14th Annual Ford Honors To Honor Royal Shakespeare Company

The 14th Annual Ford Honors will be held on January 24th at 6pm in Rackham Auditorium, 915 East Washington Street in Ann Arbor. The event will honor the Royal Shakespeare Company and its artistic director Michael Boyd, as well as the retiring U-M Professor of English Ralph Williams.

The Ford Honors Program is a benefit that supports UMS's nationally-acclaimed arts education program. It is sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services.

The Ford Honors Program celebrates the partnership between the University Musical Society, University of Michigan and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The evening will pay tribute to Boyd and Williams and will include a performance by members of the RSC. Following the performance there will be a benefit dinner held at the Michigan League Ballroom. There will be a presentation of the UMS School and Educator of the Year Awards.

The gala dinner includes the presentation of the UMS School and Educator of the Year Awards, sponsored by DTE Energy Foundation. Tickets may be purchased for the concert only, or for the gala dinner (which includes concert tickets).

Students may purchase special advanced-rush tickets for $20.

According to Encore Michigan 'Each year, the Ford Honors Program celebrates an artist or ensemble that has made significant contributions to international music history while also having a deep connection to the history of the University Musical Society. Previous recipients of the UMS Distinguished Artist Award include Sir James Galway (2008), Mstislav Rostropovich (awarded posthumously in 2007), Dave Brubeck (2006), the Guarneri String Quartet (2005), Sweet Honey in the Rock (2004), Christopher Parkening (2003), Marilyn Horne (2002), Marcel Marceau (2001), Isaac Stern (2000), Canadian Brass (1999), Garrick Ohlsson (1998), Jessye Norman (1997), and Van Cliburn (1996).'

For tickets or additional information, contact the University Musical Society at 734-764-2538 or online at www.ums.org. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the League Ticket Office (911 North University Avenue). The UMS Ticket Office is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed Sunday. For information about gala evening packages, which include the gala dinner and premium seating in Hill Auditorium, contact the UMS Development Office at 734-647-8009.