AMS Midwest at WSU

The Department of Music is pleased to welcome the Midwest chapter of the American Musicological Society to Detroit for its Fall 2019 conference, September 14-15.

Conference Program & Highlights

Click here to view the conference program and abstracts, both of which can also be found on the AMS Midwest chapter website.

All conference events will be held in room 1343 of Wayne State University's Old Main building, at the corner of Cass and Warren Avenues in midtown Detroit. (The room is on the first floornot the basement!look for signage at building entrances.) Access to the building is available through entrances facing Cass Ave and also Hancock St. Handicapped access is available at the Hancock entrance.

The keynote panel, "Music in the Motor City," features Detroit scholars and practitioners, and will take place at 2:00 PM on Saturday, September 14. Panelists include Mark Stryker, former music critic for the Detroit Free Press and author of the Jazz From Detroit (University of Michigan Press, 2019); Dr. Deborah Smith Pollard, Professor of English Literature and Humanities at U of Michigan-Dearborn, author of When the Church Becomes Your Party: Contemporary Gospel Music (Wayne State University Press, 2008) and host/producer of a weekly gospel music radio broadcast; and Stephen Wogaman, president of the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, pianist, and chamber musician.

Additionally, the Motown Museum is offering conference attendees discounted admission on Saturday evening (the museum is open until 8:00 PM). Details will be announced at the meeting.

Arriving early? Check out these exciting events on Friday:

• The WSU Graduate School is sponsoring the 2019 King-Chávez-Parks Visiting Scholar Lecture on Friday, September 13 at 11:00 AM in the WSU Student Center, room 285: Riana Elyse Anderson, Ph.D. (University of Michigan School of Public Health), "Preparing for Racism like We Do Plane Crashes: Moving 'The Talk' to 'The Walk.'" The event is free; click here for more information and to RSVP.
• Visit one of our fine museums (see list of local attractions below).
• The Detroit Institute of Arts is hosting two performances (at 7:00 and 8:30 pm) as part of New Music Detroit's "Strange, Beautiful Music" series. Free with museum admission; a limited number of free admission tickets will be available to conference attendees, please contact Mary Paquette-Abt for details.

Travel & Lodging

Wayne State University is located in the Midtown neighborhood of Detroit, minutes from interstates 75, 94, and 96. The closest major airport is the Detroit-Wayne County Metropolitan Airport (DTW), from which visitors can travel to campus by taxi or rideshare services. Conference events will be held in the Old Main building, located at 4841 Cass Ave. (the intersection of Warren and Cass).

Useful links:

• Driving directions to campus
• Campus map
• The Q-Line is Detroit's new streetcar line, which runs through campus to the downtown neighborhood
• Parking
  • Map with WSU parking lots and structures
  • There are inexpensive surface lots located on Cass Avenue between Warren and Forest Avenues
  • And there is metered street parking
  • This printable map of the campus area includes the location of two nearby parking structures and two nearby surface lots
• Lodging
  • The Inn on Ferry Street, a bed-and-breakfast, is a 10-minute walk to the Old Main building, call to reserve (313-871-6000) (ask for the WSU rate)
  • The Hotel St. Regis is located in the adjacent New Center neighborhood, a 5-minute drive to campus, call to reserve (313-873-3000) (ask for the WSU rate)
  • Additional hotels in the downtown area include:
    • Aloft Detroit at The David Whitney, along the Q-Line and a 5-minute drive to campus
    • Westin Book Cadillac Detroit
    • Courtyard Detroit Downtown
    • Hilton Garden Inn Detroit Downtown
    • DoubleTree Suites Detroit Downtown - Fort Shelby

Local Attractions

Wayne State University's home in Midtown Detroit places it right in the heart of the city's cultural district and within reach of downtown attractions. These include:

• the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum has a world-class collection of art and artifacts and is located adjacent to campus (5200 Woodward Ave.)
  • A limited number of free tickets will be available to conference attendees (contact Mary Paquette-Abt to make arrangements to pick up tickets if you arrive early, otherwise they will be available at the registration table)
  • Be sure to check out the free performance at the DIA on Friday, September 13, at 7:00 and 8:30 PM: Strange Beautiful Music celebrates Mexico's Independence Day as part of the New Music Detroit festival (more information here)
• the Detroit Historical Museum is located on campus (5401 Woodward Ave.)
• the main branch of the Detroit Public Library is located on campus and includes the E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts (5201 Woodward Ave.)
• the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is hosting "OH 100: Centenary Sound Lab" on September 14; Orchestra Hall is a 15-minute walk from campus and along the Q-Line (3711 Woodward Ave.)
• the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is not far from campus (315 E. Warren Ave.)
• the Michigan Opera Theatre at the Detroit Opera House (1526 Broadway St.)
• the Motown Museum is open until 6:00 PM on Friday and until 8:00 PM on Saturday (2648 W. Grand Blvd.); conference attendees receive a discounted rate on Saturday evening (details will be shared during the conference)

Campus & City Maps

A printable map showing the conference location, lodging, dining options, and the QLine route, can be accessed here. An interactive version of the map appears below:

For additional information, please contact: Joshua S. Duchan and/or Mary Paquette-Abt.