Events
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Observer Editor
Ari Axelrod: Kerrytown Concert House
MoreSee 19 Thursday. Today, Axelrod reprises his program, L’chaim!, performed at KCH in March 2026. Built around songs that give him chills and celebrate the gift of life, the program blends Broadway, Jewish, and international music. 2–4 p.m.
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FreeObserver Editor
Michigan Youth Jazz Orchestra: U-M Music School
MoreDennis Wilson directs high school students from around the state in a program of big band jazz standards. 2 p.m., U-M Moore Bldg. Hankinson Rehearsal Hall, 1100 Baits. Free. (734) 764–0538.
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FreeObserver Editor
Ann Arbor Storytellers’ Guild
MoreAll invited to listen to guild members swap stories or bring their own to tell. 2–4 p.m., Schuler Books, Westgate Shopping Center. Free. annarborstorytelling.org.
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Observer Editor
“Chasing Clouds”: Penny Seats Theatre Company
MoreNov. 20–Dec. 6. Lauren London directs local actors in local playwright Michael Alan Herman’s existential fantasy comedy-drama about a pair of elderly farmers who farm clouds for their silver linings as they struggle to keep their farm—and their relationship—intact. 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 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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Observer Editor
“Silent Sky”: Dexter Community Players
MoreNov. 20–22. Members of this local theater troupe perform Lauren Gunderson’s 2015 biographical drama, a fictionalized retelling of the story of the 1926 Nobel Prize–nominated Harvard astronomer Henrietta Leavitt. 7 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.), Columbus Hall, 8265 Dexter-Chelsea Rd., Dexter. Tickets $20 (students & seniors, $15) in advance at dcp.yapsody.com & at the door.
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Observer Editor
“West Side Story”: U-M MUSKET
MoreNov. 20–22. Gonzalo Delgado directs fellow U-M students in Arthur Laurents’ spirited musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, set in New York and featuring the rival street gangs the Sharks and the Jets. The beloved Leonard Bernstein–Stephen Sondheim score includes such favorites as “Maria,” “Tonight,” and “America.” 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Power Center. Tickets $15 (students and kids age 12 & under, $9) in advance at ummusket.org & at the door. [email protected].
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FreeObserver Editor
“Recollections, Change, & Hope”: Washtenaw Chorale
MoreAlex Cave directs this 40-member local choir in a program that includes songs from musical theater, Americana, and pieces by contemporary composers, as well as Scottish favorites “Skye Boat Song” and “Loch Lomond.” Cellist Carol Gagliardi joins the chorale in Elaine Hagenberg’s “Refuge” and Paul Langford’s (arr.) “When October Goes/Autumn Leaves.” 3 p.m., Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1500 Scio Church Rd. Free; donations appreciated. (734) 649–2766, washtenawchorale.org.
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Observer Editor
Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony Concerts: EMU Music Department
MoreMary Schneider and J. Nick Smith direct these music student ensembles in a joint performance. 3–5 p.m., EMU Pease Auditorium, 494 College Pl., Ypsi. Tickets $8 (EMU students & kids, free) only at emich.ludus.com. (734) 487–4143, [email protected].
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FreeObserver Editor
“Cold Reads, New Plays”: Forge Theater
MoreAll invited to participate in, or just listen to, readings of new theater works by Forge members. 3–5 p.m., 3000 Packard, ste. B (entrance on Platt behind Little Caesars). Preregistration requested at forgetheatercollaborative.com. Free. (734) 219–9434.
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FreeObserver Editor
“Cooking to the President’s Taste: Asian Heritage Chefs in White House History”: Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor
MoreChefs and coauthors Adrian Miller and Deborah Chang discuss their book about chefs who have served US presidents on yachts, at retreats, and in the White House. 4–5:30 p.m., AADL Downtown, 4th fl. Also via YouTube; URL at culinaryhistoriansannarbor.org or aadl.org/events. Free. (734) 327–4200.
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Observer Editor
“Fragments”: Ann Arbor Grail Singers
MoreJacob Carroll directs this women’s early-music choir in a program that juxtaposes English choral music of the Renaissance with the medieval-era music of the Notre Dame school of polyphony. Works include John Dunstable’s Magnificat, John Taverner’s Missa Playnsong, and a selection of Gregorian chants dedicated to holy women. Also, the premiere of four short pieces composed for the Grail Singers by Nora Farley, with text from the Sappho fragments. Accompaniment by Abigail Petersen on chamber organ. 4 p.m., St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 306 N. Division. Tickets $20 (seniors, $15; students, $10) at annarborgrailsingers.org & (if available) by cash or check at the door. (415) 662–0631, annarborgrailsingers.org.
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Nightspots
Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings.: Zal Gaz Grotto
MoreZal Gaz Grotto 2070 W. Stadium, Ann ArborLocal 10-piece big band led by tubaist Chris Smith that specializes in the old-time big band music of the late 1920s and early 1930s associated with Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver.
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Observer Editor
“Mic Drop”: Hear.Say Brewing + Theater
MoreExperienced improvisers compete by improvising songs with live accompaniment. Followed at 7:30 p.m. by a pay-what-you-want Musical Improv Jam: All invited to sing or move in musical/comical improv games and exercises led by a facilitator and accompanist. No experience required. Spectators welcome. 6:30 p.m., 2350 W. Liberty. $15 in advance at heardotsay.com/events & $18 (if available) at the door.
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Observer Editor
Campus Orchestras: U-M Music School
MoreGrad student conductors lead these ensembles of nonmusic majors in a program highlighted by Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 and Alexander Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, along with works by Puccini, Hubert Parry, Beethoven, Bizet, and Enrique Granados. Preceded at 6:15 p.m. by a brief talk. 7 p.m., Hill Auditorium. Free. (734) 764–0583.
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FreeObserver Editor
Percussion Ensemble: U-M Music School
MoreThis U-M student ensemble performs a program of percussion works TBA. 7 p.m., U-M Moore Bldg. Hankinson Rehearsal Hall, 1100 Baits, North Campus. Free. (734) 764–0583.
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FreeObserver Editor
Orpheus Singers: U-M Music School
MoreThis small choir of music students, accompanied by student musicians, performs a program highlighted by Kim D. Sherman’s The Promise of America, a new song cycle that explores the impact of different constitutional amendments on the American people. Also, Moses Hogan’s I Can Tell the World, William Grant Still’s Plain-Chant for America, and Randall Thompson’s Frostiana. 7 p.m., U-M Walgreen Drama Center Stamps Auditorium, 1226 Murfin. Free. (734) 764–0583.
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FreeObserver Editor
Small Jazz Ensembles: U-M Music School
MoreNov. 22 & 23. Dennis Wilson leads this music major ensemble in a program of contemporary jazz and standards. 7 p.m., U-M Earl V. Moore Bldg., McIntosh Theatre, 1100 Baits. Free. (734) 764–0583.
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Nightspots
Jazz Jam Session.: Ann Arbor Funhouse
MoreAnn Arbor Funhouse 207 E. Washington., Ann ArborJazz ensemble led by veteran local drummer Pete Siers and saxophonist Kenji Lee (see Blue Llama).
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FreeObserver Editor
“Making Modern Homes in Mid-Century Ann Arbor”: Ann Arbor District Library
MoreArchitectural historian Deirdre Hennebury discusses local buildings designed in the mid-century modern style. 6–7:30 p.m., AADL Downtown, 4th fl. Free. (734) 327–4200.
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Observer Editor
“Famous Men”: Literati Book Club
MoreAll invited to join a discussion of local writer Julie Buntin’s new novel about a young woman looking for a father and finding herself. Buntin will be in attendance and signing books. 6 p.m., 124 E. Washington. Tickets $5 (can be redeemed for store credit) in advance only at literatibookstore.com. (734) 585–5567.
