Resources:
Lee Van Roth's Feature Article: UMS to bring jazz, puppets, square dancing, and more to latest Ypsi residency
University Musical Society (UMS)
UMS at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse
Transcription:
Lee Van Roth: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU. I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is On the Ground Ypsi. University Musical Society, or UMS, is returning to Ypsi's historic Freighthouse this fall with another season of performances and community events. This year's residency brings back some familiar Freighthouse favorites while also introducing some new experiences with the hopes of, once again, creating a very welcoming musical atmosphere for folks in and around the Ypsi community. Today, UMS Vice President of Learning and Engagement, Cayenne Harris, is here to tell us more about what's returning to the Freighthouse this year, what's new, and how UMS hopes to continue connecting with the Ypsi community in this way. Cayenne, thank you so much for being here today!
Cayenne Harris: Thank you so much for having me!
Lee Van Roth: So, I'd love to start with maybe an easy question, maybe a difficult question. What are you most excited about as UMS prepares to come back to the Freighthouse this September?
Cayenne Harris: Well, that's an easy question for me. I think the event that I am most excited about is the music of John Coltrane's Africa/Brass. This is a project that is spearheaded by Marcus Elliott and Kris Johnson. These are two incredible jazz musicians. Marcus actually approached me last April. He was part of another performance at the Freighthouse, and he said, "I know this is a long shot, but Chris and I are really interested in doing a kind of recreation of the Coltrane album, Africa/Brass. And we're wondering if it might be a possibility at the Freighthouse." And it's an ambitious project, but it's coming at the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane's birth, so such an important centennial. And I have just so enjoyed working with Marcus Elliot in the past, so I know this is going to be a really special night at the Freighthouse, a celebration of John Coltrane, of jazz music, and we'll have some of the best artists from the Detroit area in the Freighthouse.
Lee Van Roth: And along with Marcus Elliott's performance, some other returners to the Freighthouse this season are square dancing and the ever-popular open mic night. Can you tell us a little bit more about these opportunities for audience participation?
Cayenne Harris: Yeah, absolutely! So, one of the things that we have found to be really successful at these biannual residencies at the Freighthouse are events where audiences get to actually be a part of the creative process, get to take the stage. And so, two kinds of returning elements are square dance. We're going to be working with the Detroit Square Dance Society. This is a group we actually have had at the Freighthouse before. It's live music and calling, and it is that square dancing that you probably did in middle school, but it's for adults. It's really, really fun, and it's wonderful to see people take to the dance floor. You don't have to have a partner. You don't have to has any experience. You really get to learn what it's about in the moment and then go ahead and do it. And it's a really beautiful night, so we're excited to bring back that social dance experience. And then, of course, our open mic night has become a hallmark of these residencies. We know Ypsi has a really vibrant open mic culture. We try to be additive and do something kind of special. So, this time, we have a wonderful host in Annie Bacon. She is a local singer-songwriter. She's going to be hosting the event. And I enjoy the open mics so much. It's a real celebration of community. We have people come out and showcase things they've been working on for years, do new material. We have comedians. We have singers. We have dancers. We've had sketch comedy. We've had everything you can possibly imagine. It's a great night to kind of come and see your friends and neighbors take the stage and be there to support. It's a very supportive environment.
Lee Van Roth: Something new this season as well, which I thought was pretty exciting to see, was this relaxed concert. It's something that seems like a different approach to live music to maybe be a little bit more accessible to some folks in our community. Can you tell us a little more about how that's going to work?
Cayenne Harris: Yeah, absolutely! So, we are working with the Telegraph Quartet. This is a string quartet. And we're going to do a concert at the Freighthouse that we're titling a relaxed concert. So, we really want this performance to be open to everyone, but in particular, we want an active invitation to people who might prefer a sensory-friendly environment. This will be a concert where people are really given the freedom to respond however they like. If they want to sit down and watch it quietly, they can. If they want to respond by getting up and moving or vocalizing, all of those things are okay in this particular circumstance. The artists are going to talk a little bit about what they're performing and really try and bring the audience into what it is that they're doing. And we want everyone who's there to just embrace the idea of a different way of enjoying a performance. And, yeah, it's a new venture for us. We're really excited to have this in the lineup this year!
Lee Van Roth: And, of course, with all of the fun programming in store for grownups, there's also some programming that's geared more toward families and some of our younger community members. I saw there was something about puppets. There was a puppet-making activity at that point.
Cayenne Harris: Yeah. So, we are working with the Flying Cardboard Theater out of Detroit, and they have a puppet show that they've developed called "Tales from Detroit" that is a short kind of classic puppet show experience. And that is the first part of the event. And then, the second part is that kids and their adults get to make their own puppets to take home. So, we've really found with our family programming that watching a performance is a really cool part of it, but making something and being able to take it home really extends that experience, so we're excited for that offering. Also, for families, we have a really wonderful duo called Uno, Dos, Tres, Andres. They offer a bilingual family experience. It is based on songs. They're sung obviously both in Spanish and English, and we have found, in particular, that there's an interest in either learning another language or for folks for whom Spanish is their first language. It's really exciting to have artists where that's the focus of the event. So, our family events are always really popular. And one thing that people may not know is that we're also offering Uno Dos Tres Andres for K-12 students, so we'll be working with local Ypsi schools to bring students in for those same experiences.
Lee Van Roth: This is WEMU's On the Ground Ypsi. I'm Lee Van Roth speaking with Cayenne Harris, the Vice President of Learning and Engagement with UMS about this fall's Freighthouse residency. Cayenne, something that I think has been a staple with this residency program kind of since the onset has been this idea of accessibility and making these varied musical and creative performances is available to as many folks as possible. And one way that is exemplified by that, that we've seen from UMS in every installment of the Freighthouse residency, is this "pay what you wish" model. Why is that so important to UMS to be as accessible as possible in these ways?
Cayenne Harris: Well, we know that UMS has a great reputation in this community, is beloved by many, but we also hear from people that that ticket price for shows at Hill Auditorium or the Power Center can sometimes be a little out of reach. So, one of the things that we really wanted to do, and actually that we heard from the Ypsilanti community as we were beginning to plan for these residencies, is how can you make this really accessible to everybody here, recognizing that there are different incomes and different experiences with cultural events. And so, the "pay what you wish" model is something that has worked really well. And the idea there is that just like it sounds. You can show up and say, "I'd like to pay $5 for this event," or "I can pay $20 for this event," or whatever that price is that feels comfortable for you. The other thing that that really allows for is that if you're looking at the lineup and you're saying, "Gosh, Dames Brown! I don't know what that is," or "Aguanko Latin jazz. What is that?" It gives you a kind of ease in making that choice. You can show up and give it a go, and the price is not going to be the barrier that keeps you from showing up. Accessibility is really important to us, as well as creating a kind of relaxed and fun environment. One of the things that we've heard from people over the years is that they appreciate that it's playful, it's relaxed, it is a good time. We try to sure that most of the events are about 90 minutes or maybe a little more or a little less. So, it's a short time period, but a lot of fun, and that there's really a place for everyone here. It's a very welcoming environment, and, hopefully, the barriers to participate are pretty low.
Lee Van Roth: Cayenne, I want to thank you so much for joining me today and for giving us this really nice preview of what's coming to the Freighthouse this fall. Hopefully, there's some folks out there listening who have their ears perked up, at least for one of the lovely events that you covered today. Thank you again!
Cayenne Harris: Lee, thank you so much! And if people want to find out more, every event that we've mentioned and a few that we haven't, you can find them on ums.org.
Lee Van Roth: For more information about the UMS Freighthouse Residency, including a full schedule of performances and events, visit the UMS website. On the Ground Ypsi is brought to you in partnership with Concentrate Media. I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU, Ypsilanti.
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