by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project,
with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,
with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Layla and Majnun appears by arrangement with Double M Arts & Events, LLC.
In consideration of the artists and the audience, please refrain from the use of electronic devices during
the performance.
The photography, sound recording, or videotaping of this performance is prohibited.

MUSIC
Medley of Azerbaijani Music: Bayati Shiraz
Layla and Majnun by Uzeyir Hajibeyli (1885–1948), arranged by Alim Qasimov,
Johnny Gandelsman, Colin Jacobsen
Sung in Azerbaijani with English titles

CAST
Fargana Qasimova, mugham vocals
Alim Qasimov, mugham vocals
Miralam Miralamov, mugham vocals
Kamila Nabiyeva, mugham vocals
The Silk Road Ensemble / Shawn Conley, bass; Joseph Gramley, percussion;
Rauf Islamov, kamancheh; Andrea Lee, cello; Max Mandel, viola;
Jessie Montgomery, violin; Zaki Valiyev, tar; Georgy Valtchev, violin;
Jin Yang, pipa; Evan Ziporyn, clarinet
Mark Morris Dance Group / Sam Black, Durell R. Comedy, Rita Donahue,
Domingo Estrada, Jr., Lesley Garrison, Lauren Grant, Brian Lawson, Aaron Loux,
Laurel Lynch, Stacy Martorana, Dallas McMurray, Brandon Randolph,
Nicole Sabella, Billy Smith, Noah Vinson, Michelle Yard

C R E AT I V E T E A M
Choreography and Direction / Mark Morris
Scenic and Costume Design / Howard Hodgkin
Lighting Design / James F. Ingalls
Set Realization / Johan Henckens
Costume Realization / Maile Okamura

This evening’s performance is approximately 70 minutes in duration and will be
performed without intermission.

Following Thursday evening’s performance, please feel free to remain in your seats
and join us for a post-performance discussion with members of the company.
3

PROGRAM
Medley of Azerbaijani Music: Bayati Shiraz
Mugham Vocals / Kamila Nabiyeva
Mugham Vocals / Miralam Miralamov
Kamancheh / Rauf Islamov
Tar / Zaki Valiyev

All pieces in this medley are based on the melodic patterns of Bayati Shiraz,
which is one of the major mughams of Azerbaijani music. The composition
proceeds from the melancholic and sad to the upbeat and playful; such
development is highly typical for Azerbaijani traditional music. The medley opens
with a famous Azerbaijani folk song “I have watered the street,” which is about a
girl who is waiting for her beloved and wishing that they never be separated. The
second part of this composition features the actual mugham Bayati Shiraz, where
both singers and instrumentalists demonstrate their ability to improvise. The
song “You have been apart from me” is the closing part of the medley. Alibaba
Mammadov (b. 1929), the renowned Azerbaijani mugham singer, composed
this piece following all the rules and stylistic features of the traditional tasnifs.
A tasnif is a romance-like lyrical song that is usually performed within mugham
compositions. This medley, therefore, features three genres of traditional and
folk music of Azerbaijan — mugham, folk song, and tasnif.

4

PROGRAM (CONTINUED)
Layla and Majnun
Layla / Fargana Qasimova, mugham vocals
Majnun / Alim Qasimov, mugham vocals
Musicians / Zaki Valiyev, tar; Rauf Islamov, kamancheh; Evan Ziporyn, clarinet;
Jin Yang, pipa; Joseph Gramley, percussion; Georgy Valtchev, violin;
Jessie Montgomery, violin; Max Mandel, viola; Andrea Lee, cello;
Shawn Conley, bass
Act I: Love and Separation
Layla / Stacy Martorana
Majnun / Dallas McMurray
Sam Black, Rita Donahue, Lesley Garrison, Lauren Grant, Brian Lawson,
Aaron Loux, Laurel Lynch, Billy Smith, Noah Vinson, Michelle Yard
Act II: The Parents’ Disapproval
Layla / Nicole Sabella
Majnun / Domingo Estrada Jr.
Layla’s Parents / Lauren Grant, Noah Vinson
Majnun’s Parents / Michelle Yard, Billy Smith
Sam Black, Lesley Garrison, Brian Lawson, Stacy Martorana, Dallas McMurray,
Brandon Randolph
Act III: Sorrow and Despair
Layla / Laurel Lynch
Majnun / Aaron Loux
Rita Donahue, Domingo Estrada, Jr., Lauren Grant, Brian Lawson, Stacy Martorana,
Dallas McMurray, Nicole Sabella, Billy Smith, Noah Vinson, Michelle Yard
Act IV: Layla’s Unwanted Wedding
Layla / Lesley Garrison
Majnun / Sam Black
The Husband / Durell R. Comedy
Layla’s Parents / Lauren Grant, Noah Vinson
Rita Donahue, Domingo Estrada Jr., Aaron Loux, Nicole Sabella, Billy Smith,
Michelle Yard
Act V: The Lovers’ Demise
Layla / Stacy Martorana, Nicole Sabella, Laurel Lynch, Lesley Garrison
Majnun / Dallas McMurray, Domingo Estrada Jr., Aaron Loux, Sam Black
Layla’s Parents / Lauren Grant, Noah Vinson
Majnun’s Parents / Michelle Yard, Billy Smith
5

T H E I D E A L I Z AT I O N O F L O V E
by Wali Ahmadi, Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of California,
Berkeley
From my early youth I have been
intrigued by the love story of Majnun
and Layla (or Laili, in most Persian
renderings), two young lovers from
Bedouin Arabia. I remember very well
that, during long, cold winter nights in
Kabul, in the 1970s, my mother would
tell us the remarkable story of these two
lovers, their intense, splendid romance,
and their endless plights leading to their
heartrending deaths. It was then that I
learned of an epic Indian movie based
on the story that purportedly brought
the audience to tears.
Years later, as a student of literature,
I read the Persian romance of Laili and
Majnun by Nezami Ganjawi (1140­–1209
CE) and then came across several
reworkings of this amazing romance.
The story clearly draws from brief,
disjointed oral anecdotes reported in
earlier Arabic sources. It was Nezami
who superbly worked through the
scant materials in his possession,
developed a more complex plot,
intensified the characterization, and
composed a much more multilayered
story, in the masnawi (rhyming couplet)
form, to be incorporated, along with
four other long narratives, into his
monumental quintet (Khamsa).
In brief, Qays ibn al-Mulawwah of the
Banu ‘Amir tribe falls in love with his
classmate Layla bint Sa’d. As the two
grow older, the intensity of their love
increases. Although Layla, too, is truly
smitten by love, it is Qays who publicly
and unreservedly pronounces his
obsessive passion in elegiac lyrics, thus
earning the epithet Majnun (literally,
6

“possessed” or “mad”). Majnun’s
incessant poetic expression of Layla’s
beauty and his astonishingly outrageous
public conduct alarm Layla’s parents.
Concerned about their daughter’s
reputation as well as the honor and
standing of the tribe, her parents ensure
that the lovers are kept apart. When
Qays’ father asks for Layla’s hand in
marriage to his beloved (but universally
seen as deranged) son, Layla’s family
flatly refuses the proposal, a response
that seems harsh but, in the light of
Majnun’s scandalous conduct, not
necessarily unreasonable. As Majnun
continues wandering aimlessly through
the desert, bonding with wild beasts,
living an ascetic life, and composing
verses about his obsession with Layla,
his father lures him into visiting the
holiest of Muslim sites, the Ka’ba, in the
hope of curing him of his obsessive love.
There, Majnun pleads to Allah to make
him “a hundred-fold” more “possessed”
in his love for Layla.
In the meantime, Layla’s father
gives her in marriage, against her
will, to an affluent but shallow man
named Ibn Salam. The marriage never
consummates as Layla insists on
preserving her chastity. She remains
faithful to her true love, Majnun,
until Ibn Salam dies of rejection,
disillusionment, and grief.
A number of times, Majnun is offered
the chance to visit his beloved, to
speak with her in person. Towards the
end of the story, when Layla, through
the intermediation of a young, faithful
devotee of Majnun, appears to him, he

still refuses to have physical (or sexual)
contact with her. Majnun strives to
realize “perfect love” in Layla, a love
that transcends sensual contact with
the beloved, a love that is free from
selfish intentions, lust, and earthly
desires. Precisely for this reason,
many commentators have interpreted
Nezami’s Laili and Majnun as a Sufi
(Islamic mystical) allegorical narrative,
where the lover seeks ultimate union
with, as well as annihilation in, the
Beloved (i.e. the Divine or the Truth).
Majnun’s harsh life in the desert, then,
has been compared to the ascetic life
of Muslim mystics who rejected earthly
pleasures and renounced worldly
affinities. Accordingly, his excessive
devotion to Layla represents his unique
and steadfast devotion to Ideal Love, the
Divine — which explains why, in spite of
his incessant yearning for his beloved
Layla, he is incapable of physical
intimacy with her. It is with the idealized
image of the beloved — in the person of
Layla — that Majnun is infatuated. When
Layla falls mortally ill and passes away,
Majnun, too, loses his one and only
purpose in life, his sole means towards
the realization of True Love. When he
learns about the death of his beloved,
he at once seeks her gravesite. Weeping
and moaning, he presses himself
against her gravestone and breathes
his final gasps, and dies. The lovers
ultimately unite, but only in death.
Nezami’s romance of Laili and
Majnun is a multilayered, complex text,
which makes
it open to contrasting,
and perhaps contradictory, readings.
While a Sufi (mystical) reading of it

is plausible, one can justifiably read
it as a conventional, yet immensely
rich and enthralling love story. Despite
the abundance of mystical motifs and
metaphors, the profane dimensions of
the poem cannot be overlooked.
Nezami’s unparalleled narrative
proved considerably influential during
the subsequent centuries. While
allusions and references to Layla
and Majnun can be readily found in
divans (collections) of poets before
Nezami’s time, his version led several
noted poets, in a host of languages,
to compose original texts modeled
after Nezami’s work. In Persian alone,
one should mention Amir Khusraw
Dehlawi’s masterpiece Majnun and Laili
(completed c. 1299) and ‘Abd al-Rahman
Jami’s Laili and Majnun (composed c.
1485). Other notable renderings of the
story are by Maktabi Shirazi, Hatefi,
and, more notably, Fuzuli. The latter
became considerably influential in
Ottoman Turkey. The romance of Layla
and Majnun has been made into several
popular films and movies in Hindi,
Turkish, Arabic, and Persian.
Wali Ahmadi is an associate professor
of Persian literature at the University
of California, Berkeley. His publications
include Modern Persian Literature in
Afghanistan: Anomalous Visions of
History and Form (2008) and Converging
Zones: Persian Literary Tradition and the
Writing of History (2012). He is currently
working on the cultural politics of modern
Persian poetics and aesthetics.

Photo (next spread): Layla and Majnun production shot; photographer: Susana Millman.
7

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9

I N T O T H E D I V I N E : T H E M U S I C O F L AY L A A N D M A J N U N
by Aida Huseynova, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
At the age of 23, the composer
Uzeyir Hajibeyli (1885–1948) put
Azerbaijan — and himself — on the
map of music history with his Leyli
and Majnun. This opera was the first
piece of composed music created
in Azerbaijan, premiering in 1908 in
Baku (then part of the Russian Empire,
now the capital of the Republic of
Azerbaijan). Azerbaijanis have revered
their first national composer and his
work ever since. For decades, every
season at the Azerbaijan State Opera
and Ballet Theater has opened with
Leyli and Majnun. Each Azerbaijani
singer appreciates the honor and
responsibility of participating in
these productions, and audiences
throughout the country enjoy
broadcasts of the performances.
Nearly a century after the Baku
premiere, Hajibeyli’s opera found a
new life half a world away thanks
to the Silk Road Ensemble under
the artistic direction of Yo-Yo Ma. In
2007, the group created a chamber
arrangement of Hajibeyli’s work
that was entitled Layla and Majnun,
following the pronunciation of the
heroine’s name in Arabic culture,
in which this ancient legend had
originated. From 2007 to 2009, the
arrangement was a highlight of the
ensemble’s repertoire, delighting
large audiences around the world.
The rich multicultural potential of
Hajibeyli’s opera perfectly resonates
with Silkroad, the cultural organization
Yo-Yo Ma founded to house the Silk
Road Ensemble. Silkroad envisions
music as a global phenomenon, with
10

musical forms, genres, and styles
serving as bridges across time and
between cultures. Azerbaijani opera
offers many possibilities for such
musical and cultural synthesis. In
Leyli and Majnun, Hajibeyli combined
Western opera with two artistic
treasures of Central Asia and the
Middle East: the story of Layla and
Majnun and the genre of mugham.
The ill-fated lovers Layla and
Majnun are often compared to Romeo
and Juliet, although their story in oral
tradition predates Shakespeare’s play
by more than a thousand years. Layla
and Majnun have been celebrated
in tales by Turks, Arabs, Persians,
Indians, Pakistanis, and Afghans.
Known in many poetic renditions, their
story also has inspired works of visual
art, literature, cinema, and music. It
is not accidental that Hajibeyli chose
the poetic setting of the Azerbaijani
poet and philosopher Muhammad
Fuzuli (1483–1556). Written in the
Azerbaijani language, Fuzuli’s work is
one of the most famous versions of
this ancient legend.
Musical interpretations of the
legend of Layla and Majnun appear in
diverse genres and national traditions,
attesting to the tale’s enduring
popularity. Hajibeyli’s opera — the
first piece of composed music to set
this ancient story — was based on
mugham, the quintessential genre of
traditional Azerbaijani music. Mugham
is a branch of the large maqam
tradition cultivated in the Middle
East and Central Asia. An improvised
modal music, mugham historically has

been performed by a mugham trio
that consists of a singer playing gaval
(frame drum) and two instrumentalists
playing tar (lute) and kamancheh
(spike fiddle). Mugham remains a
precious part of the traditional music
heritage of Azerbaijan. Since the
early 20th century, mugham also has
become the main source of creative
inspiration and experimentation
for Azerbaijani composers. In 1977,
Azerbaijani mugham was one of the
27 musical selections put in Voyagers
I and II. Sent beyond our solar system,
these American spacecraft carried
this music as a testament to the
emotional life of human beings. In
2003, UNESCO recognized Azerbaijani
mugham as a Masterpiece of the Oral
and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Throughout its long history, the
mugham genre has attracted many
outstanding performers in Azerbaijan.
Among them is Alim Qasimov, who
occupies a unique and honorable
place in Azerbaijan’s national music
history. Qasimov is revered as a
National Treasure of Azerbaijan,
and he also has enjoyed substantial
acclaim abroad. In 1999, Qasimov
won the International IMC-UNESCO
Music Prize — a highly respected
award that previously had been
bestowed on Dmitri Shostakovich,
Leonard Bernstein, Olivier Messiaen,
Daniel Barenboim, Munir Bashir, and
Ravi Shankar, among others. Qasimov
possesses an in-depth knowledge
of mugham. At the same time, he is
renowned for his innovative approach
to tradition and his openness to
experimentation. This is why it is
no surprise that Qasimov initiated
the idea of a new embodiment of
Hajibeyli’s old “mugham opera.”

Qasimov shared his vision with
members of the Silk Road Ensemble
and received a positive response. He
was intimately familiar with Hajibeyli’s
Leyli and Majnun, as he had been
involved in its productions in the
Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet
Theater in the 1980s. For his Silkroad
work, Qasimov selected the portions
of Hajibeyli’s score that focus on
Majnun’s solo and duet scenes with
Layla, the heroine, whose role was
performed by Fargana Qasimova,
Qasimov’s daughter and student, now
a highly reputed mugham singer on
her own. Qasimov also included choral
and ensemble episodes, along with
instrumental interludes. Based on
these selections, Silk Road Ensemble
members Johnny Gandelsman and
Colin Jacobsen, both violinists,
created a score.
In the interpretation of the Silk
Road Ensemble, the story of Layla and
Majnun is presented in a condensed
version: the three-and-a-half-hourlong opera is compressed into an
hour-long chamber piece. Hajibeyli’s
five acts are rearranged into six parts.
These changes have resulted in a
reordering and even an omission of
many operatic episodes. Ultimately,
the Silk Road Ensemble’s alterations
highlight the story’s time-honored
messages. The legend of Layla and
Majnun has a strong Sufi component,
with the love between a man and a
woman being seen as a reflection of
love for God. The death resulting from
separation from one’s beloved is a
supreme fulfillment, as it takes the
individual into the divine. In Hajibeyli’s
opera, this idea was conveyed through
the chorus “Night of Separation,”
which opens and concludes the work.
11

These episodes can be compared to
the Chorus in Greek tragedies, which
comments on events before they
occur in the narrative. Reconstituting
the Chorus as a cello solo, both at the
beginning and at the end of the piece,
is one of the new arrangement’s most
insightful interpretations: the lonely
melody of the cello sounds as the
voice of eternity.
The new arrangement of Hajibeyli’s
opera has created a different balance
between Western and Eastern
traits. In Hajibeyli’s opera, these
two components mostly are kept
separate: the symphony orchestra
plays all episodes of composed
music and remains silent during the
mughams. Only the tar and kamancheh
accompany singers during mugham
episodes. In the new version, however,
the role of the ensemble — with tar
and kamancheh included — is crucial
throughout the entire piece, and both
the improvised and written parts of
the composition are firmly integrated.
Layla and Majnun is a constantly
changing and developing project.
Every performance is unique, and it is
impossible to take a snapshot of this
work. Yo-Yo Ma called this a “part of
the thrill” and described the project
as “perhaps the finest example of
group intelligence at work” (New York
Times, March 1, 2009). A reviewer
of a performance by the Silk Road
Ensemble noted, “Layla and Majnun
was the apex of the program. Classical
music making rarely achieves this
combination of spontaneity and
superb craftsmanship” (Washington
Post, March 14, 2009).
Indeed, this composition is a result
of collective effort and is imbued with
the spirit of improvisation. Hajibeyli
12

was aware of the large cultural span of
his project, in terms of its musical and
literary contents. However, Hajibeyli
limited the cultural, aesthetic, and
stylistic scope of the opera to the
context of his native culture. In so
doing, he reflected the social and
cultural expectations of early 20thcentury Azerbaijan as well as his own
professional experience (or rather,
its absence, as Leyli and Majnun was
Hajibeyli’s first work). The Silk Road
Ensemble has expanded the cultural
reach of Azerbaijani opera deep into
the Middle East and Central Asia. No
less importantly, they have increased
the Western elements in Hajibeyli’s
score, creating a work of global EastWest significance. The new musical
arrangement of Layla and Majnun
is a respectful and highly artistic
transformation of Hajibeyli’s “mugham”
opera, now shaped by creative
energies coming from diverse cultural,
stylistic, and temporal sources.
Aida Huseynova has a PhD in
musicology and teaches at the Indiana
University Jacobs School of Music.
Her publications include Music of
Azerbaijan: From Mugham to Opera
(Indiana University Press, 2016).
Huseynova also serves as a research
advisor for Silkroad under the artistic
direction of Yo-Yo Ma. Her numerous
awards include an Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation grant (2016) and a
Fulbright scholarship (2007–08).

What’s it like to spend the summer with Mark Morris Dance Group? See
behind-the-scenes photos at ums.org.
13

L AY L A A N D M A J N U N : L I B R E T T O
Libretto by Uzeyir Hajibeyli (based on the poem by Muhammad Fuzuli)
Translation by Aida Huseynova and Isabelle Hunter 

1 . L O V E A N D S E P A R AT I O N
Majnun:
My soul is on fire because we are apart
I want to join my beloved
My heart is heavy because I am alone
I want to see my beloved
I feel like a nightingale that cries in pain,
trapped in a cage
I want a flower garden.
Layla:
My heart has been breaking since I was overcome by love
What kind of sorrow is this?
I do not have the strength to describe the sorrow in my heart
I cannot bear being apart from you
Majnun:
Seeing your face — as lovely as the sun — has made me weak
I cannot be still
My only wish is to perish in the world of love
I thank God that my wish is granted
I have no more desire
Layla:
My true love knows my heart is breaking
He knows what sadness lives in my heart
There is no need for me to explain my grief
He knows every sliver of sorrow in my heart
Majnun: Yes, I know
Layla: Yes, he knows
Majnun: Yes, I know

14

Layla and Majnun:
Your movements tantalize me
Your smile — like a flower — makes me weep
Your sweet scent renders me motionless
Your tousled hair drives me mad

2 . T H E P A R E N T S ’ D I S A P P R O VA L
Both:
You fell in love, desperately in love
And your love is mixed with sadness and grief
Majnun:
Father and Mother — my soul, my spirit
Father and Mother — my heart
How could I know that falling in love with Layla
would turn out this way?
What could I say, what could I do?
I cannot control this love
I’m powerless — I have no strength
I can only worship this one idol
until the very end of my life
Layla:
Mother, Father — it’s not my fault that I went to school
I’ve never done anything to disobey you
I swear this was not my intention
I just wanted to be a carefree schoolgirl
Don’t say any more
Have mercy and stop tormenting me
Majnun:
Father, Mother, my love will drive me mad.

3 . S O R R OW A N D D E S PA I R
Majnun:
Dear God, let me be at peace with my troubles
Let me feel the despair of my love
Have mercy on me in my grief
Let me feel even more despair for my love

15

Layla:
Your eyes are closed, your heart is broken
Your mind tortured, and your legs are bound
You are burning from head to toe
And your heart smolders
Majnun:
I yearn to feel this sorrow as long as I live
I need this sorrow because this sorrow needs me
I will not surrender
I will not be called unfaithful
Layla:
I am as faithful as you are
Maybe even more so
You are on fire only at night
While I am on fire night and day
Both:
Like Fuzuli, I am inspired. Please, God, let me be.

4 . L AY L A’ S U N W A N T E D W E D D I N G
Majnun:
Why are you in the garden with a stranger
Enjoying yourself, bestowing favors on him?
How could you break your word?
Did you forget about our vows? How cruel!
Layla:
No, no, my soul mate, please listen to me
If this were up to me I would never want anyone but you
Fate has dealt me a cruel blow
I don’t know how this happened

Majnun:
What did I do to make you turn away from me?
How could you choose a stranger to share your grief and happiness?
Is this what you call love?
You are cruel! You broke our vows!

16

Layla:
God, what torture! What agony!
I was burning with love for you. Now I know the torture of being apart.
Majnun:
So this is your loyalty, Layla?
Can someone who is unfaithful be loved?

5. THE LOVERS’ DEMISE
Layla:
The wheel of fate has not turned the way I wanted
It has not cured the pain of separation
My beloved gave me so much pain
My heart is filled with suffering that has no remedy
My beloved promised to love me forever,
But he forgot about his vows and about our love.
Majnun:
True love means sacrificing one’s life for his beloved
A soul that has not been given to a beloved is a wasted soul
Lovers want to be together
But separation brings them joy forever.

17

18

ARTISTS
Mark Morris was born on August 29, 1956,
in Seattle, Washington, where he studied
with Verla Flowers and Perry Brunson. In
the early years of his career, he performed
with the companies of Lar Lubovitch,
Hannah Kahn, Laura Dean, Eliot Feld, and
the Koleda Balkan Dance Ensemble. He
formed the Mark Morris Dance Group
(MMDG) in 1980, and has since created
close to 150 works for the company. From
1988 to 1991, he was director of dance at
Brussels’ Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie,
the national opera house of Belgium. In
1990, he founded the White Oak Dance
Project with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Much
in demand as a ballet choreographer,
Mr. Morris has created 20 ballets since
1986 and his work has been performed
by companies worldwide, including San
Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre,
Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, and
the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Noted for his
musicality, Mr. Morris has been described
as “undeviating in his devotion to music”
(The New Yorker). He began conducting
performances for MMDG in 2006 and has
since conducted at Tanglewood Music
Center, Lincoln Center, and BAM (Brooklyn
Academy of Music). He served as music
director for the 2013 Ojai Music Festival.
He also works extensively in opera,
directing, and choreographing productions
for the Metropolitan Opera, New York City
Opera, English National Opera, and The
Royal Opera, Covent Garden, among others.
He was named a Fellow of the MacArthur
Foundation in 1991 and has received 11
honorary doctorates to date. He has taught
at the University of Washington, Princeton
University, and Tanglewood Music Center.
He is a member of the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences and the American
Philosophical Society, and has served as

an Advisory Board Member for the Rolex
Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Mr.
Morris has received the Samuel H. Scripps/
American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime
Achievement, the Leonard Bernstein
Lifetime Achievement Award for the
Elevation of Music in Society, the Benjamin
Franklin Laureate Prize for Creativity, the
International Society for the Performing
Arts’ Distinguished Artist Award, Cal
Performances Award of Distinction in
the Performing Arts, the Orchestra of
St. Luke’s Gift of Music Award, and the
2016 Doris Duke Artist Award. In 2015,
Mark Morris was inducted into the Mr. and
Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of
Fame at the National Museum of Dance
in Saratoga Springs, New York. Mr. Morris
opened the Mark Morris Dance Center in
Brooklyn, New York in 2001 to provide a
home for his company, rehearsal space for
the dance community, outreach programs
for children and seniors, and a school
offering dance classes to students of all
ages and abilities.
The Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG)
was formed in 1980 and gave its first
performance that year in New York City.
The company’s touring schedule steadily
expanded to include cities in the US and
around the world, and in 1986 it made its
first national television program for the PBS
series Dance in America. In 1988, MMDG
was invited to become the national dance
company of Belgium, and spent three
years in residence at the Théâtre Royal de
la Monnaie in Brussels. The Dance Group
returned to the US in 1991 as one of the
world’s leading dance companies. Based
in Brooklyn, New York, MMDG maintains
strong ties to presenters in several cities
around the world, most notably to its
19

West Coast home, Cal Performances in
Berkeley, California, and its Midwest home,
the Krannert Center for the Performing
Arts at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. MMDG also appears regularly
in New York, Boston, Seattle, and Fairfax.
In New York, the company has performed
at New York City Center’s Fall for Dance
Festival, regularly performs at Lincoln
Center for the Performing Arts’ Mostly
Mozart and White Light Festivals, and
collaborates yearly with Brooklyn Academy
of Music on performances and master
classes. From the company’s many London
seasons, it has received two Laurence
Olivier Awards and a Critics’ Circle
Dance Award for “Best Foreign Dance
Company.” Reflecting Morris’ commitment
to live music, MMDG has featured live
musicians in every performance since the
formation of the MMDG Music Ensemble
in 1996. MMDG regularly collaborates
with renowned musicians, including
cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Emanuel Ax,
mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe,
and jazz trio The Bad Plus, as well as
leading orchestras and opera companies
including the Metropolitan Opera,
English National Opera, and the London
Symphony Orchestra. MMDG frequently
works with distinguished artists and
designers, including painters Howard
Hodgkin and Robert Bordo, set designers
Adrianne Lobel and Allen Moyer, costume
designers Martin Pakledinaz and Isaac
Mizrahi, and many others. MMDG’s film
and television projects include Dido and
Aeneas, The Hard Nut, Falling Down Stairs,
two documentaries for the UK’s South
Bank Show, and PBS’ Live from Lincoln
Center. In 2015 Mr. Morris’ signature work
L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato had
its national television premiere on PBS’
Great Performances. While on tour, MMDG
partners with local cultural institutions
20

and community organizations to present
Access/MMDG, a program of arts and
humanities-based activities for people of
all ages and abilities.
The Mark Morris Dance Group has
enjoyed a long relationship with Meany
Center for the Performing Arts. Since 1987,
the Dance Group has returned 18 times to
perform on the Meany Hall stage, which
includes four world premieres.
Inspired by the exchange of ideas and
traditions along the historical Silk Road,
cellist Yo-Yo Ma established Silkroad in
1998 to explore how the arts can advance
global understanding. Since 2000, the
musicians of the Silk Road Ensemble
have led Silkroad’s work to connect the
world through the arts, focusing in three
areas: musical performances, learning
programs, and cultural entrepreneurship.
Representing dozens of nationalities
and musical traditions, the musicians
of the Ensemble model new forms of
cultural exchange through performances,
workshops, and residencies. The Music
of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road
Ensemble, a documentary by Academy
Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville
(20 Feet From Stardom), premiered at the
Toronto Film Festival in September 2015
and was released in theaters June 2016.
Learn more at silkroadproject.org.
Howard Hodgkin (set and costume design)
was born in London in 1932 and evacuated
during the war to the US, where he lived
on Long Island from 1940 to 1943. He
studied at the Camberwell School of Art
and the Bath Academy of Art, Corsham.
In 1984 he represented Britain at the
Venice Biennale and won the Turner Prize
the following year. He was knighted in
1992 and made a Companion of Honour
in 2003. An exhibition of his Paintings

1975–1995, organized by the Modern Art
Museum of Fort Worth, opened in 1995 at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York and toured to museums in Fort Worth
and Düsseldorf, and to London’s Hayward
Gallery. A retrospective opened at the
Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, in
spring 2006. It traveled to London’s Tate
Britain and then to the Museo Nacional
Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid. Mr.
Hodgkin first worked in the theater in 1981,
when he designed the set and costumes
for Richard Alston’s Night Music with the
Ballet Rambert. They later collaborated on
Pulcinella, which was filmed by the BBC
and released on DVD. For the Mark Morris
Dance Group, Mr. Hodgkin designed the
sets for Rhymes with Silver (1997), Kolam
(2002), and Mozart Dances (2006). He
is represented by Gagosian Gallery and
has shown with them in New York, Los
Angeles, Paris, Rome, and London. He has
been passionate about India and Indian
art for most of his life. Toronto’s Aga Khan
Museum exhibited Mr. Hodgkin’s own
paintings Inspired by India along with
Indian miniatures from his collection in
2015. After All, an exhibition of his new
prints, opens the new Alan Cristea Gallery
in Pall Mall, London in October 2016. Future
plans include new paintings at Gagosian
Gallery, Hong Kong in January, and a
retrospective of his portraits, (1949–2016)
at the National Portrait Gallery, London in
March 2017. 
James F. Ingalls (lighting design) has
designed several pieces for Mark Morris
including Orfeo ed Euridice (Metropolitan
Opera); King Arthur (English National Opera);
Sylvia, Sandpaper Ballet, Maelstrom, and
Pacific (San Francisco Ballet); Platée (Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden, and New York
City Opera); Mozart Dances, Romeo and
Juliet: On Motifs of Shakespeare, L’Allegro,

il Penseroso ed il Moderato, and Dido and
Aeneas (MMDG). Recent designs for dance
include The Nutcracker (Pacific Northwest
Ballet/Seattle); Twyla Tharp’s 50th
Anniversary Tour (US and NY State Theatre);
The Sleeping Beauty, choreographed by
Alexei Ratmansky (Teatro alla Scala Ballet
and ABT); Celts, choreographed by Lila
York (Boston Ballet); and Sea Lark and
Death and the Maiden (Paul Taylor Dance
Company). Recent theater work includes
Desdemona, directed by Peter Sellars (UCLA/
CAP, Melbourne and Sydney Festivals)
and Druid Shakespeare, directed by Garry
Hynes (Galway, Irish tour, and Lincoln Center
Festival). He often collaborates with Melanie
Rios Glaser and The Wooden Floor dancers
in Santa Ana, California.
Maile Okamura (costume realization)
studied primarily with Lynda Yourth at
the American Ballet School in San Diego,
California. She was a member of Boston
Ballet II and Ballet Arizona before moving
to New York to study modern dance. Ms.
Okamura has performed with MMDG
since 1998. She has also had the pleasure
of working with choreographers Neta
Pulvermacher, Zvi Gotheiner, Gerald Casel,
and John Heginbotham, with whom she
frequently collaborates as dancer and
costume designer. Ms. Okamura has also
designed costumes for three Mark Morris
works to date: Words and A Forest for
MMDG and The Letter V for Houston Ballet.
Ms. Okamura and her husband, Colin
Jacobsen, are the proud parents of Mimi
Hanako, born in 2015.
Johan Henckens (set realization) became
the technical director of the Mark Morris
Dance Group in 1989, during the company’s
three-year residency at the Koninklijke
Muntschouwburg in Brussels, Belgium.

21

Johnny Gandelsman (musical arrangement)
is the son of a musical family from
Moscow, by way of Israel, whose musical
voice reflects the artistic collaborations
he has been a part of since moving to
the US in 1995. Through his work with
such artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Bono, Osvaldo
Golijov, David Byrne, Bela Fleck, Kayhan
Kalhor, Suzanne Vega, James Levine,
Mark Morris, Alim Qasimov and Fargana
Qasimova, Nigel Kennedy, and Martin
Hayes, Mr. Gandelsman has been able
to integrate a wide range of creative
sensibilities into his own point of view.
Combining his classical training with a
desire to reach beyond the boundaries of
the concert hall, and a voracious interest
in the music of our times, he developed
a unique style amongst today’s violinists,
one that according to the Boston Globe
possesses “a balletic lightness of touch
and a sense of whimsy and imagination.”
A passionate advocate for new music, Mr.
Gandelsman has premiered dozens of
works written for Brooklyn Rider and Silk
Road Ensemble. In 2012–13, he premiered
works by Lev “Ljova” Zhurbin, Dmitri YanovYanovsky, Vijay Iyer, Bela Fleck, Daniel
Cords, Rubin Kodheli, Dana Lyn, Gabriel
Kahane, Colin Jacobsen, Shara Worden,
John Zorn, Christina Courtin, Ethan Iverson,
Padma Newsome, Gregory Saunier, Evan
Ziporyn, Bill Frisell, and Nik Bartsch, as
well as a violin concerto by Gonzalo Grau,
commissioned for him by Community
Music Works.
Colin Jacobsen (musical arrangement) is
“one of the most interesting figures on the
classical music scene” (Washington Post).
A founding member of two game-changing,
audience-expanding ensembles — the
string quartet Brooklyn Rider and orchestra
The Knights — he is also a touring
member of Yo-Yo Ma’s venerated Silk Road
22

Ensemble and an Avery Fisher Career
Grant-winning violinist. Mr. Jacobsen’s
work as a composer developed as a natural
outgrowth of his chamber and orchestral
collaborations. Jointly inspired by
encounters with leading exponents of nonwestern traditions and by his own classical
heritage, his most recent compositions for
Brooklyn Rider include Three Miniatures
— “vivacious, deftly drawn sketches”
(New York Times) — which were written
for the reopening of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art’s Islamic art galleries. Mr.
Jacobsen collaborated with Iran’s Siamak
Aghaei to write a Persian folk-inflected
composition, Ascending Bird, which he
performed as soloist with the YouTube
Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera
House in a concert that was streamed
live to millions of viewers worldwide. His
work for dance and theater includes Chalk
and Soot, a collaboration with Dance
Heginbotham, and music for Compagnia
de’ Colombari’s theatrical production of
Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself.
Alim Qasimov (mugham vocals) is a
prominent mugham singer named a “Living
National Treasure” of Azerbaijan. He has
been passionate about mugham since
his early childhood, but did not pursue a
career in music until the age of 19, after
various jobs as an agricultural worker
and driver. Mr. Qasimov studied at the
Asaf Zeynalli Music College (1978–1982)
and the Azerbaijan University of Arts
(1982–1989). His teacher was well-known
mugham singer Aghakhan Abdullayev. Mr.
Qasimov perceives and presents mugham
not only as an ancient art and a part of
Azerbaijan’s musical and cultural heritage
but also as a constantly developing
tradition. His performing style is unique,
combining deep knowledge of centuriesold rules of mugham with challenging

innovations, willingly juxtaposing mugham
with other music styles, such as jazz
and contemporary composition. Mr.
Qasimov was awarded the International
IMC-UNESCO Music Prize in 1999 in
recognition of his musical contributions
to world peace. Past winners of this prize
include Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar,
Olivier Messiaen, and Daniel Barenboim.
Mr. Qasimov’s numerous awards also
include the title of the People’s Artist of
Azerbaijan, the highest artistic rank in the
country. On his 50th birthday in 2007, the
President of Azerbaijan awarded him the
Medal of Glory.
Fargana Qasimova (mugham vocals), Alim
Qasimov’s daughter and protégée, is an
accomplished mugham singer. Her father
has been the major influence in her life
and career. Ms. Qasimova grew up with
sounds of mugham and verses from the
classical poetry of Azerbaijan and from the
age of four, often performed along with
her father at home and first joined him on
tour at the age of 16. She studied mugham
at the Azerbaijan National Conservatory
(1996–2000) and performs frequently
with Mr. Qasimov both in Azerbaijan and
internationally and has earned recognition
as a master of mugham. In 1999, Love’s
Deep Ocean, a CD featuring Mr. Qasimov
and Ms. Qasimova, was released by
Network Medien in Frankfurt, Germany.
In 2002 at the Women’s Voices Festival
in Belgium, Ms. Qasimova made her first
appearance as a soloist.
Matthew Rose (rehearsal director) began
his dance training in Midland, Michigan,
with Linda Z. Smith at the age of 17.
After receiving his BFA in dance from
the University of Michigan in 1992, he
moved to New York City. He was a soloist
with the Martha Graham Dance Company

from 1993–1996, and in 1997 began
working with MMDG. After several years of
performing full-time with MMDG, he began
assisting Mr. Morris with the creation of
new works. He has been the company’s
rehearsal director since 2006.
Colin Fowler (music director) began
his musical study at the age of five in
Kansas City and went on to study at the
prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy.
He continued his education at The
Juilliard School, where he received his
BM in 2003 and his MM in 2005. While
at Juilliard, he studied piano with Abbey
Simon, organ with Gerre Hancock and Paul
Jacobs, harpsichord with Lionel Party,
and conducting with James dePriest
and Judith Clurman. A versatile musician
and conductor, Mr. Fowler works in many
areas of the music scene in New York City.
He is a veteran of numerous Broadway
shows, most recently performing in the
Tony Award-winning musical Jersey
Boys. A seasoned church musician, Mr.
Fowler is currently the organist at Marble
Collegiate Church on Fifth Avenue and
also leads services and concerts at
Park Avenue Synagogue, where he has
served as music director since 2012.
As a classical soloist and collaborative
artist, he has performed and recorded
with many world-renowned musicians
and ensembles, including Deborah Voigt
and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He
began to collaborate with MMDG in 2005
and has since then performed over 40
pieces with the company on almost every
keyboard instrument possible, including
the harmonium and toy piano, and has
conducted performances of Mozart
Dances, Acis and Galatea, and The Hard
Nut. Hailed by the New York Times as
“invaluable” and “central to Morris’ music,”
he was appointed music director in 2013.
23

Sam Black is originally from Berkeley,
California, where he began studying tap
at the age of nine with Katie Maltsberger.
He received his BFA in dance from SUNY
Purchase, and currently teaches MMDG
master classes and Dance for PD®. He first
appeared with MMDG in 2005 and became
a company member in 2007.
Durell R. Comedy, a native of Prince
Georges County, Maryland, began dancing
at the age of six with Spirit Wings Dance
Company. He graduated from the Visual &
Performing Arts program of Suitland High
School in 2004 and magna cum laude from
George Mason University, receiving his
BFA in dance performance in 2008. Since
then, he’s worked and performed with The
Metropolitan Opera, Troy Powell, and Kyle
Abraham, among others. Mr. Comedy was a
member of the Limón Dance Company from
2009–2015, performing principal and soloist
roles. He has also appeared as a soloist
dancer in Baltimore Opera Company’s Aida
and worked with Washington National
Opera from 2013–14 as a principal dancer
and dance captain. He was a former
fellowship student at the Ailey School and
a 2014 adjunct faculty member at George
Mason University’s School of Dance. Mr.
Comedy began working as an apprentice
with MMDG in 2015 and became a company
member in 2016.
Shawn Conley (bass) was born in Honolulu
and won a position with the Honolulu
Symphony while in high school and went
on to earn degrees in music performance
from Rice University. Mr. Conley won the
2009 International Society of Bassists Jazz
Competition, was a semi-finalist in the
Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition, and
received a Wagoner Fellowship. He has
performed with Sting, Peter Gabriel, Yo-Yo
Ma, and Emanuel Ax, among many others.
24

He teaches at the Hawaii Contrabass
Festival and regularly performs with The
Hot Club of Detroit, The NOW Ensemble,
and The Knights.
Rita Donahue was born and raised in
Fairfax, Virginia, and attended George
Mason University. She graduated magna
cum laude in 2002, receiving a BA in
English and a BFA in dance. Ms. Donahue
danced with bopi’s black sheep/dances by
kraig patterson and joined MMDG in 2003.
Domingo Estrada, Jr., a native of Victoria,
Texas, studied martial arts and earned
his black belt in 1994. He danced ballet
folklorico through his church for 11 years.
Mr. Estrada earned his BFA in ballet and
modern dance from Texas Christian
University and had the honor of working
with the late Fernando Bujones. During his
undergraduate studies he attended the
American Dance Festival where he had the
privilege of performing Skylight, a classic
work by choreographer Laura Dean. He
debuted with MMDG in 2007 and became
a company member in 2009. Mr. Estrada
would like to thank God, his family, and all
who support his passion.
Lesley Garrison grew up in Swansea,
Illinois, and received her early dance
training at the Center of Creative Arts in St.
Louis, Missouri, and the Interlochen Arts
Academy. She studied at the Rotterdamse
Dansacademie in The Netherlands and
holds a BFA from Purchase College. She
first performed with MMDG in 2007 and
became a company member in 2011. Ms.
Garrison teaches at The School at the Mark
Morris Dance Center and for the Dance for
PD® program.

Joseph Gramley (percussion) is a multiinstrumentalist and composer. The Oregon
native is also Silkroad’s associate artistic
director. During more than 16 years with
Silkroad, he has collaborated with renowned
musicians from India, Iran, China, Japan,
Korea, and central Asia. He has performed
internationally as a soloist and with major
symphony orchestras. His first solo record,
American Deconstruction, a rendition of
five milestone works in the modern multipercussion canon, was released in 2000
and reissued in 2006. A second solo
recording, Global Percussion, was released
in 2005. Mr. Gramley is associate professor
of music and director of percussion studies
at his undergraduate alma mater, the
University of Michigan. Prior to his teaching
career, he performed extensively in New
York with chamber groups and symphony
orchestras and has directed the Summer
Seminar at Juilliard for 16 years. Now, he
frequently tours with The Knights as well as
with organist Clive Driskill-Smith in the duo
Organized Rhythm. Their CD Beaming Music
was released in 2008.
Lauren Grant has danced with MMDG
since 1996, appearing in nearly 60 of Mark
Morris’ works. She is on the faculty at The
School at the Mark Morris Dance Center,
leads master classes around the globe,
sets Mr. Morris’ work at universities, and
frequently leads classes for the company.
Ms. Grant received a 2015 New York Dance
and Performance Award (“Bessie”) for her
sustained achievement in performance
with Mark Morris and in recognition of
her “invigorating spontaneity, expansive
phrasing, and robust musicality.” She has
been featured in Time Out New York, Dance
Magazine, the book Meet the Dancers,
appeared in PBS’s Great Performances,
Live From Lincoln Center, and ITV’s The
South Bank Show and was a subject for

the photographer Annie Leibovitz. Before
joining MMDG, Ms. Grant moved to New
York City from her hometown of Highland
Park, Illinois, and earned a BFA from NYU’s
Tisch School of the Arts. She is currently
pursuing her MFA at Montclair State
University. She and her husband David
Leventhal (former MMDG dancer and
current Dance for PD® Program Director)
are proud parents of son Zev, born in 2012.
Rauf Islamov (kamancheh) was born in
Baku, Azerbaijan and studied kemancheh
at the Asaf Zeynalli Music College, the
Azerbaijan National Conservatory, and
received his master’s from the Azerbaijan
State Art University. He has toured widely
with the Alim Qasimov Ensemble.
Brian Lawson began his dance training
in Toronto at Canadian Children’s
Dance Theatre. There he worked with
choreographers such as David Earle, Carol
Anderson, and Michael Trent. Mr. Lawson
spent a year studying at the Rotterdamse
Dansacademie in The Netherlands and
graduated summa cum laude in 2010
from Purchase College, where he was
also granted the President’s Award for his
contributions to the dance program. Mr.
Lawson has had the pleasure of performing
with Pam Tanowitz Dance, Dance
Heginbotham, and Nelly van Bommel’s NØA
Dance, among others. He joined MMDG
as an apprentice in 2011 and became a
company member in 2013.
Andrea Lee (cello) has been praised
for her “elegant solo work” (New York
Times) and “sublime” playing (Times
Union). She enjoys a busy freelance and
teaching career in New York City. She
is a founding member of the criticallyacclaimed indie-classical band Build and
makes frequent appearances with such
25

ensembles as A Far Cry, The Knights,
ECCO, Talea Ensemble, and ICE. She has
participated in festivals in the US and
Europe, including Taos School of Music,
Spoleto Festival USA, IMS Prussia Cove,
Holland Music Sessions, and Banff,
and collaborated in performance with
members of the Borromeo, Jupiter, and
Miami Quartets. She holds a BA in history
with distinction from Yale University and
graduate degrees in cello performance
from New England Conservatory and
Mannes College. A devoted teacher, she
maintains a private studio and serves on
the faculty of the New York Philharmonic
School Partnership Program.
Aaron Loux grew up in Seattle, Washington,
and began dancing at the Creative Dance
Center as a member of Kaleidoscope, a
youth modern dance company. He began
his classical training at the Cornish College
Preparatory Dance Program and received
his BFA from The Juilliard School in 2009.
He danced at The Metropolitan Opera and
with Arc Dance Company before joining
MMDG in 2010.
Laurel Lynch began her dance training at
Petaluma School of Ballet in California. She
moved to New York to attend The Juilliard
School where she performed works by
Robert Battle, Margie Gillis, José Limón, and
Ohad Naharin. After graduation Ms. Lynch
danced for Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre, Sue
Bernhard Danceworks, and Pat Catterson.
She joined MMDG as an apprentice in 2006
and became a company member in 2007.
She gives many thanks to Gene and Becky.
Max Mandel (viola) is one of the most
acclaimed and active chamber musicians
of his generation. Comfortable in many
styles and genres, the Canadian violist’s
current group affiliations in addition to
26

the Silk Road Ensemble include the FLUX
Quartet, The Knights, Metropolitan Museum
Artists in Concert, Jupiter Symphony
Chamber Players, Smithsonian Chamber
Players, Caramoor Virtuosi, Blarvuster,
ClassNotes, and I Furiosi Baroque
Ensemble. Early formative experiences
include founding the Metro String Quartet,
and forging his dedication to chamber
music through collaboration with his
colleagues and teachers, such as Lorand
Fenyves at the Royal Conservatory of
Music in Toronto, and the Banff Center
for the Arts. Mr. Mandel has been guest
principal of The Chamber Orchestra of
Europe, Camerata Bern (Switzerland),
Camerata Nordica (Sweden), and The
Canadian Opera Company Orchestra. He
is also a frequent guest of Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra.
Stacy Martorana began her dance training
in Baltimore, Maryland at the Peabody
Conservatory. In 2006 she graduated from
the University of North Carolina School
of the Arts with a BFA in contemporary
dance. She has danced with the Amy
Marshall Dance Company, the Neta
Dance Company, Helen Simoneau Danse,
Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater, Daniel
Gwirtzman Dance Company, and Rashaun
Mitchell. From 2009–2011 she was a
member of the Repertory Understudy
Group for the Merce Cunningham Dance
Company. She joined MMDG in 2012.
Dallas McMurray, from El Cerrito, California,
began dancing at age four, studying jazz,
tap, and acrobatics with Katie Maltsberger
and ballet with Yukiko Sakakura. He received
a BFA in dance from the California Institute
of the Arts. Mr. McMurray performed with the
Limón Dance Company in addition to works
by Jiří Kylián, Alonzo King, Robert Moses,
and Colin Connor. He performed with MMDG

as an apprentice in 2006 and became a
company member in 2007.
Jessie Montgomery (violin) is a New York
native violinist, composer, and music
educator, performing regularly among New
York’s classical and new music scenes.
She is currently a member of the highly
acclaimed Catalyst Quartet, raved by the
New York Times as “invariably energetic
and finely burnished...playing with earthly
vigor.” She was a co-founding member of
PUBLIQuartet, an ensemble made up of
composers and arrangers, featuring their
own music as well as that of emerging and
established composers. She was also a
member of the Providence String Quartet
from 2004–2009, quartet-in-residence
of Community MusicWorks. Ensemble
experiences have lead to collaborations
with the Orion String Quartet, the Miro
String Quartet, and The Knights. Ms.
Montgomery has also collaborated with
several avant-garde artists such as
clarinetist Don Byron, Butch Morris, and
William Parker.
Brandon Randolph began his training
with the School of Carolina Ballet
Theater in Greenville, South Carolina,
under the direction of Hernan Justo. At
age 14, he was accepted into the South
Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts
and Humanities, where he studied with
Stanislav Issaev and Bobby Barnett. Mr.
Randolph received his BFA in dance from
Purchase College in 2012. There he had
the opportunity to perform with Dance
Heginbotham as well as repertory by
Stephen Petronio, Lar Lubovitch, Paul Taylor,
and George Balanchine. Mr. Randolph began
working with MMDG in 2013 and became a
company member in 2014.

Nicole Sabella is originally from Clearwater,
Florida, where she studied at the Academy
of Ballet Arts and the Pinellas County
Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School
under Suzanne B. Pomerantzeff. In 2009,
She graduated from the University of
the Arts in Philadelphia, earning her BFA
in modern dance performance and the
“Outstanding Performance in Modern
Dance” Award. She was a performer with
Zane Booker’s Smoke, Lilies, and Jade Arts
Initiative. Ms. Sabella first performed with
MMDG in 2013 and became a company
member in 2015. 
Billy Smith grew up in Fredericksburg,
Virginia, and attended George Mason
Univeristy under a full academic and
dance talent scholarship. He graduated
magna cum laude in 2007 and received
achievement awards in performance,
choreography, and academic endeavors.
While at George Mason he performed
the works of Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, Lar
Lubovitch, Doug Varone, Daniel Ezralow,
Larry Keigwin, Susan Marshall, and Susan
Shields. Mr. Smith’s own piece, 3-Way Stop,
was selected to open the 2006 American
College Dance Festival Gala at Ohio State
University and his original choreography
for a production of Bye Bye Birdie garnered
much critical praise. An actor as well, his
regional theater credits include Tulsa in
Gypsy, Mistoffelees in CATS, and Dream
Curly in Oklahoma!. Mr. Smith danced with
Parsons Dance from 2007–2010. He joined
MMDG as a company member in 2010.
Zaki Valiyev (tar) was born in Ganja,
Azerbaijan. He studied at the Ganja Music
College and received a bachelor’s degree
at the Azerbaijan National Conservatory. He
is a member of the Alim Qasimov Ensemble,
with whom he has toured extensively.

27

Georgy Valtchev (violin) has appeared as
soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician
throughout the US, Europe, and Asia.
Originally from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, he came
to the US in 1992 as a scholarship student
of Dorothy Delay and Masao Kawasaki at
The Juilliard School, where he ultimately
earned his bachelor’s and master’s
degrees. He has been heard as soloist
with orchestras in Bangor, Baton Rouge,
Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York,
New Jersey, in his native Bulgaria, and
throughout Japan. Since 2011, Mr. Valtchev
has been a guest concertmaster of the
London Philharmonic Orchestra. As a
chamber musician he has appeared in
New York’s Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall,
and 92nd Street Y; the Kennedy Center in
Washington, DC; Chicago’s Cultural Center;
the Royal Carre Theatre in Amsterdam;
the Barbican Centre in London; and the
Guangzhou Opera House in China. He
has been featured in international music
festivals such as Mostly Mozart at Lincoln
Center, Beethoven Festival at Bard College,
Sofia Music Weeks, Varna Summer and
Appolonia in Bulgaria, and Bastad Chamber
Music Festival in Sweden. Mr. Valtchev is
a founding member of Bulgarian Concert
Evenings in New York.
Noah Vinson is originally from Springfield,
Illinois, and received his BA in dance
from Columbia College Chicago. He was
named one of Dance Magazine’s “Dancer
on the Rise” in 2009 and assisted Mark
Morris in the creation of his most recent
work for Houston Ballet, The Letter V,
which premiered in May 2015. He began
dancing with MMDG in 2002 and became a
company member in 2004.
Jin Yang (pipa) is a renowned pipa virtuoso.
She maintains an extensive performance
schedule throughout Asia, Europe, North
28

America, Africa, and the Middle East, bringing
a mixture of musical styles and cultures
to the stage. Combining her love for the
millennium-old tradition of Chinese music
with an innovative spirit of exploration, she
builds on a vast amalgam of musical history
from both Asian and Western traditions to
create a musical experience that transcends
boundaries. She is equally comfortable
whether performing solo concerts, chamber
music, or concertos, and frequently
appears in jazz and improvisatory settings
as well. From the Golden Hall in Vienna
to the Barbican Centre in London; from
New York’s Carnegie Hall to Tokyo’s New
National Theatre; from the community Hall in
Shropshire, United Kingdom that bears her
name to the Lucerne Culture and Congress
Hall in Switzerland; from Jerusalem Concert
Hall in Israel to the Beijing Concert Hall in
China, audiences have experienced her
distinct mix of virtuosity, lyricism, tradition,
and innovation.
Michelle Yard was born in Brooklyn, New
York. She began her professional dance
training at the NYC High School of the
Performing Arts and continued her studies as
a scholarship student at Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater. She graduated with a BFA
from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Ms. Yard
teaches Pilates as well as master classes for
Access/MMDG programs. She joined MMDG
in 1997 and would like to thank her mom.
Evan Ziporyn (clarinet) has composed
for the Silk Road Ensemble, the American
Composers Orchestra, Brooklyn Rider, So
Percussion, Maya Beiser, Wu Man, Sentieri
Selvaggi, and Bang on a Can. He studied
at Eastman, Yale, and UC Berkeley with
Joseph Schwantner, Martin Bresnick, and
Gerard Grisey. He is inaugural director of
MIT’s new Center for Art, Science, and
Technology, where he has taught since

1990. His work is informed by his over
30-year involvement with traditional
gamelan. He received a Fulbright in
1987, founded Gamelan Galak Tika in
1993, and has composed a series of
groundbreaking compositions for gamelan
and western instruments. Awards include
a USA Artist Fellowship, the Goddard
Lieberson Prize from the American
Academy, Massachusetts Cultural Council
Fellowship, the MIT Gyorgy Kepes Prize,
and commissions from Carnegie Hall,
Kronos Quartet, Rockefeller Multi-Arts
Program, and Meet the Composer. He
co-founded the Bang on a Can All-Stars
in 1992, performing with the group for
20 years. He has also recorded with Paul
Simon, Steve Reich Ensemble (sharing in
their 1998 Grammy Award), and Matthew
Shipp, and he currently performs with Iva
Bittova and Gyan Riley as the Eviyan Trio.
View artist photos and more information at
LaylaandMajnun.org.

29

UMS ARCHIVES
This week’s performances mark the Mark Morris Dance Group’s 15th, 16th,
and 17th performances under UMS auspices. The Dance Group made its UMS
debut in March 1993 in a repertory program at the Power Center, and most
recently appeared with UMS at the Power Center in September 2011. The Silk
Road Ensemble makes its fourth, fifth, and sixth UMS appearances this week,
following its UMS debut in March 2009 at Hill Auditorium. The Ensemble’s
most recent appearance in March 2013 at Hill Auditorium included their receipt
of the UMS Distinguished Artist Award alongside Yo-Yo Ma. Alim Qasimov
and Fargana Qasimova make their third UMS appearances this evening,
following their UMS debuts in October 2007 as part of Spiritual Sounds of
Central Asia at the Michigan Theater. They most recently appeared at UMS in
a concert performance of Layla and Majnun with the Silk Road Ensemble at Hill
Auditorium in March 2009.
30

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Assistant to Howard Hodgkin / Andy Barker
Consultant / Aida Huseynova
Production Assistant / Bunny Hourt
Backdrop painted by Scenic Arts Studios. Special thanks to Joe Forbes, Susan Jackson, and Richard
Prouse. Stools built by Matthew Eggleton. Costumes built by Eric Winterling, Inc. Costume fabrics
digitally printed by Dyenamix, Inc.
S I L K R O A D S TA F F
Artistic Director and Founder / Yo-Yo Ma
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director / Laura Freid
Director of Artistic and Learning Programs / Cristin Canterbury Bagnall
Associate Artistic Director / Joseph Gramley
Artistic Administrator / Liz Keller-Tripp
Communications Manager / Ben Mandelkern
Deputy Director / Christopher Marrion
Digital Media and Events Specialist / Jessica Shuttleworth
Comptroller/Business Manager / Ed Sweeney
Education Specialist / Lori Taylor
M A R K M O R R I S D A N C E G R O U P S TA F F
Artistic Director / Mark Morris
Executive Director / Nancy Umanoff
PRODUCTION
Technical Director / Johan Henckens
Rehearsal Director / Matthew Rose
Music Director / Colin Fowler
Lighting Supervisor / Nick Kolin
Sound Supervisor / Rory Murphy
Costume Coordinator / Stephanie Sleeper
Wardrobe Supervisor / Maria Garcia
A D M I N I S T R AT I O N
Chief Financial Officer / Elizabeth Fox
Finance Manager / Rebecca Hunt
Finance Associate / Natalia Kurylak
General Manager / Huong Hoang
Company Manager / Jen Rossi
Management Associate / Geoff Chang
Management Assistant / Julia Weber
Interns / Marlie Delisfort, Marianny Loveras
DEVELOPMENT
Director of Development / Michelle Amador
Manager of Institutional Giving / Sophie Mintz
Institutional Giving Officer / Tyler Mercer
Development Associate / Kristen Gajdica
MARKETING
Director of Marketing / Karyn LeSuer
Marketing & Digital Media Manager / Cortney Cleveland
Marketing Assistant / Jack Gillard
Interns / Julie Dietel, Amanda Pham
31

E D U C AT I O N
Director of Education / Sarah Marcus
School Director / Kelsey Allison
Education Programs Manager / Jennifer Dayton
School Administrator / Rachel Merry
Outreach Director / Eva Nichols
Dance for PD® Program Director / David Leventhal
Dance for PD® Programs and Engagement Manager/ Maria Portman Kelly
Intern / Elliott Keller
D A N C E C E N T E R O P E R AT I O N S
Operations Manager / Elise Gaugert
Facilities Manager / Mark Sacks
Rentals and Office Manager / Erica Marnell
Retail Store Manager / Janice Gerlach
Front Desk Manager / Jillian Greenberg
Front Desk Assistants / Tyrone Bevans, Alyssa Filoramo, Tiffany McCue, Jessica Pearson
Maintenance / Jose Fuentes, Andy Rivera, Justin Sierra, Arturo Velazquez
Booking Representation / Michael Mushalla (Double M Arts & Events)
Media and General Consultation Services / William Murray (Better Attitude, Inc.)
Legal Counsel / Mark Selinger (McDermott, Will & Emery)
Development Consultant / Dunch Arts, LLC
Accountant / O’Connor Davies Munns & Dobbins, LLP
Orthopaedist / David S. Weiss, M.D.(NYU Langone Medical Center)
Physical Therapist / Marshall Hagins, PT, PhD
Hilot Therapist / Jeffrey Cohen
Thanks to Maxine Morris.
Sincerest thanks to all the dancers for their dedication, commitment, and incalculable contribution to
the work.
Major support for the Mark Morris Dance Group is provided by American Express, Anonymous, Morley
and Frederick Bland, Booth Ferris Foundation, Allan and Rhea Bufferd, Suzy Kellems Dominik, Doris
Duke Charitable Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Judith R. and Alan H. Fishman,
Shelby and Frederick Gans, Isaac Mizrahi & Arnold Germer, the Howard Gilman Foundation, Sandy
Hill, Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, Elizabeth Liebman, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Suzanne
Berman and Timothy J. McClimon, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation,
Meyer Sound/Helen and John Meyer, New England Foundation for the Arts, Stavros Niarchos
Foundation, Ellen and Arnold Offner, Sarabeth Berman and Evan Osnos, PARC Foundation, Poss
Family Foundation, Diane Solway and David Resnicow, Margaret Conklin and David Sabel, The Fan Fox
and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Iris Cohen and Mark Selinger, The SHS Foundation, The Shubert
Foundation, Jane Stine and R.L. Stine, The White Cedar Fund, and Friends of MMDG.
Additional support provided by The Amphion Foundation, Inc., Arnow Family Fund, Lily Auchincloss
Foundation, Inc., Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, LLP, Billy Rose Foundation, Inc., Bossak/
Heilbron Charitable Foundation, Credit-Suisse, Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts,
Inc., The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, ExxonMobil Corporation Matching Gift Program,
Google Matching Gift Program, Guggenheim Partners Matching Gift Program, The Harkness
Foundation for Dance, IBM Matching Gifts Program, JP Morgan Chase, Kinder Morgan Foundation,
Leatherwood Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation, McDermott, Will & Emery, Morgan Stanley,
New York Life Insurance Company, Resnicow + Associates, Jerome Robbins Foundation, San Antonio
Area Foundation, Schneer Foundation, SingerXenos Wealth Management, Solon E. Summerfield
Foundation, Tiffany & Co., and Trust for Mutual Understanding.
The Mark Morris Dance Group is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department
of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Brooklyn
Borough President Eric L. Adams, the New York City Department for the Aging, the New York State
Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature,
and the National Endowment for the Arts.

32

The Mark Morris Dance Group is a member of Dance/USA and the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance.
Layla and Majnun ©2016 Discalced, Inc.
Layla and Majnun titles, Aida Huseynova ©2016
The Silk Road Ensemble arrangement of Layla and Majnun was made possible in part by the generous
support of the Qatar Museums Authority, with additional support from the Academie Musicale de
Villecroze and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on Layla and Majnun, visit LaylaandMajnun.org
For more information on Mark Morris Dance Group, please visit their website at www.mmdg.org, join
their email list by texting “MORRIS” to 66866 or by visiting www.mmdg.org/join-email-list, or find
them on social media:
Facebook: markmorrisdancegroup
Twitter: markmorrisdance
Instagram: markmorrisdance
Snapchat: markmorrisdance
Tumblr: mmdgontheroad
YouTube: Mark Morris Dance Group

33

Victories
start here.

Kojo Elenitoba-Johnson, M.D., is developing
new methods to diagnose blood cancers.

34

M AY W E A L S O R E C O M M E N D . . .
10/20–21 Dorrance Dance
11/17–20 Nora Chipaumire: portrait of myself as my father
1/7–8
Batsheva Dance Company
Tickets available at www.ums.org.

O N T H E E D U C AT I O N H O R I Z O N . . .
10/15

You Can Dance: Mark Morris Dance Group
(Ann Arbor Y, 400 W. Washington Street, 2–3:30 pm)

10/15

Panel Discussion: Layla and Majnun: From the Page to the Stage
(U-M Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery, 913 S. University Avenue,
4:30–6:00 pm)

10/22

You Can Dance: Dorrance Dance
(Ann Arbor Y, 400 W. Washington Street, 2–3:30 pm)

11/19

You Can Dance: Nora Chipaumire
(Ann Arbor Y, 400 W. Washington Street, 2–3:30 pm
Boll Family Y, 1401 Broadway Street, Detroit, 2–3:30 pm
Sessions will meet at Ann Arbor and Detroit locations concurrently.)

Educational events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
35

U M S A N D M I C H I G A N O P E R A T H E AT R E W O U L D
LIKE TO THANK:

Lear Corporation
—
Community Foundation for
Southeast Michigan
—
University of Michigan
Health System
—
New England Foundation for the
Arts’ National Dance Project
—
Frank Legacki and Alicia Torres
—
Dennis and Ellie Serras
Supporters of this weekend’s performances of Layla and Majnun.

BE PRESENT

Foundation, Government,
& University Support
UMS gratefully acknowledges the support of the following private foundations,
government agencies, and University of Michigan units:
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

$20,000–
$499,000

Anonymous
The William Davidson Foundation

$5,000–
$19,999

Charles H. Gershenson Trust
The Seattle Foundation
University of Michigan Third Century Initiative

FA L L 2 0 1 6

$500,000
and above

21

Some of the world’s
most creative
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conditions…
Be a source of hope.
Help find a cure for bipolar disorder.

WHERE CREATIVITY
COMES TO LIFE

PrechterFund.org/help

150+

ART EXHIBITIONS
PER YEAR

1000+

Volunteer for
There are many ways to
get involved: ushering at
performances, hanging
posters around town,
representing UMS at
community events, helping
to implement new and
existing programs, and so
much more.
Visit ums.org/volunteer to
learn more about volunteer
opportunities and how you
can join team UMS!

PERFORMANCES
PER YEAR

ARTS.UMICH.EDU
Follow @umicharts

BE PRESENT

People
Those who work to bring
you UMS performances
each season

Falling Up and Getting Down
at Ann Arbor Skatepark;
photo: Doug Coombe.

The UMS Board of Directors is a group of elected volunteers devoted to the
performing arts and to our community. Their hard work ensures that UMS is
able to offer outstanding performances year after year.
Stephen R. Forrest
Chair
Sarah Nicoli
Vice Chair
Rachel Bendit
Secretary
Tim Petersen
Treasurer

Janet Callaway
Mark Clague
Christopher Conlin
Lisa D. Cook
Monique Deschaine
Aaron P. Dworkin
Tiffany L. Ford
Katherine Goldberg
Richard F. Gutow
Kevin P. Hegarty
Stephen Henderson
Daniel Herwitz
Timothy R. Johnson
Christina Kim
Frank Legacki
Donald L. Morelock
Agnes Moy-Sarns
David Parsigian
Martha E. Pollack
Mark S. Schlissel
Linh Song
Gail Ferguson Stout
Victor J. Strecher
Karen Jones Stutz

FA L L 2 0 1 6

UMS Board of Directors

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Superintendent
A. Douglas Rothwell
Chair, Corporate Council
Stephen G. Palms
Past Board Chair
Bruce Tuchman
Chair, National Council
William Shell
Chair, Advisory Committee
James C. Stanley
Maxine J. Frankel
Campaign Co-Chairs

23

UMS Senate
The UMS Senate is composed of former members of the Board of Directors who
dedicate time and energy to UMS and our community. Their ongoing commitment
and gracious support of UMS are greatly appreciated.
Wadad Abed
Michael C. Allemang
Carol L. Amster
Gail Davis-Barnes
Kathleen Benton
Lynda Berg
Richard S. Berger
Maurice S. Binkow
DJ Boehm
Lee C. Bollinger
Charles W. Borgsdorf
Janice Stevens-Botsford
Paul C. Boylan
William M. Broucek
Barbara Everitt Bryant
Robert Buckler
Letitia J. Byrd
David Canter
Kathleen G. Charla
Mary Sue Coleman
Jill A. Corr
Peter B. Corr
Ronald M. Cresswell
Martha Darling
Hal Davis
Sally Stegeman DiCarlo
Robert F. DiRomualdo
Junia Doan
Al Dodds
Julia Donovan Darlow
James J. Duderstadt
David Featherman
David J. Flowers
George V. Fornero
Maxine J. Frankel
Patricia M. Garcia
Beverley B. Geltner
Christopher Genteel
Anne Glendon
Patricia Green
William S. Hann
Shelia M. Harden
Randy J. Harris
24

Walter L. Harrison
Norman G. Herbert
Deborah S. Herbert
Carl W. Herstein
David Herzig
Peter N. Heydon
Toni Hoover
Joel D. Howell
Kay Hunt
Alice Davis Irani
Stuart A. Isaac
Thomas E. Kauper
Christopher Kendall
David B. Kennedy
Gloria James Kerry
Thomas C. Kinnear
S. Rani Kotha
Marvin Krislov
F. Bruce Kulp
Leo A. Legatski
Melvin A. Lester
Earl Lewis
Patrick B. Long
Helen B. Love
Cynthia MacDonald
Robert C. Macek
Jeffrey MacKie-Mason
Judythe H. Maugh
Rebecca McGowan
Barbara Meadows
Joetta Mial
Lester Monts
Alberto Nacif
Shirley C. Neuman
Jan Barney Newman
Roger Newton
Len Niehoff
Gilbert S. Omenn
Joe E. O’Neal
Randall Pittman
Phil Power
John D. Psarouthakis
Rossi Ray-Taylor

John W. Reed
Todd Roberts
Richard H. Rogel
Prudence L. Rosenthal
A. Douglas Rothwell
Sharon Rothwell
Judy Dow Rumelhart
Maya Savarino
Ann Schriber
Edward R. Schulak
John J.H. Schwarz
Erik H. Serr
Ellie Serras
Joseph A. Sesi
Harold T. Shapiro
George I. Shirley
John O. Simpson
Timothy P. Slottow
Anthony L. Smith
Carol Shalita Smokler
Jorge A. Solis
Cheryl Soper
Peter Sparling
Rick Sperling
James C. Stanley
Lois U. Stegeman
Edward D. Surovell
James L. Telfer
Susan B. Ullrich
Michael D. VanHermert
Eileen Lappin Weiser
B. Joseph White
Marina v.N. Whitman
Clayton E. Wilhite
Iva M. Wilson
Karen Wolff

The UMS National Council is composed of U-M alumni and performing arts
enthusiasts across the country committed to supporting, promoting, and
advocating for UMS with a focus on ensuring that the performing arts are an
integral part of the student experience.
Bruce Tuchman
Chair
Andrew Bernstein
Kathleen G. Charla
Jacqueline Davis
Marylene Delbourg-Delphis
John Edman
Janet Eilber
Barbara Fleischman
Maxine Frankel

Eugene Grant
Charles Hamlen
Katherine D. Hein
Patti Kenner
Wallis C. Klein
Jerry and Dale Kolins
David Leichtman
Laura McGinn
Jordan Morgan
Caroline Nussbaum

BE PRESENT

UMS National Council

James A. Read
Herbert Ruben
James and Nancy Stanley
Matthew VanBesien
Christian Vesper
Ann and Clayton Wilhite
Stephen R. Forrest
Ex-Officio

UMS Corporate Council

A. Douglas Rothwell
Chair
Albert Berriz
Bruce Brownlee
Robert Buckler
Robert Casalou

Richard L. DeVore
Nolan Finley
Michele Hodges
Mary Kramer
David Parsigian
Vivian Pickard
Sharon Rothwell

Frederick E. Shell
Michael B. Staebler
James G. Vella

FA L L 2 0 1 6

The UMS Corporate Council is a group of regional business leaders who
serve as advocates and advisors to UMS as we seek to broaden our base of
corporate support throughout southeastern Michigan.

Stephen R. Forrest
Ex-Officio

UMS Students
Students in our volunteer internship and work-study program gain valuable
experience in all areas of arts management while contributing greatly to UMS’s
continued success.
Maryam Ahmed
Jocelyn Aptowitz
Genan Bakri
Madisen Bathish
Tal Benatar
Zoey Bond*
Sophia Brichta
Linda M. Burns
Claire Crause*
Kathryn DeBartolomeis
Jewel Drigo

Teagan Faran*
Taylor Fulton
Trevor Hoffman
Olivia Johnson
Sarah Kavallar
Ayantu Kebede
Meredith Kelly
Caitlyn Koester
Bridget Kojima
Jakob Lenhardt
Ania Lukasinski

Shenell McCrary*
Gunnar Moll
Westley Montgomery
Rennia Rodney
Jacob Rogers
Heather Shen
Joey Velez
Diane Yang
Hyelin Yang
*21st Century Artist Interns
25

Love better.
Work better.
Live more fully.

Ask one of us how you, or someone you
love, can achieve a fuller, richer life.
Carol Barbour, PhD
Ron Benson, MD
Meryl Berlin, PhD
Robert Cohen, PhD
Susan E. Cutler, PhD
Sara Dumas, MD
Joshua Ehrlich, PhD
Lena Ehrlich, PsyD
Harvey Falit, MD
Erika Homann, PhD
Howard Lerner, PhD
Christine Mueller, MD
Barry Miller, MD
Jack Novick, PhD
Kerry Kelly Novick
Jean Paul Pegeron, MD
Dwarakanath Rao, MD
Ivan Sherick, PhD
Merton Shill, PhD
Michael Shulman, PhD
Michael Singer, PhD
Jonathan Sugar, MD
Dushyant Trivedi, MD
Gail van Langen, PhD
David Votruba, PhD
Margaret Walsh, PhD
Elisabeth Weinstein, MD

Psychoanalysis Helps:
Mind,
Body
& Soul...

Michigan Psychoanalytic
INSTITUTE & SOCIETY
in Ann Arbor
Keeping the soul in healthcare since 1963.

Look for us online at www.mpi-mps.org

Jaffe is proud
to support
the University
Musical Society
Representing
creative individuals
and companies
since 1968.

SOUTHFIELD • DETROIT • NAPLES
ANN ARBOR
535 W. William St.
Ann Arbor, MI

www.jaffelaw.com

Join us for
cocktails and
dinner at our
two Ann Arbor
restaurants for
a spectacular
meal after the
performance.

Serving steaks cut in our own
market, Knight’s famous prime rib,
falling-off-the-bone ribs, burgers,
seafood, salads, daily specials,
“home-baked” bread and desserts.

Knight’s Steakhouse
600 East Liberty • 734/887-6899
2324 Dexter Avenue • 734/665-8644
Open Daily 11 a.m. to Midnight - Liberty St.
Preferred Seating Available
www.Knightsrestaurants.com

As part of the UMS Mellon Initiative on Arts/Academic Integration, this group
advises UMS staff on opportunities to integrate our programming more deeply
and systematically into the academic life of the University of Michigan.
Mark Clague
Clare Croft
Philip J. Deloria
Gillian Eaton
Linda Gregerson
Marjorie Horton

Joel D. Howell
Martha S. Jones
Daniel Klionsky
Lawrence
La Fountain-Stokes
Lester Monts

BE PRESENT

UMS Faculty Insight Group

Melody Racine
Sidonie Smith
Emily Wilcox

UMS Ambassadors
UMS Ambassadors advance the goals of UMS, champion the UMS mission
through community engagement, provide and secure financial support, and
assist in countless other ways.
William Shell
Chair
Zita Gillis
Vice Chair

Wendy K. Zellers
Treasurer
Louise Taylor
Past Chair
Karen Bantel
Astrid Beck
Corry Berkooz
Connie Rizzolo Brown
Melissa Bruzzano
Richard Chang
Mike Dergis
Jon Desenberg
Susan DiStefano
Annemarie Kilburn Dolan

Daria Massimilla
Patti McCloud
Beth McNally
Terry Meerkov
Judy Moskus
Barbara Mulay
Magda Munteanu
Jayne Nyman
Marjorie Oliver
Betty Palms
Julie Picknell
Anne Preston
Katie Przygocki
Jeff Reece
Kathy Rich
Nan Richter
Arlene P. Shy
Susan Snyder
Elena Snyder
Pam Tabbaa
Janet Torno
Kirsten Williams

FA L L 2 0 1 6

Arlene Barnes
Secretary

Sharon Peterson Dort
Gloria J. Edwards
Susan Franke
Joan Grissing
Stephanie Hale
Allison Jordan
Joan Kadis
Carol Kaplan
Nancy Karp
Barbara Kay
Kendra Kerr
Freddi Kilburn
Ye Na Kim
Susan Krueger
Russell Larson
Michael Lee
Linda Fink Levy
Gloria K. Lewis
Laura Machida
Katie Malicke
Rita Malone
Valerie Roedenbeck
Maloof

27

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Located by Busch’s on the corner of
S. Main St. and Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.

734-998-1245
www.irisdrycleaners.com

The UMS Staff works hard to inspire individuals and enrich communities by
connecting audiences and artists in uncommon and engaging experiences.
A D M I N I S T R AT I O N &
FINANCE
Kenneth C. Fischer
President
John B. Kennard, Jr.
Director of Administration
Kathy Brown
Executive Assistant
Jenny Graf Carvo
Tessitura Systems
Administrator
Patricia Hayes
Financial Manager
John Peckham
Information Systems
Manager

Marnie Reid
Director of Development
Esther Barrett
Development Coordinator
Susan Bozell Craig
Associate Director of
Development, Corporate
Partnerships & Major Gifts
Rachelle Lesko
Annual Fund Manager

James P. Leija
Director of Education &
Community Engagement
Shannon Fitzsimons Moen
Campus Engagement
Specialist
Teresa C. Park
Education Coordinator
Mary Roeder
Community Programs
Manager
MARKETING &
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
Sara Billmann
Director of Marketing &
Communications
Jesse Meria
Video Production Specialist
Anna Prushinskaya
Senior Manager of
Digital Media
Mallory Shea
Marketing & Media
Relations Coordinator

P AT R O N S E R V I C E S
Christina Bellows
Associate Director of
Patron Services
Carlos Bustamante
Ticket Services Assistant
Darius Gillard
Ticket Services/
Group Sales Assistant
Katherine McBride
Group Sales & Promotions
Coordinator
Scott Joy
Ticket Services/
Front-of-House Assistant
Anné Renforth
Ticket Services Coordinator
Anna Simmons
Assistant Ticket Services
Manager
Willie Sullivan
Front-of-House
Coordinator
Bruce Oshaben, Juli
Pinsak, Brian Roddy
Head Ushers
Betsy Mark
Will Call Volunteer

Lisa Michiko Murray
Associate Director of
Development, Foundation &
Government Relations

PROGRAMMING &
PRODUCTION

UMS CHORAL UNION

Michael J. Kondziolka
Director of Programming

Scott Hanoian
Music Director & Conductor

Cindy Straub
Manager of Volunteers &
Special Events

Jeffrey Beyersdorf
Production Director

Shohei Kobayashi
Assistant Conductor

Alex Gay
Production Coordinator

Kathleen Operhall
Chorus Manager

Anne Grove
Artist Services Manager

Nancy Heaton
Chorus Librarian

Mark Jacobson
Senior Programming
Manager

Jean Schneider
Accompanist

Mary A. Walker
Campaign Director and
Associate Director of
Development, Major Gifts

FA L L 2 0 1 6

DEVELOPMENT

E D U C AT I O N &
COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT

BE PRESENT

UMS Staff

Scott VanOrnum
Accompanist
29

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BE PRESENT

Generous
Donors
Campaign Gifts and Multi-Year Pledges
To help ensure the future of UMS, the following donors have made pledges
which are payable over a period of up to five years. We are grateful to these
donors for their commitments.
$ 75,000–$ 9 9,9 9 9

Carl Cohen
Ilene H. Forsyth
Maxine and Stuart Frankel
Foundation
Eugene and Emily Grant
Family Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation
Candis J. and Helmut F. Stern
University of Michigan Credit
Union
The Wallace Foundation

Maurice and Linda Binkow
David and Phyllis Herzig
Nancy and James Stanley

$10 0,00 0 – $ 4 99, 999

Anonymous
Bert Askwith and Patti
Askwith Kenner
Emily W. Bandera
Community Foundation for
Southeast Michigan
Dennis Dahlmann
William Davidson Foundation
Sharon and Dallas Dort
Stephen and Rosamund
Forrest
Susan and Richard Gutow
Wallis Cherniack Klein
David Leichtman and Laura A.
McGinn
Linda and Stuart Nelson
Norma and Dick Sarns
Ellie Serras
Ron and Eileen Weiser
Max Wicha and Sheila
Crowley
Ann and Clayton Wilhite

$ 50,000–$ 74,9 9 9

Essel and Menakka Bailey
Daniel and Barbara Balbach
Penny and Ken Fischer
Beverley and Gerson Geltner
Mohamad Issa/Issa
Foundation
Miller, Canfield, Paddock and
Stone, P.L.C.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald L.
Morelock
Agnes Moy-Sarns and David
Sarns and the Sarns Family
Gil Omenn and Martha
Darling
Tim and Sally Petersen
Phil and Kathy Power
Sharon and Doug Rothwell
Linda Samuelson and Joel
Howell
Jane and Edward Schulak
Dennis and Ellie Serras
Glenn E. Watkins
Marina and Bob Whitman
Gerald B. Zelenock
$ 25,000–$ 49,9 9 9

Carol Amster
Cheryl Cassidy
Junia Doan
John R. Edman and Betty B.
Edman
Barbara Fleischman
Barbara Garavaglia
Charles H. Gershenson Trust

Anne and Paul Glendon
Norman and Debbie Herbert
Carl and Charlene Herstein
Jerry and Dale Kolins
Jeffrey MacKie-Mason and
Janet Netz
Martin Family Foundation
Dan and Sarah Nicoli
Lois Stegeman
Stout Systems
Karen and David Stutz
Dody Viola
$ 1 5,0 0 0 –$24,999

Michael and Suzan Alexander
Linda and Ronald Benson
Valerie and David Canter
Sara and Michael Frank
Wendy and Ted Lawrence
M. Haskell and Jan Barney
Newman
Virginia and Gordon Nordby
Eleanor Pollack

FA L L 2 0 1 6

$5 00,00 0 O R M O R E

$ 5,0 0 0 –$14,999

Barbara Anderson and John
Romani
John and Lillian Back
Karen Bantel and Steve
Geiringer
Suzanne A. and Frederick J.
Beutler
Chris Conlin
Tim and Robin Damschroder
Michele Derr
Ann Martin and Russ Larson
Steve and Betty Palms
Marnie Reid
Eric and Ines Storhok
31

M

Y

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Smith Haughey and its attorneys
proudly support the

UNIVERSITY
MUSICAL SOCIETY

since 1992

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Our Ann Arbor Attorneys:
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Sharon Kelly
Véronique Liem

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essential groceries • beer & wine

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The success of UMS is secured in part by income from UMS endowment
funds. You may contribute to an existing endowment fund or establish
a named endowment with a minimum gift of $25,000. We extend our
deepest appreciation to the many donors who have established and/or
contributed to the following funds:
H. Gardner and Bonnie Ackley
Endowment Fund
Herbert S. and Carol Amster
Endowment Fund
Catherine S. Arcure Endowment Fund
Carl and Isabelle Brauer Endowment Fund
Dahlmann Sigma Nu Endowment UMS Fund
Hal and Ann Davis Endowment Fund
Dallas and Sharon Dort Endowment Fund
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Endowment Fund
John R. and Betty B. Edman
Endowment Fund
Epstein Endowment Fund

Ken Fischer Legacy Endowment Fund
Barbara Fleischman Theater
Endowment Fund
Stephen and Rosamund Forrest Student
Ticket Endowment Fund
Ilene H. Forsyth Endowment Funds for
Choral Union, Chamber Arts, and Theater
James Garavaglia Theater Endowment Fund
Anne and Paul Glendon Endowment Fund
Susan and Richard Gutow Renegade
Ventures Endowment Fund
George N. and Katharine C. Hall
Endowment Fund
Karl V. Hauser and Ilene H. Forsyth
Endowment Fund

David and Phyllis Herzig Endowment Fund
JazzNet Endowment Fund
William R. Kinney Endowment Fund
Wallis Cherniack Klein Endowment for
Student Experiences
Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Kolins Shakespearean
Endowment Fund
Frances Mauney Lohr Choral Union
Endowment Fund
Natalie Matovinović Endowment Fund
Medical Community Endowment Fund
Dr. Robert and Janet Miller Endowment Fund
NEA Matching Fund
Ottmar Eberbach Funds
Palmer Endowment Fund
Mary R. Romig-deYoung
Music Appreciation Fund

FA L L 2 0 1 6

Oscar Feldman Endowment Fund

BE PRESENT

Endowed Funds

Prudence and Amnon Rosenthal K-12
Education Endowment Fund
Charles A. Sink Endowment Fund
Herbert E. and Doris Sloan Endowment Fund
James and Nancy Stanley Endowment Fund
Susan B. Ullrich Endowment Fund
U-M Credit Union Arts Adventures
Endowed Fund at UMS
UMS Endowment Fund
The Wallace Endowment Fund
The Zelenock Family Endowment Fund

Norman and Debbie Herbert
Endowment Fund

33

2016
2017

SEASON

ROMEO AND JULIET
Saturday, October 8
8:00 p.m.
Michigan Theater
Brahms Tragic Overture
Haydn Sinfonia Concertante
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet
special guests
Aaron Berofsky
Sarah Cleveland
Christian Green
Timothy Michling

TCHAIKOVSKY & FRIENDS
Friday, November 11
8:00 p.m.
Michigan Theater
Daugherty Strut
Shostakovich Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique”
special guest
Aaron Berofsky

HOLIDAY POPS
Friday, December 9, 8:00 p.m.
Hill Auditorium
special guests
Measure for Measure
Pioneer, Huron and Saline
High School Choruses

(734) 994-4801 • a2so.com

We are grateful to the following donors for including UMS in their estate
plans. These gifts will provide financial support to UMS for generations
to come.
Marilyn G. Jeffs
Thomas C. and Constance M. Kinnear
Diane Kirkpatrick
Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Kolins
Frank Legacki and Alicia Torres
Leo and Kathy Legatski
Richard LeSueur
Robert and Pearson Macek
Susan McClanahan
Griff and Pat McDonald
Joanna McNamara
M. Haskell and Jan Barney Newman
Len Niehoff
Dr. and Mrs. Frederick O’Dell
David Parsigian
Irena Politano
Eleanor Pollack
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis M. Powers
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Radock
Marnie Reid
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Ricketts
Prue and Ami Rosenthal
Ellie Serras
Irma J. Sklenar
Art and Elizabeth Solomon
Richard W. Solt
Hildreth Spencer
Eric and Ines Storhok
Louise Taylor
Roy and JoAn Wetzel
Ann and Clayton Wilhite
Max Wicha and Sheila Crowley
Marion Wirick
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald G. Zollar

FA L L 2 0 1 6

Anonymous
Bernard and Raquel Agranoff
Mike Allemang
Carol and Herb Amster
Neil P. Anderson
Dr. and Mrs. David G. Anderson
Catherine S. Arcure
Barbara K. and Laurence R. Baker
Rodney and Joan Bentz
Kathy Benton and Robert Brown
Linda and Maurice Binkow
Elizabeth S. Bishop
Mr. and Mrs. W. Howard Bond
Mr. and Mrs. Pal E. Borondy
Barbara Everitt Bryant
Lou and Janet Callaway
Pat and George Chatas
Mr. and Mrs. John Alden Clark
Carl Cohen
Alan and Bette Cotzin
Mary C. Crichton
Dallas and Sharon Dort
Penny and Ken Fischer
Susan Ruth Fisher
Meredith L. and Neal Foster
Thomas and Barbara Gelehrter
Beverley and Gerson Geltner
Dr. Sid Gilman and Dr. Carol Barbour
Anne and Paul Glendon
Thea and Elliot Glicksman
Debbie and Norman Herbert
David and Phyllis Herzig
Rita and Peter Heydon
John and Martha Hicks
Gideon and Carol Hoffer

BE PRESENT

Planned Gifts/Bequests

How to Make a Gift
UMS excites the imagination, sparks creativity, sharpens collaboration,
inspires new ways of thinking, and connects us in ways that only the
arts can. Your gift of any size will enable UMS to deliver world-class
performances and create outstanding educational opportunities for our
community.
Please send gift to: UMS Development

881 N. University Ave

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1011
For more information, please call 734.764.8489 or visit ums.org/support.
35

UMS Support – September 1, 2015 – August 15, 2016
The following list includes donors who made gifts to UMS over the past year
between September 1, 2015 and August 15, 2016. Due to space restraints, we
can only list in the UMS program book those who donated $250 or more. Donors
of $1-$249 will be included in the online list at ums.org.
PRODUCERS
($500,000 OR MORE)

Eugene and Emily Grant Family
Foundation
University of Michigan

DIRECTORS
($100,000–$499,999)

Anonymous
William Davidson Foundation #
in honor of Oscar Feldman
Ford Motor Company Fund and
Community Services
Ilene H. Forsyth #
Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation
Karl V. Hauser #
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Linda and Stuart Nelson #
in honor of Ken Fischer
University of Michigan Credit Union #
University of Michigan Health System
The Wallace Foundation

SOLOISTS
($50,000–$99,999)

Anonymous
Anonymous #
Community Foundation for
Southeast Michigan
Dance/USA
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
DTE Energy Foundation
Stephen and Rosamund Forrest
Patti Askwith Kenner
in memory of her father Bert
Askwith (1911-2015)
Philip and Kathy Power

MAESTROS
($20,000–$49,999)

Anonymous
Anonymous #
Emily W. Bandera, M.D.
Noreen and Kenneth Buckfire
Barbara Fleischman #
in honor of Ken Fischer
Barbara Garavaglia #
in memory of Jim Garavaglia
KeyBank
Masco Corporation Foundation
Michigan Council for Arts and
Cultural Affairs
National Endowment for the Arts
PNC Foundation
Norma and Dick Sarns #
Sesi Lincoln
Nancy and James Stanley #
Toyota
Bruce G. Tuchman
Ron and Eileen Weiser
Max Wicha and Sheila Crowley
36

VIRTUOSOS
($10,000–$19,999)

Jerry and Gloria Abrams
Altarum Institute
Ann Arbor Area Community
Foundation
Essel and Menakka Bailey #
Barbara and Daniel Balbach #
Bank of Ann Arbor
Bendit Foundation
Maurice and Linda Binkow
Carl Cohen
Dennis A. Dahlmann and
Patricia M. Garcia
Jim and Patsy Donahey
Penny and Ken Fischer
Anne and Paul Glendon
Susan and Richard Gutow #
David and Phyllis Herzig
Joel Howell and Linda Samuelson
Frank Legacki and Alicia Torres
David Leichtman and Laura McGinn
McKinley Associates, Inc.
Thomas and Deborah McMullen
Ann R. Meredith
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Morelock
THE MOSAIC FOUNDATION
(of R. & P. Heydon)
New England Foundation for the Arts
Daniel and Sarah Nicoli
Old National Bank
Gilbert Omenn and Martha Darling
Tim and Sally Petersen #
Eleanor Pollack #
James A. Read
Retirement Income Solutions
Sharon and Doug Rothwell
Agnes Moy-Sarns and David Sarns
Jane and Edward Schulak
Dennis and Ellie Serras
Gary and Diane Stahle
Stout Systems
Robert O. and Darragh H. Weisman
in honor of Allison Silber, Class
of 2017
Marina and Robert Whitman
Ann and Clayton Wilhite
Fred and Judy Wilpon
Gerald (Jay) and Christine Zelenock #

CONCERTMASTERS
($5,000–$9,999)

Michael Allemang and Janis Bobrin
Carol Amster #
Ann Arbor Automotive
Anonymous
Andrew and Lisa Bernstein
Gary Boren
Carl and Isabelle Brauer Fund
Edward and Mary Cady
Valerie and David Canter

# indicates that a donation was made to support a UMS Endowment Fund

Cheryl Cassidy
Comerica Bank
Blue Nile Restaurant
Connable Associates
John R. Edman
Faber Piano Institute
Nancy and Randall Faber
John and Jackie Farah
David and Jo-Anna Featherman
George W. Ford
Charles H. Gershenson Trust,
Maurice S. Binkow, Trustee
Katherine and Tom Goldberg
John R. Griffith
Lynn and Martin Halbfinger
Norman and Debbie Herbert #
Carl and Charlene Herstein
Honigman Miller Schwartz and
Cohn LLC
Imagine Fitness & Yoga
The Japan Foundation
David and Sally Kennedy
Jerry and Dale Kolins #
Samuel and Marilyn Krimm
Ted and Wendy Lawrence
Level X Talent
Richard and Carolyn Lineback
Mainstreet Ventures
Mardi Gras Fund
Martin Family Foundation #
Miller, Canfield, Paddock and
Stone, P.L.C.
M. Haskell and Jan Barney Newman
Virginia Nordby
Rob and Quincy Northrup
Bertram and Elaine Pitt
Rosenberg Family Fund
in honor of Maury and Linda Binkow
Prue and Ami Rosenthal
Savco Hospitality
Lois Stegeman
StoryPoint
David and Karen Stutz
The Summer Fund of the Charlevoix
County Community Foundation
Louise Taylor
The University of Michigan Third
Century Initiative
Dody Viola
Stanford and Sandra Warshawsky

LEADERS
($2,500–$4,999)

Jim and Barbara Adams
Michael and Suzan Alexander
Anonymous
Arts Midwest Touring Fund
John and Lillian Back
Karen Bantel and Steve Geiringer
Dr. Carol Barbour and Dr. Sid Gilman
Bradford and Lydia Bates

Ronnie and Lawrence Ackman
Katherine Aldrich
Richard and Mona Alonzo
Christiane Anderson
Ann Arbor Distilling Company
Anonymous
Dr. and Mrs. Rudi Ansbacher
Harlene and Henry Appelman
Dr. Frank Ascione
Bob and Martha Ause
Elizabeth R. Axelson and
Donald H. Regan
Jonathan Ayers and
Teresa Gallagher
Laurence R. and Barbara K. Baker
Lisa and Jim Baker
Rosalyn, Joshua and Beth Barclay
in memory of Mel L. Barclay, M.D.

Larry Hastie
Daniel and Jane Hayes #
David W. Heleniak
Sivana Heller
Paul and Nancy Hillegonds #
Diane S. Hoff
Robert M. and Joan F. Howe
Jean Jacobson
Hudson Webber Foundation
Eileen and Saul Hymans
Wallie and Janet Jeffries
Liz Johnson
Timothy and Jo Wiese Johnson
Mary K. Joscelyn
Richard and Sylvia Kaufman
Janet Kemink and
Rodney Smith, MD
Connie and Tom Kinnear
Jean and Arnold Kluge
Carolyn and Jim Knake
Michael J. Kondziolka and
Mathias-Philippe Badin
Barbara and Michael Kratchman
Donald and Jeanne Kunz
John K. Lawrence and
Jeanine A. DeLay#
Richard LeSueur
Evie and Allen Lichter
E. Daniel and Kay Long #
Fran Lyman
John and Cheryl MacKrell
Edwin and Cathy Marcus
Betsy Yvonne Mark
W. Harry Marsden
Ann W. Martin and Russ Larson
Howard L. Mason
Mary M. Matthews
Jerry A. and Deborah Orr May #
W. Joseph McCune and
Georgiana M. Sanders
Griff and Pat McDonald
James H. McIntosh and
Elaine K. Gazda
Margaret McKinley and Dan Ketelaar
Michael and Terrie McLauchlan #
Scott and Julie Merz
Bert and Kathy Moberg
Elizabeth and John Moje
Cyril Moscow
Mullick Foundation
John and Ann Nicklas
Susan and Mark Orringer #
Judith A. Pavitt
Pfizer Foundation
Marianne Udow-Phillips and
Bill Phillips
Juliet S. Pierson
Susan Pollans and Alan Levy
Stephen and Bettina Pollock
Ray and Ginny Reilly
Malverne Reinhart
Richard and Susan Rogel
Huda Karaman Rosen
Jeri Rosenberg and Vic Strecher
Keith and Sue Rottman
John J. H. Schwarz
Erik and Carol Serr
Janet Shatusky
Carl Simon and Bobbi Low
Nancy and Brooks Sitterley
Michael Sivak and Enid Wasserman

FA L L 2 0 1 6

PATRONS
($1,000–$2,499)

John and Ginny Bareham
David and Monika Barera
Norman E. Barnett #
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Bartlett
Anne Beaubien and Phil Berry
Cecilia Benner
in memory of David Lebenbom
Kathy Benton and Robert Brown
Rosemary R. Berardi and
Carolyn R. Zaleon
Joan Binkow
John Blankley and Maureen Foley
Margaret and Howard Bond
Rebecca S. Bonnell
Laurence and Grace Boxer
Dr. and Mrs. Ralph R. Bozell
Nancy M. Briggs
in memory of Dale E. Briggs
Robert and Jeannine Buchanan
Tom and Lori Buiteweg
Lawrence and Valerie Bullen
in honor of Ken Fischer
Charles and Joan Burleigh
Barbara and Al Cain
Lou and Janet Callaway
Sally Camper and Bob Lyons
Thomas and Marilou Capo
Jean and Ken Casey
Anne Chase
Patricia Chatas
Reginald and Beverly Ciokajlo
Cheryl and Brian Clarkson
Deborah Keller-Cohen and
Evan Cohen
Ellen and Hubert Cohen
Connie and Jim Cook
Christopher Dahl and Ruth Rowse
in honor of Ken Fischer
Timothy and Robin Damschroder
Charles and Kathleen Davenport #
Michele Derr
in memory of Ellwood Derr
Dennis and Monique Deschaine
Sally and Larry DiCarlo
Molly Dobson
includes gift in honor of Ken
Fischer
Jill and Doug Dunn
Peter and Grace Duren
Rosalie Edwards/
Vibrant Ann Arbor Fund
Johanna Epstein and Steven Katz
Elly and Harvey Falit
Dede and Oscar Feldman
Food Art
Dan and Jill Francis
Judy and Paul Freedman
Leon and Marcia Friedman
Bill and Boc Fulton
Beverley and Gerson Geltner
Zita and Wayne Gillis
Heather and Seth Gladstein
Cozette Grabb
Leslie and Mary Ellen Guinn
Kenneth and Margaret Guire #
Roopa and Hitinder Gurm
Elizabeth and Robert Hamel
Jeff Hannah and Nur Akcasu
Randall L. and
Nancy Caine Harbour #
Clifford and Alice Hart

BE PRESENT

Rachel Bendit and Mark Bernstein
Ronald and Linda Benson
Suzanne A. and
Frederick J. Beutler #
DJ and Dieter Boehm
Charles and Linda Borgsdorf
Bill Brinkerhoff and Kathy Sample
Carolyn M. Carty and
Thomas H. Haug
Conlin Travel, Inc.
Julia Donovan Darlow and
John Corbett O’Meara
Marylene Delbourg-Delphis
Sharon and Dallas Dort
John Dryden and Diana Raimi
Charles and Julia Eisendrath #
Joan and Emil Engel
Betsy Foxman and Michael Boehnke
Sara and Michael Frank
Thomas and Barbara Gelehrter
Bill and Ruth Gilkey
James and Patricia Kennedy
Diane Kirkpatrick
Philip and Kathryn Klintworth
Leo and Kathy Legatski
Carolyn and Paul Lichter
Jean E. Long
Tim and Lisa Lynch
Ernest and Adele McCarus
Paul Morel and Linda Woodworth
Anthony and Vivian Mosellie
William Nolting and Donna Parmelee
Steve and Betty Palms
Elizabeth and David Parsigian
Rick and Mary Price
James and Bonnie Reece
John W. Reed
Anthony L. Reffells
Nathaniel and Melody Rowe
Herbert and Ernestine Ruben
Craig and Jan Ruff
Frankie and Scott Simonds
Susan M. Smith and Robert H. Gray
Linh and Dug Song
Cheryl Soper
Steve Sullivan and Erin McKean
Judy and Lewis Tann
Jim Toy
Shaomeng Wang and Ju-Yun Li
Elise Weisbach

37

Ren and Susan Snyder
Tamar Springer and Steve Stancroff
Michael B. Staebler and
Jennifer R. Poteat
Ted St. Antoine
Virginia E. Stein
Eric and Ines Storhok
Dalia and Stan Strasius
Charlotte B. Sundelson
in honor of Kenneth Fischer
Ted and Eileen Thacker
Keturah Thunder-Haab
Louise Townley
Jeff and Lisa Tulin-Silver
Susan B. Ullrich #
Robert and Cynthia VanRenterghem
Jack and Marilyn van der Velde
Bob and Liina Wallin
Harvey and Robin Wax
Max and Mary Wisgerhof
Jack and Carolyn Wallace
Joyce Watson and Marty Warshaw
Edward and Colleen Weiss
Lauren and Gareth Williams
Charles Witke and Aileen Gatten
The Worsham Family Foundation

BENEFACTORS
($500–$999)

Judith Abrams
Tena Achen
Jan and Sassa Akervall
Roger Albin and Nili Tannenbaum
James and Catherine Allen
Christine W. Alvey
David G. and Joan M. Anderson #
Neil P. Anderson
Dave and Katie Andrea
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Anonymous
Anonymous
in honor of Jean Campbell
Penny and Arthur Ashe
Ralph and Barbara Babb #
John and Christy Bacon
Reg and Pat Baker
Nancy Barbas and Jonathan Sugar
Astrid B. Beck
Lawrence S. Berlin and
Jean L. McPhail
Jack Billi and Sheryl Hirsch
Sara Billmann and Jeffrey Kuras
William and Ilene Birge
R.M. Bradley and C.M. Mistretta
Brian Bradley and
Rosalie Tocco-Bradley
Joel Bregman and Elaine Pomeranz
Charles Bright and Susan Crowell
David and Sharon Brooks
Pamela Brown
Susan and Oliver Cameron
Brent and Valerie Carey
Jack and Susan Carlson
A. Craig Cattell
Tsun and Siu Ying Chang
John and Camilla Chiapuris
Judy and Malcolm Cohen
Jon Cohn and Daniela Wittmann
Barbara Comai
David and Barbara Copi
Arnold and Susan Coran
38

Paul Courant and Marta Manildi
Katherine and Clifford Cox
Clifford and Laura Craig #
John and Mary Curtis
Roderick and Mary Ann Daane
Connie D’Amato
David L. DeBruyn
Elena and Nicholas Delbanco
David Deromedi
Andrzej and Cynthia Dlugosz
Gary Dolce and Karen Yamada
Dworkin Foundation
Alan S. Eiser
Bruce N. and Cheryl W. Elliott
Margaret and John Faulkner
Carol Finerman
Susan R. Fisher
Tiffany and Damon Ford
David Fox and Paula Bockenstedt
Susan L. Froelich and
Richard E. Ingram
Sandra Gast and Greg Kolecki
Chris Genteel and Dara Moses
Julia and Mark Gerstein
in honor of Evan Gerstein’s
graduation
David and Maureen Ginsburg #
Steve Glauberman and
Margaret Schankler
Google Inc.
L.A. Peter Gosling, Linda Y.C. Lim and
Mya L. Gosling
in memory of Wendy Comstock
Larry and Martha Gray
Dr. Patricia P. Green
Raymond Grew
Nicki Griffith
Werner H. Grilk
Arthur Gulick
Talbot and Jan Hack
Don Haefner and Cynthia Stewart
Helen C. Hall
Steven and Sheila Hamp
William and Kathleen Hanson
Alan Harnik and
Professor Gillian Feeley-Harnik
David Harris
Timothy Hofer and Valerie Kivelson
Kay Holsinger and Douglas C. Wood
Jim and Colleen Hume
Ann D. Hungerman
Harold L. Ingram
Richard and Suzette Isackson
isciences, L.L.C.
Gretchen and John Jackson
Elizabeth Jahn
Joachim Janecke
in memory of Christa Janecke
Feng Jiang and Lydia Qiu
Mark and Linda Johnson #
Mattias Jonsson and
Johanna Eriksson
Mark and Madolyn Kaminski
Don and Sue Kaul
James A. Kelly and Mariam C. Noland
Robert and Gloria Kerry
Rhea K. Kish
Dana and Paul Kissner
Gary and Barbara Krenz
in honor of Ken Fischer
Jane Fryman Laird

Joan and Melvyn Levitsky
Marty and Marilyn Lindenauer
in honor of Ken Fischer
Rod and Robin Little
William and Lois Lovejoy
Joan Lowenstein and
Jonathan Trobe #
Louise and David Lutton
Brigitte Maassen
William and Jutta Malm
Melvin and Jean Manis
Susan E. Martin
Judythe and Roger Maugh
Martha Mayo and Irwin Goldstein
Susan McClanahan and
Bill Zimmerman
Bill and Ginny McKeachie
Frances McSparran
Bernice and Herman Merte
Mary Lee Meyer
James M. Miller and Rebecca H. Lehto
Gene and Lois Miller #
Lester and Jeanne Monts
Kara and Lewis Morgenstern
Lisa and Steve Morris
Drs. Louis and Julie Jaffee Nagel
Margaret Nance
Erika Nelson and David Wagener
Thomas and Barbara Nelson
Marc Neuberger and Jane Forman
Elizabeth Ong
Zoe and Joe Pearson
Wesen and William Peterson
Diana and Bill Pratt
Wallace and Barbara Prince
Quest Productions
Cynthia and Cass Radecki
Harold K. Raisler Foundation, Inc.
Guy and Kathy Rich
Jessica C. Roberts, PhD #
Doug and Nancy Roosa
Stephanie Rosenbaum
Richard and Edie Rosenfeld
Nancy W. Rugani #
Ashish and Norma Sarkar
Maya Savarino
Ann and Tom Schriber
John Scudder and Regan Knapp
Elvera Shappirio
Bruce M. Siegan
Barbara Furin Sloat
Cynthia Sorensen
Becki Spangler and Peyton Bland
Gretta Spier and Jonathan Rubin
Allan and Marcia Stillwagon
Jannifer Stromberg
Eva Taylor
Stephanie Teasley and Thomas Finholt
Doris H. Terwilliger
John G. Topliss
Joyce Urba and David Kinsella
Douglas and Andrea Van Houweling
Erica Ward and Ralph Gerson
Arthur and Renata Wasserman
Richard and Madelon Weber #
Deborah Webster and George Miller
Edward and Colleen Weiss
Lyndon Welch
in memory of Angela Welch
Steven Werns
Kathy White #

ASSOCIATES
($250–$499)

Don and Nancy Kaegi
Carol and Mark Kaplan
Steven Kautz
John Kennard and Debbi Carmody
Nancy Keppelman and
Michael E. Smerza
Bonnie and Robert Kidd
Dan and Freddi Kilburn
Laurence King and Robyn Frey-King
Web and Betty Kirksey
Michael Koen
Rosalie and Ron Koenig
Ann Marie Kotre
Mary L. Kramer #
Syma and Phil Kroll
Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes
David Lampe and Susan Rosegrant
Lucy and Kenneth Langa
Linda M. Langer
Jean A. Lawton and James H. Ellis
John and Theresa Lee
Sue Leong
Barbara Levine
Gloria Kitto Lewis
Jacqueline Lewis
Daniel Little and Bernadette Lintz
Michael and Debra Lisull
Len and Betty Lofstrom
John Lofy and Laura Rubin
Shuyu Long
Barbara and Michael Lott
Christopher Lovasz
Jimena Loveluck and
Timothy Veeser
Marilyn and Frode Maaseidvaag
Martin and Jane Maehr
Geraldine and Sheldon Markel
Kenneth and Lynn Marko
Charles McCaghy
Margaret and Harris McClamroch
Cynthia McClung
Peggy McCracken and
Doug Anderson
Margaret McQuillan-Key
Marilyn Meeker
Gerlinda S. Melchiori
Warren and Hilda Merchant
Carmen and Jack Miller
John and Sally Mitani
Candy and Andy Mitchell
Brian and Jacqueline Morton
Trevor Mudge and
Janet Van Valkenburg
Barbara Mulay
Thomas and Hedi Mulford
Richard and Susan Nisbett
Eugene and Beth Nissen
Laura Nitzberg
Christer and Outi Nordman
Elisa Ostafin and Hossein Keshtkar
Mohammad and
J. Elizabeth Othman
Marie Panchuk
Karen Pancost
William and Hedda Panzer
Karen Park and John Beranek
Brian and Julie Picknell
Robert and Mary Ann Pierce
Mark and Margaret Pieroni
Donald and Evonne Plantinga
Joyce Plummer

FA L L 2 0 1 6

Dr. Diane M. Agresta
Gordon and Carol Allardyce
Helen and David Aminoff
Barbara A. Anderson
John Anderson and Lyn McHie
Ralph and Elaine Anthony
Lisa and Scott Armstrong
Michael Atzmon
Robert and Mary Baird
Barbara M Barclay
Frank and Lindsay Tyas Bateman
Gary Beckman and Karla Taylor
Christina Bellows and Joe Alberts
Emile Bendit
Merete Blondal Bengtsson
Christy and Barney Bentgen
Joan Bentz
Barbara and Sheldon Berry
Inderpal and Martha Bhatia
Mary E. Black
Bobbie and Donald Blitz
Mr. Mark D. Bomia
Morton B. and Raya Brown
Jonathan and Trudy Bulkley
Alan Burg and Kenneth Hillenburg
Jim and Cyndi Burnstein
Tony and Jane Burton
Jenny and Jim Carpenter
Barbara Mattison Carr
Margaret W. (Peggy) Carroll
MJ Cartwright and Tom Benedetti
Jenny Graff Carvo
Angela Cesere and Rob Thomas
J. Wehrley and Patricia Chapman
Samuel and Roberta Chappell
Joan and Mark Chesler
Mark Clague and Laura Jackson
Elke Monika Clark
Donald and Astrid Cleveland #
Wayne and Melinda Colquitt
Anne and Edward Comeau
Gordon and Marjorie Comfort
Jane Wilson Coon and
A. Rees Midgley
Mrs. Katharine Cosovich
Margaret Cottrill and Jon Wolfson
Susan Bozell Craig
Marylee Dalton and Lynn Drickamer
Art and Lyn Powrie Davidge
in memory of Gwen and
Emerson Powrie
Ed and Ellie Davidson
Linda Davis and Bob Richter
in honor of Ken Fischer
HE Dean

Brian and Margaret Delaney
Richard I. DeVries
Robert Donia
Robert J. Donnellan
Ed and Mary Durfee
Don and Kathy Duquette
Swati Dutta
Gavin Eadie and Barbara Murphy
James F. Eder
Gloria J. Edwards
Morgan and Sally Edwards
Charles and Julie Ellis
Ruth Edwards
Beverly and Michael Fauman
Phil and Phyllis Fellin
Kay Felt
Jeff Fessler and Sue Cutler
Herschel and Adrienne Fink
C. Peter and Beverly A. Fischer
Martha Fischer and William Lutes
in honor of Kenneth C. Fischer
Norman and Jeanne Fischer
in memory of of Gerald B. Fischer
Catherine Fischer
in memory of of Gerald B. Fischer
Carol and Mitch Fleischer
Jessica Fogel and Lawrence Weiner
Scott and Janet Fogler
Philip and Renée Woodten Frost
Carol Gagliardi and David Flesher
Enid Galler
Janet and Charles Garvin
Heather Gates
in memory of David Gates
Michael Gatti and Lisa Murray
Prof. Beth Genne and
Prof. Allan Gibbard
Renate Gerulaitis #
J. Martin and Tara Gillespie
Thea Glicksman
Drs. Vijay and Sara Goburdhun
Barbara and Fred Goldberg
Mr. and Mrs. Charles and
Janet Goss #
Michael L. Gowing
Christopher and Elaine Graham
Jerry M. and Mary K. Gray
Elliott Greenberg and Gayle Harte
Richard and Linda Greene
Julie and Hanley Gurwin
Michael Hammer and
Matthew Dolan
Tom Hammond
Drs. Erik and Dina Hanby
Susan R. Harris
Michael and Nikki Hathaway
Neil and Annmarie Hawkins
J. Lawrence Henkel and
Jacqueline Stearns
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Hensinger
Therese and Alfred Hero
Kathryn Goodson and John Hieftje
Mark and Lorna Hildebrandt
Gideon and Carol Hoffer
Paul Hossler and Charlene Bignall
James S. House and
Wendy Fisher House #
Elizabeth Jahn
Hank and Karen Jallos
Lawrence and Ruth Jones #
Janet and Jerry Joseph

BE PRESENT

James Boyd White and
Mary F. White
Iris and Fred Whitehouse
Brian Willen and Monica Hakimi
Thomas K. Wilson
Dr. Robert Winfield #
Beth and I. W. Winsten
Lawrence and Mary Wise
Kenneth Wisinski and
Linda Dintenfass
Frances A. Wright #
Mary Jean and John Yablonky
Thomas and Karen Zelnik

39

Thomas S. Porter
Anne Preston #
Karen and Berislav Primorac
Jeff and Katie Reece
Judith Roberts
Stephen Rosenblum and
Rosalyn Sarver
Rosemarie Haag Rowney
Carol Rugg and Richard Montmorency
Mary Ann Rumler
Jay and Sunny Sackett
Irv and Trudy Salmeen
Michael and Kimm Sarosi
The Saturno Family
in honor of Ken Fischer
Albert J. and Jane L. Sayed
Judith Scanlon
Helga and Jochen Schacht
David Schmidt and Jane Myers
David Schoem
Suzanne Selig
Harriet Selin #
James and Linda Selwa #
Matthew Shapiro and Susan Garetz
Cliff and Ingrid Sheldon
Bill and Chris Shell
Patrick and Carol Sherry
Howard and Aliza Shevrin
Jean and Thomas Shope
Nina Silbergleit
Edward and Kathy Silver
Sandy and Dick Simon
Robert and Elaine Sims

Jürgen Skoppek
Carl and Jari Smith #
David and Renate Smith
Gregory Smith MD
Robert W. Smith
Sidonie Smith and Greg Grieco
Linda Spector and Peter Jacobson
Doris and Larry Sperling
in memory of David Klein
Jim Spevak
Jeff Spindler
Paul and Judy Spradlin
Leslie Stainton and Steven Whiting
Daniel and Susan Stepek
James L. Stoddard
Cynthia Straub
John F. Strobel and Christine M. Tracy
Elizabeth Stumbo and Stephan Taylor
Roger Stutesman
Nancy Bielby Sudia
Rich and Diane Sullivan
Ed and Natalie Surovell
Sandy Talbott and Mark Lindley
May Ling Tang
Michael and Ellen Taylor
William Tennant
Denise Thal and David Scobey
Tom and Judy Thompson
Patricia J. Tompkins
in memory of Terril O. Tompkins
Janet and Randall Torno
includes gift in memory of Wendy
Comstock

Fawwaz Ulaby and Jean Cunningham
Karla and Hugo Vandersypen
Mary C. Vandewiele
James and Barbara Varani #
Elizabeth A. and David C. Walker
Charles R. and Barbara Hertz Wallgren
Jo Ann Ward
Karen Watanabe and Richard Cheng
MaryLinda and Larry Webster
Bruce and Loraine Webster
Richard and Lucinda Weiermiller
Jack and Carol Weigel
Neal and Susan Weinberg
Mary Ann Whipple #
Mac and Rosanne Whitehouse
Steve and Peg Wilcox
Thomas Wilczak and Steven Quinkert
in honor of Garrett Kucharski, Marie
and Helen Rucinski
Shelly F. Williams
Pat and John Wilson
Stuart and Nancy Winston #
Steven and Helen Woghin
Charlotte A. Wolfe
Gladys Young
Gail and David Zuk
Thomas and Erin Zurbuchen
*Due to space restraints, gifts of
$1-$249 will be recognized in the
online donor list at ums.org.

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Television
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2016-17

2014 National Medal of Arts Recipient

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