The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: The University of Wisconsin Pro Arte Quartet lands in Belgium, gets detained at customs and is rescued in time for practicing and playing concerts.

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:

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/classical-music-its-final-and-official-the-university-of-wisconsin-pro-arte-quartet-will-tour-to-belgium-this-week/

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:

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/classical-music-catch-the-pro-arte-quartets-free-must-hear-concert-of-the-program-for-its-upcoming-back-to-belgium-tour-on-thursday-night-at-730-especially-sinc/

And here is a link to the official CITES website:

http://www.cites.org

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: