By Jacob Stockinger
Editor’s note: The Well-Tempered Ear has asked people on tour with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Pro Arte Quartet (below, in a photo by Rick Langer) to file whatever dispatches. updates and photos — from iPads, computers, cameras and smart phones — so that they can to keep the fans back here at home current with what is happening on the concert stage and off.
Here is a link to a schedule of planned events, repertoire and venues:
Here is the first installment of the tour updates:
For the University of Wisconsin-Madison Pro Arte Quartet, Tuesday night into Wednesday morning was spent flying across the Atlantic Ocean to a one-week tour to the group’s homeland of Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
But despite reassurances from U.D. officials, complications occurred on landing and then going through customs.
Read on:
Showing her sense of humor, Pro Arte Quartet violist Sally Chisholm sends word about starting the quartet’s one-week tour in Belgium and heads it “News from a broad” in the subject line of her email:
“Today, Sarah Schaffer (below) stood eye to eye with the U.S. consulate and freed us from Belgium customs. Our passports for our instruments and bows were the first ever seen at the Brussels airport.
“Despite the initial determination that both Parry and I could not pass through customs in time for the concerts, suddenly, at 3:15 p.m. we were declared admitted by investigators (below):
“Sarah will have details about her consulate experience! A million thanks to Sarah, once again, and to all of our supporters. We are now at our hotel just off the Grand Place, enjoying an evening of warm friendship and memorable cuisine.”
–Sally (below)
And here is the latest from Sarah Schaffer, who works at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, heads up the Pro Arte Quartet Centennial Committee and is accompanying the quartet on tour:
“Our first afternoon was spent at American Embassy, trying to spring violist Sally Chisholm and cellist Parry Karp (below), who were both detained at the Brussels airport and refused entry into Belgium over the endangered species business about ivory and wood.
“Oh, boy.
“Also called on our Belgium friends, who reached the cabinet minister in the agency overseeing CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna), and between all efforts we got them sprung.
“We’re all here at last, exhausted, a little tattered, but a much better outcome than we feared for many hours today.”
“Here is a photo of the necessary permit we finally obtained:
-Sarah
And here is a link to another posting about the 1973 international law, now being strictly enforced, that has created such fuss and confusion:
And here is a link to the official CITES website:
And here is an informational video on YouTube about the well-intentioned, if inconvenient, CITES law and the role of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
[…] Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 4.5 Day 5 Day 6 […]
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Pingback by New graduates and a goodbye—(just for the summer) « Fanfare! — June 5, 2014 @ 3:29 pm
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Pingback by Classical music: The University of Wisconsin Pro Arte Quartet in Belgium — Day 6: The quartet plays its final concert -– a midday concert in an old converted farm barn on a new campus in an old country. A reception and dinner follow. Then the quar — June 1, 2014 @ 7:39 am
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Pingback by Classical music: The University of Wisconsin Pro Arte Quartet in Belgium — Day 6: The quartet plays its final concert -– a midday concert in an old converted farm barn on a new campus in an old country. A reception and dinner follow. Then the quar — June 1, 2014 @ 7:35 am
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Pingback by Classical music: The University of Wisconsin Pro Arte Quartet in Belgium — Day 6: The quartet plays its final concert -– a midday concert in an old converted farm barn on a new campus in an old country. A reception and dinner follow. Then the quar — June 1, 2014 @ 12:00 am
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Pingback by Classical music: The UW Pro Arte Quartet in Belgium -– Day 5. The Belgian premiere of a Belgian composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels draws a big enough crowd to run out of programs and bring three curtain calls. A visit to the Roya — May 31, 2014 @ 8:25 am
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Pingback by Classical music: The UW Pro Arte Quartet in Belgium -– Day 5. The Belgian premiere of a Belgian composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels draws a big enough crowd to run out of programs and bring three curtain calls. A visit to the Roya — May 31, 2014 @ 7:48 am
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Pingback by Classical music: The UW Pro Arte Quartet in Belgium -– Day 5. The Belgian premiere of a Belgian composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels draws a big enough crowd to run out of programs and bring three curtain calls. A visit to the Roya — May 31, 2014 @ 7:48 am
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Pingback by Classical music: The UW Pro Arte Quartet in Belgium -– Day 5. The Belgian premiere of a Belgian composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels draws a big enough crowd to run out of programs and bring three curtain calls. A visit to the Roya — May 31, 2014 @ 12:01 am
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Pingback by Pro Arte Quartet detained in Belgium over Ivory | Workshop of Eric Swanson — May 30, 2014 @ 2:16 pm
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Pingback by Classical music: The Pro Arte Quartet in Belgium –- Day 4, Part 2. The quartet performs in the town of Dolhain-Limbourg. | The Well-Tempered Ear — May 29, 2014 @ 12:00 am
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Pingback by Classical music: Day 4 — the UW Pro Arte Quartet goes to Dolhain-Limbourg, Part 1 of 2: Prelude to the concert. Here is a photo essay of the Pro Arte Quartet’s day-long homage stop at the Belgian hometown of the group’s founding violinist Alphon — May 27, 2014 @ 12:00 am
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Pingback by Just in: US string quartet detained at Belgian Customs – Slipped Disc — May 25, 2014 @ 2:09 pm
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Pingback by Classical music: On Day 3 in Belgium, the University of Wisconsin Pro Arte Quartet plays at the Royal Library, gives a gift to King Philippe and keeps performing a lot of hard and varied music. | The Well-Tempered Ear — May 25, 2014 @ 12:00 am
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Pingback by Classical music: On Day 2 in Belgium, the University of Wisconsin Pro Arte Quartet is offered rehearsal time in a bar; meets descendants of the original members of the quartet; and performs its first concert to applause, appreciation and acclaim. | The We — May 24, 2014 @ 7:22 am
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Pingback by Classical music: On Day 2 in Belgium, the University of Wisconsin Pro Arte Quartet is offered rehearsal time in a bar; meets descendants of the original members of the quartet; and performs its first concert to applause, appreciation and acclaim. | The We — May 24, 2014 @ 12:00 am
Those subversive violists and cellists – and their instruments. Hooray for Sarah Schaffer! Hope the rest of the tour is only about beautiful music!
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Comment by Kathy Otterson — May 22, 2014 @ 9:40 am
Good grief. Way to go Sarah. And Ear, perhaps a future post about how artists travel with their instruments, as in not putting them in the hold with other luggage?
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Comment by Ronnie — May 22, 2014 @ 8:33 am