An amazing venue of performances to delight all ages presented by: Music and Liturgical Arts Ministries of Ann Arbor First United Methodist Church

Downtown: 120 South State Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 Northeast: 1001 Green Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105 (734) 662-4536 • www.fumc-a2.org to the Ann Arbor First Music and Arts Series at First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor! We are pleased to once again present a rich array of Music and Arts offerings for the 2015-2016 season. Continuing with our central goal – there is something to appeal to audiences of all ages, backgrounds and musical tastes: classic choral offerings, dazzling organ repertoire, , global music, Broadway show tunes, holiday favorites and contemporary, folk, gospel, and jazz music.

We look forward to seeing you in the months ahead! Ann Marie Koukios Ted Brokaw Minister of Music Music and Liturgical Arts Forum Chair

120 South State Street First Music and Arts Series Ann Arbor, MI 48104 SEPTEMBER Adam Unsworth in Concert 27, 2015 SATURDAY A Music Ministries Benefit Concert 3:00pm Adam Unsworth, horn Naki Sung Kripfgans, organ & We are pleased to welcome guest artist Adam Unsworth to open our 2015-2016 Downtown Series this fall. Soloist and recording artist Adam Unsworth is Associate Professor of Horn at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. As a performer he is dedicated to commissioning and performing works of living , with a goal of expanding repertoire and redefining the boundaries of the horn. His recent CD release, Snapshots, on Equilibrium Records, is

Adam Unsworth, horn a compilation of previously unrecorded music, much of which Adam commissioned since starting at Michigan in 2007. His newest release titled Balance is a jazz recording for horn, jazz quintet, and chamber , which features arrangements of his original compositions. As a member of our FUMC Music and Liturgical Arts Team, he is presenting this concert as a benefit fundraiser for the music ministries at FUMC. Accompanied by Naki Sung Kripfgans, organist at First United Methodist Church and pianist at the University of Michigan, this concert will feature a striking variety of musical styles including works Naki Sung Kripfgans, organ & piano by Christoph Forster, Camille Saint-Saëns, Catherine Likhuta, Paul Dukas, Daniel Schnyder, Les Thimmig, and Jan Koetsier. Suggested donation is $15-$25. OCTOBER 3, 2015 A Night in Manhattan: with music SATURDAY from “Tin Pan Alley” 5:00 pm Reception/Market – Tin Pan Annual Music Fundraiser Cabaret Evening Piano Purchase 6:00 pm Our Music and Liturgical Arts team presents our annual fundraiser, A Manhattan Dinner an evening of fine dining, fun, frivolity, and dynamite entertainment, 7:30 pm along with our lively reception, and a sumptuous catered dinner. Showtime: A Tin Pan Alley Review We hope you will join us for a Night In Manhattan centered around music made popular during the “Tin Pan Alley Era”, when the popularity of these tunes could be heard daily in the New York Publishing Houses on “Tin Pan Alley”. The music, written between 1890-1950, included classics by Gershwin, Porter, Carmichael, Joplin, Kern, Berlin and others. Our Chancel , Chancel Bells, Vocal Staff, Youth Chorale & Children’s will celebrate music from this period with timeless hits including Someone to Watch Over Me, Star Dust, The Way You Look Tonight, The Lullaby of Broadway, They Can’t Take that Way from Me, I Got Rhythm, Skylark and more! Contact our Music Office at 734-662-4536, ext. 25, or check our website at www.fumc-a2.org for ticket prices, donor levels and additional information. OCTOBER 25, 2015 Kiev National Chorus and Symphony SUNDAY Orchestra Instrumentalists 4:00 pm Wes Janzen, conductor During increased times of poverty and devastation in the Ukraine, these professional national musicians of the Ukraine have united in a powerful ministry to help those in need throughout their homelands resulting in the formation of Music Mission Kiev. The purpose of Music Mission Kiev is to bring the sacred masterpieces of classical music to the country of Ukraine, proclaiming the Gospel to and through these Ukranian musicians to the world, and minister to the emerging Christian community in the Ukraine through evangelism, discipleship, music education and humanitarian outreach to widows, orphans, refugees and families. Come hear the inspiring music of these marvelous performers on a US tour to raise money and awareness for those in need. This concert will feature classical selections as well as sacred and secular jewels of Slavic music including repertoire by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgksky, Chesnokov, Leontovych, Bortniansky, Lesenko, and Rachmaninov. A free will offering will be taken as a contribution and support of this important ministry. NOVEMBER 14, 2015 The United States Naval Academy SATURDAY Women’s Glee Club 7:00 pm Cindy Bauchspies, conductor The United States Naval Academy WOMEN’S GLEE CLUB was founded in l976 when women first entered the Naval Academy. Under the direction of Dr. Cindy Bauchspies, the ensemble performs a body of diverse repertoire which includes classical, sacred, folk, patriotic, popular, and Broadway music. They have performed across America and internationally, including recent tours to Florida, California, Hawaii, New York, North and South Carolina, Illinois, Texas, Virginia, Rome, and London. In addition to the Academy’s annually sold-out concerts of Handel’s Messiah with the Annapolis Symphony, the Women’s Glee Club performs masterpieces of choral/orchestral literature with the Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club. Recent repertoire has included Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Requiems by Brahms, Dvorak, Mozart and Verdi, Haydn’s Creation, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and Ralph VaughanWilliams’ A Sea Symphony among others. Recent notable appearances include the Inaugural Concert “We Are One” performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a live audience of over half a million people and the Official National Dedication Ceremony of the Pentagon Memorial (9/11). It is with honor, pride and distinction that the Women’s Glee Club represents the United States, the Navy and Marine Corps, and the Naval Academy. DECEMBER 12, 2015 A Christmas Celebration SATURDAY 7:00 pm

Featuring: FUMC Chancel Choir FUMC Vocal Staff FUMC Chancel Bells Youth Chorale & Epworth Choir Ann Arbor Cantata Singers Michigan Sinfonietta Back by popular demand, the First United Chancel Choir, Bell Choirs, Carole DeHart, youth & children Naki Sung Kripfgans, organ Children’s Choirs, Youth Ensemble, FUMC Vocal Staff, and Sinfonietta Ann Marie Koukios, conductor Orchestra unite in a festive family Christmas Concert featuring a potpourri of seasonal Christmas repertoire with favorite solo selections, carol arrangements, and a special audience carol-sing. Highlights include music from Shaw’s “Many Moods of Christmas”, Handel’s “Messiah”, Bach’s “B Minor Mass” and more! Admission is free with a free will offering to benefit the Music and Liturgical Arts Ministries. A family reception for all will continue the celebration in our Fellowship Hall. Suggested donation: adult/$15, students/$8, free admission for children 12 and under. Don’t miss this opportunity to “Celebrate the Season”! JANUARY Aaron Tan in Concert 29, 2016 FRIDAY Featuring Classic Solo Works for Organ & Piano

7:30pm We are pleased to welcome back local favorite artist Aaron Tan performing solo works on both organ and piano. A passionate organist, engineer, and pianist, Aaron has won numerous noteworthy contests and scholarships on both instruments including the Toronto RCCO Young Organists Competition, the Osborne Organ Competition of the Summer Institute of Church Music (Ontario), the RCCO’s National Organ Playing Competition, the Charlotte Hoyt Bagnall Scholarship for Church Musi- cians, the Lilian Forsyth Scholarship, the West Chester University Organ Competition, the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition, and the XVI Poland International Piano Festival Competition. Also a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Michigan’s Laboratory for Complex Materials and Thin Films Research, his current work focuses on developing techniques for measuring localized dielectric and thermal properties of polymer thin films. Aaron is currently Artist in Residence at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit. This exciting program will feature works by Charles Parry, Franz Liszt, W. A. Mozart, J. S. Bach, Sergei Rachmaninott, Gustav Holst and others.

FEBRUARY A Global Celebration –A Greek Night! 13-14 • 2016 Sacred & Secular Music of Greece WEEKEND St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Choir Jon Wardner, director Saturday Kyklos Hellenic Society Dance Troupe 5:00 -7:00 pm John Peppes, director International Boutique St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Youth Dance Troupe “Ten Thousand Villages” Athena Papageorgiou, director 6:00 pm FUMC Chancel, Youth Chorale and Authentic Greek Dinner Children’s Epworth Choirs $15/adults, $8/students, $40/ family, children under 5 yrs/ free. 7:30 pm Program of Greek Sacred & Secular Music

Sunday 9:30 & 11:15 am Worship with special of- From the inspiring sacred music of the Greek Orthodox ferings from Greek sacred Church to the secular melodies of the folk songs from the repertoire small villages and islands, come experience the musical, visual, dance and culinary arts of the rich Greek culture. After a sumptuous authentic Greek meal prepared by Greek Chefs Tom Roumanis and Costa Boutsikakis, a delightful program will follow featuring two Greek dance troupes, Eastern instrumentalists and the joyful sound of combined choirs. Our Chancel Choir, FUMC Vocal Staff, Youth Chorale and Epworth Children’s Choir will be joined by the St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Choir in Byzantine-based sacred repertoire and Greek folk song choral arrangements. Don’t miss this family evening of fun! MARCH 5, 2016 Sounding Light! SATURDAY “Sowing tears…Reaping joy!” 7:30 pm Sounding Light sings the Psalms Tom Trenney, conductor Among the most beloved words of scripture are the inspired verses of the Psalms. Returning for their fourth performance at Ann Arbor FUMC, the 28 beautiful singers of sounding light and Tom Trenney give voice to these treasured poems which powerfully express the deepest human emotions—from triumphant shouts of joy to mournful cries of despair, from the shadow of the valley to the mountain peak, from the stillness of peace to the turbulence of war. Sounding light serenades the audience with timeless musical settings of these dynamic and meaningful words—including works by J.S. Bach, Herbert Howells, Lili Boulanger, Pavel Chesnokov, Jake Runestad, Orlando Gibbons, and a world premiere from Detroit David DiChiera. This concert will be repeated on Friday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, MI, and on Sunday, March 6 at 3:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Northville, Michigan. Suggested donation for this evening’s performance is $15. A reception will follow the event.

APRIL 17, 2016 Ann Arbor Cantata Singers SUNDAY “Reflections of the Soul” 2:00 pm Ann Marie Koukios, conductor Now in it’s 53rd year, the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers continues to present choral concerts drawing membership from Ann Arbor’s large community of professional and non-professional musicians who share a love of choral music. Currently under the direction of Ann Marie Koukios, the Cantata Singers continues to present concerts containing a rich palette of varied repertoire, reflecting a diversity of styles, historic periods, vocal aesthetics, and philosophic texts. Musically exploring various facets of the soul, this concert includes the joyous sounds of Gerald Finzi and Howard Goodall, soulful renderings of Moses Hogan, expressive depth of Morten Lauridsen, Eastern mysticism of Arvo Pärt and John Taverner, and the philosophic hope of Ola Gjeilo. A free will offering will be taken and a reception will follow this event. MAY 15, 2016 Beethoven – Mass in C Major, Op. 86 SUNDAY 9:30 & 11:15 am Beethoven – Choral Fantasy, Op. 80 One of three settings of the Mass text, Beethoven FUMC Chancel Choir Naki Sung Kripfgans, composed the “Mass in C” in 1807 as a piano and organ commission from Prince Esterhazy in celebration Michigan Sinfonietta Orchestra Ann Marie Koukios, conductor of his wife’s name-day, in the same tradition as his teacher Haydn. Unlike the classic mass style approaches of Mozart and Haydn, Beethoven embraces a more personal expression of the mass text as evidenced by the composer’s words regarding the opening of this work – “The general character of the ‘Kyrie’ is heartfelt resignation, whence comes a deep sincerity of religious feeling”. As typifies his style, Beethoven depicts moments of restrained divine contemplation, earnest prayer, anguished realities, joyous proclamations and hopeful idyllicism through his ever-changing palette of contrastive rhythmic devices, wide dynamic ranges, colorful textural contrasts and explorations of tonality, all serving to heighten the meaning of these traditional texts. The writing for solo voices is expressive and predominantly for solo quartet, the later typically interwoven with the chorus, which conveys a multitude of musical illustrations of the text. Don’t miss this exciting worship offering presented by the FUMC Chancel Choir, guest soloists and the Michigan Sinfonietta Orchestra.

GREEN WOOD CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES 1001 GREEN ROAD, ANN ARBOR We are pleased to once again present a diverse array of chamber music concerts at our second worship location, nestled in the ambient serene wooded area of our Green Wood Sanctuary. All concerts are at 3:00 p.m.

Admission to each concert is free with a goodwill offering provided to support these local musicians. A reception will follow each of these performances. Ypsilanti “Town Band” Jerry Robbins, conductor SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2015 • 3:00 PM Under the leadership of conductor Jerry Robbins (former conductor of the Washtenaw Community Concert Band), this twenty-piece wind ensemble will perform popu- lar music from 1880-1920 in period costume, using period-appropriate instruments. Returning once again to our Chamber Series, this ensemble will entertain you with a variety of styles, genres and informative insights into this era. Also joining the “Town Band” this year are two exciting features: the Hu- ron Valley Harmonizers, a wonderful a cappella male quartet performing 3-4 period numbers, and local favorite artist David Vaughn, performing several solos with the “Town Band”. Svetlana Mondrusov, Natalia Bezuglova, piano

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015 • 3:00 PM We are pleased to present violinist Svetlana Mondruskov in concert with pianist Natalia Bezuglova. Svetlana, a native of Saint Petersburg, Russia, has been playing violin from age 6. Svetlana attended the State Music Conservatory in Saint-Peterburg, Russia. After immigrating to the United States, Svetlana received her DMA in Violin Performance in 2014. Natalia Bezglova, also Russian born, has resided in the United States since 2010. She has performed in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Austria, Russia and the United States. Natalia currently serves as organist & pianist at Mount Hope United Methodist Church in Lansing, Michigan. New Verse Chamber Ensemble Sarah Cleveland, director SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016 • 3:00 PM

We are pleased to welcome a new string trio – New Verse Chamber Ensemble - to our Green Wood Chamber Series this season. This ensemble features three superb local artists. Violinist Joseph Deller, violist John Madison and cellist Sarah Cleveland will combine their talents in an exciting afternoon concert featuring music by Allesandro Rolla, noted 18th c. Italian composer and teacher of the great “Paganini”; and music by the legendary 18th century composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Euterpe Woodwind Quintet Ernie Brandon, director SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016 • 3:00 PM Enjoy the colorful palette of woodwind instruments with this performance by the Euterpe Woodwind Quintet. Members include: Beth Wondolowski (), Pat McLain (), Ernest Brandon (clarinet), Ashley Burtnew (horn), and Kathy Fredette (bas- soon). Under the leadership of founder Ernie Brandon, this ensemble has already dazzled audiences with their sensitive interpretation of classic and new woodwind quintet literature. We are pleased to welcome them back to our Green Wood Series!

Lonnie Reed, tenor – In Concert A Tribute to African-American Composers & Poets Jennifer Ellis, harp & John Elam, piano SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2016 • 3:00 PM This concert features talented tenor Lonnie Reed in an inspiring performance. Joining Lonnie are local musicians Jennifer Ellis on harp and John Elam on piano. The program will highlight works containing texts by notable African American poets as well as music written by distinguished African American com- posers. Music will include works by Anthony Davis, Adolphus Hailstork, Margaret Bonds, Cecil Cohen and H. Leslie Adams. Text poetry incudes writings by Langston Hughes, Toni Morri- son, Paul Lawrence Dunbar and others.

Modern Harp Quartet Maurice Draughn, director SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2016 • 3:00 PM We are delighted to welcome back the Modern Harp Quartet to our Green Wood Series. Comprised of sea- soned alumni from the harp studios of Cass Tech, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan, the Mod- ern Harp Quartet seeks to promote the modern harp as a versatile instrument, capable of producing a vast array of tone colors and effects. Members of the quartet are Lydia Cleaver, John Wickey, Maurice Draughn, and Anne Owens. On this final chamber series concert the Modern Harp Quartet will perform a program of music based on short stories and songs featuring the works of Ravel, Debussy and Salzedo. Find Your Special Worship Opportunities at FUMC

We invite you to join us in worship at First United Methodist Church throughout the year. Please check our website for information on special seasonal and varied worship arts opportunities, examples of which may include Global Worship Sundays, Celtic worship services, Jazz Services, Guest Worship Musicians, Instrumental Ensemble Sundays, and more. See below for a list of some of these offerings. Our regular worship services include Saturday, 5 p.m. contemporary worship at our Green Wood location, as well as Sunday 9:30 a.m. traditional and 11:15 eclectic worship services at our Downtown location. All are welcome! Sundays: Featured event 9:30 am 11:15 am Oct. 3 World Communion Sunday – featuring Global Music Nov. 1 All Saints Sunday –featuring music by Jonathan Dove Dec. 20 Advent Music Sunday – Children’s Musical Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Worship Services (see website for details)

Feb. 10 Ash Wednesday Service with Taizé Worship Selections Feb. 14 Global Worship featuring music of Eastern cultures May 15 Pentecost -Beethoven: Mass in C Major, Op. 86 June 7 Music Instrumental Sunday Celebrating Our Children On Sunday, December 20, 2015, during our 9:30 a.m. Downtown Sunday Worship Service, our Children’s Music Ministries will present the Christmas musical Why the Chimes Rang by Julia R. Neufeld & Margaret R. Tucker, based on a classic Christmas Story. Under the direction of Carole DeHart, Director of FUMC Children’s Choirs, all of our FUMC Children’s Choirs will participate including the Epworth Choir, Children’s Handchimes Choir, Carol Choir & Cherub Choir. On Sunday, May 22, 2016, at 11:15 a.m., during our Sunday Morning Worship Service, our Children’s Ensembles will also present a spring musical, Oh, Jonah! by Allen Pote & Carole McCann. Be sure to mark your calendars for these special offerings by our youngest musicians and future Christian Arts leaders. For more information regarding Children’s Music at FUMC, contact Carole DeHart at [email protected].

For more information about our Music and Arts Ministries, contact our Minister of Music, Dr. Ann Marie Koukios at [email protected]. Thanks to Our Gold and Silver Season Sponsors! NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID ANN ARBOR, MI PERMIT NO. 47 First United Methodist Church Ann Arbor 120 South State Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104