The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Flutist and activist Iva Ugrcic is Musician of the Year for 2018
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By Jacob Stockinger
The classical music scene in Madison is so rich that it is always a challenge to name a Musician of the Year.
There are just so many deserving candidates. One obvious example is conductor John DeMain, who is completing his 25th year of outstanding stewardship in directing the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Madison Opera.
But part of the intent behind such an honor is not just to recognize well-known figures. It is to encourage a broader awareness of those people who do a lot for local classical music but who often fly under the radar for many people.
That is why The Ear is naming flutist and activist Iva Ugrcic (below) as the Musician of the Year for 2018.
As both a performer and entrepreneur, Ugrcic is always very busy broadening her varied career. Being both a player and an activist, she is making a difference, musically and socially, that deserves to be recognized and supported.
Serbian by birth and educated in Belgrade and Paris, she came to Madison where she completed her doctorate in flute performance and also took business courses at the UW-Madison Business School.
She is a first-rate performer who has won a national prize for performing. While at the UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, she won both the concerto competition (below) and the Irving Shain competition for wind instruments in duets. (You can hear her amazing technique in the YouTube video at the bottom. In it Ugrcic performs “Voice” for solo flute by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu.)
She now plays with the Black Marigold Wind Quintet and Sound Out Loud, both of which are based in Madison and both of which devote themselves to contemporary composers and new music.
This year, Urgcic also soloed with the Middleton Community Orchestra (below, in a photo by John W. Barker), performing to critical acclaim a relatively unknown concerto by 19th-century composer Carl Reinecke.
This year, Urgcic also took over as artistic director of the Rural Musicians Forum, which brings classical music, jazz, world music and ethnic music, played by outstanding performers to the Spring Green area, often at the Taliesin compound of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
But perhaps her most long-lasting contribution is her founding and now directing the LunART Festival that, in the same year of the Me Too movement, sought to present an all-women event that featured composers, performers, visual artists and writers.
Such was its inaugural success in 2018 that it won a national prize from the National Flute Association and a second festival will take place from June 9 through June 9, 2019.
2019 will also see the release of her second solo recording devoted to the music of the contemporary Romanian composer Doina Rotaru, even while she is working on a recording of “Beer Music” by contemporary American composer Brian DuFord.
And all that is just the beginning for such a promising talent. We will be hearing much more from her and about her in years to come.
To see her impressive biography, as well as updated activities, video and audio clips, photographs and other information, go to: https://www.ivaugrcic.com/bio
Here is one more thing that speaks to The Ear. It feels important, even necessary, to recognize the positive contributions of an immigrant at a time when the current “America First” administration under President Donald Trump seems so paranoid and negative, so xenophobic and afraid of foreigners.
The U.S government should be less intent on condemning or stigmatizing immigrants, whether legal or undocumented, and should put more emphasis on their contributions and on the long and distinguished history they have in the United States.
Iva Urgcic is yet another example of the talent we Americans stand to lose if we do not accept and encourage the gifts that immigrants bring in so many ways — from the arts, medicine, education and technology to everyday life and work.
Please join The Ear is expressing gratitude and congratulations to Iva Urgcic.
Tags: #All-Female, #AmericaFirst, #AmericanComposer, #AmericanImmigration, #ArtisticDirector, #BeerMusic, #BelgradeSerbia, #BelgradeYugoslavia, #BlackMarigold, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrianDuFord, #BusinessSchool, #CarlReinecke, #ConcertoCompetition, #ContemporaryComposers, #ContemporaryMusic, #DoinaRotaru, #DonaldTrump, #DuetMusic, #EthnicMusic, #EverydayLife, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FluteConcerto, #FluteMusic, #FrankLloydWright, #IrvingShain, #IvaUgrcic, #JapaneseComposer, #JazzMusic, #JohnDeMain, #JohnW.Barker, #LivingComposers, #LunARTFestival, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MadisonWisconsin, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MeToo, #MeToomovement, #MiddletonCommunityOrchestra, #MiddletonWisconsin, #MusicianoftheYear, #NationalFluteAssociation, #NewMusic, #ParisFrance, #RomanianComposer, #RuralMusiciansForum, #SocialActivism, #SocialActivist, #SoundOutLoud, #SpringGreen, #Taliesincompound, #TheEar, #ThePresident, #ToruTakemitsu, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VisualArtist, #WindMusic, #WomenPerformers, #WorldMusic, #YouTubevideo, 2018, 2019, activist, administration, all-women, America First, architect, architecture, Artistic director, Arts, Audio, awareness, Bach, Baroque, Beer, Belgrade, biography, Black Marigold, blog, Brian DuFord, Business, business school, Carl Reinecke, Chamber music, Classical music, Compact Disc, Competition, composer, concerto, condemn, congratulations, courses, doctorate, Doina Rotaru, Donald Trump, duet, Early music, Education, entrepreneur, ethnic music, everyday life, Facebook, feminism, feminist, flute, flying, foreigner, forward, France, Frank Lloyd Wright, gender, gratitude, Home, immigrant, immigration, inaugural, Irving Shain, Iva Ugrcic, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Jazz, Johann Sebastian Bach, John DeMain, John W. Barker, labor, legal, life, like, link, LunART Festival, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Me Too, Mead Witter School of Music, medicine, Middleton, Middleton Community Orchestra, Mozart, Music, Musician, Musician of the Year, national, National Flute Association, New Music, opera, Orchestra, paranoia, paranoid, Paris, People, performer, photographs, pictures, player, poet, post, posting, President Donald Trump, prize, radar, recording, Romania, Romanian, Rural Musicians Forum, Serbia, Serbian, share, shelter, solo, Sound Out Loud, Spring Green, stewardship, stigmatize, Student, tag, Taliesin, technique, technology, The Ear, U.S., undocumented, United States, University of Belgrade, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, varied, video, voice, Website, winds, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, women, Woodwind quintet, work, World music, Writer, xenophobia, xenophobic, year, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison-based wind quintet Black Marigold performs two concerts this Friday night and Saturday night. On Sunday afternoon, the Edgewood College Chamber Orchestra performs
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By Jacob Stockinger
Here is another twofer preview because of so many events happening this weekend.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS
The Madison-based wind quintet Black Marigold (below, in a photo by Vincent Fuh) will perform two concerts this Friday and Saturday nights.
The program features wind music of the 19th and 21st centuries.
Here are the two performances:
This Friday night, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m.; Arts & Literature Laboratory; 2021 Winnebago Street; $8 in advance, $10 at the door; Tickets: http://blackmarigold.bpt.me/
The program includes Five Stick$ (2014) by Columbian composer Víctor Agudelo; Petit Suite(1889) by French composer Claude Debussy; and flights (selections) of Beer Music (2016), a suite of short pieces inspired by Madison area microbrews by American composer Brian DuFord (below).
Vote for your favorite beer! Choose your favorite beer and we’ll perform the top six as a flight of Beer Music. Don’t know which is your favorite yet? Check out our “Tasting Notes” and see what strikes your fancy.
There is an additional FREE performance:
This Saturday night, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. at Capitol Lakes Retirement Community; 331 West Main Street, three blocks off the Capitol Square; http://www.retirement.org/madison/; Free admission, presented by Capitol Lakes
Facebook event links are: Arts & Literature Lab, Sept. 22; Capitol Lakes, Sept. 23
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
This Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph Chapel, 1000 Edgewood College Drive, the Edgewood College Chamber Orchestra will present its fall concert.
Admission is $5, free with Edgewood College ID.
Edgewood College professor Blake Walter (below) will conduct the orchestra in the first concert of its 2017-18 season.
The program includes: the Overture to “Iolanthe” by Sir Arthur Sullivan; the Suite from Gabriel Faure’s incidental music to the play by Maurice Maeterlinck, entitled “Pelleas and Melisande,” as well as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s popular Symphony No. 40 in G minor. You can hear and see a really cool graphic depiction of the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Founded in 1993 via a generous endowment established by benefactors William O. Hart and Vernon Sell, the Edgewood College Chamber Orchestra fulfills a unique role in the Madison community, providing high-quality performances and unique educational opportunities. The ensemble is the permanent, in-house chamber orchestra at Edgewood College.
Edgewood College’s Music Department has been recognized by the readers of Madison Magazine with the Best of Madison 2017 Silver Award.
Tags: 19th century, 21st century, America, American, Arts, award, Bassoon, Beer, beer music, Black Marigold, Blake Walter, Brian DuFord, Capitol Lakes, Capitol Lakes Retirement Community, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, clarinet, Classical music, college, Columbia, community, composer, Debussy, department, depiction, Edgewood College, Edgewood College Chamber Orchestra, Education, ensemble, Faure, flute, France, French, graphic, Horn, incidental music, Iolanthe, Jacob Stockinger, literature, Madison, Madison Magazine, Maurice Maeterlinck, microbrew, Mozart, Music, Music education, Oboe, opera, Orchestra, Overture, Pelleas et Melisande, piece, play, professor, silver, Sir Arthur Sullivan, Suite, symphony, Symphony No. 40, Symphony No. 40 (Mozart), United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vernon Sell, Victor Agudelo, Viola, Violin, wind music, winds, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
Classical music: The second annual Madison New Music Festival will take place this Thursday through Sunday
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By Jacob Stockinger
The summer classical season in Madison just keeps getting busier and more interesting.
The Ear has received the following announcement from Zachary Green (below), a native Madisonian and composer who graduated from Oregon High School and the Juilliard School, which awarded him a grant to start the first Madison New Music Festival last year. He now directs the event:
Dear friends, family, colleagues, and mentors,
I am extremely pleased to invite you to the second season of the Madison New Music Festival, taking place this Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 10-12.
The Madison New Music Festival is an annual weekend-long concert series dedicated to strengthening Madison’s cultural vitality through the celebration of fresh classical music from our lifetimes.
The festival strives to affordably and accessibly share music by the world’s leading living composers with the Madison community, with special emphasis placed on Wisconsin-based composers and performers.
This year, over the course of four concerts, we will be featuring 30 performers playing the music of over 20 composers— including the music of a different living Wisconsin composer at every concert.
The concerts will take place Thursday at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (8 p.m.), Friday at Bethel Lutheran Church (8 p.m.), and Saturday at the Memorial Union Terrace (3 p.m.) and Robinia Courtyard (7:30 p.m.).
PROGRAM AND TICKET INFORMATION:
Thursday, Aug. 10, at 8 p.m., Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in the Overture Center. (Below is a photo at MMoCA from last year’s festival)
After an incredibly successful launch in 2016, the Madison New Music Festival is set to return to MMoCA for a concert combining contemporary visual art and new music.
The festival presents brand new pieces by emerging composers, underplayed classics of the contemporary repertoire, and shines a spotlight on new music created here in Wisconsin.
The concert at MMoCA features music with thematic ties to MMoCA’s current exhibitions, including politically charged works such as “But I Still Believe” by composer Zachary Green and inspired by Hillary Clinton’s concession speech, and “Drums of Winter” from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and environmentalist John Luther Adams (below). You can hear “Drums of Winter” in the YouTube video at the bottom.
There will be a cash bar and opportunities to walk around the exhibits. Tickets are $10, $5 for students and FREE for MMoCA members.
Tickets: https://www.artful.ly/madison-new-music-festival/store/events/13011
Friday, Aug. 11, at 8 p.m. in Bethel Lutheran Church, 312 Wisconsin Avenue
The festival’s second night features an eclectic range of music, from the inventive, folk-inspired music of Romanian composer Doina Rotaru (below top) to the improvisatory soundscapes of recently departed legend Pauline Oliveros (below bottom).
Also featured is local composer Scott Gendel (below top) , who will present a set of his own music with frequent Madison Opera guest soprano Emily Birsan (below middle). Both are graduates of the UW-Madison.
Other performers include Chicago-based new music ensemble Chartreuse (below top), local flutist Iva Ugrcic (below middle) and local violinist Lydia Sewell (below bottom). Tickets are $10, $5 for students.
Tickets: https://www.artful.ly/madison-new-music-festival/store/events/13028
Saturday, Aug. 12, at 3 p.m., Memorial Union Terrace
Local new music wind quintet Black Marigold (below top) will perform “Beer Music” by Brian DuFord (below bottom), inspired by different kinds of beer– and you can sip as you listen!
But first, get your groove on with rhythmic works by emerging composer Andy Akiho (below top), Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, and local percussionist Dave Alcorn (below bottom) of Clocks in Motion — interspersed with interactive interpretations of Renaissance motets and an electroacoustic work for vibraphone. Featured musicians include percussionist Garrett Mendelow and Chicago-based new music ensemble Chartreuse. Admission is FREE.
Saturday, Aug. 12, at 7:30 PM, Robinia Courtyard (Jardin Restaurant) at 827 East Washington Avenue.
Join us at Jardin Restaurant, part of the newly redeveloped Robinia Courtyard to hear local ensemble Mr. Chair (below) present an eclectic, head-banging set ranging from original compositions to versions of Erik Satie, Olivier Messiaen and Igor Stravinsky.
Also featured are the genre-bending Echelon String Quartet(below) and a mesmerizing solo bass piece performed by Grant Blaschka. Cash bar. ($10/$5 student)
Tickets: https://www.artful.ly/madison-new-music-festival/store/events/13029
Tags: 2016, acoustic music, alcorn, Andy Akiho, Art, Arts, bar, bass, Beer, beer music, Black Marigold, Brian DuFord, cash, Cello, Chamber music, Chartreuse, Chicago, church, Classical music, Clocks in Motion, colleague, composer, concerto, contemporary, courtyard, culture, Dave Alcorn, Doina Rotaru, double bass, Dramatic Soprano, drums, Drums of Winter, Echelon String Quartet, eclectic, Electronic music, Emily Birsan, environment, environmentalist, Family, festival, flute, Folk music, friend, Garrett Mendelow, Glenn Kotche, Grant Blaschka, high school, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, improvisation, interactive, interpretation, Iva Ugrcic, Jacob Stockinger, John Luther Adams, Juilliard School of Music, local, Lutheran, Lydia Sewell, Madison, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison New Music Festival, Madison Opera, Memorial High School, Memorial Union, mentor, Messiaen, motet, Mr Chair, Museum, Music, New Music, New York City, opera, Overture Center, Pauline Oliveros, percussion, Piano, Pulitzer Prize, Renaissance, repertoire, restaurant, rhythm, Romania, Satie, Scott Gendel, singer, Singing, Sonata, song, soundscape, speech, spotlight, Stravinsky, summer, symphony, terrace, ticket, Union Terrace, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vibraphone, video, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wilco, Wind quintet, winds, winter, Wisconsin, YouTube, Zachary Green
Classical music: Black Marigold will mix beer and wind music, starting this Sunday afternoon on the “Sunday Live From the Chazen” concert and live webcast
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By Jacob Stockinger
Beer-inspired classical music may seem a stretch at first.
But then you haven’t heard the Madison-based wind quintet Black Marigold.
And there is a historical precedent or two, including the “Coffee Cantata” by Johann Sebastian Bach and Classical Revolution Madison, which performs classic music in unusual venues such as cafes, coffee houses and bars.
In any case, Black Marigold (below) performed some of Beer Music in brew pubs and a church at the end of August.
Now the ensemble will begin its September concerts this Sunday afternoon at the Chazen Museum of Art on the UW-Madison campus.
The concert, which used to be carried live by Wisconsin Public Radio but was discontinued, is FREE at 12:30 p.m. in Brittingham Gallery No. 3 (below).
It will also be streamed live at this site:
Here are more details about the dates, venues and programs:
Music on Tap: 2016 Summer Concert Series
Upcoming Black Marigold Concerts:
- Sunday, September 4, 12:30 p.m., Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen
- Saturday, September 10, 3 p.m., The Malt House
- Thursday, September 15, 7 p.m., Stoughton Public Library
All performances offer FREE admission, with free will donations accepted.
As many Madisonians geared up for this past week’s Great Taste of the Midwest, the region’s largest craft beer festival, Black Marigold logged time in the rehearsal hall instead of the beer hall, fermenting new music for the group’s end-of-summer concert series.
All September programs will feature selections from Beer Music, an epic collection of short pieces inspired by 18 local craft beers, composed by Brian DuFord for Black Marigold.
Learn more about this unique commissioning collaboration in this recent feature in The Capital Times.
Here are details of individual programs:
Summer Concert Series
Sunday, September 4, 12:30 p.m., Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen (live stream link)
Thursday, September 15, 7 p.m., Stoughton Public Library
- Quintet in D Major, Op. 91 No. 3 by Anton Reicha
- Partita for Wind Quintet by Irving Fine
- Beer Music (selections) by Brian DuFord (below top)
Pub Concerts: relax and enjoy a pint with your performance!
Saturday, September 10, 3 pm, The Malt House (below bottom)
- Beer Music selections
- Additional wind quintet selections
Beer Music was made possible by a grant from Dane Arts and individual donations from many friends.
For more information, visit: www.blackmarigold.com
To contact the group, use this email address:
Tags: Anton Reicha, Arts, Bach, bar, Baroque, Beer, Black Marigold, Brain Duford, brew pub, Brian DuFord, cafe, Chamber music, Chazen Museum of Art, church, Classical music, Classical Revolution, Classical Revolution Madison, Coffee Cantata, coffee house, commission, craft beer, Dane Arts, Dane County, Irving Fine, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, library, Madison, Malt House, Music, partita, pub, public library, quintet, Stoughton, Sunday Afternoon Live From the Chazen, The Capital Times, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, wind music, Wind quintet, wisconsin public radio
Classical music: The wind quintet Black Marigold performs a FREE concert of “Beer Music” on Monday night at Taliesin in Spring Green
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following news:
The Rural Musicians Forum welcomes the Madison-based wind quintet Black Marigold to the Hillside Theater at Taliesin, south of Spring Green, on this coming Monday evening, Aug. 8.
The concert is at 7:30 p.m. in the Hillside Theater, which is part of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin compound and is located at 6604 Hwy 23, Spring Green.
The concert is not ticketed and is open to the public. A free-will offering will be taken to support the concert series.
For additional information and driving directions, see www.ruralmusiciansforum.org.
Black Marigold is a dynamic wind quintet that has dazzled audiences throughout Wisconsin since 2012. As advocates of new music and living composers, they present captivating concerts introducing new music, while also highlighting the classic woodwind quintet repertoire.
Members of Black Marigold are (below left to right, in a photo by Vincent Fuh) Carl Wilder, Elizabeth Marshall, Bethany Schultz, Laura Medisky and Kia Karlen.
Black Marigold fosters fresh perceptions of new music by showcasing pieces that are equally enjoyable for performers and audiences alike. (You can hear a sample of Black Marigold performing in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The ensemble is comprised of five members who play the flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and horn. They present thoughtful verbal program notes to engage the audience and enliven the concert experience.
In addition to an exciting program of American music, for the August concert Black Marigold will introduce a composition by the acclaimed composer Brian DuFord (below).
Commissioned by the ensemble just this year, “Beer Music” in its entirety is a suite of 18 short pieces, each inspired by a local craft brew, plus a finale movement.
“There are so many reasons to make this music about beer,” says DuFord. “Beer has such a long history, especially in Wisconsin and the Madison area in particular. It’s social and music is social. It just makes sense.”
According to Kia Karlen of Black Marigold, “The idea originated from a Facebook message from Brian a couple of years ago, jokingly suggesting he compose a piece about Wisconsin’s beer heritage for us.
“What started as a joke two years ago is now a reality. We will be premiering the piece in full this September, but will include a sneak preview of select movements (a “flight” or a “6-pack”) at the Rural Musicians Forum concert.”
“Beer Music” is the first commission for the group, just four years old. The piece will be like a narrative of the Madison area blended to the sound of music, but it will also incorporate the personalities of each of the musicians.
RMF’s Artistic Director Kent Mayfield promises “Black Marigold breathes new life into the woodwind quintet setting, and you will leave their concert smarter, happier and more inspired than when you arrived.”
Tags: Arts, Bassoon, Beer, Brian DuFord, Chamber music, clarinet, Classical music, commission, Facebook, flute, Frank Lloyd Wright, heritage, Horn, Jacob Stockinger, Madison, Music, North America, Oboe, quintet, Rural Musicians Forum, Taliesin, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, winds, Wisconsin, woodwind, woodwing quntet, YouTube
Classical music: The Mosaic Chamber Players continues with its all-Beethoven concerts of sonatas for strings and piano this Saturday night. Plus, the woodwind quintet Black Marigold performs a FREE concert Friday at noon.
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ALERT: The week’s FREE Friday Noon Musicale, to take place from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, will feature the local woodwind quintet Black Marigold. It will perform music by August Klughardt, Darius Milhaud and Brian DuFord.
Here is a link about Black Marigold’s winter concerts and the program:
By Jacob Stockinger
The Mosaic Chamber Players — recently hailed as “among the finest purveyors of chamber music in Madison” by critic John W. Barker on The Well-Tempered Ear blog — will be performing an all-Beethoven program this Saturday night, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m.
The concert will take place in the beautiful and historic Landmark Hall of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, on Madison’s near west side.
This will be the third program of a 5-concert cycle of all the string sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven (below).
The impressive list of performers (below, from left), most of whom were educated at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music and Lawrence University in Appleton, includes pianist Jess Salek; violinist Laura Burns; cellist Michael Allen; and violinist Wes Luke.
They play with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Oakwood Chamber Players, the Ancora String Quartet, the Rhapsodie String Quartet, the Madison Youth Choirs, Sound Ensemble Wisconsin, Fresco Opera Theatre, Opera for the Young, and other ensembles here and in Dubuque and LaCrosse.
On the program are: the Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major Op. 30, No. 1; the Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1; and the Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer.” (You can hear the first movement of the famous and riveting Kreutzer Sonata performed by superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy in a YouTube video at the bottom.)
There will be a reception following the program.
Tickets are $15 for the public; $10 for seniors; and $5 for students – by cash or check only. NO CREDIT CARDS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Adds founder and pianist Jess Salek:
“This concert is perfect for an adult or caregiver night-out, and also for students at the middle school-and-above age.
“Please come hear some beautiful music performed by talented, expressive, and professional local artists.
“Thanks for considering. Hope to see you there!”
Tags: Ancora String Quartet, Arts, August Klughardt, Beethoven, Black Marigold, Brian DuFord, Cello, Cello Sonata, Chamber music, Classical music, critic, Darius Milhaud, First Unitarian Society of Madison, Fresco Opera Theatre, Itzhak Perlman, Jacob Stockinger, Kreutzer Sonata, LaCrosse, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Youth Choirs, Music, Oakwood Chamber Players, opera, Opera for the Young, Piano, quintet, Rhapsodie String Quartet, Sonata, Sound Ensemble Wisconsin, String quartet, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Violin, Violin Sonata, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, woodwind, YouTube
Classical music: The wind quintet Black Marigold announces its four upcoming FREE winter concerts. Plus there is a FREE concert of wind music this Friday at noon.
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ALERT: This week’s FREE Friday Noon Musicale, held from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, features bassoonists Rozan Anderson and Willy Walter with oboist Scott Ellington and English hornist Ruth Dahlke in music by Bela Bartok, Bill Malcolm, Ange Flegier, Sarah Woolsey, Thomas Morley and John Wilbye with a world premiere by Louise Hillery.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received word from the Madison-based wind quintet Black Marigold about its upcoming winter concerts running from January 23 through January 31.
Members of Black Marigold (below) include Elizabeth Marshall, flute; Laura Medisky, oboe; Bethany Schultz, clarinet; Kia Karlen, horn; and Carl Wilder, bassoon.
Here is the announcement:
“Add a dash of heat to your winter with a hearty dose of chamber music!
“Black Marigold’s winter program features: the Wind Quintet in C major, Op.79 (ca. 1898, heard at bottom in a YouTube video) by August Klughardt; “La Cheminée du Roi René,” Op. 205 (1939) by Darius Milhaud; and two contemporary pieces by Brian DuFord: Vignettes Balletiques (2011) and Variations on an Afro-Cuban Lullaby (2012).
“You can learn more about Black Marigold’s 2016 commissioning collaboration with Brian DuFord (below), a musical salute to Wisconsin craft brews and beer, at http://www.blackmarigold.com/beermusic.html
“All concerts are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Here is a complete schedule:
“Saturday, January 23, 2016 – 7 p.m. Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ 1501 Gilbert Rd, Madison
“Sunday, January 24, 2016 – 2 p.m. First United Methodist Church 203 Wisconsin Ave, Madison
“Friday, January 29, 2016 – 12:15 p.m. First Unitarian Society, Noon Musicale Series, 900 University Bay Drive, Madison
“Sunday, January 31, 2016 – 4 p.m. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Chamber Series, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
“Black Marigold is a dynamic wind quintet that has performed throughout Wisconsin since 2012.
“As advocates of new music and living composers, the quintet presents captivating concerts introducing new music, while also highlighting classic woodwind quintet repertoire.
“For more information, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/BlackMarigold/
Tags: African, Afro-Cuban, Arts, August Klughardt, Bartok, Bassoon, Beer, Black Marigold, Brian DuFord, Chamber music, clarinet, Classical music, craft brews, Cuba, Cuban, Darius Milhaud, English horn, First Unitarian Society of Madison, flute, Horn, Jacob Stockinger, John Wilbye, Louise Hillery, Madison, Milhaud, Music, New Music, Oboe, Orchestra, quintet, Thomas Morley, United Methodist Church, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wind quintet, winds, winter, world premiere, YouTube
Classical music: In the next few days, three groups with a big and loyal local following will perform duo-piano music, woodwind music and clarinet trios.
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By Jacob Stockinger
With limited space — after all there are only so many days in the week and the local classical music scene keeps getting more and more crowded — sometimes The Ear has to combine performers and events. And that is the case today.
Several smaller concerts, some featuring performers with a loyal local following and all being offering for FREE, will take place this week and weekend.
DUO-PIANISTS VARSHAVSKI AND SHAPIRO
On Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the Oakwood Village West Center for Arts and Education, 6205 Mineral Point Road on Madison’s far west side near West Towne, duo-pianists Stanislava Varshavski and Diana Shapiro (below) will perform.
The program includes the “Allegro Brilliante” by Felix Mendelssohn; the “Lebenssturme” (Life Storm) by Franz Schubert; and “Petrushka” by Igor Stravinsky as arranged by Varshavi and Shapiro. (At the bottom you can hear a YouTube video in which the two women perform a beautiful Barcarolle from a suite by Sergei Rachmaninoff.)
For more information about the duo-pianists and samples of their music, visit:
THE KAT TRIO
On this Friday at 7:30 p.m., the Kat Trio -– short for the Ekaterinberg Trio that uses the violin, clarinet and piano — will perform a FREE concert at First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Avenue in Madison.
The original violin, clarinet and piano ensemble (below) from Ekaterinburg, Russia, was formed in May of 1998 in Ekaterinburg by three friends: Victoria Gorbich (violin), Vladislav Gorbich (clarinet) and Vasil Galiulin (piano). They had just graduated from the Ural State Music Conservatory.
Today’s “The Kat Trio” (below) -– which is well-known to Madison audiences -– is made up of Victoria, Vladislav and pianist Justin Snyder (below standing). Victoria and Vlad are doctoral graduates of Arizona State University. Justin is a graduate of University of Michigan and recently finished studying in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
According to publicity materials, Kat Trio concerts showcase unique Russian arrangements and transpositions of timeless melodies and feature classical works, well-known inspirational songs, and even American pop standards, including Scott Joplin’s rags.
This week’s program includes: a trio by Aram Khachaturian, plus works by Vladimir Vavilov, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Peter Tchaikovsky, Louis Moreau Gottschalk; Amy Beach; Samuel Barber; Michael Joncas; Joseph Lamb; Jerry Bock; and Peter Schickele (aka PDQ Bach).
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., but the three performers will do an audience Q&A prior to their performance, so you might arrive early.
The concert is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. A free will offering will be taken.
The Ekaterinburg Trio’s website, www.thekattrio.net, features a Music page where fans can hear music files from all 10 CDs. The Video link also features dozens of Kat Trio videos on YouTube.
BLACK MARIGOLD
This week will also see two performances by the Madison-based woodwind quintet Black Marigold (below).
Black Marigold will perform on this Friday, March 14, at the First Unitarian Society of Madison’s FREE Noon Musicale from 12:15 to 1 p.m. They will perform in the Landmark Auditorium of the historic building that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Then on Sunday, Black Marigold will perform on “Sunday Afternoon Live From the Chazen.” The FREE concert will be held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Brittingham Gallery 3 of the Chazen Museum of Art on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The concert will also be broadcast live by Wisconsin Public Radio (WERN 88.7 FM in the Madison area).
The program for both concerts includes: the Quintet, Op. 88, No. 2, by Anton Reicha; Six Bagatelles by Gyorgy Ligeti; “The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky, and arranged by Jonathan Russell; and “Vignettes Balletiques” by Brian DuFord.
For more information about Black Marigold, visit or write to:
https://www.facebook.com/BlackMarigold
Tags: Amy Beach, Aram Khachaturian, Arizona State University, Arts, Barber, barcarolle, Black Marigold, Brahms, brass, Brass quintet, Brian DuFord, Chamber music, Chazen Museum of Art, clarinet, Classical music, duo-pianists, Ekaterinburg Trio, Felix Mendelssohn, First Unitarian Society of Madison, Frank Lloyd Wright, Franz Schubert, Friday, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Igor Stravinsky, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, Kat Trio, Ligeti, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Madison, Metropolitan Opera, Mozart, PDQ Bach, Peter Schickele, Petrushka, Pianist, Piano, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, Robert Schumann, Samuel Barber, Schubert, Schumann, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Varshavski-Shapiro, Violin, wind music, wisconsin public radio, Woodwind quintet, YouTube
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