Best Bets
LOTS OF MAAZEL
The New York Philharmonic — founded more
than 160 years ago and by far the oldest symphony
orchestra in the United
States — returns to Ann
Arbor's Hill Auditorium for
the first time in 33 years
with two concert programs
under the leadership of
American-born Jewish music
director Lorin Maazel.
At 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb.
5, the orchestra will perform
Mozart's Symphony No. 29 in
A Major and Mahler's
Symphony No. 5 in c-sharp
Lorin Maazel
minor. The 4 p.m. Sunday,
Feb. 6, program includes
Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in
e minor and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.
Tickets are $10-$90. Go to www.ums.org or call
(734) 764-2538.
STAGED READINGS
From Feb. 7-March 1, the Jewish Ensemble
Theatre hosts the annual Seymour J. & Ethel S.
Frank Festival of New Plays, featuring staged read-
ings by professional actors followed by talkbacks
with the audience. Performances take place 7:30
p.m. Mondays at the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield and 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the JCC
in Oak Park.
Feb. 7-8: Anne X, written by Daneil Vilmure and
directed by Chris Hazlett, examines the life and
struggle of those who surrounded the famous Anne
Frank annex.
Feb. 14-15: The Journey of Nathan Strauss, written
by Steven A. Shapiro and directed by Harold
Jurkiewicz, spans World War II to the present and
explores the effect on the psyches of emotionally
Celebrity Jews
NATE BLOOM
Special to the Jewish News
Grammys 2005
This isn't the greatest year for Jewish Grammy
nominees, but there are always a few familiar faces
— and a few surprises.
The classical categories always feature several
Jewish nominees. This year LORIN MAAZEL
(See Best Bets in this week's Out & About), the
conductor of the New York Philharmonic, is dou-
ble nominated for Best Classical Album and for
Best Orchestral Performance. Another legend,
ANDRE PREVIN, who comes to Ann Arbor for
a University Musical Society concert with the
ttlf
2/ 3
2005
52
Rebecca Rosen (nee Perelman) in a cover
damaged children who begin a journey of
story that received lots of attention from
healing.
readers. Since then, Rosen has conducted
Feb. 21-22: Home: A Horror Story, writ-
thousands of readings, in which, she says,
ten by Robert L. Nelson and directed by
she connects the bereaved with their loved
Daniel Kahn, is the story of a dysfunc-
ones on "the other side."
tional family.
Rosen, whose mother directs the federa-
Feb. 28-March 1: The Labor of Life,
tion in Omaha, Neb., and whose brother
written by the late Israeli playwright
is a Conservative rabbi, developed — and
Hanoch Levin and directed by Darren
GAIL ZIMMERMAN
still maintains — a large following in
Locke, examines with comic irony how
Arts Editor
Detroit, although she has since moved to
different perceptions may be as a long-
Santa Monica, Calif, where she lives with
married couple views their life.
her husband, Brian, and their baby son, Jakob, and
Tickets are $5 for each reading. Call (248) 788-
where she conducts readings for everyday folks as
2900.
well as Hollywood celebrities.
She returns to the Detroit area later this month for
a visit, and while she won't be doing private readings,
THREE CULTURES
she is offering a couple of audience readings and
In conjunction with Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti Reads
workshops.
2005, the Ann Arbor District Library presents a lec-
Rosen will "read" as many members of the audi-
ture by Jonathan Glasser, of the University of
ence
(space limited to 400 people) as possible 2-4
Michigan's Near Eastern Studies Department, 7-8:30
p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, and
p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, in the downtown library's
7-9 p.m. Thursday, March
lower level Multipurpose Room.
3, at the William M.
Titled "Muslims, Christians and Jews in the World
Costick Activity Center,
the
presentation
—
using
visual
of Leo Africanus,"
Shannon Room, Entrance
materials, music and original documents translated
A, 28600 11 Mile Road, in
into English — will explore the historical and cultur-
Farmington Hills. The cost
al context for the many overlapping and often con-
is $35, with $5 from each
flicting worlds inhabited by Muslims, Christians and
ticket benefiting Touching
Jews in the Western Mediterranean during the post-
Hearts Inc.
1492 era.
Her workshops, tided
Amin Maalouf's novel Leo Africanus, translated by
"Unleash Your Psychic and
Peter Slugett, is written in the form of memoir and
Mediumship Abilities," take
explores the fictional adventures of a real-life Arab
Rebecca Rosen
place 12-4:30 p.m.
traveler and photographer. The book has been cho-
Saturday, March 5, and
sen as the focus of this Year's "Read."
Sunday,
March
6
(sold
out),
at the Costick Center,
For more information, go to vvvvw.aareads.com or
Wexford
Room,
Entrance
A.
Each is limited to 15
call (734) 327-4560.
participants, and the cost is $400.
For more information on Rosen, and to order tick-
ets, go to www.rebeccarosen.com or call (310) 451-
SPIRITUAL MESSENGER
In April 2001, the J/Vprofiled spiritual medium
Oslo Philharmonic and Annie Sophie Mutter on
March 12, is double nominated for Best
Contemporary Classical Composition and for
conducting the recording of this work (a violin
concerto performed by Annie Sophie Mutter).
Particularly interesting is the nomination of
DAVID FROST for Best Classical Producer of
the Year, Orchestral Performance, for five CDs
with a Jewish theme (subject matter and/or corn-
poser). These CDs were released via the Milken
Archive of American Jewish Music.
Moving over into the film score nominees,
you'll find HOWARD SHORE, who won an
Oscar last year for Lord of the Rings: Return of the
King and is Grammy nominated this year for the
same score. (In the same category is the famous
film composer DANNY ELFMAN, for Big Fish.)
Shore also is nominated for Best Son.- b for a
2882. ❑
Motion Picture ("Into the West") from Return of
the King, which competes with Counting Crow
,
rocker ADAM DURITZ's "Accidentally in Love,'
song ,
from Shrek 2. (Duritz, a co-writer of the soncr
just received a 2005 Oscar nomination). Finally,
in the related film compilation soundtrack catego-
ry, there's actor ZACH BRAFF, who directed,
wrote and starred in Garden State. He also pro-
duced the film's soundtrack CD.
In musical theater, Jewish composers usually
dominate; this year they snared four out of the
five nominations for Best Musical Cast Album:
JEFF MARX (the co-writer of Avenue Q);
STEPHEN SONDHEIM (Assassins); STEPHEN
SCHWARTZ (Wicked); and the late LEONARD
BERNSTEIN, the late ADOLPH GREEN and
CELEBRITY JEWS on page 54
FYI: For Arts and Life related events that you wish to have considered for Out & About, please send the item, with a detailed description of the event, times, dates, place, ticket prices and publishable phone number, to:
Gail Zimmerman, JN Out & About, The Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax us at (248) 304-8885; or e-mail to gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com Notice must be received
at least three weeks before the scheduled event. Photos are appreciated but cannot be returned. All events and dates listed in the Out & About column are subject to change.