#BlackComposer | The Well-Tempered Ear

Check out the 2022 classical music Grammys for trends and suggested listening

April 9, 2022
4 Comments

PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.

By Jacob Stockinger

No doubt you have already heard about the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which were awarded last Sunday night.

But chances are you haven’t heard much about the classical music Grammys.

That’s just not where the money and publicity are for major record companies and for the music industry in general, compared to other, much more profitable genres such as hip-hop, rock and pop.

But the classical Grammy nominations and winners can be a good source about what composers, performers and music you might want to check out via streaming or by buying a CD.

You can also get a good idea of trends in classical music.

Contemporary or new music is big again this year, dominating the old standard classics.

Just like local, regional, national and international performers, both individuals and groups, the Grammys show an emphasis on female composers and performers, and a similar emphasis on rediscovering composers and performers of color from both the past and the present.

You might also notice that the New Orleans-born, Juilliard-trained jazz pianist and singer Jon Batiste (below) — who plays on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and directs the house band Stay Human and who seems a one-man Mardi Gras — was nominated for a record 11 Grammys and won five in other categories, seems to be the new Wynton Marsalis. Like Marsalis, with whom Batiste worked, Batiste seems perfectly at home in classical music as well as jazz, soul, blues and pop. And his original classical work Movement 11 was nominated for a Grammy this year.

Social activism, in short, has finally brought diversity and inclusion into the Grammys in a way that seems permanent.

Below are the nominations and winners of the 2022 classical music Grammys. Winners are boldfaced. I have also offered a few examples of those musicians who have performed in Madison and for what venue, although there are many more connections than indicated.

If you want to see the nominations and winners in other categories, here is a link:

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/03/1090342877/2022-grammys-full-list-winners-nominees

75. Best Engineered Album, Classical

Archetypes — Jonathan Lackey, Bill Maylone and Dan Nichols, engineers; Bill Maylone, mastering engineer (Sérgio Assad, Clarice Assad and Third Coast Percussion)
Beethoven: Cello Sonatas – Hope Amid Tears — Richard King, engineer (Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 — Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck, Mendelssohn Choir Of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
Chanticleer Sings Christmas — Leslie Ann Jones, engineer (Chanticleer)
Mahler: Symphony No. 8, ‘Symphony Of A Thousand’ — Alexander Lipay and Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay and Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (Gustavo Dudamel, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, Luke McEndarfer, Robert Istad, Grant Gershon, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, National Children’s Chorus, Pacific Chorale and Los Angeles Philharmonic)

76. Producer Of The Year, Classical

Blanton Alspaugh
Steven Epstein
David Frost
Elaine Martone
Judith Sherman (below, who also recorded the UW-Madison Pro Arte Quartet’s centennial commissions)

CLASSICAL

77. Best Orchestral Performance

“Adams: My Father Knew Charles Ives; Harmonielehre” — Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Nashville Symphony Orchestra)
“Beethoven: Symphony No. 9” — Manfred Honeck, conductor (Mendelssohn Choir Of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
“Muhly: Throughline” — Nico Muhly, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
“Florence Price: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3″ — Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Philadelphia Orchestra (below)
“Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Scriabin: The Poem Of Ecstasy” — Thomas Dausgaard, conductor (Seattle Symphony Orchestra)

78. Best Opera Recording

“Bartók: Bluebeard’s Castle” — Susanna Mälkki, conductor; Mika Kares and Szilvia Vörös; Robert Suff, producer (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)
“Glass: Akhnaten” — Karen Kamensek, conductor; J’Nai Bridges, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Zachary James and Dísella Lárusdóttir; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
“Janáček: Cunning Little Vixen” — Simon Rattle, conductor; Sophia Burgos, Lucy Crowe, Gerald Finley, Peter Hoare, Anna Lapkovskaja, Paulina Malefane, Jan Martinik & Hanno Müller-Brachmann; Andrew Cornall, producer (London Symphony Orchestra; London Symphony Chorus and LSO Discovery Voices)
“Little: Soldier Songs” — Corrado Rovaris, conductor; Johnathan McCullough; James Darrah and John Toia, producers (The Opera Philadelphia Orchestra)
“Poulenc: Dialogues Des Carmélites” — Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Karen Cargill, Isabel Leonard, Karita Mattila, Erin Morley and Adrianne Pieczonka; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

79. Best Choral Performance

“It’s A Long Way” — Matthew Guard, conductor (Jonas Budris, Carrie Cheron, Fiona Gillespie, Nathan Hodgson, Helen Karloski, Enrico Lagasca, Megan Roth, Alissa Ruth Suver and Dana Whiteside; Skylark Vocal Ensemble)
“Mahler: Symphony No. 8, ‘Symphony Of A Thousand'” — Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Grant Gershon, Robert Istad, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz and Luke McEndarfer, chorus masters (Leah Crocetto, Mihoko Fujimura, Ryan McKinny, Erin Morley, Tamara Mumford, Simon O’Neill, Morris Robinson and Tamara Wilson; Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, National Children’s Chorus and Pacific Chorale)
“Rising w/The Crossing” — Donald Nally, conductor (International Contemporary Ensemble and Quicksilver; The Crossing)
“Schnittke: Choir Concerto; Three Sacred Hymns; Pärt: Seven Magnificat-Antiphons” — Kaspars Putniņš, conductor; Heli Jürgenson, chorus master (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)
“Sheehan: Liturgy Of Saint John Chrysostom” — Benedict Sheehan, conductor (Michael Hawes, Timothy Parsons and Jason Thoms; The Saint Tikhon Choir)
“The Singing Guitar” — Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Estelí Gomez; Austin Guitar Quartet, Douglas Harvey, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Texas Guitar Quartet; Conspirare)

80. Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

“Adams, John Luther: Lines Made By Walking” — JACK Quartet
“Akiho: Seven Pillars” — Sandbox Percussion
“Archetypes” —Sérgio Assad, Clarice Assad and Third Coast Percussion
“Beethoven: Cello Sonatas – Hope Amid Tears” — Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax (who have frequently performed individually and together at the Wisconsin Union Theater)
“Bruits” — Imani Winds

81. Best Classical Instrumental Solo

“Alone Together” — Jennifer Koh (below, who has performed with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra)
“An American Mosaic” — Simone Dinnerstein
“Bach: Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas” — Augustin Hadelich (a favorite of the Madison Symphony Orchestra)
“Beethoven and Brahms: Violin Concertos” — Gil Shaham; Eric Jacobsen, conductor (The Knights)
“Mak Bach” — Mak Grgić
“Of Power” — Curtis Stewart

82. Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

Confessions — Laura Strickling; Joy Schreier, pianist
Dreams Of A New Day – Songs By Black Composers — Will Liverman (who has sung with the Madison Opera); Paul Sánchez, pianist (below at in the YouTube video at the bottom)
Mythologies — Sangeeta Kaur and Hila Plitmann (Virginie D’Avezac De Castera, Lili Haydn, Wouter Kellerman, Nadeem Majdalany, Eru Matsumoto and Emilio D. Miler)
Schubert: Winterreise — Joyce DiDonato; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, pianist
Unexpected Shadows — Jamie Barton; Jake Heggie, pianist (Matt Haimovitz)

83. Best Classical Compendium

American Originals – A New World, A New Canon — AGAVE and Reginald L. Mobley; Geoffrey Silver, producer
Berg: Violin Concerto; Seven Early Songs and Three Pieces For Orchestra — Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Jack Vad, producer
Cerrone: The Arching Path — Timo Andres and Ian Rosenbaum; Mike Tierney, producer
Plays — Chick Corea; Chick Corea and Birnie Kirsh, producers
Women Warriors – The Voices Of Change — Amy Andersson, conductor; Amy Andersson, Mark Mattson and Lolita Ritmanis, producers (below)

84. Best Contemporary Classical Composition

“Akiho: Seven Pillars” — Andy Akiho, composer (Sandbox Percussion)
“Andriessen: The Only One” — Louis Andriessen, composer (Esa-Pekka Salonen, Nora Fischer and Los Angeles Philharmonic)
“Assad, Clarice and Sérgio, Connors, Dillon, Martin & Skidmore: Archetypes” — Clarice Assad, Sérgio Assad, Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin and David Skidmore, composers (Sérgio Assad, Clarice Assad and Third Coast Percussion)
“Batiste: Movement 11′” — Jon Batiste, composer (Jon Batiste)
“Shaw: Narrow Sea” — Caroline Shaw, composer (Dawn Upshaw, Gilbert Kalish and Sō Percussion)

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AlbanBerg, #AlexanderScriabin, #AlfredSchnittke, #AmericanSymphonyOrchestra, #ArtExhibition, #ArvoPärt, #AugustinHadelich, #BelaBartok, #BestPerformance, #BlackComposer, #BlackMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #Bluebeard'sCastle, #BluesMusic, #CarolineShaw, #CelloSonata, #CelloSuite, #ChamberChoir, #ChamberMusic, #CharlesIves, #ChickCorrea, #ChoralMusic, #ChristmasMusic, #ClassicalGuitar, #CompactDisc, #ComposersofColor, #ConcertHall, #ContemporaryComposer, #ContemporaryMusic, #CoronavirusPandemic, #CorradoRavaris, #COVID-19, #DavidFrost, #DialoguesoftheCarmelites, #EmanuelAx, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FemaleComposers, #FemaleMusicians, #FlorencePrice, #FrancisPoulenc, #FranzSchubert, #GasparCassado, #GilShaham, #GrammyAward, #GrammyAwards, #GrammyNominations, #GuitarMusic, #GustavMahler, #GustavoDudamel, #Hip-hopmusic, #HispanicMusic, #ImaniWinds, #J'NaiBridges, #JacobStockinger, #JakeHeggie, #JenniferKoh, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnAdams, #JonBatiste, #JoyceDiDonato, #JudithSherman, #LatinAmerican, #LeosJanacek, #LiveStreaming, #londonSymphonyOrchestra, #LosAngelesPhilharmonic, #LouisAndriessen, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #ManfredHoneck, #MardiGras, #MattHaimovitz, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MetropolitanOpera, #MichaelTilsonThomas, #NashvilleSymphony, #NashvilleTennessee, #NewOrleans, #NicoMuhly, #OfColor, #OperaMusic, #OrchestralMusic, #PacificChorale, #PercussionMusic, #PerformersofColor, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PhiladelphiaOrchestra, #PhilipGlass, #PianoAccompaniment, #PopMusic, #ProArteQuartet, #RacialJustice, #RichardStrauss, #RockMusic, #SaintJohn, #SandboxPercussion, #SanFranciscoSymphony, #SeattleSymphony, #SimoneDinnerstein, #SimonRattle, #SocialActivism, #SocialJustice, #SoulMusic, #SoundEngineer, #SouthKorea, #SouthKorean, #StayHuman, #StephenColbert, #StreamingService, #StringMusic, #SundayNight, #SusannaMalkki, #SymphonyofaThousand, #TexasGuitarQuartet, #TheEar, #TheGrammys, #TheKnights, #TheMet, #TheUW, #TheUW-Madison, #ThirdCoastPercussion, #ThomasDausgaard, #UniverstyofWisconsin, #ViolinMusic, #VocalMusic, #WillLivermore, #WindMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WORT-FM89.9, #WyntonMarsalis, #YannickNezet-Seguin, #Yo-YoMa, #YouTubevideo, Activism, activity, African American, Akhnaten, Alban Berg, Alexander Scriabin, Alfred Schnittke, alone, American, annual, arrt, art exhibition, Arts, Arvo Part, asian, Asian American, audience, Augustin Hadelich, Bach, band, Baroque, Bartok, Batiste, Béla Bartók, Beethoven, Berg, best, BIPOC, black, black music, blog, Bluebeard, Bluebeard's Castle, blues, Book, Brahms, Brahms Violin Concerto, brown, buy, Canon, Caroline Shaw, category, CBS, CBS-TV, CD, Cello, chamber, Chamber choir, Chamber music, change, Chanticleer, Charles Ives, checm, Chick Correa, children, China, Chinese, Choir, choral, choral music, chorus, Christmas, Classical, Classical music, classics, collaboration, color, commission, Compact Disc, compendium, compose, composer, composer of color, Composition, Concert, concert hall, concerto, conductor, contemporary, coronavirus, coronavirus pandemic, Corrado Ravaris, covid, David Frost, day, dialogue, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Dinnerstein, diversity, dominate, Dreams, Dudamel, Early music, ecstasy, Emanuel Ax, emphasis, engineer, Estonia, examples, Facebook, female, Florence Price, Franz Schubert, gender, genre, Gil Shaham, Glass, Grammy, Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium, group, guitar, guitar music, Gustav Mahler, Gustavo Dudamel, Hadelich, hip-hop, Hispanic, Home, hope, House, hymn, idea, Imani Winds, inclusion, indicate, individual, industry, international, Ives, J'Nai Bridges, Jacob Stockinger, Jake Heggie, Janacek, Jazz, Jennifer Koh, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Adams, Jon Batiste, Joyce DiDonato, Judith Sherman, Juilliard, Juilliard School, justice, Koh, Korean, LA, LateShowwithStephenColbert, Latin, Leos Janacek, like, link, liturgy, Livermore, local, London, London Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Louis Andriessen, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Magnificat, Mahler, Manfred Honeck, Mardi Gras, Marsalis, Matt Haimovitz, Mead Witter School of Music, Mednelssohn, Met, Metropolitan Opera, Michael Tilson Thomas, mosaic, movement, Mozart, MSO, MTT, Music, Nashville, Nashville Symphony, national, new, New Orleans, Nico Muhly, nomination, nominee, of color, old, one-man, opera, Orchestra, orchestral music, original, Overture Center, Pacific, Pacific Chorale, pandemic, part, partita, pasrt, percussion, performance, performer, performers of color, permanent, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Philadelphia, Philip Glass, Pianist, Piano, piano accompaniment, piece, pillar, Pitssburgh, poem, Poem of Ecstasy, pop, Poulenc, power, present, price, Pro Arte Quartet, producer, profit, profitable, project, publisher, Publishing, racial justice, Radio, recording, rediscover, regional, Richard Strauss, Rock, sacred, Saint John, San Francisco, San Francisco Symphony, Sandbox Percussion, Schnittke, School of Music, Schubert, Scriabin, sea, Seattle, Seattle Symphony, sex, share, Shaw, show, Simon Rattle, Simone Dinnerstein, sing, singer, Singing, social, social activism, social justice, soldier, solo, solo violin, Sonata, song, soul, source, South Korea, standard, Stay Human, Stephen Colbert, Strauss, streaming, string, string music, subscriber, Sunday night, Susanna Malkki, symphony, Symphony of a Thousand, tag, Tchaikovsky, tears, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Guitar Quartet, The Ear, The Knights, Third Coast Percussion, Thomas Dausgaard, together, trend, TV, United States, University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW School of Music, UW-Madison, venue, video, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, vixen, vocal music, voice, warrior, way, WCO, Will Livermore, wind music, winner, Winterreise, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, women, work, world, WORT-FM 89.9, WPR, Wynton Marsalis, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, year, Yo-Yo Ma, YouTube

Going live! Here are some links to newly announced summer concerts and 2021-22 seasons

June 15, 2021
2 Comments

By Jacob Stockinger

Get out your datebooks.

Now that the pandemic is fast abating, at least locally, music groups and music presenters in the Madison area have been announcing a return to live music and their new seasons and summer events in a relentless way.

The Ear had been out of commission since mid-May until this week. But in any case, The Ear was overwhelmed and just couldn’t keep up with a separate post for each one.

Still, he thought it might be helpful to be able to check the dates, performers, programs, tickets and other information in one place.

Remember that the Madison Early Music Festival is no more. It has been absorbed into the regular music curriculum at the UW.

Please know that many groups – including, but not limited to, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music (below is the UW Symphony Orchestra — masked, socially distanced and virtually streamed — during the pandemic), University Opera, Edgewood College, Just Bach, Grace Presents, the Salon Piano Series, the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Bach Around the Clock, the Festival Choir of Madison, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir and the Madison Bach Musicians – have not yet released details of their new seasons.

But most of their websites say that an announcement of their new season is coming soon.

There are also some trends you may notice.

Many of the groups are raising prices and persistently seek donations as well as subscribers, no doubt to help make up for the loss of revenue during the pandemic.

The Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra have reduced the number of concerts or start later.

Some have simply rescheduled events, like the Wisconsin Union Theater closing its season with soprano Renée Fleming. And the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s new season is largely the same one they were planning to have to celebrate the Beethoven Year in 2020-21.

The Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, the Middleton Community Orchestra and the Willy Street Chamber Players all have pop-up concerts and scheduled outdoor concerts in parks. Some have also scheduled individual mini-concerts or personal sessions.

If you look at programs, you will see an emphasis on Black composers and performers by almost all groups. (The Madison Symphony Orchestra has scheduled “Lyric for Strings” by George Walker, below. You can hear it performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

What is most disappointing is that no group seems to have announced a special concert or event to pay homage to the public ordeal, health care workers and victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ear keeps thinking a performance of a suitable requiem (by perhaps Mozart, Faure, Brahms, Verdi or Britten) or Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony would have been an appropriate way to start the in-person season and, at the same time, acknowledge the more than 7,000 deaths in Wisconsin and almost 600,000 deaths in the U.S. and almost 4 million worldwide as of now. Maybe even Barber’s overplayed Adagio for Strings would suffice.

Finally, very few groups seem to be offering online virtual concert attendance as a possibility for those listeners who found that they actually enjoyed at least some the music in their own homes and at their own times.

IN ANY CASE, HERE IS WHAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE OR IS STILL ON TAP. CHECK IT OUT!

Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society in free live and for-pay recorded concerts: https://bachdancing.org

Middleton Community Orchestra’s summer concerts at Fireman’s Park (below) in Middleton: https://middletoncommunityorchestra.org

Madison Bach Musicians summer workshops (below): https://madisonbachmusicians.org/2021-summer-chamber-music-workshop/

Concerts on the Square with limited paid admission at Breese Stevens Field (below): https://wcoconcerts.org/concerts-tickets/concerts-on-the-square

Madison Symphony Orchestra (below, in a photo by Peter Rodgers): https://madisonsymphony.org/concerts-events/madison-symphony-orchestra-concerts/

Madison Opera and Opera in the Park (below): https://www.madisonopera.org/oitp21/; and https://www.madisonopera.org/21-22/

Wisconsin Union Theater: https://union.wisc.edu/visit/wisconsin-union-theater/seasonevents/concert-series/

Willy Street Chamber Players (below) at Orton Park: http://www.willystreetchamberplayers.org/2021-summer-concert-series.html

If you know of more entries or have observations to make about these, please leave word and, when possible, a link in the comment section.

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AdagioforStrings, #African-AmericanComposer, #AncoraStringQuartet, #BachAroundtheClock, #BachDancingandDynamiteSociety, #BeethovenYear, #BenjaminBritten, #BlackComposer, #Blackcomposers, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BreeseStevensField, #ChristianChurch, #CollageNewMusic, #ConcertsontheSquare, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #EdgewoodChamberOrchestra, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FestivalChoirofMadison, #FiremansPark, #GabrieFaure, #GiuseppeVerdi, #GraceEpiscopalChurch, #GracePresents, #GustavoDudamel, #HealthCare, #JacobStockinger, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #JustBach, #LiveMusic, #LosAngeles, #LosAngelesPhilharmonic, #MadisonBachMusicians, #MadisonEarlyMusicFestival, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MiddletonCommunityOrchestra, #MusicEducation, #NewMusic, #NinthSymphony, #OperaInThePark, #OrtonPark, #RecordedMusic, #RenéeFleming, #SalonPIanoSeries, #SamuelBarber, #ShannonHall, #SocialDistance, #SopranoSinger, #StringMusic, #StringQuartet, #TakePlace, #TheEar, #TheU.S., #TheUW, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityOpera, #UWSymphonyOrchestra, #WillyStreetChamberPlayers, #WisconsinChamberChoir, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, abate, absorb, acknowledge, Adagio for Strings, admission, African American, America, Ancora String Quartet, Arts, audience, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Barber, Baroque, BDDS, Beethoven, Beethoven Year, Benjamin Britten, black, black composer, blog, Blog post, blog posting, Brahms, Breese Stevens Field, Britten, celebrate, Chamber music, choral music, Christia, church, Classical music, comment, commission, composer, Concert, concerto, Concerts on the Square, coronavirus, COS, curriculum, death, deaths, details, donation, Dudamel, Early music, Edgewood College, enjoy, entry, Facebook, Facebook page, Facebook post, fast, Faure, Festival Choir of Madison, Firemans Park, for-pay, forward, free, funding, Gabriel Fauré, Giuseppe Verdi, Grace Episcopal Church, Grace Presents, group, Gustavo Dudamel, health care, homage, Home, indoors, information, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Just Bach, later, like, limited, link, listener, live music, live-stream, local, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Philharmonic, loss, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, Madison Early Music Festival, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Orchestra, mask, MCO, Mead Witter School of Music, MEMF, Middleton, Middleton Community Orchestra, Mozart, Music, Music education, new, New Music, Ninth Symphony, notice, opera, Opera in the Park, Orchestra, ordeal, Orton Park, outdoors, overplay, Overture Center, overwhelm, overwhelming, paid, pandemic, performers, persistent, personal, Pianist, Piano, pop-up, presenter, price, program, public, recorded music, Renée Fleming, Requiem, revenue, Salon Piano Series, Samuel Barber, schedule, Season, seating, seek, separate, Shannon Hall, share, singer, Singing, social distance, Sonata, soprano, start, stream, string music, String quartet, strings, subscriber, suffice, summer, symphony, tag, take place, tap, The Ear, ticket, tickets, times, trend, U.S., United State, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Opera, UW, UW Symphony Orchestra, Verdi, victim, Violin, vocal music, Website, Willy Street Chamber Players, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Choir, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, workers, workshop, YouTube

This Saturday night the Wisconsin Chamber Choir and Grammy winner Sarah Brailey perform a free live-streamed concert of music by women

May 13, 2021
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear has received the following announcement to post:

The Wisconsin Chamber Choir (WCC, below) with a special guest — Grammy Award-winning soprano and UW-Madison graduate Sarah Brailey – will perform this Saturday, May 15, at 7 p.m.

“Music She Wrote” is a celebration of music composed by a highly diverse group of women from many ages.

Choir members will sing from their individual cars using wireless microphones, listening to the sound of the whole choir via their car radios.

The audience is invited to listen in live on YouTube and to let us know they are interested by sending an RSVP to our Facebook event.

There is no charge to view the livestream, but donations will be welcome.

Here are the links to hear the performance LIVE on YouTube or Facebook:

https://youtu.be/Iaz0wZhuG18 or:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1561155960751974/

The WCC had scheduled a regular concert with an all-female cast of composers for May 2020, which fell victim to Covid-19. As it became obvious that the pandemic would last longer, the WCC started exploring new ways of making and disseminating music.

From September 2020, we resumed activity in the shape of the Parking Lot Choir, generating local media coverage from WKOW-TV and Madison Magazine, whose story was headlined “Forget tailgates, parking lots are for choir practice.”

The result of this first rehearsal run was the widely acclaimed “Car Carols” concert in December 2020, whose format is the model for “Music She Wrote.”

In addition to the Parking Lot Choir, three smaller groups from the WCC assembled at the Edgewood College Amphitheater on Saturday mornings to rehearse (below) in widely spaced formations, wearing specially designed singer masks.

Another such group, made up of our members from southeastern Wisconsin, met in Whitewater on Sunday afternoons. Recordings by those four small groups will be aired during the May 15 broadcast in addition to live singing by the Parking Lot choristers.

The program includes: the Garden Songs by Fanny Hensel, née Mendelssohn (Felix’s sister, below), which were intended for outdoor performance; and Ethel Smyth’s March of the Women, the anthem of the women’s suffrage movement in the English-speaking world.

In addition to works by African American composers Ysaÿe M. Barnwell (below top) and Rosephanye Powell and by Cuban composer Beatriz Corona (below second), the program includes samples from outside the Western tradition — Lamma Badaa Yatathannaa, sung in Arabic, by Shireen Abu-Shader (below third), who hails from Jordan but received her academic education in the U.S. and Canada; and two pieces by Japanese composer Makiko Kinoshita (below bottom).

Western early music is represented by Italian composers Raffaella Aleotti (below top) and Chiara Cozzolani (below bottom), who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Finally, there is singer-songwriter Judy Collins with her Song for Sarajevo, composed for the children of the war in Bosnia in 1994 and arranged by her longtime collaborator, Russell Walden. (You can hear it in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

For more details, visit: https://www.wisconsinchamberchoir.org/music-she-wrote.

Sarah Brailey (below, in a photo by Miranda Loud), a native of Wisconsin, studied at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she has just completed her doctorate. A consummate musician and internationally acclaimed soloist, she recently won a Grammy Award in the Best Classical Vocal Solo Album category for her role as The Soul in the world premiere recording of Ethel Smyth’s The Prison.

She is familiar to Madison audiences not only as a performer and co-founder of Just Bach but also as the co-host of WORT’s Musica Antiqua show on FM 89.9 and the director of Grace Presents.

As a graduate student, she joined the WCC for two seasons from 2004 to 2006. We are thrilled to welcome her back! For more information on Sarah, see her website at https://sarahbrailey.com

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #All-Female, #All-FemaleConcert, #ArabicComposer, #BaroqueMusic, #BeatrizCorona, #BlackComposer, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BosnianWar, #CarCarols, #CarRadio, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #CityofMadison, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #Cubancomposer, #EastmanSchoolofMusic, #EdgewoodCollege, #EthelSmyth, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FannyMendelssohn-Hensel, #FelixMendelssohn, #GraceEpiscopalChurch, #GracePresents, #Grammy-winning, #GrammyAward, #GuestArtist, #italianComposer, #JacobStockinger, #JapaneseComposer, #JudyCollins, #JustBach, #LiveStreaming, #MadisonMagazine, #MadisonWisconsin, #MakikoKinoshita, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicaAntiqua, #MusicEducation, #MusicSheWrote, #NewMusic, #NoCharge, #OnlineConcert, #ParkingLotChoir, #PopMusic, #RadioHost, #RaffaellaAleotti, #RomeItaly, #RosephanyePowell, #SarahBrailey, #ShireenAbu-Shader, #SocialDistance, #SongforSarajevo, #SongWriter, #SopranoSinger, #TheEar, #TheInternet, #ThePrison, #TheU.S., #TheUW, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityOpera, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WarnerPark, #Whitewater, #WhitewaterWisconsin, #WisconsinChamberChoir, #WKOWTV, #Women'sSuffrage, #WomenComposers, #WORT-FM89.9, #YouTubevideo, #YsayeBarnwell, activity, African American, ages, anthem, Arab, Arabic, Arabic composer, arrangement, Arts, audience, auto, Baroque, Beatriz Corona, black composer, blog, Bosnia, Brailey, Broadcast, Canada, car, Car Carols, car radio, category, celebration, Chiara Cozzolani, children, Choir, choral music, chorus, Christian, church, Classical music, collaborator, Collins, compose, composer, Concert, Corona, coronavirus, Cuban, Cubas, design, director, disseminate, diverse, doctorate, donation, Early music, Eastman School of Music, Edgewood College, Education, English, Ethel Smyth, European, event, explore, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, familiar, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, farden, Felix Mendelssohn, formation, forward, free, Grace Episcopal Church, Grace Presents, graduate, Grammy, group, guest artist, headline, hear, information, interest, Internet, Italian, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese composer, Jordan, Judy Collins, Just Bach, Kinoshita, know, like, link, listen, live, livestream, local, longtime, Madison, Madison Magazine, make, Makiko Kinoshita, march, masks, Mead Witter School of Music, media, microphones, model, morning, Music, Music education, Music She Wrote, Musica Antiqua, native, New Music, no charge, online, outdoor, pandemic, Parking Lot Choir, performance, performer, pieces, pop, pop music, popular, post, posting, Powell, prison, Radio, radio host, Raffaella Aleotti, register, rehearsal, resume, role, Rosephanye Powell, RSVP, Sarah Brailey, Saturday, schedule, send, shape, share, Shireen Abu-Khader, singer, Singing, Smyth, social distance, solo, song, Song for Sarajevo, soprano, soul, Sound, speak, special, story, suffrage, sung, tag, tailgate, Television, The Ear, tradition, TV, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Opera, UW, UW-Madison, victim, view, virtual, vocal music, war, Warner Park, WCC, wear, Website, welcome, Western, wireless, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Choir, WKOW TV, women, women composers, women's suffrage, world, WORT FM 88.9, YouTube, Ysaye Barnwell

Wisconsin Ensemble Project’s string quartet program to benefit the United Way of Dane County debuts online this Friday night

May 11, 2021
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

This Friday night, May 14, the Wisconsin Ensemble Project will present a recorded concert (below, in an image by Katrin Talbot) in partnership with United Way of Dane County (UWDC).

This is their second in a series of performances to benefit local and international organizations.

This production offers viewers a meaningful program that leads to direct impact with a focus on housing stability and family well-being. You will hear the story and see the face of UWDC woven throughout a chamber music performance.

The program of works for string quartet includes “Park” by Daniel Bernard Roumain (below top); the “Heiliger Dankgesang” (Sacred Hymn of Thanksgiving, which you can hear played by the Alban Berg Quartet in the YouTube video at the bottom) from Beethoven’s Opus 132; and selections from Five Folksongs in Counterpoint by Florence Price (below bottom).

WE Project members and performers are local, professional musicians who work together in the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra: violinists Leanne League and Mary Theodore; violist Jen Paulson; and cellist Karl Lavine.

“The WE Project is rooted in the quartet’s desire not only to delve deeply into chamber music repertoire, but also to address some of the many pressing social justice issues of our time,” says member Mary Theodore.

When exploring organizations to partner with for their second project, the quartet was inspired by the work of United Way of Dane County. The WE Project approached United Way out of their concern over housing security, with the understanding that one of UWDC’s key goals is to help more individuals and families find pathways out of poverty through housing and employment initiatives.

The recorded production will be available by registering at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wisconsin-ensemble-project-spring-benefit-concert-registration-151923670789 from 6 p.m. this Friday, May 14, for 72 hours. Admission is free and contributions are strongly encouraged.

Contributions can be made through the website and will help to cover basic production costs and get funds directly into the hands of this very worthy organization which, most importantly, brings aid to the people they serve.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AaronDworkin, #AfricanAmerican, #AlbanBerg, #AlbanBergQuartet, #BenefitConcert, #BlackComposer, #BlackMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #DaneCounty, #DanielBernardRoumain, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FlorencePrice, #folksongs, #FreeConcert, #Fridaynight, #HeiligerDankgesang, #HousingInsecurity, #HousingSecurity, #JacobStockinger, #JenPaulson, #LeanneLeague, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MaryTheodore, #MusicalDiversity, #NonprofitOrganization, #OnlineConcert, #SacredHymnofThanksgiving, #SocialJustice, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #TheHomeless, #UnitedWay, #UnitedWayofDaneCounty, #VirtualConcert, #WEProject, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinEnsembleProject, #YouTubevideo, address, admission, African American, aid, Alban Berg, Alban Berg Quartet, Arts, audience, available, basic, Beethoven, benefit, benefit concert, Berg, black composer, Black composers, black music, blog, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, charity, Classical music, composer, Concert, contribution, cost, counterpoint, Dane County, Daniel Bernard Roumain, deep, delve, desire, diversity, donation, employment, encourage, face, Facebook, Family, Florence Price, Focus, folk song, forwrad, free, Friday, fundraiser, goal, hear, Heiliger Dankgesang, homeless, Homelessness, housing, housing insecurity, housing security, hymn, include, insecurity, international, issue, Jacob Stockinger, Jacob StockingerYesterday, Jen Paulson, Karl Lavine, KarlLavine, key, Lavine, league, Leanne League, like, link, local, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Mary Theodore, member, members, money, Music, Musician, night, nonprofit, Nonprofit organization, online, Orchestra, organization, Park, partner, People, performance, play, poor, post, posted, posting, poverty, present, price, production, professional, program, recorded, recorded music, register, repertoire, root, Roumain, Sacred Hymn of Thanksgiving, second, series, serve, share, site, social justice, stability, story, String quartet, tag, team members, The Ear, time, together, unemployment, United States, United Way, United Way of Dane County, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtual, we, WE Project, Website, well-being, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Ensemble Project, work, worthy, YouTube

Critics for The New York Times name their Top 10 online classical concerts for May

May 3, 2021
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

Even as we wait to see whether concerts in the next season will be mostly streamed or live, the critics for The New York Times have named their Top 10 classical concerts to stream and hear online in May.

The Times critics have been doing this during the pandemic year. So perhaps if and when they stop, it will be a sign of returning to concert life before the pandemic.

Then again, maybe not, since The Ear suspects that many listeners have liked the online format, at least for some of the times and for certain events. So maybe there will be a hybrid format with both live and online attendance.

As the same critics have done before, they mix an attention to contemporary composers, world premieres and up-and-coming performers, including the Finnish conductor Susanna Maliki (below top) in a photo by Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times).

In a welcome development, the recommendations for this month also seem to mention more Black composers, performers and pieces than usual, including the rising star bass-baritone Davon Tines (below, in a photo by Vincent Tullo for The New York Times).

But you will also find many of the “usual suspects,” including Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Bartok, Benjamin Britten, Olivier Messiaen and Shostakovich. (On the play list is Schubert’s last song, “The Shepherd on the Rock,” which you can hear in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

You will also find dates and times (all are Eastern), links to the event and some short commentaries about what makes the concerts, programs and the performers noteworthy.

Here is a link to the story: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/arts/music/classical-music-streaming.html

Do you know of local, regional, national or international online concerts that you recommend? Leave word with relevant information in the Comment section.

Happy Listening!

Posted in Classical music
Tags: "Amadeus", #AixFestival, #AlbertHerring, #AlvinLucier, #AmadeusFilm, #AnthonyDavis, #AnthonyMcGill, #AnthonyTommasini, #AntonFerdinandTitz, #ArpeggioneSonata, #BeethovenSonataCompetition, #BelaBartok, #BenjaminBritten, #BerlinPhilharmonic, #BlackComposer, #Blackperformer, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #Bluebeard'sCastle, #BreonnaTaylor, #CelloMusic, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberOpera, #ChoralMusic, #ConcertgebouwOrchestra, #ConcertProgram, #ContemporaryComposer, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DavidPortillo, #DavonTines, #DiderotStringQuartet, #DifficultGrace, #DmitriShostakovich, #DougSchulz-Carlson, #EasternTime, #EcstaticMusic, #ErnestBloch, #EvgenyKissin, #ExperimentalMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FranzSchubert, #GreatMigration, #HanKim, #HelsinkiFinland, #HelsinkiPhilharmonicOrchestra, #HiroyukiIto, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #IAmSIttingInaRoom, #JacobStockinger, #JaneGlover, #JohnAdams, #JoshuaBell, #KaijaSaariaho, #KlausMakela, #LincolnCenter, #LiveMusic, #LiveStreaming, #MalcolmX, #MetropolitanOpera, #MichiganOperaTheater, #MinnesotaOpera, #MusicBefore1800, #MusicCritic, #MyraHuang, #NathaieJoachim, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #OlivierMessiaen, #OnlineConcert, #OrchestralMusic, #PeriodInstruments, #PhiladelphiaOrchestra, #PianoTrio, #PierreAlexandreTremblay, #PittsburghPost-Gazette, #RecordedMusic, #RisingStar, #ScottWollschleger, #SethParkerWoods, #StevenIsserlis, #StringQuartet, #SusannaMalkki, #SusannaPhillips, #TenorSinger, #TheEar, #TheHolocaust, #TheJoke, #TheMet, #TheNewYorkTImes, #TheShepherdontheRock, #Up-and-Coming, #ValentinesDay, #VirtualConcert, #WilliamGrantStilll, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorldPremiere, #YannickNezet-Seguin, #YouTubevideo, 90, Adans, Aix Festival, Albert Herring, alternation, Alvin Lucier, Anthony Davis, Anthony McGill, Anthony Tommasini, Anton Ferdinand Titz, Arpeggione sonata, Arts, attack, attendance, attention, audience, Bartok, bass-baritone, Béla Bartók, Bell, Benjamin Britten, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, birthday, black composer, Black performer, Bloch, blog, Bluebeard's Castle, boy, Breonna Taylor, Britten, celebration, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, chamber opera, chilling, choral music, clarinet, clarinetist, Classical music, comic, comment, commentary, composer, Concert, Concertgebouw Orchestra, conductor, contemporary, coronavirus, critic, date, David Portillo, Davis, Davon Tines, Diderot String Quartet, difficult, Difficult Grace, Dmitri Shostakovich, Doug Scholz-Carlson, dynamics, Eastern time, Ecstatic Music, England, Ernest Bloch, Europe, Evgeny Kissin, experimental, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, fan, fans, Finland, Finnish, flood, format, forward, France, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, German, Germany, Glover, grace, Great Migration, Ham Kim, Haydn, Helsinki, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, highlight, Hiroyuki Ito, historically informed performance practices, Holocaust, Huang, hybrid, I Am Sitting in a Room, Im, innocence, innocent, international, Jacob Stockinger, Jane Glover, Jewish, John Adams, Joshua Bell, Kaija Saariaho, Karl Larson, KarlLarson, Kim, Kissin, Klaus Makela, last, life, like, LIncoln Center, link, list, listener, live music, local, Madison, Malcolm X, May, meditative, Messiaen, Metropolitan Opera, Michigan, Michigan Opera Theater, Minnesota, Minnesota Opera, mix, mood, Mozart, Music, Music Before 1800, music critic, Myra Huang, Nathalie Joachim, national, New Music, New York City, New York Coty, noteworthy, Olivier Messiaen, one-act, online, opera, Orchestra, orchestral music, pandemic, Paris, performer, period instruments, Philadelphia Orchestra, photo, Pianist, Piano, Piano Trio, piece, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, play list, playlist, post, production, program, rarity, recital, recommend, recorded music, recording, regional, relevant, rising star, Roulette, Schubert, score, Scott Wollschleger, section, sentence, series, Seth Parker Woods, share, short, Shostakovich, shy, singer, Singing, soft, Sonata, song, Steven Isserlis, story, stream, String quartet, Susanna Malkki, Susanna Philips, Susanna Phillips, suspect, symphony, tag, tenor, texture, The Ear, The Joke, the Met, The New York Times, The Shepherd on the Rock, time, Tommasini, trio, twist, United States, usual, vigil, Viola, violinist, violist, virtual, Vista, vkkolin, vocal music, William Grant Still, Wisconsin, wistful, woderfuo, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, words, world premiere, X, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Youn, YouTube

A busy weekend of online concerts features the UW Symphony, Edgewood College, Madison Opera, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Bach Around the Clock and more

March 25, 2021
2 Comments

By Jacob Stockinger

With only a little over a month left before the academic year ends at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it’s not surprising that the last weekend in March is very busy with noteworthy – and competing – online concerts.

Each morning at 8 through Friday, Bach Around the Clock will release the last concerts of its 10-day online festival. You can find the programs – including the finale Friday night at 7 with Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 — and link for streaming here: https://bachclock.com/concert-schedule

The weekend starts tonight with one of The Ear’s favorite groups during the Pandemic Year: the UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra

Here is a day-by-day lineup. All times are Central Daylight Time:

TONIGHT, MARCH 25

The UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra (below) performs a FREE virtual online concert TONIGHT starting at 7:30 p.m.

The concert will be preceded by a 7 p.m. talk about Igor Stravinsky with modern musicologist and Penn State Professor Maureen Carr as well as conductor Oriol Sans and Susan Cook, UW musicologist and director of the Mead Witter School of Music.

The program is: Suite from the opera “Dido and Aeneas” by Henry Purcell, with student conductor Alison Norris; Duet for Two Violins and String Orchestra by the contemporary American composer Steve Reich; and the Neo-Classical “Apollon musagète” (Apollo, Leader of the Muses) by Stravinsky. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear an excerpt of the Stravinsky played by the Berlin Philharmonic with Simon Rattle conducting.)

Here is the link to the talk and concert. Click on more and you can also see the members of the orchestra and the two violin soloists: https://youtu.be/2rgHQ4lWTV8

For more information about the program, including notes, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/uw-madison-symphony-orchestra/

FRIDAY, MARCH 26

At 7:30 p.m. the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra will post for three days the third of its four online chamber music concerts (below). There will be excerpts of music by Beethoven and Brahms as well as complete works by Jessie Montgomery and Alyssa Morris.

Tickets to the online on-demand event are $30, with some discounts available, and are good through Monday evening.

Here is a link to more about this concert, including program notes by conductor and music director Andrew Sewell, and how to purchase tickets: https://wcoconcerts.org/events/winter-chamber-series-no-iii

At 8 p.m., the music department at Edgewood College will give a FREE online Spring Celebration concert. It will be livestreamed via music.edgewood.edu

The performers include: the Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Sergei Pavlov (below); the Guitar Ensemble, under the direction of Nathan Wysock; and the Chamber Winds, directed by Carrie Backman.

Highlights include the Guitar Ensemble’s performance of Wish You Were Here, by David Gilmour and Rogers Waters, and the Chamber Winds epic Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The Chamber Orchestra, which will perform live, will feature Musical moment No. 3, by Franz Schubert and Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27

At noon, in Grace Episcopal Church on the Capitol Square downtown, there will be a FREE online concert. Grace Presents: “A Patient Enduring”: This early music program of medieval conductus (a musical setting of metrical Latin texts) and ballade, English lute song, and duets from the early Italian Baroque features two sopranos, Grammy-winnner Sarah Brailey (below) and Kristina Boerger, with Brandon Acker on lute and theorbo.

Here is a link: YouTube.com/GracePresentsConcerts

You can also go to this webpage for a link: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/grace-presents-a-patient-enduring/

At 3 p.m. the Perlman Trio, a piano trio that is made up of UW-Madison graduate students, will give a FREE online concert. The program includes piano trios by Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert.

Here is a link to the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/EAjK0DfWB3A

Here is a link to the complete program plus background, names and photos of the performers as well as to the performance: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/perlman-piano-trio/

At 7 p.m. the UW-Madison’s Wingra Wind Quntet (below) will perform a FREE pre-recorded online concert. Here is a link to the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn7eobSnfr8

And here is a link to the page with more background information about the faculty members – including bassoonist Marc Vallon (below top) and flutist Conor Nelson (below bottom) – and to the complete program: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/wingra-wind-quintet/

SUNDAY, MARCH 28

From 4 to 5:30 p.m., guest mezzo-soprano Julia Ubank (below) will give a free online recital with pianist Thomas Kasdorf.

The program features songs by Mahler, Debussy, deFalla, Jake Heggie and Ellen Cogen.

Here is the complete program plus a link to the recital: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/julia-urbank-voice-recital/

From 4 to 5:30 p.m. the Madison Opera will host a Opera Up Close cocktail hour discussion with four general directors of opera companies. Here is the website’s description:

“Four opera general directors walk into a chat room…. Stepping outside the Madison Opera family, Kathryn Smith (below, in a photo by James Gill) is joined by three colleagues: Michael Egel of Des Moines Metro Opera, Ashley Magnus of Chicago Opera Theater, and Lee Anne Myslewski of Wolf Trap Opera.

“From how they got into opera, to the ups and downs of running an opera company, their favorite productions, funniest moments, and more, it will be a unique and entertaining afternoon.

Here is a link with more information including the cost of a subscription: https://www.madisonopera.org/class/general-directors/?wcs_timestamp=1616947200

At 6 p.m., Rachel Reese, a UW-Madison doctoral student in violin, will give a lecture-concert about the Violin Concerto No. 2 by the rediscovered African-American composer Florence Price (below). She will be accompanied by pianist Aubrie Jacobson.

Here is a link to the concert plus background about Rachel Reese: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/rachel-reese-lecture-recital/

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #African-AmericanComposer, #AlyssaMorris, #AndrewSewell, #BachAroundtheClock, #BaroqueMusic, #BerlinGermany, #BerlinPhilharmonic, #BlackComposer, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrandenburgConcerto, #CapitolSquare, #CarrieBackman, #CentralDaylightTime, #CentralTime, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberOrchestra, #ChamberWinds, #ChicagoIllinois, #ChicagoOperaTheater, #ChristianChurch, #ClassicalGuitar, #ClaudeDebussy, #CocktailHour, #ConorNelson, #CoronavirusPandemic, #DesMoines, #DesmoinesIowa, #DesMoinesMetroOpera, #EdgewoodCollege, #EdvardGrieg, #EllenCogen, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FemaleComposer, #FlorencePrice, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FranzSchubert, #GeneralDirector, #GracePresents, #GraduateStudent, #Grammy-winning, #GrammyAward, #GustavMahler, #HenryPurcell, #HomeWebsite, #IgorStravinsky, #ItalianBaroque, #JacobStockinger, #JakeHeggie, #JessieMontgomery, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #JuliaUrbank, #LatinLanguage, #LiveStreaming, #LivingComposer, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonOpera, #ManuelDeFalla, #MarcVallon, #MaureenCarr, #MedievalMusic, #Mezzo-sopranoSinger, #MusicDirector, #MusicEducation, #Musicfaculty, #NathanWysock, #OnlineConcert, #OnlineFestival, #OriolSans, #PanelDiscussion, #PeerGynt, #PeerGyntSuite, #PennState, #PerlmanTrio, #PianoAccompanist, #Pre-concertTalk, #ProgramNotes, #SarahBrailey, #SimonRattle, #SopranoSinger, #StarWars, #SteveReich, #StringMusic, #SusanCook, #TheEar, #TheForceAwakens, #TheUK, #TheUW, #TicketPrice, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UW-MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #UWSymphonyOrchestra, #ViolinConcerto, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WebPage, #WindQuintet, #WingraWindQuintet, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WolftrapOpera, #WomenComposer, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, academic, African American, Alyssa Morris, America, American, Andrew Sewell, Apollo, Arts, audience, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, background, Ballade, Baroque, Bassoon, bassoonist, BATC, Beethoven, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, black composer, blog, Blog post, blog posting, Brahms, Brailey, Brandenburg Concerto, British, busy, Capitol, Capitol Square, Carrie Backman, CDT, celebration, Cello, central, Central Daylight Time, Central Time, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, Chamber Winds, channel, Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, Christian, church, classical guitar, Classical music, Claude Debussy, click, cocktail, cocktail hour, Cogen, companies, competing, complete, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, conductus, Conor Nelson, coronavirus, coronavirus pandemic, de Falla, Debussy, Des Moines Metro Opera, discount, discussion, downtown, duet, Early music, Edgewood College, Edvard Grieg, Ellen Cogen, end, England, English, excerpts, Facebook, faculty, female, festival, Florence Price, flute, flutist, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, free, Friday, General director, Germany, Grace Episcopal, Grace Episcopal Church, Grace Presents, graduate student, Grammy, Grammy Award, Grave Presents, Grieg, guitar, Gustav Mahler, Haydn, Heggie, Henry Purcell, Igor Stravinsky, information, Iowa, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Jake Heggie, Jessie Montgomery, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Julia Urbank, Latin, lecture, like, lineup, link, Living composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, lute, Madison, Madison Opera, Mahler, Manuel DeFall, Marc Vallon, march, Maureen Carr, Medieval, member, metrical, Mezzo-soprano, minimalism, minimalist, Monday, Montgomery, morning, Morris, Music, Music director, Music education, music faculty, musicology, name, names, Nathan Wysock, Nelson, neo-Classical, noteworthy, oiano, on-demand, online, online festival, opera, Orchestra, Oriol Sans, Overture Center, pandemic, Peer Gynt, Penn State, perform, performer, Perlman Trio, photo, Pianist, Piano, Piano accompanist, Piano Trio, post, pre-concert, price, program, program notes, Purcell, purchase, recital, Reich, releaseconcert, Sarah Brailey, Saturday, Schubert, series, setting, Sewell, share, Simon Rattle, sing, Singing, soloist, song, soprano, Spring, Star Wars, Steve Reich, Stravinsky, stream, streaming, string music, strings, Suite, Sunday, surprising, Susan Cook, symphony, tag, talk, text, The Ear, The Force Awakens, theater, theorbo, third, Thursday, tickets, tonight, trio, UK, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW-Madison, UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra, Vallon, video, Viola, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, virtual, vocal music, web, Website, weekend, wind music, Wind quintet, winds, Wingra Wind Quintet, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wolf Trap Opera, women, women composer, works, year, YouTube

Here are the Top 10 online concerts to stream in March, according to critics for the New York Times

March 2, 2021
Leave a Comment

ALERT: The online live-streamed concert by the UW-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet — scheduled for this Friday night, March 5 — in the all-Beethoven cycle of string quartets has been canceled and postponed until next year. The Friday, April 9 installment of the Beethoven cycle will be held as Installment 7 instead of 8.

By Jacob Stockinger

Classical music critics of The New York Times have once again picked their Top 10 online concerts for the month of March.

The Ear has found such lists helpful for watching and hearing, but also informative to read, if you don’t actually “attend” the concert.

If you have read these lists before, you will see that this one is typical.

It offers lots of links with background about the works and performers; concert times (Eastern); and how long the online version is accessible.

Many of the performers will not be familiar to you but others – such as pianist Mitsuko Uchida (below, in a photo by Hiroyuki Ito for the Times), who will perform an all-Schubert recital, will be very familiar.

But the critics once again emphasize new music and even several world premieres – including one by Richard Danielpour — and a path-breaking but only recently recorded live performance of the 1920 opera “Die Tote Stadt” (The Dead City) by long-neglected composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold (below), who is best known for his Hollywood movie scores but who also wrote compelling classical concert hall music. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear soprano Renée Fleming sing “Marietta’s Song.’)

But some works that are more familiar by more standard composers – including Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Ravel and Copland – are also included.

The Times critics have also successfully tried to shine a spotlight on Black composers and Black performers, such as the clarinetist and music educator Anthony McGill (below top), who will perform a clarinet quintet by composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (below) and music in the setting of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

No purists, the critics also suggest famous oboe and clarinet works in transcriptions for the saxophone by composer-saxophonist Steven Banks (below).

Also featured is a mixed media performance of words and music coordinated by the award-winning Nigerian-American novelist, essayist and photographer Teju Cole (below), whose writings and photos are irresistible to The Ear.

Here is a link to the story in the Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/arts/music/classical-music-streaming-concerts.html

Are there other online concerts in March – local, regional, national or international – that you recommend in addition to the events listed in the Times?

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AaronCopland, #AdolphusHailstork, #AmyBeach, #AnthonyMcGill, #AppalachianSpring, #AsianComposer, #BerlinGermany, #BlackComposer, #BlackCulture, #BlackMusic, #Blackperformer, #BlackTraditions, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BluesMusic, #CarolineShaw, #ChamberMusic, #ClaraSchumann, #ClarinetConcerto, #ClarinetQuintet, #ClevelandOrchestra, #ConcertHall, #ConcertTime, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DavidFung, #DavidHydePierce, #DeutscheOper, #ErichWolfgangKorngold, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FemaleComposer, #FlorencePrice, #FranzSchubert, #GreatBritain, #GreatMigration, #HenryGorecki, #HildgardvonBingen, #JacobStockinger, #JenniferKoh, #JohnDowland, #KurtWeill, #LiveMusic, #LondonEngland, #LouisianaPhilharmonicOrchestra, #LouisvilleOrchestra, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MargaretBonds, #MauriceRavel, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MetropolitanMuseumofArt, #MitsukoUchida, #MixedMedia, #MusicCritic, #NegroSpiritual, #NewMusic, #NewYorkPhilharmonic, #NewYorkTimes, #OboeQuartet, #OnlineConcert, #OperaMusic, #OperaPhiladelphia, #OrchestralMusic, #OrchestraofSt.Luke's, #PhiladelphiaPennsylvania, #PhilipGuston, #PianoConcerto, #PianoSonata, #PolishComposer, #PrincipalClarinet, #ProArteQuartet, #RecordedMusic, #RenéeFleming, #RiccardoChailly, #RichardDanielpour, #RobertSchumann, #SamuelColeridge-Taylor, #SarahCahill, #SopranoSinger, #StevenBanks, #StringQuartet, #TejuCole, #The CoronationofPoppea, #TheBlues, #TheDeadCity, #TheEar, #TheUW, #Top10, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UnsukChin, #ViolinConcerto, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WigmoreHall, #WilliamBolcom, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, Aaron Copland, Actor, Adolphus Hailstork, Africa, Americana, Amy Beach, Anthony McGill, Appalachian Spring, Art, Arts, Asi, asian, Asian composer, audience, award, background, bakcground, beach, Beethoven, Berlin, black composer, Black culture, black music, Black performer, Black traditions, blog, blues, Bolcom, bovel, cancel, Caroline Shaw, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Clara Schumann, clarinet, clarinet concerto, Clarinet Quintet, clarinetist, Classical music, Cleveland, Cleveland Orchestra, Cole, composer, Concert, concert hall, concert time, concerto, conductor, Copland, coronavirus, coronavirus pandemic, critic, cycle, Danielpour, David Fung, David Hyde Pierce, Deutsche Oper, Deutsche Opera, Early music, England, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, essay, essayist, event, Facebook, Facebook page, familiar, female, Florence Price, forward, Franz Schubert, Fung, Germany, Gorecki, Great Britain, Great Migration, Hailstork, hear, helful, Henryk Gorecki, Hildegard von Bingen, impromptu, international, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, jazzy, Jennifer Koh, John Dowland, Kaija Saariaho, Koh, Korngold, Kurt Weill, like, link, list, live music, local, London, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, march, Margaret Bonds, Maurice Ravel, McGill, Mead Witter School of Music, media, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mitsuko Uchida, mixed media, Mozart, Museum, Music, music critic, national, neglect, Negro spirituals, New Music, New York Philharmonic, New York Times, Nigeria, Nigerian, novelist, Oboe, Oboe Quartet, oboist, online, opera, Opera Philadelphia, Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, orchestral music, other, pandemic, PAQ, Pennsylvania, performer, Philip Guston, photographer, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, Piano sonata, players, Polish composer, post, posting, postpone, price, Principal Clarinet, Pro Arte Quartet, purist, quintet, Ravel, read, recital, recommendation, recorded music, regional, Renée Fleming, Riccardo Chailly, Richard Danielpour, Robert Schumann, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Sarah Cahill, Saxophone, Schubert, Schumann, setting, share, Shaw, Shine, Singing, soloist, Sonata, song, soprano, spirituals, spotlight, Spring, Steven Banks, stream, String quartet, symphony, tag, Teju Cole, The blues, The Dead City, The Ear, time, Top 10, transcription, typical, Uchida, UK, United Kingdom, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Unsuk Chin, UW, UW-Madison, value, version accessible, Viola, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, violist, virtual, vocal music, watch, Weill, Wigmore Hall, WILLIAM BOLCOM, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, women, works, world premiere, Writer, writing, YouTube, YouTube video

New York Times critics choose 10 online classical music concerts to stream in February, starting this Thursday

February 2, 2021
1 Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

As they have done for previous months during the coronavirus pandemic, the classical music critics for The New York Times have named their top 10 choices of online concerts to stream in February, which is also Black History Month, starting this Thursday, Feb. 4.

Also predictably, they focus on new music – including a world premiere — new conductors and new composers, although “new” doesn’t necessarily mean young in this context.

For example, the conductor Fabio Luisi (below) is well known to fans of Richard Wagner and the Metropolitan Opera. But he is new to the degree that just last season he became the new conductor of Dallas Symphony Orchestra and its digital concert series.

Similarly, the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg (below top, in a photo by Saara Vuorjoki) and the American composer Caroline Shaw (below bottom, in a photo by Kait Moreno), who has won a Pulitzer Prize, have both developed reputations for reliable originality.

But chances are good that you have not yet heard of the young avant-garde cellist Mariel Roberts (below top) or the conductor Jonathon Heyward (below bottom).

Nor, The Ear suspects, have you probably heard the names and music of composers Angélica Negrón (below top), who uses found sounds and Tyshawn Sorey (below bottom). (You can sample Negrón’s unusual music in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

Of course, you will also find offerings by well-known figures such as the Berlin Philharmonic and its Kurt Weill festival; conductor Alan Gilbert; pianists Daniil Trifonov and Steven Osborne; violinist Leonidas Kavakos; and the JACK Quartet.

Tried-and-true composers are also featured, including music by Beethoven, Schnittke, Weber, Ravel and Prokofiev. But where are Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann and Handel? No one seems to like Baroque music.

Here is a link to the events with links and descriptions. All times are Eastern: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/arts/music/classical-music-streaming.html

Do you have other virtual and online concerts to suggest? Please leave details in the Comment sections.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #African-AmericanComposer, #AlanGilbert, #AlfredSchnittke, #AmericanComposer, #AngelicaNegron, #AnthonyTommasini, #AntonioVivaldi, #BaroqueMusic, #BavarianStateOpera, #BerlinGermany, #BerlinPhilharmonic, #BertoltBrecht, #BlackComposer, #BlackHistory, #BlackHistoryMonth, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CarlMariavonWeber, #CarolineShaw, #ChamberMusic, #ClassicalSymphony, #ConcertSeries, #ContemporaryMusic, #CoronavirusPandemic, #CountertenorSinger, #COVID-19, #DallasSymphonyOrchestra, #DallasTexas, #DaniilTrifonov, #DetroitMichigan, #DetroitSymphony, #DetroitSymphonyOrchestra, #EasternTime, #FabioLuisi, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzJosephHaydn, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #HamburgGermany, #HannahKendall, #HelmutLachenmann, #JACKQuartet, #JacobStockinger, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnHoliday, #JohnStorgards, #JonathonHeyward, #JoshuaBarone, #KurtWeill, #LatinoComposers, #LeonidasKavakos, #LivingComposer, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MagnusLindberg, #MarielRoberts, #MauriceRavel, #MetropolitanOpera, #ModernMusic, #MotherGoose, #MotherGooseSuite, #MunichGermany, #MusicCritic, #NDRElbphilharmonieOrchestra, #NewMusic, #NewYorkTimes, #OnlineConcert, #OnlineFestival, #OperaMusic, #OrchestralMusic, #PercussionEnsemble, #PercussionMusic, #PianoConcerto, #PuertoRico, #PulitzerPrize, #RichardWagner, #RiseandFalloftheCotyofMahagonny, #SeattleSymphony, #SergeiProkofiev, #SethColterWalls, #SoPercussion, #SteveOsborn, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #TheMet, #TheThreeopennyOpera, #TheVoice, #TVShow, #TyshawnSorey, #ViolinConcerto, #VirtualConcert, #VirtualFestival, #VocalMusic, #YouTubevideo, #ZacharyWoolfe, abolitionist, African American, African-Amercian, Alan Gilbert, Alfred Schnittke, America, American, Angelica Negron, Anthony Tommasini, Antonio Vivaldi, Arts, audience, avant-garde, Bach, Barone, Baroque, Baroque music, Bavaria, Bavarian State Opera, Beethoven, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, Bertolt Brecht, black, black composer, Black history, Black History Month, blog, Brecht, Carl Maria von Weber, Caroline Shaw, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, chance, Classical music, Classical Symphony, colorful, comment, composer, computer, Concert, concert series, concerto, conductor, contemporary, contemporary music, context, coronavirus, coronavirus pandemic, countertenor, critics, Dallas, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Daniil Trifonov, dergee, description, details, Detroit, Detroit Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, digital, Eastern time, enchanting, Europe, European, event, Fabio Luisi, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, February, female, festival, Finland, Finnish, forward, Franz Joseph Haydn, Georg Philipp Telemann, George Frideric Handel, German, Germany, Gilbert, Hamburg, Handel, Hannah Kendall, Haydn, Helmut Lachenmann, Heyward, Hispanic, History, JACK Quartet, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Holiday, John Storgards, Jonathon Heyward, Joshua Barone, Kavakos, Kendall, Kurt Weill, Latina, Latino, Leonidas Kavakos, like, Lindberg, link, living composers, Ludwig van Beethoven, Luisi, Magnus Lindberg, Mariel Roberts, Maurice Ravel, Metropolitan Opera, modern music, Mother Goose, Mother Goose Suite, Munich, Music, music critic, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Negrón, new, New Music, New York Times, online, opera, Orchestra, orchestral music, original, originality, Osborn, Overture, percussion, Percussion Ensemble, performers, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, post, posting, Prokofiev, Puerto Rico, Pulitzer Prize, Ravel, reliable, reputation, Richard Wager, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Roberts, Romantic, Schnittke, Season, Seattle, Seattle Symphony, section, Sergei Prokofiev, series, Seth Colter Walls, share, Shaw, singer, Singing, So percussion, Sorey, Steven Osborn, Storgards, stream, String quartet, suffragist, suggestion, Suite, symphony, tag, Telemann, Texas, The Ear, the Met, The Threepenny Opera, The Voice, time, Tommasini, Trifonov, TV, TV show, Tyshawn Sorey, United States, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, virtual, Vivaldi, vocal music, Wagner, Weber, Weill, win, women, Woolfe, young, YouTube, Zachary Woolfe

TODAY — Sunday, Jan. 24, at noon — a video concert by the Willy Street Chamber Players will kick off the Wisconsin Union Theater’s new concert series “Wisconsin Sound”

January 24, 2021
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

The Wisconsin Union Theater is excited to pilot “Wisconsin Sound,” a new video concert series featuring musicians from our very own state.

The series, which includes the UW-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet, will have five concerts, once a month between January and May and begins with celebrated, locally grown Willy Street Chamber Players (WSCP, below in a photo by Lloyd Schultz) on TODAY — Sunday, Jan. 24 — at noon CDT.

You can see the full lineup with dates and purchase single tickets for the performance or discounted subscription for all Wisconsin Sound events here. Single tickets are $15 and subscription tickets to all five concerts are $50.

The Willy Street Chamber Players began just six years ago but has already made its mark on the Madison community, garnering accolades for its fun approach to music, accessibility and dedication to community partnerships.

The group will perform Fantasiestucke (Fantasy Pieces) for Cello and Piano, Op. 73, by Robert Schumann; Fantasy No. 2 for Violin and Piano by Florence Price (below top); Kiép Nào Có Yeu Nhau (Vietnamese Love Song) for Violin and Piano by Rachel Eubanks (below bottom); and Adagio and Allegro for Cello and Piano, Op. 70, by Robert Schumann. (You can hear the Fantasy by Florence Price in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

You may have heard these dynamic performers during our Summer Serenades at Memorial Union Terrace and other Wisconsin festivals.

The pandemic has not stopped this group from bringing beautiful music to the community; it has continued to perform virtually as well as give in-person “Micro-concerts” for one to two people and safety in mind.

“We are honored they agreed to be the first artist in this pilot series. We share in Willy Street Chamber Players’ goal of creating community through music and thought they’d be a great group to kick off the new series for that very reason,” says Wisconsin Union Theater director Elizabeth Snodgrass.

“Everyone in the arts is trying so hard to stay connected and the group’s music and positivity invite that connection,” Snodgrass adds. “I hope this will reach Wisconsin patrons as well as new listeners who may not have had the chance to hear Willy Street Chamber Players or who have not been to the Wisconsin Union Theater before.”

This blog named the Willys “Musicians of the Year” for 2016. The players were called “a fantastic breath of fresh air who invest their performances of even well-known works, such as the glorious Octet by Mendelssohn, with energy and drive, zest and good humor.” You can read that story here.

Click here for more information about Wisconsin Sound, including other upcoming performances.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AdagioandAllegro, #African-AmericanComposer, #African-Americanmusician, #ArtisticDirector, #Beautifulmusic, #BlackComposer, #BlackWomen, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ConcertSeries, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #ElizabethSnodgrass, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FantasyPieces, #FlorencePrice, #Freshair, #GoodHumor, #JacobStockinger, #KiépNàoCóYeuNhau, #LoveSong, #MakeMusicMadison, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MemorialUnionTerrrace, #NeglectedMusic, #OnlineConcert, #ProArteQuartet, #PublicHealth, #RachelEubanks, #RobertSchumann, #SeasonSubscription, #ShannonHall, #SummerSerenades, #TheEar, #TheUW, #TicketSales, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VirtualConcert, #WillyStreetChamberPlayers, #WisconsinSound, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WomenComposers, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, accessibility, accolades, Adagio and Allegro, African American, ago, agree, approach, artist, Arts, audience, beautiful, Beautiful music, black, blog, breath, celebrated, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, chance, Classical music, community, composer, Concert, concert series, connect, coronavirus, dedication, director, discount, drive, dynamic, ecited, Elizabeth Snodgrass, energy, Eubanks, everyone, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, fantastic, fantasy, Feix Mendelssohn, Felix Medelssohn, festivals, Florence Price, forward, fresh air, fun, garner, good humor, group, hard, hear, honor, in person, information, invest, Jacob Stockinger, Kiép Nào Có Yeu Nhau, kick off, kickoff, like, lineup, link, listeners, local, love song, Madison, make, Mead Witter School of Music, Memorial Union Terrace, micro-concerts, mind, month, Music, Musician, neglected music, new, Octet, online, pandemic, partners, partnerships, patron, People, performance, performer, Pianist, Piano, piece, pieces, pilot, post, posting, price, Pro Arte Quartet, Public health, purchase, Rachel Eubanks, reason, Robert Schumann, safety, Schumann, Serenade, Shannon Hall, share, Snodgrass, subscription, summer, Summer Serenades, tag, Te Ear, though, tickets, try, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, upcoming, UW, UW-Madison, video, Vietnamese, Violin, violinist, virtual, Willy Street Chamber Players, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Sound, Wisconsin Union Theater, women, women composers, WUT, years, YouTube, zest

Four local classical musicians perform Black women composers in a virtual holiday concert to benefit the health of Black women

December 23, 2020
1 Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

The Wisconsin Ensemble (WE) Project, a quartet of local classical musicians, has announced that it will host a holiday concert to support Dane County-based non-profit, the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness (FFBWW, below).

The concert will be the first in a series of performances to benefit local and international organizations working for social justice and human interest.

This unique effort is rooted in the quartet’s desire to not only delve deeply into chamber music repertoire, but also to address some of the many pressing social justice issues of our time.

This recorded, virtual YouTube concert will be available at https://wisconsinensembleproject.com from 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 25, through 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3. — times are CST — where contributions will be accepted via PayPal.

Viewers will hear the story and see the face of the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness woven through quality chamber music by Black women composers performed by WE Project artists violinists Leanne League and Mary Theodore (below ends, in a photo by Katrin Talbot); violist Christopher Dozoryst (second from right); and cellist Karl Lavine. The four play together in the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.

Pieces they will perform include Strum (heard in the YouTube video at the bottom) and Voodoo Dolls by Jessie Montgomery (below top, in a photo by Jiyang Chen); Modes by Dorothy Rudd Moore (below center); and String Quartet in G Major by Florence Price (below bottom).

“This production offers viewers a meaningful program which leads to direct impact,” says WE Project member Mary Theodore who has been working with Foundation staff to coordinate the benefit over the last few weeks.

”We felt strongly about the work of the Foundation as we learned more about their mission to eliminate the startling health and economic disparities Black women face in our community,” adds Theodore. “When you donate and tune in to our concert, you will be helping to cover basic production costs and getting funds directly into the hands of this very worthy organization”.

Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness CEO Lisa Peyton-Caire (below), who launched the Black women’s health advocacy organization in 2012, says the concert is a beautiful example of how community and organizations can partner to drive social change together.

“We are elated that WE Project chose us as their first benefit recipient, and that our mission and work to transform Black women’s health in Wisconsin resonated with them,” said Peyton-Caire. “We know that ultimately it takes all of our effort to solve the inequities in our community, and this benefit concert is a beautiful example of the loving and creative ways we can join forces to do this.”

To learn more about the concert, visit https://wisconsinensembleproject.com, where you can contribute via PayPal anytime beginning now through Jan. 3.

To listen to a recent morning coffee chat between members of the two organizations, go to: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=431169757916539&ref=watch_permalink. Click on individual profiles to hear them.

To learn more about The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness, visit https://ffbww.org.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #BenefitConcert, #BlackComposer, #BlackLivesMatter, #BlackWomen, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChiefExecutiveOfficer, #ChristmasConcert, #ChristopherDozoryst, #CivilRights, #ClassicalMusicians, #ConcertSeries, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DaneCounty, #DorothyRuddMoore, #economicimpact, #EqualRights, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FlorencePrice, #FoundationforBlackWomen'sWellness, #HolidayConcert, #HomeWebsite, #HumanInterest, #IncomeDisparity, #JacobStockinger, #JessieMontgomery, #LeanneLeague, #LisaPeyton-Caire, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #NewYear's, #NewYear'sConcert, #OnlineConcert, #PayPal, #PublicHealth, #RecordedMusic, #SocialActivism, #SocialChange, #SocialJustice, #StringMusic, #StringPlayers, #StringQuartet, #SystemicRacism, #TheEar, #TuneIn, #VirtualConcert, #VoodooDolls, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinEnsembleProject, #WomanComposer, #WomenComposers, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, accept, address, advocacy, announce, Arts, audience, available, basic, beautiful, benefit, benefit concert, black, black composer, Black composers, Black Lives Matter, Black women, blog, cellist, Cello, CEO, Chamber music, chat, Chief Executive Organization, Christmas, Christmas concert, Christopher Dozoryst, civil rights, Classical music, classical musician, click, community, composer, concert series, contribution, conversation, coordinate, coronavirus, cost, cover, create, creative, Dane County, December, deep, delve, desire, direct, disparity, donate, donation, Dorothy Rudd Moore, economic, effort, eliminate, equal rights, example, face, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, feel, feminist, FFBWW, Florence Price, force, forward, foundation, Foundation for Black Women's Wellness, funds, hands, Health, help, Holiday, holiday concert, home website, host, human interest, impact, Income Disparity, inequity, international, issues, Jacob Stockinger, January, Jessie Montgomery, join, Karl Lavine, KarlLavine, launch, Leanne League, like, link, Lisa Peyton-Caire, listen, local, Love, loving, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, meaningful, mision, mission, Modes, morning, Music, New Year, New Year's concert, non-profit, online, organization, pandemic, perform, performances, piece, post, posting, pressing, production, profile, program, project, Public health, quality, Quartet, racism, racist, recorded, recorded music, repertoire, repertory, rooted, series, share, social activism, social change, social justice, staff\, string music, string players, String quartet, strum, support, systematic racism, tag, The Ear, time, together, transform, tune in, unique, United States, viewer, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtual, Voodoo, Voodoo Dolls, ways, we, Website, weeks, wellness, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Ensemble Project, women, women composer, women composers, working, worthy, YouTube

	Bill Lane on The new Apple Music Classical…
	Augustine on The new Apple Music Classical…
	samanthacrownoversbc… on How do post-pandemic concert a…
	Ronnie on How do post-pandemic concert a…
	welltemperedear on How do post-pandemic concert a…

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: