When Ken Fischer, MA’67, HLLD’19, announced he would retire from his 30-year role as president of the University Musical Society (UMS) at the end of the 2017 season, everyone asked him the same question, “When will you write a book?”

As only the sixth president of UMS in what was then its 137-year history, Fischer’s departing legacy was bringing the organization to global prominence. In 2014, UMS became the first university presenter to receive the highest award the U.S. government gives artists and arts patrons: the National Medal of Arts.

But Fischer was equally known as an iconic storyteller, particularly when it came to behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Hence the demand for a book, which he wrote following his retirement. “Everybody In, Nobody Out: Enriching Communities through Uncommon Art Experiences at the University Musical Society” (University of Michigan Press, 2020), focuses on both the formative experiences that led Fischer to UMS in 1987 and his vision to build programming that would educate audiences and connect with underserved communities in the region.

To celebrate the book’s release, Fischer shared some of his most memorable moments surrounding UMS performances in an interview with Michigan Alumnus. READ THE REST HERE