Events
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Observer Editor
Robert Spalding Newcomb: Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth Cafe 704
MoreThis world-based music local multi-instrumentalist plays a rare solo performance of electro-acoustic structured improvisations on guitar, sitar, keyboard, drum pad and electronics. 7–9 p.m., 704 Airport Blvd., ste. 1. Sliding scale tickets $10–$20 at the door only. Livestream available ($10 in advance only at interfaithspirit.org/cafe-704-coffeehouse). (734) 657–5384, [email protected].
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Observer Editor
“Maestro”: Theatre Nova
MoreEvery Fri.–Sun., Sept. 25–Oct. 18. Briana O’Neal directs local actors in Michigan playwright Michael Alan Herman’s cheeky comedy of manners about two 18th-century Viennese composers who go to ridiculous lengths to compete for a recently vacated royal court position. 8 p.m. (Fri.), 3 & 7 p.m. (Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.). Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $33 (seniors, $30; students, $20) in advance at theatrenova.org & (if available) at the door. (734) 635–8450.
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Observer Editor
“Metamorphoses”: EMU Theatre Department
MoreOct. 8–11. Jennifer Felts directs EMU drama students in Mary Zimmerman’s 1996 adaptation of the 1st–century Roman poet Ovid’s epic masterpiece. Includes such familiar stories as “King Midas,” “Narcissus,” and “Orpheus & Eurydice.” Suggested for ages 13 & up. 7 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), EMU Legacy Theatre, 1031 E. Circle Dr., Ypsi. Tickets $20 (seniors, $15; students, $12; kids 6–12, $7) in advance at emich.ludus.com, at the box office (10 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri.), & (if available) at the door. $5.80 parking pass required if parking on site. (734) 487–2282.
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Observer Editor
U-M Volleyball
MoreU-M Volleyball vs. Iowa (7 p.m.). The U-M also has home matches this month against Oregon (Oct. 10, 7 p.m.), Nebraska (Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m.), and Indiana (Oct. 31, 7 p.m.). Crisler Center, 333 E. Stadium. $8 & $10 (groups of 10 or more, $3 each). (734) 764–0247, mgoblue.com.
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Observer Editor
U-M Ice Hockey
MoreGame vs. Bowling Green. This month’s schedule also includes a double header against Alaska Anchorage (Oct. 9 & 10) and WMU (Oct. 23). All games are likely to sell out. 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, 1016 S. State. Tickets $100 & up at stubhub.com/michigan-wolverines-hockey-tickets. (734) 764–0247.
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Nightspots
Terry Farmer & The Cinematic Trio.: JD’s Stage
MoreJD’s Stage 117 ½ S. Main, Chelsea, Michigan, United StatesEnsemble led by Farmer, a longtime Detroit-area singer-songwriter and guitarist who spent 2 years as lead guitarist for Jan & Dean, co-founded the chamber folk group Cairn to Cairn, and taught classical guitar at the Cleveland Institute of Music. With keyboardists Neil Donato and Dale Grisa. Tonight they are joined by Detroit-area Americana pop-rock singer-songwriter Amy Petty.
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Nightspots
Kylee Bernel.: Moonwinks Tavern
MoreMoonwinks Tavern 5151 Plymouth Rd. (734) 994-5151.Local pop-folk singer-songwriter.
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Nightspots
Rounding Third.: Ypsi Alehouse
MoreYpsi Alehouse 124 Pearl, #100, Ypsilanti, YpsilantiLocal folk-rock quartet with bluegrass & Irish music flavors whose instrumentation features guitars, banjo, flute, and keyboard.
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Nightspots
Rick Burgess Trio.: Earle
MoreEarle 121 W. Washington, Ann ArborJazz ensemble, named after the late jazz pianist and Earle cofounder Burgess, featuring drummer Robert Warren and a rotating roster of bassists and pianists.
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Observer Editor
“The Blair Witch Project”: Michigan Theater
MoreFilm screenings every day. Tickets $11.75 unless otherwise noted (children under 12, students, seniors age 65 & older, and U.S. veterans, $9.75; Marquee Arts members, $8) in advance online (recommended) & at the door. For updated schedule, see marquee-arts.org/calendar.
Oct. 10: “The Blair Witch Project” (Eduardo Sanchez & Daniel Myrick, 1999). Wildly successful horror flick about the disappearance of 3 student filmmakers in a Maryland woods. It did not originate, but it popularized, the found footage technique. Followed by Q&A with codirector Myrick. 7 p.m.
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Nightspots
Sean Dobbins.: Blue LLama
MoreBlue LLama 314 S. Main, Ann ArborEnsemble led by this veteran local drummer.
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Observer Editor
“Night Terrors”: Wiard’s Orchards
MoreEvery Fri.–Sun. A haunted hayride, a ghostly mental asylum, and three more scary attractions, all bristling with scores of costumed monsters. Refreshments available from the Wiard’s Country Store. Recommended for ages 12 & up. 7:15–11:30 p.m., 5565 Merritt, Ypsi. Tickets $36–$65 in advance only at hauntedhousemichigan.com. (734) 390–9212.
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Observer Editor
30th Annual Edgefest: Kerrytown Concert House
More30th Annual Edgefest: Kerrytown Concert House. Oct. 7–10. One of the world’s 50 top jazz/avant music festivals, according to DownBeat, this annual event includes multiple shows over 4 days. Today: Experimental improvised electronic jazz duo Junk Jazz (2 p.m.) comprises drummer Djallo Djakate and vocalist-keyboardist Aya Sekine. Vinny Golia/Ken Filiano/Michael TA Thompson (3 p.m.) celebrate reed player Golia’s 80th birthday with multi-layered improvisations—“not just technical brilliance, but a raw, responsive musical empathy,” according to a Free Jazz Collective reviewer. Acclaimed Iraqi American composer, trumpeter, and multi-instrumentalist Amir ElSaffar’s New Quartet (4 p.m.) widens the musical parameters of jazz with microtonal tunings borrowed from Arabic maqam music. Pianist Craig Taborn (7:30 p.m.), known for modular improvising that builds on small units of melody and rhythm, gives a solo concert. Festival honoree and master Detroit saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell (8:30 p.m., see 8 Thursday listing) appears with a mix of featured Detroit-area musicians to round out the festival. 2, 3, 4, 7:30, & 8:30 p.m., Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. Tickets $20 per show (students, age 18 & under, $10) in advance at kerrytownconcerthouse.com & (if available) at the door. $70 day passes (Saturday, $100) and $240–$390 full festival passes in advance only online & by phone. (734) 769–2999.
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Observer Editor
Charlie King & Annie Patterson: Michigan Immigrant Rights Center Fundraiser
MoreVeteran East Coast singer-songwriter King, who composes in the populist tradition of Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs, is widely regarded as one of the finest contemporary topical songwriters. He’s joined by veteran Massachusetts songwriter Patterson, an accomplished folk performer and jazz vocalist, who co-wrote the popular song books Rise Up Singing and Rise Again. Proceeds benefit this nonprofit legal resource center. 7:30 p.m., Genesis of Ann Arbor, 2309 Packard. Tickets $25 (students & low income, $10; kids age 5, free) in advance at charliekingconcert.eventbrite.com & (if available) at the door.
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Free
Observer Editor
“Crumbs from the Table of Joy”: U-M Theatre Department
MoreOct. 8–10. U-M drama faculty perform a studio production of Pulitzer-winning playwright Lynn Nottage’s acclaimed 1995 drama, a coming-of-age story set in the 1950s against the backdrop of the Great Migration, about a Black teenager who moves with her father and sister from Florida to Brooklyn following the death of her mother. 8 p.m. (Thurs.), 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sat.), U-M Walgreen Drama Center, Newman Studio, 1226 Murfin. Free. (734) 764–0583.
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Observer Editor
2nd Saturday Contra Dance: Ann Arbor Community for Traditional Music and Dance
MoreMembers of the executive board of the Country Dance and Song Society call to music by Grant Flick and friends. Bring clean-soled, nonslip flat shoes. Beginners’ intro at 7 p.m. 7:30–10:30 p.m., Concourse Hall, 4531 Concourse. $10 suggested donation (pay what you can). [email protected].
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Observer Editor
“Bastard”: Purple Rose Theatre Company
MoreEvery Wed.–Sun., Sept. 24–Dec. 20. Rhiannon Ragland directs retired Detroit newscaster and playwright Devin Scillian’s family comedy-drama about a conflict between brothers—an aging country rocker and a buttoned-down finance guy—after their mother’s death. Adult language and subject matter. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 2 p.m. (Sun.), & 3 p.m. (Sat. & Wed.). 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $31.50–$52.50 in advance at purplerosetheatre.org, (734) 433–7673, & (if available) at the door. Discounts available.
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Observer Editor
“The Opera Ghost”: Penny Seats Theatre Company
MoreOctober 2–17. Brandy Joe Plambeck directs local actors in Joseph Zettelmaier’s new gothic drama. Deep beneath the famed Palais Garnier Opera House, a mysterious masked man recalls the events of his ghoulish life, which is nearing its end. Adult topics. 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 7 p.m. (Sun.). Cahoots, 206 E. Huron St. Tickets $28 (students, $20; seniors, $25), in advance at pennyseats.org & (if available) at the door. (734) 926–5346, [email protected].
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Free
Observer Editor
Berofsky Piano Quartet: U-M Music School
MoreThe local Berofsky family (see the October 2026 Ann Arborite) includes 2 U-M music professors—violist Kathryn Votapek and violinist Aaron Berofsky, who are also the Ann Arbor Symphony associate concertmaster and concertmaster, respectively—and their sons, pianist Charles and cellist Sebastian, who are both pursuing graduate degrees at Juilliard. The program includes piano quartets by Beethoven, Dvořák, and movie score composer Danny Elfman. 8 p.m., Britton Recital Hall, 1100 Baits. Free.
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Observer Editor
Brad Phillips: Rancho Tranquilico
MoreHouse concert by this nationally renowned Saline-bred multi-instrumental string virtuoso and multi-genre singer-songwriter whose one-man show includes traditional music, popular covers, and originals, all performed on guitar, fiddle, or mandolin. BYOB. No tobacco products or pets. 8 p.m. (doors 7:30 p.m.), 11300 Island Lake Rd., Dexter. Park along the driveway. $25 payable via Venmo: @bradphillipsmusicllc. Preregistration required; space limited. (734) 223–2321, [email protected].
