TRANSCRIPTION:
John Bommarito: You're listening to The Song Break on 89.1 WEMU. I'm John Bommarito. I appreciate you tuning into the program. We have some partners out there in the world of the…well…the musical side of Washtenaw County. One of them is the University Musical Society and I'm pleased to be joined by the VP of programming and production, Mark Jacobson. Welcome, Mark.
Mark Jacobson: Thank you, John. It's so wonderful to be at the WEMU studios. They're beautiful.
John Bommarito: They are beautiful! We're really glad to be here and really glad that you guys have put together a really nice lineup, starting with, it looks like October 2nd is the one that is the most closely related to our musical world, but we'll talk about that in a moment. I don't know you very well, so tell me a little bit about you and how long you've been with UMS.
Mark Jacobson: Well, I have been at UMS actually since the late 90s. I've been instrumental in our UMS Jazz Series for decades. I have a Western classical music background. I have degree in clarinet performance from University of Michigan. And it's been just wonderful serving the broad community in southeastern Michigan with our engagements, our artistic offerings, and bringing audiences together in our wonderful venues.
John Bommarito: You're not originally from here, though. I can tell by the hat you're wearing. Where are you originally from?
Mark Jacobson: I grew up in Miami, Florida, so Miami is my hometown. Much different weather up here, but I really adore living up in Michigan, raising a family in Ann Arbor. It's wonderful.
John Bommarito: What brought you here?
Mark Jacobson: Definitely school. School is what brought me all the way up here and kind of fell in love with the area and the campus and the neighboring communities and stayed in southeastern Michigan.
John Bommarito: Well, we're glad to have you. What is your favorite thing about working for UMS, that prestigious organization?
Mark Jacobson: Definitely the variety in the multidisciplinary work we do in the performing arts. So, it never gets monotonous. There's always something thrilling. We go from an incredible dance performance to opera and concert, to the best internationally touring Western classical orchestras, to the best of international jazz and world music.
John Bommarito: There's a lot to pick from for sure on this year's schedule and it looks really good!
Just about UMS in general, maybe you don't know. I don't how involved you are with the programming in the community. Do you know what kind of things that are happening out with UMS?
Mark Jacobson: Of course, yes. So, I work very closely with our learning and engagement department at UMS, and one of our hallmarks of our engagement is, of course, the incredible work we're doing at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse right up the street. So, we have two residencies, one in September and one in April, where we're really highlighting regional artists, songwriters, community practitioners, K through 12 experiences for young people. It's a pay what you wish model. So, the goal of our Ypsilani Freight House series is to really engage community members who might not always go to Hill Auditorium or Rackham Auditorium or Michigan Theater. It's really special series. I think we're in our fourth season now over at Ypsi Freight house. And it's a very special series, everyone adores being in the freight house and we transform it, it's kind of a magical space.
John Bommarito: I showed up for the open mic that Rochelle Clark hosts because she's a friend of mine and I wanted to see how that was set up and how it worked out. That was pretty cool. Nice that UMS comes to Ypsi because, you know, we all think of Ann Arbor as more associated with UMS, but we're neighbors and we definitely have a community of music lovers here in Ypsilanti as well, so cool that somebody thought we should do something and our neighbors back here too.
Mark Jacobson: Absolutely, and I work every day with Rochelle in the production team and it's a real honor to call her my colleague.
John Bommarito: She's great! I've known her for a long time.
If I'm not correct, UMS started with choral music, but today the schedule is very eclectic and just as likely to include some WEMU favorites as we see on this year's schedule. Were you involved when the switch became more focused on broadening the horizons of what you offered?
Mark Jacobson: I would say about 40 years ago or so UMS definitely diversified from almost a purely western classical music presenter to having offerings in dance and world music. We were even using Hill Auditorium before Power Center went online to create a proscenium space for dance. Back in the day, actually, Merce Cunningham and John Cage were at Hill Auditorium before Power Center opened in 1971.You know along with the expanding worldview UMS expanded into multidisciplinary performing arts, theater, dance, while keeping the integrity of what we're presenting in music.
John Bommarito: My guest today on The Song Break on 89.1 WEMU is Mark Jacobson. He is the Vice President of Programming and Production for UMS, a.k.a. The University Musical Society. New schedule, new season announced just recently and tickets are on sale now, right? They're available to purchase as a package or individually or both?
Mark Jacobson: So, Single Ticket Day just went online two days ago, John, and you can go to ums.org and now buy and purchase single tickets, event tickets to any of our engagements on the 2026-2027 season outside of a subscription package.
John Bommarito: There's definitely been a couple of shows I've already been highlighting, even though they're kind of far off in the future. I’m very excited you're bringing Gregory Porter back to town. I have to say one of my favorite things about working here was I knew his name, but I didn't know his music, but then working with Michael Jewett in the building and him playing them pretty regularly, I became a fan enough to buy every album. The Japanese pressings with the bonus tracks. I mean, I went all in. I didn't just go, "I'm going to buy a couple of his records.” No, I want everything.
Music sample: Gregory Porter “Liquid Spirit”
John Bommarito: So, Gregory Porter's part of your schedule way in the future, February 11th. And then Grammy winner, Samara Joy, definitely one that we've been supporting for a while as well. She's coming on October 9th. What else do you see.
Mark Jacobson: These are two of our really top international vocalists. We have a history with Gregory Porter. We presented him early in his career, about 11 years ago at Michigan Theater. Gregory has since, as you know, rose to stardom. He's a real R&B champion. He's going to be performing a Valentine's Day concert in Ann Arbor on Thursday, February 11th at Hill Auditorium. This concert is right before he has his annual Valentine's Day appearance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. So it's a coup that we grabbed, Gregory Porter, and we're working with him again after all these years and such a wonderful person, such a special artist, one of the great male vocalists.
John Bommarito: For sure.
Music Sample: Samara Joy “Social Call”
Mark Jacobson: And Samara Joy, as you mentioned, for those who weren't listening to her, shocked the world with her Best New Artist grab at the Grammy Awards a few years ago. Samara's all of 26 years old performs with her peers and colleagues in her band, someone who is wise beyond her years and is clearly a star.
John Bommarito: Well, they did, for I think her Christmas EP, a song together, maybe she'll pop in on his show. Sing a Valentine's Day song together. Sing My Funny Valentine.
Mark Jacobson: That would be something. Samara of course is Friday October 9th also at Hill Auditorium.
John Bommarito: All right. Who else you got coming that would be of interest?
Mark Jacobson: Well, what's wonderful is, in addition to Gregory and Samara, we sort of bookend that vocalist series with Audra McDonald at the end of the season. Audra is coming to Hill Auditorium on Sunday, April 18th. She'll have a wonderful program. Of course, she's the most decorated Tony Award-winning artist. So I think having Samara Gregory and Audra in the same season kind of covers the bases.
John Bommarito: I see Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers start things off on Friday, October 2nd. He is kind of tangential to what we do. We have roots programming on Friday, and he's been kind of leaning away from his pop days when he started out, you know, with “The Way It Is,” his big hit. But then, you, know, definitely experimenting more in music that I suppose would be an NPR and not a pop radio audience.
Mark Jacobson: Yeah, Bruce Hornsby is another, actually, Best New Artist. That was many years ago now.
John Bommarito: That was quite a few years ago!
Mark Jacobson: But one of the great songwriters of the world. He actually has a jazz and improvisatory background, studied at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Bruce has always been just a top-notch artist. You can see that in his collaborators, who's on the road with him. And of course, Bruce toured with the Grateful Dead. He was essentially a member of the Dead for many, many years.
John Bommarito: Absolutely
Music sample: Bruce Hornsby “Indigo Park”
John Bommarito: You’ve got a show coming with Julian Lage. Tell me about that one.
Mark Jacobson: Oh, thanks, John. Julian Lage is one of our wonderful guitarists. He's a Blue Note recording artist and that speaks very highly of his virtuosity. He actually was a prodigy as a child. He is appearing with John Medeski, the organist and keyboard player, of course, from his fame with...
John Bommarito: Medeski, Martin and Wood.
Mark Jacobson: Medeski, Martin and Wood. And then he's going to be playing with his long-time rhythm section, Jorge Roeder and Kenny Wollesen, who Kenny is best associated with Bill Frisell. This is a UMS debut at Michigan Theater on Saturday, November 7. I know that our WEMU listeners are familiar with Julian's work, and I just think the world of him.
Music sample: Julian Lage “Talking Drum”
John Bommarito: Wynton Marsalis is coming as well. It looks like he's going to be there 24th and 25th with the JLCO. What is the JLCO?
Mark Jacobson: That's the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and this is an incredibly special weekend for not only for UMS but the entire Southeastern Michigan community as this will mark Wynton Marsalis' final appearances with the Jazz of Lincoln Center orchestra as he is leaving his position as Music Director after decades as founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center. And so we're gonna blow it out with two concerts back to back on Saturday, April 24th, and Sunday, April 25th to celebrate Wynton's tenure. The first concert is an evening length composition of Wynton’s entitled “The Ever Funky Lowdown”. And a very special narrator, our friend Wendell Pierce, actor Wendel Pierce from Amazon's Jack Ryan, and from HBO’s The Wire. Wendell grew up in New Orleans with Wynton, and they're both Julliard alum. The Ever Funky Lowdown is on Saturday the 24th. It's really a piece that, you know, it takes a critical eye to modern society and deals, you know, focuses on sort of the deception, racism and greed that's found in America. It's going to feature a cast of vocalists and dancers. So that's a really special evening. And then the next afternoon on Sunday, April 25th. We'll have Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton doing a straight rep program. We'll really be able to sing Wynton out with some Ellington, I'm sure, and Mingus and some incredible jazz arrangements like they do and Wynton's gonna bring it because of his multi-decade relationship with UMS and our audiences.
Music sample: Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Orchestra “Union Pacific Big Boy”
John Bommarito: Any chance for any special guest vocalists or you are not allowed to say that?
Mark Jacobson: We'll find out.
John Bommarito: That face tells me what I need to know!
Mark Jacobson: Everyone who Wynton surrounds himself with is of top caliber, of course, so it's going to be two incredible evenings and a special weekend.
John Bommarito: One of my favorite albums of the year is the Catherine Russell Live at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Record. It would be great if she just happened to pop by. No idea if that would happen, but just, you know, the association is there.
Mark Jacobson: That would be cool.
John Bommarito: Mark Jacobson, VP of Programming and Production at UMS is my guest today. Mark, thank you so much for filling me in. Is there anything else we should know? We should probably know like where to get tickets from. Like how, how do people get those tickets?
Mark Jacobson: You can visit ums.org. Single tickets are now available as of this week for our 148th season that starts this September and runs through April.
I'll call out the C4 Trio from Venezuela. This is Hector Molina, who's a cuatro virtuoso, who we discovered when he was on tour with the Mineria Symphony Orchestra in January. He all of a sudden sort of appeared on this concert as a guest. Everyone in the house was blown away, and we learned about his band, which is a Miami-based C4 Trio. It's three cuatro virtuosos and electric bass. That's gonna be a Lydia Mendelson Theater on January 28th. I think WEMU audiences are gonna really resonate with Hector's work. They are darlings of sort of the Snarky Puppy family. They record on Ground-up Records. If you're a fan of that music. Check out C4 Trio in January at Lydia Mendelson.
John Bommarito: One final question because some people like me still like to buy their tickets in person. Can we do that at the Michigan Union ticket office?
Mark Jacobson: Not Michigan Union, but you can walk up to the Michigan League. So, we have walk up at the Michigan League off of Fletcher Street on the University of Michigan campus. In-person tickets are still available. I still have a ziplock bag full of ticket stubs in my drawer at home.
John Bommarito: Oh…I had so many I had to stick them in with the CDs because they wouldn’t… the rubber band wouldn't stand them anymore
Mark Jacobson: There you go. I know the feeling.
John Bommarito: Well, Mark, great to have you here at the studios of WEMU for The Song Break. And thanks for filling us in on just some of the schedule. There's more to explore at UMS.org. Great to have here, sir.
Mark Jacobson: Thank you, John. Pleasure.
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