“If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere. It’s up to you, New York, New York.” Kander & Ebb made a good point. New York City is a vast, competitive, dazzling, daunting labyrinth where the best of the best go to make their mark―especially among performing artists.

Just four days before the University of Michigan’s Homecoming in October, David A. Gier (BM ’83, trombone performance) began his tenure as the eighth dean of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Needless to say, this put “homecoming” in a whole new light.

Marie McCarthy, professor of music education and director of research at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, has been awarded honorary lifetime membership in the International Society of Music Education (ISME), the premier international organization for music education, which is affiliated with the International Music Council and UNESCO. Reserved for a small representation of…

Each summer, the University of Michigan hosts 250 driven and talented high school students for the MPulse Summer Performing Arts Institutes—intensive training in their chosen field with School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) faculty members. The program is now accepting applications at smtd.umich.edu/mpulse for summer 2019, the program’s 14th year.

A father missing his grown son. Two activists facing exhaustion and struggling to find hope. A demolition man from Los Angeles summoned to tear down abandoned houses. A young suburban musician who finds inspiration downtown. And an old-school barber concerned with the influx of hipsters looking for cheap rent.