The University Musical Society (UMS) is one of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, and we are lucky that they are based in Ann Arbor. UMS has a family program, where parents can buy two kids tickets for $10 each, and an adult ticket for $20. They reserve a block of seats for what they call the Classical Kids Club. Two weeks before an event, you can call the UMS Ticket Office at 734-764-2538. Even if a concert is completely sold out, they will have seats reserved for this Classical Kids Club!
For these UMS Classical Kids Club concerts, I recommend: Venice Baroque Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and any of the Takacs Quartet concerts.
I would highly suggest the Halloween Orchestra Concert, on October 30, 2011, 3pm or 7:30pm @ Hill Auditorium. Also a great concert is the Collage Concert, on January 14, 2012, 8pm @ Hill Auditorium. This concert is a collage of orchestra, band, choir, small ensembles, and solo instruments playing all sorts of different music without stopping. Just a few minutes of each group. Both concerts are fantastic for kids and adults alike! Call the League Ticket Office for tickets, 734-764-2538.
You can go to the Featured Events page, where there is a summary of concerts. You can also look at the Complete Listing for all of the student, faculty, and guest recitals. I would suggest any recital that features the cello.
The Sphinx Competition is an extremely high-level string competition for Black and Latino students. Each year, the Sphinx Competition concert is some of the finest string playing by young adults that Michigan has a chance to witness. The finalists perform sometime in February, 2011 in Detroit. The exact date isn't clear at this time. The orchestra that accompanies the competitors, comprised of all Black and Latino musicians, is extremely talented, but the spotlight is on the soloists. I have never been to one of the Sphinx concerts, but I hear that they are moving and inspiring at the same time. Visit the Sphinx website for more up-to-date information.
Andrea's performances are listed on the Calendar section of this website.
Of course there will be many other concerts that will happen during the year that I don't know about at this time. If you know of anything, let me know so I can list it!