At Hill Auditorium

Globetrotting pianist and teacher set to bring out the classics

Not many pianists can claim to be able to teach and tour the world all at once, nor can many master the 27 Chopin etudes or perform two consecutive shows in one night. The French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie has, and he will make his third visit to the University at Hill Auditorium Frudat.

The concert will include a fine array of classics: Mendelssohn’s Variations Serieuses in D minor, one of Grieg’s piano sonatas and two other pieces by Liszt and Wagner.

More than a skilled pianist, Lortie has stage presence. The audience can’t help but remain transfixed on him. He’s clearly passionate about the delivery of the music: every facial expression and gesture signals awareness about the tone of the song and is an invitation for the audience to feel what he does. Watching him reminds you of the aesthetic value of the ability to see musicians perform.

The emotional depth of music is even strengthened in the live experience.

Performances like these open up another dimension – we’re doing more than simply hearing the music.

Priya Bali

Long-time Hill Aud vet to return with friends

Dianne Reeves

Saturday at 8 p.m.

$10-$48

Dianne Reeves is a University Musical Society repeat offender. The jazz vocalist has delighted Ann Arbor audiences twice prior, and she’ll return to Hill Auditorium this Saturday.

Reeves’s past performances have been marked by the force and beauty of her voice as well as her unique interpretation of R&B and jazz styling. Recent critical success suggests that Reeves’s talent has not waned in the two years since she last appeared on a UMS stage.

n 2005, Reeves earned a fourth Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Album with the soundtrack from the Academy Award-nominated film “Good Night, and Good Luck.”

“She transcends racial boundaries and general music preferences, she has a wide spread, popular appeal,” said Sara Billman, UMS director of marketing and communications.

“Plus, she is one of the greatest jazz singers of our time.”

This year, Reeves brings new blood into the mix in the Rio de Janeiro-born guitarist Romero Lubambo. Lubambo is an acclaimed musician in his own right, praised for his distinctly Brazilian sound and virtuous technique.

Though Lubambo and Reeves have different signature sounds, Billman said audiences that the collaboration is harmonious.

“The styles are very different, but they connect at a deeper level,” she said.

Meryl Schwartz