Principal Investigators
University Musical Society
UMS
Affiliation
The University Musical Society, the U-M School of Music, Theater & Dance, the U-M College of Literature, Science and the Arts, the Grand Rapids Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Fiddler on the Roof in Concert
featuring the orchestrations of John Williams
With Broadway Stars, Students from U-M Musical Theatre Program, and Grand Rapids Symphony
Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 8:00 pm EST
Sunday, February 20, 2022 at 4:00 pm EST
Hill Auditorium
Visit the UMS site for tickets.
Free community events explore the major themes of the work and their ongoing significance in our lives today:
Roundtable Discussion (Online Event)
From There to Here: The Yiddish Origins and the Cultural Travels of Fiddler on the Roof
Wed Feb 16 at 12:00 pm
Registration is required at https://myumi.ch/5WJqA
This roundtable features scholars of the Jewish experience in Eastern Europe and specialists in Yiddish. Panelists will provide the historical context and geo-political setting of the musical, discuss the translation and adaptation of the original Yiddish text into English, explore Fiddler’s role in representations of Jews and Jewish culture in North America and Europe, and analyze the key themes of the play.
Moderator: Geneviève Zubrzycki, Director of the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, University of Michigan
- Panelists:
Mikhail Krutikov, Preston R. Tisch Professor of Judaic Studies, and Professor of Slavic Languages and Literature, University of MichiganAnita Norich, Tikva Frymer-Kensky Collegiate Professor Emerita of English and Judaic Studies, University of MichiganKarolina Szymaniak, Assistant professor in the Department of Jewish Studies at the University of WrocławPresented in partnership with the Copernicus Center for Polish Studies, the Center for Russian and East European Studies, and the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies
Discussion (Online Event)
Refugee Crises in Contemporary Europe, From the English Channel to the Polish-Belarusian Border
Fri Feb 18 at 12:00 pm
Registration for this webinar is required at https://myumi.ch/n878k
John A. Young, Senior Staff Development Officer (Protection) with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency, joins Geneviève Zubrzycki, professor of sociology at the University of Michigan and director of the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia. They explore the current crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border, which is taking place in the corner of Europe where the fictional shtetl of Anatevka was set, as well as concurrent crises, showing the ongoing relevance of a key theme of Fiddler: that of people forced from their home into desperate circumstances.
Presented in partnership with the Center for European Studies, the Copernicus Center for Polish Studies, the Center for Russian and East European Studies, and the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies
Exhibition
Fiddler on the Roof: A Story Told on Polish Posters
Tuesday, Feb 1–Friday, Mar 18
Weiser Hall Gallery Space (500 Church St, 5th floor, open 8:00-5:00 daily)
Polish posters are known throughout the world for their creativity and originality, contributing to global modern visual culture. UMS and the Copernicus Center for Polish Studies are proud to present a collection of Polish posters of Fiddler on the Roof from the last four decades. Each creation, by some of the most significant artists of the Polish School of Poster Design, uniquely captures an aspect of this rich musical play.
Pre-Performance Carillon Concert
Arrangements of Fiddler on the Roof
Sat Feb 19, 7:30-7:50 pm | Burton Memorial Tower
Sun Feb 20, 3:30-3:50 pm | Burton Memorial Tower
Spearheaded by U-M Robotics PhD candidate and carillonist Kevin Lieberman, who is also a past leader of U-M’s Jewish grad student community, arrangements of music from Fiddler on the Roof will be played by student carillonists at the Charles Baird Carillon at Burton Tower prior to Fiddler on the Roof performances at Hill Auditorium.
These performances are a project of UMS, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance/Department of Musical Theatre.
Lead Presenting Sponsors: Menakka and Essel Bailey, Ken and Noreen Buckfire, Patti Kenner, The Lester Family, University of Michigan School of Music Theater & Dance, and University of Michigan Arts Initiative.