UPDATES
Come join musicians Laura McAndrew, Sara Tea, and Kyler Wilkins alongside media members Daniel Long(WEMU) and Lori Stratton (Pulp) in a rare conversation about the joys, challenges, and future of the Ann Arbor-area music scene. In addition to hearing from these members of the local music community, this event also features students from Dr. Garrett Schumann's "Inside the Local Music Community" course offered by the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts. Prior to the panel discussion and public Q&A, Dr. Schumann and his students will deliver a short presentation about the course, its recent partnership with the University of Michigan's Inclusive History Project, and the students' work this term attending and reviewing concerts as well as interacting with dozens of key figures in the local music community.
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2026 7:30 PM
YPSILANTI FREIGHTHOUSE
Frames and Frequencies
Silent Films with Live Music
With live improvisation by Resonant Soundcapes: Marcus Elliot, Michael Malis, Garrett Schumann, Sara Tea, Chien-An Yuan, and Julie Zhu
VENUE
Ypsilanti Freighthouse
100 Market Pl
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
In this collaboration with Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti (iFFY), filmmakers who live or work in Washtenaw County were invited to submit short silent films, all of which will be set to live, improvised music performed by Resonant Soundscapes, a dynamic collective of Michigan-based artists that traverses wide-ranging jazz and electronic aesthetics. The films, marked by vivid and varied expressivity, each suggesting a particular musical world, will be shown back-to-back in a continuous presentation of film and live music lasting about 80 minutes total.
This hyper-local event brings out the best of Southeast Michigan, showcasing the incredible talents in our community.
TICKETS
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Selected films*:
Peter Leix, “Huron River”
Toko Shiiki, “Send More Clowns: Extra Scenes”
Terri Sarris, “Tulip Time”
Terri Sarris, “Feathers”
Cole Greenberg, “Pavilion”
Jack Cronin, “Land of Enchantment”
Jen Proctor, “Paths of Desire”
Joel Stranic, “Scribble”
Peter Sparling, “Eclipse”
Thomas Javier Castillo, “Summoning”
*List does not reflect performance order
Goddess 神女 (1934)
Join Resonant Soundscapes for a unique, improvised live-score performance showcasing the rare Chinese silent film The Goddess (1934). Featuring acclaimed southeast Michigan musicians Marcus Elliot, Michael Malis, Chien-An Yuan, Sara Tea, Julie Zhu, and Garrett Schumann, this performance will enthrall music lovers and cinephiles alike as it brings together the improvisation traditions of electronic music and jazz to highlight a historic landmark of Chinese cinema.
More details + livestream 6pm EST aadl.org/node/664389
Ambient Music Journey ✶ March 21 ✶ Detroit
C/A/L/M stands for Comfort, Atmosphere, Layers, and Meditation — and that’s exactly the invitation: to slow down, settle in, and simply be. In collaboration with sound artist Chien-An Yuan, this five-hour ambient journey will unfold through live, improvised soundscapes across the afternoon of the spring equinox.
📅 Saturday, March 21
🕐 12–5 PM
📍 Detroit Public Library – Main Branch
🎟️ Free
www.instagram.com/p/DV_zXfWlPF_/
D E T R O I T
I’ll be DJing Thursday some soundscapes & dig into the depths of my vinyl collection for Alice V. Schneider opening of her works Ominous in Detroit.
6-9pm
Paris Bar
2961 E McNichols Rd
Detroit, MI 48212
www.instagram.com/parisbardetroit
Michigan friends this Sunday at Moondog Cafe I’ll be pulling out some ambient soundscapes for their afternoon Feedback Loop Q&A would love to see you.
Doors 3pm show 4pm
$10-20 sliding scale
Moondog Cafe
8045 LINWOOD STREET
DETROIT MI 48206
moondogcafedetroit.com
“These events are less of a traditional musical performance per se, and more like temporary live music installations. Music made with the intent to create a calm space, suitable for contemplation, reading, or even shopping for books.”
Join us Saturday in DETROIT from Noon to 2pm an atmospheric ambient soundscape with Chien-An Yuan + Sara Tea at NEXT CHAPTER BOOKS • 16555 E. Warren • NOON - 2pm • FREE
"Ann Arbor-area musicians Sara Tea, Julie Zhu, and Garrett Schumann created the Resonant Soundscapes project in 2024 with the goal of emphasizing the meaningful resonances that emerge between people and the spaces they occupy. All Resonant Soundscapes performances blend electronic textures with acoustic sound. Their appearance at A2SF will fill Ingalls Malls with a mixture of live carillon improvisation from Burton Memorial Tower and original ambient music from the festival’s Grove Stage. Sara Tea is an artist, musician, DJ, and performer who has spent two decades working to create immersive sound and art experiences that aim to dismantle the hierarchies of creative spaces in favor of forming inclusive environments. Julie Zhu is a composer, artist, and carillonist who seeks to reveal and amplify underlying mathematical structures and gentle noises through innovative intermedia instrumentation and diverse chamber experiences. Garrett Schumann is a composer, music writer, and scholar who is interested in building community and pushing beyond the status quo. His recent creative work embraces electronics and experimental presentations. Together, they mix stunning acoustic sounds and intricate electronic textures to create sound worlds all their own. Immerse yourself in the Resonant Soundscapes at Top of the Park this summer!"
It’s been a year coming but I composed an experiential piece for the bicentennial of the City of Ann Arbor for the Ann Arbor District Library & The Michigan & State Theaters - Marquee Arts https://aadl.org/fifthwall Essentially posing the question “While many soundtracks, songs, and sounds have been played in these walls, has a soundtrack ever been written for the theater alone?” This is first of a series where I’ve created a suggested path with a map you can download to experience it within the Michigan Theater.
Fifth Wall: A Soundtrack for the Michigan Theater by Sara Tea
"Growing up in the 1980s was a time of seeing architectural elements of the 1930s in drab remnants, broken bulbs of uncared for marquees, sloppy layers of paint on top of beautiful woodwork and moldings. Many theaters covered the floors with loud carpets and slapped up 1980s neon signs on top of these once vibrant spaces with no regard for the histories they held. Today, this is not true for the Michigan Theater.
When I had the opportunity to choose the Michigan Theater for this project, my desire was to give the community a chance to engage and hopefully appreciate the space in a new way. While many soundtracks, songs, and sounds have been played in these walls, has a soundtrack ever been written for the theater alone? With this piece comes a digital map of the suggested path of listening with some key spots within the theater that inspire me. The path is merely suggested, but I encourage folks to spend time where they are drawn, curious & sparked.
Often in our busy lives we spend our time consuming spaces without taking an opportunity to reflect on all of the individuals and the hard work that goes into creating something like this in our community. With this soundtrack I’m offering a chance for us to take a moment within the space, to explore and spend time in a way that we haven’t before. In this exchange is a chance to break the “Fifth Wall” between those who create and nurture space, the performers, and those who come to experience it.” - Composer Sara Tea
part II of the Friday the 13th series with Magic Guts Collective magicgutscollective.com featuring Incantations & Invocations from
Dollie Rot dollierot.bandcamp.com
Sara Tea & the Syrens (full band)
Soft Mesh www.instagram.com/softmeshmusic
+ DJ set from nrvs.wrek from WCBN.org
Join us at our Alter of Intent setting 2025 intentions, resetting & dusting off the cobwebs from our weary hearts + burying any BS we want to leave in 2024
• more details as they unfold •
Ziggys
206 W Michigan Ave
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
ziggysypsistore.com
Doors 8pm
$5-10
18+
magicgutscollective.com
From Moondog Cafe:
One week from today —Tuesday, October 22 — we welcome an exciting new group of improvisors landing on Linwood for an evening of expansive, collaborative sound. Jakob Heinemann is a Los Angeles-based double bassist who supported and contributed to Chicago and Madison free jazz communities before heading out west to pursue an MFA at California Institute of the Arts earlier this year. Heinemann helms the record label Kashe Editions and is a student of composition and experimental sound practices, in addition to their work in acoustic ecology. Heinemann is joined by 3 in a new quartet formation including Chicago composer/woodwindist Molly Jones, Swiss/Swedish saxophonist Sebastian Strinning and Detroit-based percussionist Jonathan Barahal Taylor.
Moondog friends—Detroit-based DIY artist/curator/songwriter Sara Tea will perform a solo set as will Zekkereya El-Magharbel, creator/instructor of Maqam a Melodic Science, an Arabic music lecture/performance series at Moondog this month. Come through and join us for an inspiring and empowering musical exchange.
Year end lists have arrived many thanks to the Ann Arbor Public Library for including SONGS FOR DISCARDED SOULS in the end of year AADL Staff Picks ( Lori Stratton from the Stratton Setlist ) you can see an array of music, books & more over HERE
LIVE SET on WCBN 88.3 FM: https://soundcloud.com/wcbnlms/2023-09-20-sara-tea
Sara Tea - vocals, autoharp, drums, iPad
Lindsey Taylor - guitar, percussion
Charlize Olken - bass
Engineered by JAV
Setlist:
I Am Stretched On Your Grave
Forward Bow
Never Be
Coxcomb Red
Time Will Avenge
Evades The You
They'll Never Know
'The Chelsea singer-songwriter / producer unearths past fears and forges a new path for the future on her debut EP. “You get this recipe of thoughts, feelings, and sounds, and you don’t know the impact of it. We do what we have to survive, and it’s a luxury to reflect sometimes,” Tea said. “We piece together the life we have to get where we have to. The moments that we can reclaim pieces of ourselves … I think there is healing that can come from that. I hope that we all in our own way can do that to the best of our ability.” - ANN ARBOR PUBLIC LIBRARY LORI STRATTON READ MORE
"Sara Tea is a multi-genre, multi-faceted artist who has lived all over the United States, but her heart resides in Michigan. Peering through the cracks of her newest EP, Songs for Discarded Souls, is that inimitable Midwestern spirit: the stuff of long winters, endless highways and glowing rust." - WDBM 88.9 FM
"We are nothing if not our experiences. We are nothing if not our memories. We are nothing if not always healing and learning. Sara Tea knows this more than most could ever understand. Mike Merucci, host of The Afterglow at WDBM, was lucky enough to have conversed with her about Songs for Discarded Souls, inclusivity in music, the magic of libraries, the Midwest’s complicated beauty and much more." READ MORE
