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.