Arts & Entertainment

About

Next Generation

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra pres-
ents its 11th annual Mozart Birthday Bash
— a celebration of Mozart's life and music
— 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Michigan
Theater in downtown Ann Arbor. Piano
prodigy Orion Weiss will perform the chal-
lenging Piano Concerto No. 21. Notable for
its lyrical second movement, the piece was
featured in the film Superman Returns.
Weiss, 25, has already established himself
as a prominent member of the next genera-
tion in classical music. He has played both
solo recital performances and with numer-
ous orchestras throughout the United States
and recently made his European debut at
the Musee du Louvre in Paris. In 2005, he
toured Israel with the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra conducted by Itzhak Perlman.
During fall 2007, Weiss toured the U.S.
with the Orchester der Klangverwaltung
Munich; he is set to release his debut
recording, a recital disc for Yarlung Records.
An "extraordinary young talent exhib-
iting maturity and depth bolstered by
remarkable technical skills," the 2004
Juilliard graduate (he continues to study
there with Emanuel Ax) won Kalamazoo's
Gilmore Young Artist Award at the Gilmore
International Keyboard Festival in 1999 as
well as a 2002 Avery Fisher Career Grant.
In 2005, Weiss was honored with the
Juilliard William Petschek Award.
The Lyndhurst, Ohio, native and son of

Drs. Dan and Miriam
a light yet firm hand to
Weiss, Orion now
some not-so-small pin-
resides in Manhattan.
nacle of spiritual satisfac-
On his Web site,
tion. And the food was
www.orionweiss.com ,
good, too!
he offers the follow-
"The mob of intel-
Gail Zimmerman
ing "news."
ligentsia was treated to
Arts Editor
"Thanks to an
such authentic Jewish
alert reader — my
staples as matzah ball
mom — I've become suddenly re-aware
soup, gefilte fish, charoset, and Haggadahs.
of a piece of unfairly neglected news: This The Haggadahs even had their staples left in!
past April, my family held Passover seders
That's how serious we were. It was just the
in New York, at my place, for the very first
start of what will be a growing and wonder-
time! How could I have almost forgotten?
ful tradition, with hopefully more and more
Thank you, iriam from Ohio!'
friends and family every year, until we have
"The meals were
to bulldoze the building
attended not only by
next door and set up a giant
members of my own
rented table on its smolder-
family but also by throngs ..;3.
ing foundation."
of impressive charac-
The AASO concert pro-
ters from the American
gram also includes Mozart's
intellectual stage. I won't
Overture to The Magic Flute
name names, especially
and Symphony No. 41 as
since taboo and avant-
well as Francaix's Hommage
garde subjects and other
a l'ami Papageno. Israel-
things too cool to even
born Maestro Arie Lipsky
describe were discussed
will preside over a pre-
with almost treasonous
concert discussion of the
abandon, but I can tell
evening's program at 7 p.m.
you that it was a veritable
Tickets are $10-$45,
who's who of people that
with senior and student
I know. My mom reigned Orion Weiss: "Fluent, graceful discounts available. (734)
supreme over the unruly and almost ethereally poetic" 994-4801 or www.a2so.
band of incredulous poly- are words that frequently
com.
maths, leading them with describe his music making.

Nate Bloom

Special to the Jewish News

Chilly Hebrews

The Jewish Sports Review newslet-
ter is out with its annual roundup of
Jews in pro and college hockey.
The returning pros: Mathieu
Schneider, 38, defenseman, moved
from the Detroit Red Wings to the
Anaheim Ducks after four years in
the Motor City;
now in his 18th
season, Schneider
is the highest-
scoring Jewish
player of all time
and has to be
judged the best
Jewish hockey
Michael
player of all time,
Cammalleri
period.
Jeff Halpern, 31, center, of the
Dallas Stars, is playing much bet-
ter this year than last. Michael
Cammalleri, 25, forward, of the
Los Angeles Kings, whose mother

C4

January 24 * 2008

is Jewish, played three seasons
of college hockey with the U-M
Wolverines and led the Kings in
goals and assists last year.
Eric Nystrom, 24, left wing, of
Calgary, played for U-M and is the
son of hockey great Bobby Nystrom.
Eric's mother is Jewish, and he
was raised Jewish. The one rookie
is Mike Brown, 22, a left wing with
Vancouver, who was called up in
November.
Two college players of special
interest: Jared Katz, a forward with
Wayne State in Detroit, is from St.
Clair Shores. Wyatt Russell, 21,
a freshman goalkeeper with the
University of Alabama in Huntsville,
is the son of actress Goldie Hawn
and actor Kurt Russell. (Hawn's
mother was Jewish, and the actress
was raised Jewish.) When contacted,
Wyatt said he identified as Jewish.

child, Max Liron Bratman, on Jan.
12. Her husband is music executive
Jordan Bratman, 30, whom she
married in a Jewish ceremony in
2006 after a four-year courtship.
On her Web
site, Aguilera
writes: "Max
Liron means
the 'greatest
joy' or the
'greatest song
in Hebrew."
Aguilera,
whose
career
Jordan Bratman
began
on
the
and Christina
1993
version
Aguilera
of The Mickey
Mouse Club on TV, is up for two
major Grammy Awards: best female
pop performance and best vocal col-
laboration (for "Steppin Out" with
Tony Bennett).

New Mom

SAG Awards
The Screen Actors Guild Awards

Famous pop singer Christina
Aguilera, 27, gave birth to her first

may be the only major film-TV

Folk Fest

The 31st annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival,
a fundraiser for the Ark, Ann Arbor's
nonprofit home for folk, roots and ethnic
music, takes place Friday and Saturday, Jan.
25-26, beginning at 6:30 p.m. each eve-
ning at Hill Auditorium on the University
of Michigan main campus. Folk-rocker
Jonathan Edwards emcees both nights.
Friday night's lineup includes Ben
Folds, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Shemekia
Copeland, Trina Hamlin, Down the Line,
Brian Vander Ark, Bichini Bia Congo
Dance Theater and Natalia Zukerman.
Zukerman is the daughter of two Jewish
classical musicians — American-born
flautist (and author) Eugenia Zukerman and
Israeli-born violinist, violist and conductor
Pinchas Zukerman — but found her style
when she took up the slide guitar and cre-
ated songs melding folk, jazz and blues.
Saturday night's lineup features
Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn
Colvin, Buddy Miller, Otis Taylor, Kenny
White, Mackie and the Rodeo Kings, Jill
Jack, Glen Phillips and Mr. B.
Tickets: $30-$45 for a single night; $50
and $80 for series tickets. (734) 763-TKTS
or www.ticketmaster.com .

Dynamic Dance

Russian composer Igor Stravins
embraced nearly every important musi-

awards ceremony to take place
as usual until the Writers Guild
strike is settled. The SAG awards
have a "waiver" from the writers
union, while the upcoming Oscars
do not, as of press time. The show
is scheduled to air 8 p.m. Sunday,
Jan. 27, on cable channels TNT and
TBS.

Jeremy Piven, Kyra Sedgwick

and Debra Messing are nominated
for individual acting awards for their
TV roles. Daniel Day-Lewis, 50, the
winner of the Golden Globe for best
dramatic film actor in There Will Be
Blood, is a favorite to win the SAG
award for best film actor for the
same role.
(Jewish Globe winners in film cat-
egories included Julian Schnabel,
best director for The Diving Bell and
the Butterfly, and brothers Ethan
and Joel Coen, best screenplay for
No Country for Old Men. Jewish
Globe winners in TV categories
included David Duchovny, best
actor in a musical or comedy series