October has arrived and there is something for everyone here in Ann Arbor. Take a look at a few of the events happening around town this month!

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October 04, 2012

UMS Presents: Basiani

Can music transcend? Ensemble “Basiani” was created in 2000 with the blessing of Ilia II – Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia.

UMS is pleased to introduce to Michigan audiences the highly praised choral/folk music ensemble, Basiani, from the Republic of Georgia. The extraordinary program performed by Basiani is representative of Georgia’s musical heritage and comprises samples from almost every geographical region of the Republic. It is an exceptional, highly memorable performance that embraces the range and variety of Georgian folk culture and its distinctive, highly developed forms of polyphony – a central aspect of the cultural legacy that led to UNESCO’s designation in 2001 of Georgian folklore as a masterpiece of the spiritual treasury of the world’s “non-material” culture (which includes folk traditions as a bearer of cultural heritage).

Commenting on their 2010 appearance at Lincoln Center as part of a Mostly Mozart program, James Oestreich wrote in The New York Times that Basiani’s performance of “Georgian polyphony descended from an ancient tradition… stole the main show [at Alice Tully Hall]…. The ensemble, singing in close harmony, presented sacred and folk music displaying polyphonic devices ranging from simple drones to intricately interwoven melodies, which often crossed or combined to produce harmonies pungent to the Western ear.” UMS looks forward to sharing the vocal mastery of this magnificent musical ensemble in a program of discovery and revelation.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 2250 East Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor
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When: Thursday October 04, 2012 at 7:30pm
Cost: $25-35

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October 07, 2012

“Journey to Freedom” Underground Railroad Bus Tour

The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes, hidden places, determined citizens and self-liberated people of color seeking freedom. Two essential routes to Detroit and ultimate safety in Canada crossed in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Discover the role Washtenaw County played on this docent guided tour by the exteriors of local and nationally-known Underground Railroad landmarks, sites and homes.

The tour season runs April-October, we also offer talks and presentations. Those without transportation are encouraged to call at least three weeks before the scheduled dates.

African-American Cultural and Historical Museum, 3261 Lohr Road Ann Arbor
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When: Sunday October 07, 2012; 2 – 5pm
Cost: $20 per person / without transportation
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Oct. 11, 2012 – Oct. 13, 2012

UMS Presents: Theatre de la Ville: Ionesco’s Rhinoceros

Can performance create tension and inspiration? A farce. A tragedy. An experiment of the mind. Rhinoceros was first written as a short story in 1957 by Eugène Ionesco, who was influenced by his time in Romania as a young man, when nearly everyone around him converted to fascism.  The animals in the play represent authority in all of its horrific glory. Rhinoceros was the first time Ionesco wrote characters with a plausible psychology, and he used the conventions of theater to tell a story about protest and conformity.

Rhinoceros is a parable about French collaboration with the Nazis. It begins in a small town square where Jean meets his apathetic friend Berenger for a drink. Soon a rhinoceros runs through the square, shocking all except Berenger.  As the square is overrun with rhinos, people in the town transform into rhinos as well. Berenger, on the other hand, transforms from indifference and aimlessness to a strong human identity with something to believe in and fight against: the tyranny of the rhinos.  It all serves as a metaphor for people resisting the crowd and standing up for their own ideas.

Ionesco is considered a leader of the “Theater of the Absurd” – plays in this style suggest that human existence has no meaning.  Playwrights whose work is often characterized in this style also include Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Fernando Arrabal, and Edward Albee.

Experimental, emotional, and emphatic – this performance is not to be missed.

Power Center for the Performing Arts, 121 Fletcher Street, Ann Arbor
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When: 10/11–7:30pm, 10/12–8:00pm, 10/13–8:00pm
Cost: $18-48
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Oct. 20, 2012 – Oct. 21, 2012

Ann Arbor Antiques Market

In 2012, the Ann Arbor Antiques Market will continue its tradition as a mainstay in the field of antiques and select collectibles. The Market offers the public a vast selection of quality antiques in the comfortable surroundings of seven buildings and numerous tent canopies.

For 44 years the Ann Arbor Antiques Market has offered a wide range of quality antiques and collectibles to buyers throughout the United States and Canada.
Exhibitors have sucessfully offered for sale every type of antique imaginable from early Americana to Art Deco. The large crowds at each show have provided dealers with knowledgeable customers and have given an economic boost to the entire field of diversified collecting throughout the years.

Washtenaw County Farm Council Fairgrounds, 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Road, Ann Arbor
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When: To be Announced
Cost: To Be Announced

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October 27, 2012

UMS Presents: The Mariinsky Orchestra of St. Petersburg

Can emotion be performed? Valery Gergiev has long been associated with the Mariinsky (formerly known as the Kirov) Orchestra – including 11 previous UMS appearances.

This program features Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, which had its world premiere in 1913 in Paris, just 16 days after Hill Auditorium opened. The ballet, with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, caused a scandal, yet it has had a tremendous impact on music for the past 100 years and is now considered a masterpiece of the 20th century.

The concert also features piano soloist Denis Matsuev, who made his UMS debut with the Mariinsky in October 2010 and returned for an equally stunning recital in January 2012. He returns as piano soloist for Shostakovich’s Concerto in c minor for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra.

“Ever since his triumph in the 1998 Tchaikovsky Competition, Denis Matsuev’s name has inspired awe and amazement in musical circles. And for once, the hype…is, if anything, low-pitched. For here is a virtuoso in the grandest of Russian traditions…” (Gramophon Magazine)

Hill Auditorium, 825 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor
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When: Saturday October 27, 2012 at 8:00pm
Cost: $10-80

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October 28, 2012

Annual Family Halloween Party

Have a Halloween that’s fun, safe and educational as well!  By combining entertaining activities with informal science learning, the Exhibit Museum’s Family Halloween Party has become one of the most popular Halloween activities in the area.

Partygoers will journey through the Museum, discovering special stations and displays full of hands-on activities.  Many favorite stations will be back, along with new stations, and live animals.

Come in costume (not required, but recommended) and don’t forget your goodie bag – we”ll be handing out treats.  The party is suitable for all ages, and is FREE!  No reservations or tickets are necessary.

Exhibit Museum of Natural History, 1109 Geddes Ave, Ann Arbor
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When: Sunday October 28, 2012: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Cost: This is a free event.
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Oct. 31, 2012 – Nov. 03, 2012

Kerrytown Concert House presents: 16th Annual Edgefest

The 16th annual Edgefest (October 31 – Nov 3, 2012) will explore new music created by today’s American improvisers and composers who now, more than ever, are reaching back to multiple artistic roots, reflecting a growing awareness of the cultural complexity of contemporary American society.  The accumulations of different origins, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, filtered by contemporary, uniquely American experiences, have produced a cornucopia of new music; a blending of improvisational-avant jazz with the composers’ own—often multiple–artistic/cultural roots. 

In the tradition of Edgefest the roster includes international musicians as well as performers and ensembles from our home community of Southeast Michigan and showcases some of the most celebrated and creative multi-instrumentalists on the scene today.

415 North 4th Avenue, Ann Arbor
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When: Oct. 31, 2012 – Nov. 03, 2012; 7:00p.m. & 9:30p.m.
Cost: $10 -$30 Individual events, $135 Edgepass, $50 Saturday daypass
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Click here to view community events in Ann Arbor, MI for the month of September.

To view the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau,
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