Arts & Entertainment

Musician from page 45

time with kids and has
a great approach to
the public:' says Matt
Engelbert, a former
Oak Parker and current
Ann Arbor resident and
attorney.
Engelbert also is
JN Publisher
director
of the chari-
Arthur Horwitz
table Bernard L. Maas
Foundation in Ann
Arbor and is on the
41-member A2S0
board, which includes
some students from the
University of Michigan
and local high schools.
He's a strong supporter
Matt
of the regional Jewish
Engelbert
community concept and
of bringing the A2S0 to
the Berman Center.
"It's easy to tell that
music means [every-
thing] to Arie. Children
are bused in from near-
by cities for concerts
each year and it's great
Leslie Bash
to see them excited and
dancing to the music.
When they played Star Wars-type music
recently, Arie even used a Darth Vader
light saber to conduct instead of a baton."
Engelbert foresees "some kind of new
partnerships" for the A2S0, hopefully with

Maestro Arie Lipsky plays the cello at a free KinderConcert for 2- to 6-year-olds

and their parents at the Ypsilanti District Library.

the JCC in West Bloomfield, "because we're
faced with the horrible reality, like many
other arts organizations, of dwindling
funds from the state and fewer philanthrop-
ic donations. Arie is attuned to all of this.
He understands the value of every penny"
Each season, the A2S0 plays six main-
stage Saturday concerts; three Sunday
family concerts; five Wednesday chamber
music concerts, called "Afternoon Delights:'
at the Jewish Community Center in Ann
Arbor and at some assisted living residenc-
es, which help accommodate patrons "who

New Sound For New Center?

W

hen the new Mandell
and Madeline Berman
Performing Arts Center
opens on the Jewish Community Center
campus in West Bloomfield next spring,
it may be accompanied by a new
sound in the local Jewish community
— belonging to the
Ann Arbor Symphony
Orchestra (A250).
Construction will
begin in a few weeks
on the $6.6-million
center, spearheaded
by a $4-million gift
Mandell
from the Bermans of
Berman
Franklin. The dona-
tion was announced
last June, followed by
a ceremonial ground-
breaking. Completion
was originally sched-
uled for summer 2010,
but various delays
caused the completion
Mark A. Lit
date to fall behind.

48

April 22 2010

"But I'm comfortable with the new
date said Berman, who long has been
involved in philanthropy, both in the
Jewish and secular communities. "My
wife and I are happy to be making a gift
that will be useful to both the Jewish and
general communities."
Detroit Jewish News Publisher Arthur
Horwitz has taken the initiative "to redefine
our Detroit-area Jewish community nar-
rative to make it a Southeastern Michigan
community narrative and to be better able
to look at Ann Arbor as part of our Jewish
future," says Horwitz. "Ann Arbor is one of
America's great college towns and a rela-
tively strong economic engine."
At a meeting of community leaders
arranged by Horwitz, it was decided that
part of the initiative's plan would be to
connect with Ann Arbor arts organiza-
tions and possibly bring the A2S0 to the
Detroit area.
Berman, 92, said he would be "delight-
ed" to have the A2S0 play in the Berman
center, "but it's really not my call; it's up to
the symphony and the JCC."

don't drive at night"; 13 Kinder Concerts; a
Side by Side series, where musician groups
— including Lipsky — play along with
high-school students; and a Stained Glass
series, where 30-40 musicians perform at
local synagogues.
"Arie has been a wonderful addition to
the Ann Arbor cultural community; he
has made a great impact here — as a con-
ductor, performer, lecturer and goodwill
ambassador for the symphony:' says Leslie
Bash of West Bloomfield, who has been
executive director of the JCC in Ann Arbor

Mary Steffek Blaske, A2S0 executive
director, said further discussions have
been held on the possibility, "and we
hope to work out a plan" while the arts
center is being completed. Mark A. Lit,
JCC executive director, said he met with
A2S0 Music Director and Conductor
Arie Lipsky, "and we will continue to dis-
cuss some type of financial partnership
arrangement."
Lit said he is pleased that $2.2 million
has been raised so far for the Berman cen-
ter "over and above the Bermans' gift, but I
would like to raise the rest of the money by
the time the bulldozers start operating:'
Sachse Construction and Development
Co. of Birmingham won the contract
for the work among 200 bidders. The
structure's designer is Neumann/Smith
Architecture of Southfield.
The 15,000-square-foot center will
rise on the east side of the JCC building
in West Bloomfield, next to the Janice
Charach Gallery, with a unique outside
entrance. It will have 350 seats (expand-
able to more than 600), a computer-
ized lighting system and a state-of-the
art sound system and acoustics. It will
include a full backstage area, with dress-

for the past eight years. "He's especially
popular at our center here and is a favorite
among youngsters and seniors alike."
In between all of his A2S0 commit-
ments, Lipsky is in and out of schools,
mentoring student cellists, sometimes
giving what amounts to individual cello
lessons, as well as performing in ensemble
groups. "My emphasis is to cater to the
entire community:' he points out. The
A2S0 budget is less than $1 million
annually, "but we have the same quality
symphony of an organization 20 times our
budget."
However, the economic downturn has
forced the A2S0 to make some cutbacks,
and Lipsky is selecting repertoires that
don't require additional musicians.
"The best way to keep a competitive
edge is to always concentrate on excel-
lence," Lipsky asserts. "We have a lot of
competition from world-renowned sym-
phony orchestras coming to Ann Arbor,
but we have our own loyal support base.
We do very well here; many of our con-
certs are sold out."
Lipsky relaxes by performing, con-
ducting and just listening to music for
two months each summer at the famous
Chautauqua Music Festival in western
New York State. His favorite composers
are Mozart and Mahler — but even he
sometimes listens to Detroit-area rapper
Eminem. "It never choits' to hear the other
side he says. ❑

ing rooms, a green room, a shop, offices,
storage space and rooms for acting, sing-
ing and dancing lessons.
The arts center will be the site of many
JCC-sponsored programs, such as the
Stephen Gottlieb Music Festival, Lenore
Marwil Jewish Film Festival events,
annual Jewish Book Fair presentations and
Seminars for Adult Jewish Enrichment
lectures. The Jewish Ensemble Theatre and
the Frankel Jewish Academy, both housed
in the JCC in West Bloomfield, will present
some shows there, including musicals.
"An Arie Lipsky/A2S0 presence at
the Berman Center would be excellent
for them and our Jewish community,"
says Horwitz, "and excellent for building
the connective tissue we need to posi-
tion ourselves as a great Southeastern
Michigan Jewish community. Lipsky is a
distinguished musician, conductor and
educatm"
Berman revealed that upon his death, an
additional $2 million is to be donated from
his estate to the performing arts center "to
keep it operating for a long time."
But he added, "I'm not anxious to go
anywhere:'

❑

— Bill Carroll