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Classical music: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra uses a new website and a new brochure to announce its new Masterworks season plus other innovations

May 23, 2020
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By Jacob Stockinger

In many ways, there is much that is familiar or tried-and-true about the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below, in a photo by Mike Gorski) and its new Masterworks season for 2020-21.

But in other ways it seems as if the WCO is reinventing and rebranding itself – perhaps under the direction of its new CEO Joe Loehnis – as the ensemble starts a double anniversary: its 60th season of existence and its 20th year under the baton of music director Andrew Sewell (below in a photo by Alex Cruz).

As in past years, the WCO programs feature a mix of familiar composers and works with new and neglected ones. It also features both new and returning guest soloists.

Start with what’s new.

The new WCO home website – like the new brochure that has been mailed out — has been redesigned, with more visuals and more information about the 34-member orchestra. The Ear finds both the new brochure and the new home page to be more attractive, better organized and easier to use. Take a look for yourself: https://wcoconcerts.org

There also seems to be a heightened emphasis on donations and raising money, including a new organization called “Friends” that brings special benefits for $30 or even more perks at $8 a month.

And the website seems more customer-friendly. There is a section on the website about “What to Expect,” which includes how to choose seats, how to dress, when to applaud and so forth. There is also a portal for streaming events and concerts.

There is more, much more, including the pre-concert dinners for the Masterworks concerts and the culturally diverse programs for the postponed Concerts on the Square (below), to run this summer on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. (NOT the usual Wednesdays at 7 p.m.) from July 28 to Sept. 1.

There seems to be more emphasis on Sewell, who this year provides extensive first-person notes about each program and the guest artists. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear Sewell discuss the new Masterworks season with Wisconsin Public Radio host and WCO announcer Norman Gilliland.)

This season will see two performances of Handel’s “Messiah”: one on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Blackhawk Church in Middleton; and another downtown on Sunday, Dec. 20, at the UW-Madison’s Hamel Music Center.

The Masterworks series of concerts – held on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center – will begin in late November rather than in late January. The six concerts include five new ones and the postponed appearance of harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, whose appearance this season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, on May 14.

Two of the concerts – on two Saturdays, Feb. 20 and April 10 – will also be performed in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield at the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts (below).

You can read more about the community outreach and music education programs, especially the Youth and Education programs. They include the free Family Series and “Side by Side” concerts (below, in a photo by Mike DeVries for The Capital Times, WCO concertmaster Suzanne Beia, right, tutors a WYSO student); the Super Strings educational program; and the Young Artists Concerto Competition for grades 9-12.

Here are the Masterworks series:

NOV. 20 – Pianist John O’Conor (below) returns in a program of the Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” by Beethoven; the Septet by Igor Stravinsky; and the Symphony No. 1 in D Major by Luigi Cherubini.

JAN. 15 – Cellist Amid Peled (below, in a photo by Lisa Mazzucco) returns in a program of Cello Concerto No. 1 by Dmitry Kabalevsky and the Andante by Jacques Offenbach; plus the Wind Serenade in D minor by Antonin Dvorak; and the Symphony No. 34 by Mozart.

FEB. 19 – Violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky (below) in returns in Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Astor Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons in Buenos Aires”; plus the Suite for Strings by Leos Janacek.

MARCH 19 – Grammy-winning Spanish guitarist Mabel Millán (below) making her U.S, debut in an all-Spanish program that features the Concierto del Sur (Concerto of the South) by Manuel Ponce; the Sinfonietta in D major by Ernesto Halffter; and the overture “Los Esclavos Felices” (The Happy Slaves) by Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga.

APRIL 9 – Pianist Michael Mizrahi (below), who teaches at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wis., on the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Beethoven plus the Serenade No. 1 by Johannes Brahms.

MAY 14 — Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis (below) in the Harp Concerto by Alberto Ginastera; plus the Sinfonietta by Sergei Prokofiev and the Symphony no. 88 by Franz Joseph Haydn.

Single tickets, which go on sale in July, are $15 to $80. Season subscriptions are available now with seat preference through July 1, bring a discounted price with an extra 10 percent off for first-time subscribers.

For more information, go to the website at https://wcoconcerts.org; call 608 257-0638; or mail a subscription form to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Attn: Subscriptions; PO Box171, Madison, WI 53701-0171.

Posted in Classical music
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Classical music: Here is a year-long list of concerts at the University of Wisconsin Mead Witter School of Music. They start Tuesday night with the 40th annual Karp Family Labor Day Concert

September 1, 2019
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By Jacob Stockinger

Get out your datebooks and calendars.

Here is a complete listing for major concerts and events at the University of Wisconsin Mead Witter School of Music during the new 2019-20 season.

The calendar starts with the FREE season-opening 40th annual Karp Family Labor Day Concert this coming Tuesday night, Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall. The program features chamber music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Dvorak. For more information about the program and performers, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/40th-karp-family-concert/

Using the search engine on this blog, you could also consult whenever individual or group you want. You could print it out and have it in hand instead of the usual brochure, which will not be printed this year. See a previous blog post: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2019/08/19/classical-music-the-uw-madison-school-of-music-will-not-have-a-complete-brochure-for-the-new-season-go-to-the-website-and-sign-up-for-an-email-newsletter-the-30th-karp-family-labor-day-concert-is-s/

Most concerts this season will take place in the new Hamel Music Center (below), which has a three-day opening celebration Oct. 25-27.

Please note that just a few programs are listed. For other programs, and for information about any admission charge, you can go to the School of Music’s home website closer to the event and click on Concerts and Events: https://www.music.wisc.edu/events/

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2019	Karp Family Concert	7:30 PM	Mills Hall
Sunday, September 29, 2019,	Jessica Martin & John O’Brien – Nordic song recital	4:00 PM	Morphy Hall
Monday, Sept. 30, 2019	Beth Wiese, Tuba, Guest Artist Recital	7:30 PM	Morphy Hall
Friday, October 4, 2019	Pro Arte Quartet	8:00 PM	Mills Hall
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019	Chanticleer	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019	Wind Ensemble	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Friday, October 11, 2019	UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sunday, October 13, 2019	University Bands	2:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Tuesday, October 15, 2019	Contemporary Jazz & Blue Note Ensemble	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Wednesday, October 16, 2019	Wisconsin Brass Quintet – Faculty Concert Series	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Thursday, October 17	Jazz Faculty Quintet with special guest Michael Dudley, trumpet	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Monday, October 21, 2019	Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble and UW Jazz Orchestra	7:30 PM	Play Circle
Tuesday, October 22, 2019	Concert Band	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Wed, October 23, 2019	Jazz Composers Group & Jazz Standards	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Thu, October 24, 2019	Parry Karp with Eli Kalman, piano	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Friday, October 25, 2019	Opening Celebration Weekend: Hamel Music Center. Please check our website for details.	All Day	740 University Avenue
Saturday, October 26, 2019	Opening Celebration Weekend: Hamel Music Center. Please check our website for details.	All Day	740 University Avenue
Sunday, October 27, 2019	Opening Celebration Weekend: Hamel Music Center. Featured Event: Collins Fellows Concert	1:00 PM	Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center
Wed, October 30, 2019	Master Class with Violist Nobuko Imai	6:30 PM	Collins Hall
Thu, October 31, 2019	Violist Nobuko Imai with Pro Arte Quartet	12:00 PM	Collins Hall
Fri, November 1, 2019	Madrigal Singers	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall

Sat, November 2, 2019	Alicia Lee, faculty clarinet	8:00 PM	Collins Hall
Sun, November 3, 2019	Wind Ensemble	2:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Fri, November 8, 2019	Wingra Wind Quintet	8:00 PM	Collins Hall
Sat, November 9, 2019	UW Chorale	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Thu, November 14, 2019	UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Fri, November 15, 2019	University Opera: Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream	7:30 PM	Music Hall
Sun, November 17, 2019	University Opera: Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream	2:00 PM	Music Hall
Tue, November 19, 2019	University Opera: Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream	7:30 PM	Music Hall
Sat, November 16, 2019	Low Brass Ensemble	4:00 PM	Collins Hall
Sat, November 16, 2019	Combined Choirs	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sat, November 16, 2019	Timothy Hagen, faculty flute	8:00 PM	Collins Hall
Fri, November 22, 2019	UW Concert Choir	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Fri, November 22, 2019	Pro Arte Quartet	8:00 PM	Collins Hall
Fri, November 22, 2019	UW Jazz Orchestra	5:00-7:00 PM	Rathskeller
Saturday, Nov 23, 2019	Undergrad Audition Day	All day
Sat, November 23, 2019	World Percussion Ensemble	12:00 PM	Music Hall
Sat, November 23, 2019	Brass Ensembles	1:00 PM	??
Sun, November 24, 2019	UW Concert Band with Winds of Wisconsin	5:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Mon, November 25, 2019	Chamber Percussion Ensemble	7:30 PM	Mills Hall
Tue, November 26, 2019	Opera Scenes	7:30 PM	Music Hall
Mon, December 2, 2019	Piano Studio Recital	6:30 PM	Collins Hall
Tue, December 3, 2019	Jazz Composers & Contemporary Jazz Ensembles	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Wed, December 4, 2019	Jazz Standards Ensemble & Afro-Cuban Jazz	7:30 PM	Collins Hall

Thu, December 5, 2019	UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra & UW Wind Ensemble	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Fri, December 6, 2019	Saxophonist Greg Ward with the Blue Note Ensemble and UW jazz faculty	8:00 PM	Collins Hall
Sat, December 7, 2019	UW & Madison Metropolitan Jazz Festival	Final Concert, 3:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sat, December 7, 2019	Choral Union: Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “A Sea Symphony”	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sun, December 8, 2019	University Bands	2:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sun, December 8, 2019	Choral Concerts at Luther Memorial Church	2:00 PM	Luther Memorial Church
Sun, December 8, 2019	Choral Concerts at Luther Memorial Church	4:00 PM	Luther Memorial Church
Sun, December 8, 2019	All-University Strings	4:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
BEGIN 2020
Sun, January 26, 2020	Annual Schubertiade	3:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sat, February 1, 2020	Christopher Taylor and Friends — Beethoven Symphony Extravaganza	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Wed, February 5, 2020	Daniel Grabois, horn	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Thu, February 6, 2020	UW Symphony Orchestra	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sat, February 8, 2020	The Knights	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sun, February 16, 2020	UW Wind Ensemble	2:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Monday, February 17, 2020	Chamber Percussion Ensemble	7:30 PM	Mills Hall
Tue, February 18, 2020	Concert Band	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Thu, February 20, 2020	Parry Karp, faculty recital	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Fri, February 21, 2020	Marc Vallon & Friends	8:00 PM	Collins Hall

Sunday, Feb 23, 2020	Les Thimmig, faculty recital	2:00 PM	Collins Hall
Sat, April 18, 2020	Low Brass Ensemble	4:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Fri, February 28, 2020	Pro Arte Quartet	8:00 PM	Collins Hall

Sat, February 29, 2020	Wingra Wind Quintet	8:00 PM	Collins Hall
Fri, February 28, 2020,	University Opera – Mozart’s Così fan tutte	7:30 PM	Music Hall
Sun, March 1, 2020	University Opera – Mozart’s Così fan tutte	2:00 PM	Music Hall
Tue, March 3, 2020	University Opera – Mozart’s Così fan tutte	7:30 PM	Music Hall
Sun, March 1, 2020	Winds of Wisconsin	5:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Wed, March 4, 2020	Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Composers Group	7:30	Collins Hall
Thu, March 5, 2020	Blue Note Ensemble & Jazz Standards Ensemble	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Sat, March 7, 2020	UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra with guest pianist Wu Han	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sun, March 8, 2020	University Bands	2:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Tue, March 10, 2020	Percussion Department Recital	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Weds March 11, 2020	UW Jazz Orchestra	7:30 PM	Play Circle
Wednesday, March 11, 2020	Wisconsin Brass Quintet – Faculty Concert Series	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Thu, March 12, 2020	UW Wind Ensemble	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Fri, March 27, 2020	Le Domaine Musicale with Marc Vallon and Friends	8:00 PM	Collins Hall
Sun, March 29, 2020	Concert Band	2:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sun, April 5, 2020	Beethoven Competition Winners’ Recital	3:30 PM	Collins Hall
Sun, April 5, 2020	“Symphony Showcase” Concerto Winners’ Solo Concert	7:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 11, 2020	Chorale	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Fri, April 12, 2019	Perlman Trio Chamber Concert	3:00 PM	Collins Hall
Tue, April 14, 2020	Opera Scenes	7:30 PM	Music Hall
Wed, April 15, 2020	Contested Homes: Migrant Liberation Movement Suite	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Thu, April 16, 2020	Pro Arte Quartet	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Fri, April 17, 2020	Combined Choirs	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 18, 2020	Low Brass Ensemble	4:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 18, 2020	UW-Madison Choral Reunion concert featuring Concert Choir, Madrigals and alumni	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall

Mon, April 20, 2020	Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble & Blue Note Ensemble	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Tue, April 21, 2020	Jazz Standards Ensemble & Jazz Composers Group	7:30 PM	Collins Hall
Wed, April 22, 2020	Chamber Percussion Ensemble	7:30 PM	Mills Hall
Thu, April 23, 2020	UW Jazz Orchestra with the UW Honors Jazz Band	7:30 PM	Music Hall
Fri, April 24, 2020	Concert Band and Wind Ensemble	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 25, 2020	All-University Strings	2:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 25, 2020	Choral Union: Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem”	8:00 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sun, April 26, 2020	Choral Union: Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem”	7:30 PM	Mead Witter Hall
Sun, April 26, 2020	University Bands	2 PM	Mead Witter Hall

Posted in Classical music
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Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra is offering an unlimited, season-starting single ticket sale with 20 percent off, through this Saturday

August 28, 2019
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By Jacob Stockinger

For the first time ever, the Madison Symphony Orchestra (below, in a photo by Peter Rodgers) is offering a sale on tickets to the first three concerts this season.

You will get 20 percent off if you buy tickets through the Overture Center box office in person, by phone (608 258-4141) or online at https://www.overture.org/events

The discount code to say or use is FIRST3SYMPHONY.

Be forewarned: You will NOT find the ticket sale on the MSO website.

There is no limit of how many tickets you can buy, says MSO marketing director Peter Rodgers who also said the traditional holiday ticket sale, with two-tiered discount pricing, will take place as usual from Dec. 16 through Dec. 31.

The season-starting sale runs through this coming Saturday, Aug. 31. You can get discounted single tickets to the concerts on Sept. 27-29, Oct. 18-20 and Nov. 8-10 with performances on Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $19-$95, up about 2 percent from last year to keep up with inflation, Rodgers added.

Why isn’t the sale on the MSO website?

“We did it digitally and in a printed brochure that we mailed out just to try and reach out to either season subscribers or people who have already bought single tickets before and have already been to the symphony,” says Rodgers. “We just wanted to give some people a little nudge. But anyone can take advantage of the sale.”

Rodgers also said that the inaugural sale is not being held because ticket sales are slow. “Ticket sales for this season are competitive with last season’s,” he said, adding that some buyers might use the sale to get tickets as birthday gifts or for other special occasions.

Although there is no limit to the number of single tickets an individual can buy, Rodgers said that once you get to 10, you are better off going with the usual 25 percent off group rate.

MSO music director John DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) will conduct all performances of the first three concerts.

The September concerts open the season with MSO organ soloist Greg Zelek (below) and features the Overture to the opera “Tannhauser” by Richard Wagner; the “Toccata Festiva” by Samuel Barber; the tone poem “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun” by Claude Debussy; and the Symphony No. 7 by Antonin Dvorak.

The October concerts feature guest violinist Rachel Barton Pine. The all-Russian and all-20th century program includes the Violin Concerto by Aram Khachaturian; the Symphony No. 9 by Dmitri Shostakovich; and the Suite from “Lieutenant Kije,” for trumpet and orchestra, by Sergei Prokofiev.

The November concerts feature guest pianist Joyce Yang. The program is the Symphony No. 2 by Robert Schumann; the Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Prokofiev; and “Newly Drawn Sky” by the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Grammy Award-winning contemporary American composer Aaron Jay Kernis, who teaches at the Yale University School of Music. (You can hear “Newly Drawn Sky” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

For more details about the three opening concerts and the entire 2019-20 season, including complete programs, go to: https://madisonsymphony.org/concerts-events/2019-2020-symphony-season-concerts/

Posted in Classical music
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Classical music: The UW-Madison School of Music will NOT have a complete brochure for the new season. Use the website and sign up for an email newsletter. The 40th Karp Family Labor Day Concert is Sept. 3

August 19, 2019
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By Jacob Stockinger

Summer is almost over and the new concert season is about to begin in just a couple weeks.

Just about all the groups in the Madison area, large and small, have announced their upcoming seasons.

But it you are wondering why the brochure for the hundreds of events that will take place at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music hasn’t arrived yet, here is the answer.

There isn’t one this year.

For many years the UW-Madison’s SOM — as the School of Music is often abbreviated – has issued a handsome season brochure (below) with names and dates, if not always complete programs.

In the past couple of years, the brochure has been particularly informative with background about performers and events at the school as well as about students and alumni.

But due to a variety of factors, there will be no season brochure although there will be a special brochure for the opening weekend on the new Hamel Music Center (below), which is Oct. 25-27.

A variety of reasons has caused the lack of a brochure, says Publicist and Concert Manager Katherine Esposito. But the familiar full-season brochure will return for the 2020-21 season.

It the meantime, Esposito recommends that you go to the Concert and Events calendar, which has been updated and made more user-friendly, on the website for the school of music. It also features information about faculty and staff as well as news about the school. Here is a link:

https://www.music.wisc.edu/events/

On the right hand side is a menu that allows you to view the calendar as a running list or by the month, week or day with maps or photos.

On the left hand side is another menu that allows you to search by musical category (performers and ensemble) as well as concert date, time, venue and admission cost, if any.

Esposito always recommends that you subscribe to the email newsletters. You can see past ones and sign up to receive future ones if you go to this part of the home website: https://www.music.wisc.edu/recent-newsletters/

As usual, the season at the UW-Madison will open with 40th FREE Karp Family Labor Day Concert, which now takes place the day after the holiday, on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall.

Over four decades, the Karps (below are the brothers pianist Christopher Karp with cellist Parry Karp, who will team up again this year) have never repeated a piece on the the Labor Day concerts.

The program this year includes the sublime Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, K. 493, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (you can hear the first movement with a visual schematic in the YouTube video at the bottom); the late Sonata No. 10 for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 96, by Ludwig van Beethoven, which has been transcribed by Parry Karp for cello and piano; and lesser known works by Robert Schumann and Antonin Dvorak.

For more about the program and the performers, who include guest violinist Suzanne Beia of the Pro Arte Quartet, the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/40th-karp-family-concert/

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Classical music: The critically acclaimed and popular Willy Street Chamber Players start their fifth summer series with a FREE community concert this Friday

July 2, 2019
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By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear has received the following announcement for a remarkable and must-hear summer series of chamber music concerts that from its very beginning seems to have found a successful formula that resonated with the public It relies on informality, affordable tickets, first-rate musicianship, short concerts, eclectic programs that mix classics with sure-fire new music, support for their local community.

Now in their fifth year, the Willy Street Chamber Players (WSCP, below) have become an established part of the Williamson Street neighborhood.

Recently awarded the silver medal in Madison Magazine’s prestigious “Best of Madison” reader poll in the category of “Best Classical Music Group,” WSCP has received numerous accolades for its accessible and exciting performances, intelligent and fun programming, and dedication to community partnerships.

The group has also been named “Musician of the Year”for 2016 by this blog.

The Summer Series concerts are on Friday evenings at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary of the beautiful Immanuel Lutheran Church (below) at 1021 Spaight St. The church is right on Lake Monona in the Williamson Street neighborhood. Enjoy 60-90 minutes of inspiring and unforgettable live music, then go explore the neighborhood with the remaining daylight hours.

Following the performance, enjoy a reception provided by one of our Willy Street restaurant partners. (Past contributors have been the Underground Butcher, Let It Ride Cold Brew Coffee, Madison Sourdough, the Willy Street Co-Op, Festival Foods, Roman Candle Pizza and more.)

While you enjoy your snacks, chat with the friendly musicians and ask them about the performance, the pieces and the group. We love interacting with our awesome audience.

A season pass is $40. Admission to individual concerts is $15. For tickets and more infomation, got to: http://www.willystreetchamberplayers.org/2019-summer-series.html

COMMUNITY CONNECT – This is a FREE and family-friendly concert with all ages welcome for music, interactive learning, conversation and connections.

It takes place this Friday, July 5, at 6 p.m. at the Goodman Community Center (149 Waubesa Street on the east side), as is posted on the home website — NOT at the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center, which is listed in the printed brochure but is undergoing construction.

The program – “Growing Sound: A Sonic Exploration” – features music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, John Corigliano, Antonin Dvorak, Friedrich August Kummer and Alberto Ginastera.

SUMMER SERIES 1

Friday, July 12, at 6 p.m. – Mozart and Mendelssohn

Prize-winning UW-Madison graduate Danny Kim, viola (below)

PROGRAM:

Mendelssohn: String Quintet No. 1 in A major, Op. 18 (1826)

Simon Steen-Andersen: Study for String Instrument No. 1 (2007)

Mozart: String Quintet No. 2 in C minor, K. 406/516b (1787)

SUMMER SERIES 2

Friday, July 19, at 6 p.m. – Bassoon and Strings

UW-Madison Professor Marc Vallon, bassoon (below)

PROGRAM:

Beethoven: Allegretto for Piano Trio in B-flat major, WoO. 39 (1812)

Jennifer Higdon: “Dark Wood” (2001)

Franz Danzi: Bassoon Quartet in D minor, Op. 40, No. 2 (ca. 1820)

Alberto Ginastera: String Quartet No.1, Op. 20 (1948)

SUMMER SERIES 3

Friday, July 26, at 6 p.m. – Christopher Taylor, piano (below)

PROGRAM:

Ernest Bloch: Three Nocturnes (1924)

Jessie Montgomery: “Voodoo Dolls” (2008)

Dvorak: Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81 (1887) with UW-Madison pianist Christopher Taylor. (You can hear the first movement of Dvorak’s beautiful and melodic Piano Quintet in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

For more information, including background, biographies of the musicians, critics’ reviews, photos and how to support the Willy Street Chamber Players, go to:

http://www.willystreetchamberplayers.org

Posted in Classical music
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Classical music: Next season the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra will expand to two performances of its winter Masterworks concerts by adding a Saturday night concert in Brookfield, near Milwaukee

May 21, 2019
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IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.

By Jacob Stockinger

Next season will mark the 20th anniversary of Andrew Sewell (below top) coming to Madison to serve as the music director and principal conductor of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below bottom).

It is hard to imagine a better Bravo! or anniversary gift for the maestro – who has said he wants the WCO to become a chamber orchestra, as its name implies, for the entire state of Wisconsin — than what will in fact take place: the WCO will expand its winter Masterworks concerts to two performances by adding a Saturday night performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts (below) in Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee. (Sewell is also the music director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony in California.)

Madison performances of Masterworks will continue to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center.

You can find out more about the Masterworks programs for next season by going to the WCO home website:

https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performance-listing/category/masterworks

There you will find the usual eclectic mix of new guest artists and new or neglected composers and repertoire that has marked Sewell’s tenure and brought him critical acclaim.

Pianist Orion Weiss will perform the popular Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 – “Elvira Madigan” – by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; violinists Giora Schmidt and Eric Silberger will perform concertos by Dmitri Kabalevsky and Niccolo Paganini, respectively; harpist Yolanda Kondonassis will perform a concerto by Argentinian Alberto Ginastera; and Andrew Balio (below), principal trumpet of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, will return to Madison where he grew up and perform a 1948 trumpet concerto by Italian composer Andre Tomasi.

Early music and new music to be featured includes works by: Donald Fraser (an acclaimed English conductor, composer and arranger, below) who now lives in Illinois, and often comes to Madison); Joseph Martin Kraus, known as the “Swedish Mozart”; Norwegian composer Johann Svensen; and three English composers (always favorites of Sewell who was born and educated in New Zealand) who are John Marsh, James Macmillan and York Bowen. (In the YouTube video at the bottom you can hear the English Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Woods — a native Madisonian who will return next season to conduct the Madison Symphony Orchestra — recording the Scherzo movement from Donald Fraser’s “Sinfonietta,” the same work that the WCO will perform.)

Works by Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn and Sergei Prokofiev also figure prominently, including Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral” in honor of the composer’s 250th birthday in 2020.

Also on the website, you will find the upcoming season of Wednesday night Concerts on the Square for this summer (June 26-July 31) plus the dates and themes – although no guest artists or works — for 2020 (June 24-July 29).

Go to: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performances

You can also find information for next season about the WCO performing George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah,” Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” with the Madison Ballet; the Young Artist Concerto Competition; the free Family Series; and the community Super Strings program for elementary students.

To receive a brochure with information about all these events and about how to get tickets — an “early bird” discount on subscription tickets runs through May 31– call (608) 257-0638 or go to: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org

Posted in Classical music
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Classical music: The new FREE concert brochure for the UW-Madison’s music school is both entertaining and informative — it’s a MUST-GET, MUST-READ and MUST-USE

September 15, 2018
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By Jacob Stockinger

The new 2018-19 concert season has started. And the Internet makes it very easy to take out your date book and plan out what you want to attend.

If you just use Google to go to home websites, you will find lots of information about the dates and times of performances; cost of tickets; works on the program; biographies of performers; and even notes about the pieces.

That is true for all large and small presenters, including the biggest presenter of all for live classical music events: The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music. Just click on the Events Calendar when you go to http://www.music.wisc.edu

You can also subscribe to an email newsletter by sending an email to: join-somnews@lists.wisc.edu

And you can also download the helpful mobile app for your smart phone that gives you what is happening today with searches possible for other months and days.

But there is something more old-fashioned that you should not forego: the printed season brochure (below).

It is 8-1/2 by 11 inches big and has 24 pages, and it features numerous color photographs. Along the right hand edge is an easy-to-use calendar of major events for the month.

It is a fun and informative read that gives you even more respect for the School of Music than you already had because it contains a lot of background and human interest stories about students, faculty members, guest artists, alumni and supporters. Editor and Concert Manager Katherine Esposito and her staff of writers and photographers have done an outstanding job.

The brochure also has a lot of news, including updates about the new Hamel Music Center that is being built on the corner of Lake Street and University Avenue and will open in 2019, and about the seat-naming, fundraising campaign ($1,500-plus) that is being used for the new performance center.

A particularly useful page (23) gives you information about ordering tickets (many have increased to $17 this year) either in advance or at the door (for the latter you are asked to show up 30 minutes early to avoid long lines); about finding parking, both free and paid; and about making special arrangements for disability access.

In larger and bolder type, the brochure tells you about stand-out special events: the 100th birthday tribute to Leonard Bernstein being held tonight (Saturday, Sept. 15) at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall; the fifth annual Brass Fest on Sept. 28 and 29; the University Opera’s production of Monteverdi’s “The Coronation of Poppea” on Nov. 16, 18 and 20; the annual Schubertiade on Jan. 27; the world premiere of a viola sonata by John Harbison on Feb. 17; the Choral Union’s joint performance with the Madison Symphony Orchestra of Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand” (Symphony No. 8) on May 3, 4 and 5; and much, much more.

In short, the brochure is an impressive publication that also provides many hours of enjoyable browsing while you educate yourself about the state of music education at the UW-Madison.

The only major shortcoming The Ear perceives is that lack of specific programs by some individuals and groups that must surely know what they are going to perform this season but apparently didn’t report it. Maybe that can be remedied, at least in part, next year.

Still, the brochure is successful and popular, which is why the UW sent out 13,000 copies – up from 8,000 last year. If you want to get one, they will be available at concerts until supplies run out. You can also order one to be mailed to you by emailing music@music.wisc.edu

Do you have the UW music brochure?

What do you think of it?

Do you find it useful? Enjoyable?

What do you suggest to improve the brochure, either by adding something or deleting something or doing it differently?

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
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Classical music: Get the new UW-Madison brochure for the School of Music concerts, faculty and students. It’s a MUST-HAVE and a MUST-READ, and it is FREE to anyone

September 6, 2017
2 Comments

By Jacob Stockinger

Although the UW-Madison officially opened yesterday, today is the first day of instruction. And this weekend will see the beginning of the new concert season at the Mead Witter School of Music.

On Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. in Morphy Hall, faculty soprano Mimmi Fulmer and alumnus pianist Thomas Kasdorf will kick off the season with a FREE concert of music and songs celebrating the 100th anniversary of the independence of Finland.

But that’s just the beginning to an event-filled school year that includes mostly free solo recitals, chamber music, orchestral music, opera, choral music and more.

And this year, there is a new guide to the concert season and the School of Music itself.

The short and usual glossy brochure of listings has given way to a booklet guide. It is 8-1/2 by 11 inches big and has 24 well-filled pages. It is printed on regular paper and has much more information about the events and the people who make them happen. It takes you behind the scenes as well as in the hall and on the stage.

It is less showy, to be sure, but so much more readable and informative. And it feels great in your hands.

On the right hand margin, you’ll find concerts with performers and programs. To the left and in the center, you will find news, biographies and other information about musicians, donors and an update about the new concert hall building.

The new guide, which you can get for FREE, is the brainchild of Kathy Esposito (below), the music school‘s publicist and concert manager.

Here is what Esposito has to say:

“Our School of Music website, which debuted in 2014, required resources that previously had been devoted to multiple print publications.

“So we dropped back to only one, a printed events calendar.

“I’m happy to say that for the 2017-18 academic year, we finally found time to enlarge the printed concert calendar into a true newsletter as well.

“We certainly have enough news to share. Much of what’s in there had not been, or still is not, placed on the website at http://www.music.wisc.edu.

“My personal favorites are the stories from students, both undergrad and grad. As a mom of two young musicians, I can, to some degree, understand both the challenges and the thrills of their careers. Learning about their lives is the best part of my job. Occasionally I can help them, too.

“A couple of other things to give credit where credit is due.

“My assistant, Brianna Ware, who is a graduate student in piano, caught and corrected many errors.

“The brochure was designed by Bob Marshall of Marshall Design in Middleton. He did a masterful job. Bravo!

“Printing was coordinated by the fabulous Sue Lind at DoIT (Division of Information Technology) Printing and Publishing, who helped me to choose a new paper stock, a lightweight matte.

“Lastly, upon request from our older readers, we increased the font size slightly.

“We mailed the brochure to all alumni, national and international. That also was new. And our feedback has been quite positive.

“I’m happy to send readers a FREE copy of this fall’s brochure – with the somewhat humdrum title “Concerts, News and Events” – to those who email their postal addresses to me. I’ll place you on the list for next year, too. Send your name and postal address to kesposito@wisc.edu

About twice a month, we also publish an e-newsletter in the form of a blog, which I also paste into an email for those on a Wisclist, who don’t get the blog. It is the same information, but I think the blog is prettier.

That’s available via this link: https://uwmadisonschoolofmusic.wordpress.com/

Posted in Classical music
Tags: academic, alumni, anniversary, Arts, assistant, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, behind the scenes, biographies, biography, blog, brochure, calendar, career, Cello, center, Chamber music, choral music, Concert, concerto, correct, design, donor, Early music, errors, feedback, Finland, Franz Schubert, George Frideric Handel, graduate students, guide, hall, independence, information, informative, instruction, international, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, left, lives, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, manager, Mimmi Fulmer, mom, Mozart, Music, Musician, national, news, newsletter, opera, Orchestra, paper, performer, performers, Pianist, Piano, print, Pro Arte Quartet, program, publication, publicity, readable, recital, right, schedule, school, school year, Sonata, song, soprano, stage, story, Student, symphony, technology, Thomas Kasdorf, undergraduate, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, update, UW School of Music, UW-Madison Mead Witter School of Music, Viola, Violin, vocal music, web, Website, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, year

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