John Bommarito: It's The Song Break on 891 WEMU. Every now and then we get to speak to members of the community. Community and Audience Programs Manager Justine Sedky, I never actually confirmed the pronunciation of your last name Justine, from one of our community partners, the University Musical Society, is joining me in the program today to talk about the residency UMS has at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. Hello, Justine, did I get your last name right?
Justine Sedky: Hi, John, you did a great job! Thanks so much for that introduction!
John Bommarito: Well, nice to meet you virtually, hopefully in person at some point. So, for the fifth time, UMS is presenting a wide array of options for residents in the area. More information, I know, is at UMS.org. Starting today, all area residents can reserve their tickets to these upcoming events. It's a pretty good-looking lineup, Justine. Being a jazz station, I know our listeners will be particularly interested in the event on Sunday, April 13th with the jazz band Straight Ahead. Fans of the Roots Music Project, which is our longstanding DJ Jeremy Baldwin’s show, they will want to be aware that Frontier Ruckus is also making an appearance on April 11th. And for me personally, I'm a huge fan of Rochelle Clark's voice and the wonderful human that she is. And she's hosting an open mic night on April 17th. That's just a small sampling of what's happening. What else is happening at this Ypsilanti Freighthouse series?
Justine Sedky: Well, I could talk about everything forever, but something that I think that listeners should be really excited about is the Firas Zreik concert on Thursday, April 10th. So, Firas is an amazing New York based kanunist. The kaunun is an Arab instrument. He was like a Berklee College of Jazz student, and he has this amazing way of combining the Arabic maqam with jazz. And so, he's actually playing with a bunch of Ypsi guys who you can see at Ziggy's at any time, honestly, John Hammons, Kenji Lee and Corey Tripathy. And that is going to be a killer night. We also have a sonic meditation with King Sophia and Sophiyah E. That's going to be a one-hour sonic meditation led by these amazing artists who are based in Detroit. And I won't say too much more about it, except that Sundays can be a pretty tough day for the general public, so it's nice to have something in your backyard that just sets your mind right for an hour before you jump into the week. We're closing out our residency on April 19th with a combo sort of celebration of the Arts in Ypsi with Riverside Arts Center and Mark Tucker, who runs the Festifools Parades processionals in the Ann Arbor area. We're all coming together to do a processional through downtown Ypsilanti, into Depot Town and landing back at the Freighthouse for a big arts party. We'll have music by Djangophonique. We will have a pop-up dance performance. I won't say more about it. We'll have food, a family-friendly bar, and community arts projects that everyone can kind of participate in and put their hands on. So, I'm really looking forward to celebrating artists, performing arts and just community in Ypsi at that last event. That's going to be really fun.
John Bommarito: I couldn't help but notice you said “I won't say more about it” twice in that conversation. You have lots of surprises for us, don't you?
Justine Sedky: You know, I like to keep some element of delight and surprise at the Freighthouse. I think that part of the residency that I love so much is that people come in and they're like, whoa, I didn't even know X, Y, and Z. And I think the more we can kind of keep that happening, the better. But what you can always count on when you come to an event at the Freighthouse, whether it's something you've done before or group you already know, something you don't know is that you are entering at a easy access point. It's a very casual atmosphere. You can walk around if you want. You can really engage in the arts in a way that feels most real and comfortable to you, and that's something that I just really love and value about this project. I would be remiss not to also plug our salsa dancing night opening the series. We've actually done salsa dance a few times, maybe every time, to open up the residency in Ypsi, and it is like magic. I tend to tear up. I just find it so fun. The community comes together. They show out and they dance with strangers. They danced with their friends. They dance with their partners. We have an amazing instructor who will be doing an hour of beginner instruction for those who need a little bit of the basics, but then it's open for salsa dance for two hours into the night.
John Bommarito: I'm sure listeners are going, “This all sounds great, but I'm not sure I can afford to come to that.” What's the scoop on that?
Justine Sedky" Well, everything at the Freighthouse is free or pay what you wish. We pretty much open the doors to anyone. The only limit is capacity. And if the house is full, the house is full. But otherwise just come. Even if it says it's sold out, just come on out. Don't worry about.
John Bommarito: It's a great month of activities there. Happening at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, right in the backyard here near Eastern Michigan University, where WEMU broadcasts. Community and Audience Programs Manager Justine Sedky, ums.org is where we can find that information, correct?
Justine Sedky: Yes. That's correct.
John Bommarito: That's where we can reserve our spaces if we want to attend these things. We really appreciate you taking time out to fill us in on all of this. And I hope to see you at least at one of these events. You're going to be there at some of these?
Justine Sedky: Oh gosh! I am there. Every single one. I will see you there, you'll see me there, and we'll have a great month together.
John Bommarito: I'll make sure I wear a WEMU shirt, so you know who I am.
Justine Sedky: Fabulous!
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