The Well-Tempered Ear
Should the 1812 Overture be played this Fourth of July?
10 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
The Ear recently noticed that the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra has once again scheduled the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky (below) as part of the finale of its Fourth of July concert on the evening of July 6, 2022.
The performance is part of this summer’s FREE Concerts on the Square (COS) by the WCO that run on six consecutive Wednesday nights from June 29 through Aug. 3. Concerts start at 7 p.m. on the King Street corner of the Capitol Square in downtown Madison, and will be conducted by Andrew Sewell.
For more information about the series and individual performers and programs, go to: https://wcoconcerts.org/concerts-tickets/concerts-on-the-square
An asterisk says programs are subject to change.
Which got The Ear to thinking: Should Tchaikovsky’s perennial favorite, the flashy and loud 1812 Overture, be played again this year?
It is a tradition that was started on Independence Day in 1974 by Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops, according to reputable sources.
But this year might be a very different case because of a quandary that might cause organizers, including PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth,” to rethink the program.
It is a choice that will confront many musical groups across the U.S., given the current unprovoked brutality and and war crimes being committed by Russia against Ukraine.
After all, many music groups, including the Metropolitan Opera, have already banned Russian performers who support Russian President Vladimir Putin and his unjustified war in Ukraine (below).
So here’s the question: Is it appropriate to play a favorite work celebrating a Russian military victory while Ukraine, the United States and Western allies, including NATO, are desperately trying to defeat Russian forces?
As you may recall, the overture was inspired by Russia’s victory over the invading forces of Napoleon who was attempting go conquer Russia. Like Hitler and the Nazis, Napoleon failed and the Russians prevailed. That is why, in the work, you hear the French national anthem “La Marseillaise” overcome by the chimes and cannons of the Russian victory hymn. (There was no Russian national anthem until 1815.)
Here is a link to more background in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812_Overture
Will the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra or other orchestras as well as radio and TV stations around the U.S. find a substitute piece? Perhaps it could be the Ukrainian national anthem that is performed (as in the BBC Proms concert in the YouTube video at the bottom and as many other orchestras around the world, including the Madison Symphony Orchestra and John DeMain, have done).
What else could the WCO and other groups play — especially since Sousa marches are already usually featured on The Fourth?
Do you have a suggestion?
The Ear will be interested to see how the quandary is solved — with explanations and excuses, or with alternative music?
Meanwhile, as comedian Stephen Colbert likes to say: What do you think?
Should the “1812 Overture” be played on this Fourth of July?
Why?
Or why not?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #ACapitolFourth, #AdolfHitler, #AndrewSewell, #ArthurFiedler, #AudienceFavorite, #BBCProms, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BostonPops, #CapitolSquare, #ChamberOrchestra, #ConcertsontheSquare, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FourthofJuly, #FreeConcert, #IndependenceDay, #JacobStockinger, #JohnDeMain, #July4, #LaMarseillaise, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MadisonWisconsin, #MetropolitanOpera, #NapoleonicWars, #NationalAnthem, #NaziGermany, #NorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #RadioStation, #SocialMedia, #StephenColbert, #TheEar, #TheInternet, #TheMet, #TheU.S., #TVstation, #UnitedStates, #VladimirPutin, #WarCrimes, #WebPage, #Wikipediaentry, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WorldWarII, #YouTubevideo, 1812 Overture, @1812Overture, A Capitol Fourth, Allies, alternative, America, American, Andrew Sewell, Arthur Fiedler, Arts, asterisk, audience, ban, BBC, BBC Proms, blog, Blog post, Boston Pops, brutal, brutality, cannons, Capitol, Capitol Square, celebrate, chamber orchestra, chimes, choice, Classical music, comedian, commit, composer, Concert, Concerts on the Square, conductor, confront, COS, downtown, evening, excuse, explanation, Facebook, Facebook post, favorite, finale, flashy, force, Fourth of July, France, free concert, French, Germany, group, help, Hitler, home website, hymn, Independence Day, individual, information, inspire, invasion, Jacob Stockinger, John DeMain, John Philip Sousa, July 4, justice, La Marseillaise, link, loud, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, march, Metropolitan Opera, military, Music, Napoleon, Napoleonic Wars, national anthem, NATO, Nazi, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Orchestra, organizer, PBS, perennial, performance, performer, performers, piece, play, President, program, Putin, quandary, Radio, radio station, reputable, reputation, rethink, Russia, Russian, say, schedule, series, share, singer, social media, solve, source, Sousa, Stephen Colbert, suggestion, support, symphony, tag, Tchaikovsky, Television, The Ear, the Internet, the Met, think, tradition, TV, TV station, U, U.S., Ukraine, Ukrainian, United States, unjust, unjustifiable, victory, video, war, war crimes, WCO, web, Website, Western, why, why not, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, world, World War II, YouTube
A busy weekend of online concerts features the UW Symphony, Edgewood College, Madison Opera, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Bach Around the Clock and more
2 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
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/
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
Soprano and UW-Madison graduate student Sarah Brailey wins a Grammy Award
6 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
Soprano Sarah Brailey (below), a native of Wisconsin — who now lives, works and studies in Madison — won a Grammy Award last night.
Brailey received the prestigious award (below) in the category “Best Classical Solo Album” category. It was for her role in the long-neglected, opera-like choral symphony “The Prison” by English composer Dame Ethel Smyth on the Chandos label. (You can hear an excerpt from the Brailey recording in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Brailey’s win is especially noteworthy because it comes early in her career.
Although she has toured nationally and internationally, and has established herself as a professional singer of note, Brailey is a busy graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, where she is finishing her doctoral degree.
Here is a link to her website: https://sarahbrailey.com
Brailey is also one of the city’s busiest and most respected musicians.
During the pandemic year, she explained and help spark benefit concerts and fundraising for musicians whose livelihoods suffered due to cancelled performances. Here is a link: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/?s=sarah+brailey
She also hosts the Sunday morning radio show “Musica Antiqua” – which features early music — on WORT-FM 89.9.
Recently, Brailey became the artistic director of “Grace Presents,” a series of free concerts at the downtown Grace Episcopal Church across from the state Capitol.
An avid early music performer, Brailey — who won and now directs the annual Handel Aria Competition — also co-founded and co-directs the free monthly series of Just Bach concerts (below, second from right), the lastest of which takes place this Wednesday, March 17. She sings solos, greets listeners and viewers, and often leads the final sing-along chorale from a Bach cantata.
You can hear many of her performances duing the Just Bach concerts on the Just Bach channel on YouTube.
Leave your own congratulations and thoughts about her performances in the Coment section.
The Ear will post a complete list of the classical music Grammy Award nominees and winners later this week.
PS: Another native of the Madison area was nominated for a non-classical Grammy is Bill Rahko, who co-produced the album “Everyday Life” for the rock band Coldplay. The album was nominated for Album of the Year, but lost to Taylor Swift’s “Folklore.”
Here is a link to a story on NBC 15 about Rahko, who attended Middleton High School: https://www.nbc15.com/2021/03/14/madison-area-native-up-for-grammy-award-for-album-of-the-year/
Tags: #BachCantata, #BaroqueComposer, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolSquare, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #CityofMadison, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DoctoralDegree, #EthelSmyth, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FundraisingCampaign, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GraceEpiscopalChurch, #GracePresents, #GraduateStudent, #HandelAriaCompetition, #JacobStockinger, #JesusChrist, #JohannSebastianBach, #JustBach, #LastNight, #LutherMemorialChurch, #MadisonWisconsin, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MiddletonHighSchool, #MiddletonWisconsin, #MusicaAntiqua, #MusicalExcerpt, #OperaMusic, #RadioHost, #RadioShow, #RecordedMusic, #RockandRoll, #RockBand, #SarahBrailey, #SopranoSinger, #TaylorSwift, #TheEar, #ThePrison, #TheUK, #TheUW, #UnversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VocalMusic, #WORT-FM89.9, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, Album, Arts, audience, avid, award, Bach, Baroque, benefit, blog, Brailey, British, cancel, Cantata, Capitol, career, category, Chamber music, Chandos, Chandos Records, channel, choral music, Choral Symphony, Chorale, chorus, Christ, Christian, Christianity, church, Classical music, co-found, co-founder, Coldplay, complete, composer, Concert, congratulations, coronavirus pandemic, coronavrius, dame, director, doctoral, doctorate, downtown, early, Early music, England, English, Ethel Smyth, everyday life, excerpt, explian, Facebook, final, folklore, found, Fundraising, George Frideric Handel, Grace Episcopal, Grace Episcopal Church, Grace Presents, graduate student, greet, Handel, Handel Aria Competition, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus, Johann Sebastian Bach, Just Bach, labek, lead, like, link, list, listener, live, Luther Memorial Church, Madison, Mead Witter School of Music, Middleton, Middleton High School, monthly, Music, Musica Antiqua, Musician, native, NBC 15, NBC15, night, nominees, note, noteworthy, opera, pandemic, performance, pop, pop music, post, posting, postpone, prestigious, prison, producer, professional, Radio, recorded music, Rock, rock band, rock music, Sarah Brailey, series, share, sing-along, singer, Singing, Smyth, solo, soprano, spark, study, Swift, symphony, Taylor Swift, The Ear, The Prison, thoughts, UK, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, video, viewer, vocal music, win, winners, Wisconsin, work, WORT-FM 89.9, YouTube
Classical music: June is Gay Pride month. How many LGBTQ classical composers and performers do you know about? Which ones are your favorites or most surprise you?
2 Comments
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE 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.
ALERT: This Sunday, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society’s Virtual Chamber Music Festival begins online. It is called “Bach’s Lunch” and will send out short concerts every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through Sunday, June 28, when a grand finale is planned. It is FREE. But you have to sign up by emailing crownover@bachdancinganddynamite.org
By Jacob Stockinger
This past week the Rainbow flags (below) have started flying, including at the Wisconsin state Capitol.
Last year was the 50th anniversary of the riot or uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City that eventually gave birth to a worldwide movement to insure that queer people deserve and will receive human rights.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Pride, which started with parades and marches to celebrate that initial victory and the start of a global gay liberation movement that continues and widens today.
On this first weekend in June 2020, it seems fitting to recall the many LGBTQ composers and performers in classical music.
The gay rights movement has opened the closet doors not only of individual lives today but also of historical figures. When The Ear was taking piano lessons and started going to concerts and listening to recordings, and learning about classical music, the subject remained shrouded in silence and secrecy.
You could read and hear about Tchaikovsky (below top) and Leonard Bernstein (below bottom, in a photo by Jack Mitchell) – to take a very popular composer and a renowned composer-conductor — but no one mentioned the role of homosexuality in their lives and careers.
So here are several lists that may teach you something new about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer musicians – both composers and performers.
Some of the calls seem very iffy to The Ear. For example, Beethoven, Schubert and Chopin (below and in the YouTube video at the bottom) lived at a time when a homoerotic friendship did not necessarily mean a queer sexual identity. But one way or the other, historical proof and documentation can be hard to come by. And clearly there is much more to find out about the past.
Take a look. No longer is such information a rarity. From both the quantity and quality of the entries, at least you will see how scholars are taking new looks and undermining the heterosexual assumption that has wrapped so many historical and even contemporary figures in a wrong or mistaken identity.
Freedom, acceptance and respect are not zero-sum games in which one party can win only if another party loses. There is enough of each to go around.
So enjoy the information, whether it is new or not, and the respect it should inspire for the central role of LGBTQ people in the arts both past and present.
Here is a pretty comprehensive alphabetical list from Wikipedia of LGBT composers, both living and dead. It includes Chester Biscardi (below), who did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. You don’t have to click on each name. Just hover the cursor arrow over the name and you will see a photo and biographical blurb:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:LGBT_composers
And here is a list, also in alphabetical order and also from Wikipedia, of LGBT musicians and performers, not all of them classical. It works by clicking on sub-categories that include nationality – though one wonders if musicians from extremely homophobic countries and cultures are included:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:LGBT_musicians
Here is a similar list from QueerBio.com that also includes links to similar lists for rock, country, hip-hop, jazz, Christian music and more:
https://queerbio.com/wiki/index.php/LGBTQ_Classical_Music_Composers
Here is a more selective list from The Advocate, an LGBT magazine, of 18 queer composers who made history and you should know about:
And here is a similarly selective list from radio station WFMT in Chicago of 15 LGBT composers — including Corelli, Handel (below) and Lully — you should know about:
https://www.wfmt.com/2015/06/25/15-queer-composers-know/
From Arts Boston, here are 10 contemporary composers who are queer:
http://artsboston.org/2018/06/21/10-contemporary-lgbtq-composers-you-should-know/
Finally, here is a list from the Spotify streaming service that features many samplings of actual pieces by historical and contemporary queer composers:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX75gMjYMWCsk
Which names most surprised you?
If you have questions, comments or additional names and information to add — The Ear doesn’t see the acclaimed pianist Jeremy Denk listed — please leave word in the Comment section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Happy Pride, everyone!
Tags: #AlphabeticalOrder, #ArcangeloCorelli, #ArtsBoston, #BachDancingandDynamiteSociety, #BaroqueComposers, #BaroqueEra, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolSquare, #ChamberMusic, #ChesterBiscardi, #ChicagoIllinois, #ChristianMusic, #Classicalera, #ClassicalMusician, #ContemporaryComposer, #COVID-19, #EmailAddress, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzSchubert, #FredericChopin, #GayHistory, #GayLiberation, #GayPride, #GenderNon-Conforming, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #Hip-hopmusic, #HistoricalFigure, #HumanRights, #JacobStockinger, #Jean-BaptisteLully, #JeremyDenk, #JohannSebastianBach, #LeonardBernstein, #LGBTQrights, #LiveStreaming, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #ModernComposers, #MusicLessons, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoLessons, #PrideFlag, #PrideMonth, #RadioStation, #RomanticComposers, #RomanticEra, #SexualIdentity, #StateCapitol, #StonewallInn, #StonewallRiot, #StonewallUprising, #TheAdvocate, #TheEar, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VirtualConcert, #VladimirHorowitz, #Wikipediabiography, #Wikipediaentry, #YouTubevideo, 2020, acceptance, alphabetical, anniversary, Arcangelo Corelli, arrow, Arts, Arts Boston, assumption, audience, Audio, Bach, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Baroque, BDDS, Beethoven, Bernstein, biography, birth, Biscardi, bisexual, blog, blurb, Capitol, career, celebrate, Chamber music, Chester Biscardi, Chicago, Chopin, choral music, Christian, Classical, Classical era, Classical music, click, closet, composer, composer-performer, Concert, concerts, conductor, contemporary, Corelli, coronavirus, country, culture, cursor, dead, deserve, documentation, downtown, Early music, email, entry, Facebook, festival, figures, finale, forward, Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, free, freedom, friendship, game, gay, gay liberation, gay Pride, gender, George Frideric Handel, global, globe, graduate, grand, Handel, heterosexual, historical, historical figures, History, homoerotic, homophobic, Homosexuality, Horowitz, human rights, identity, information, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Jeremy Denk, Johann Sebastian Bach, June, Leonard Bernstein, lesbian, lesson, LGBTQ, life, like, link, list, listen, live, lives, living, longer, look, lose, Ludwig van Beethoven, Lully, lunch, Madison, magazine, march, Mead Witter School of Music, mention, mistaken, modern composers, month, movement, Music, nationality, new, New Music, New York City, no longer, non-conforming, online, opera, Orchestra, order, pandemic, parade, party, past, People, performer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, photo, Piano, piano lessons, pieces, popular, present, pride, Pride flag, proof, quality, quantity, queer, QueerBio.com, Radio, rap, rarity, receive, Recordings, respect, riot, Rock, role, Romaniticism, Romanticism, sample, sampling, Saturday, scholar, Schubert, secrecy, sex, sexual, sexual identity, share, shrouded, sign-up, silence, Spotify, Spotify.com, state, Stonewall, streaming, subject, Sunday, symphony, tag, Tchaikovsky, teach, The Advocate, The Ear, Thursday, time, today, transexual, transgender, transsexual, Tuesday, undermine, United States, University of Wisconsin School of Music, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, uprising, UW, UW-Madison, vategory, victory, video, Viola, Violin, virtual, Vladimir Horowitz, vocal music, weekend, widen, Wikipedia, win, Wisconsin, WMFT, work, world, worldwide, wrong, YouTube, zero sum
Classical music: The Madison Opera performs Verdi’s popular “La Traviata” this Friday night and Sunday afternoon in Overture Hall
2 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE 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
This weekend, the Madison Opera opens its 59th season with a traditional production of Verdi’s “La Traviata” (The Lost One), one of the most popular operas in history.
According to the website www.operasense.com — specifically at https://www.operasense.com/most-popular-operas/ — it has been the most performed opera in the world, beating out such perennial favorites as Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” Puccini’s “La Boheme” and “Madama Butterfly,” and Bizet’s “Carmen.” (Below are photos by Matthew Staver from the production by Opera Colorado in Denver, which features the same sets and costumes that will be used in the production by Madison Opera.)
Performances in Overture Hall are this Friday night, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, Nov. 3 at 2:30 p.m. The opera will be sung in Italian with projected supertitles in English. The running time, with two intermissions, is 2 hours and 45 minutes.
PRE-OPERA TALKS are on Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the Wisconsin Studio of the Overture Center. One hour prior to performances, general director Kathryn Smith will give an entertaining and informative talk about “La Traviata.” The talks are free to ticket holders.
POST-OPERA Q&A’s are on Friday and Sunday and will also take place in the Wisconsin Studio of the Overture Center. Audience members can join general director Kathryn Smith immediately after the performance to ask questions about what they have just seen. The sessions are free to ticket holders.
Tickets are $18-$135 with student and group discounts available. For information about tickets, the production and the cast, go to: https://www.madisonopera.org
Set in mid-19th century Paris, “La Traviata” tells of Violetta, a courtesan who tries to follow her heart. But societal pressures force her to leave the man she loves, and an incurable illness takes care of the rest.
Glittering parties contrast with quiet desperation, and ravishing music underscores all-consuming emotions.
“Only a few operas ever achieve a truly beloved status — and “La Traviata” is one of them,” says Kathryn Smith (below, in a photo by James Gill). For being over 150 years old, its story is quite modern: a young woman trying to overcome the limitations that society has placed on her because of her class and gender, searching for happiness yet willing to make sacrifices.
“Plus it is full of very famous music, from the ‘Brindisi’ to ‘Sempre Libera’ and more,” Smith adds. “It’s always a pleasure to have a new generation discover this work, and to share it with opera omnivores who know it well.” (You can hear Renée Fleming sing Violetta’s signature aria “Sempre libera” (Always Free) at the Royal Opera House in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
“La Traviata” is based on the play and novel “La Dame aux Camélias” (The Lady of the Camellias) by Alexandre Dumas the son (below top), which were in turn based on his real-life relationship with the courtesan Marie Duplessis (below bottom), who died in 1847 of consumption.
The play was an instant hit when it premiered in Paris in 1852, and Verdi (below) turned it into an opera the following year.
While the first production of the opera was not a success, due to the poor singing of two cast members and the physical unsuitability of one singer, its second production was acclaimed, and the opera swiftly became one of the most performed operas in the world, a status it has not lost.
Both the opera and the play have inspired countless films, including “Camille” (with Greta Garbo), “Pretty Woman” (with Julia Roberts) and “Moulin Rouge” (with Nicole Kidman).
Madison Opera’s artistic director John DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) says: “”La Traviata” has been a part of my artistic life since the very beginning of my career – it’s one of the reasons I so wanted to conduct opera. The heartfelt and tragic story of a love that was cut short by both health and cultural circumstances is still deeply moving today.
“The role of Violetta is a tour-de-force that ranges from high-flying coloratura to dramatic vocalism, with a strongly-etched character. I love this opera so deeply and look forward to conducting it for our audience.”
Returning to Madison Opera as Violetta is Cecilia Violetta Lopez (she played Carmen in Madison), whom The Washington Post reviewer called “as compelling a Violetta as I’ve seen.”
Mackenzie Whitney (below, who appeared in “Florencia en el Amazonas” for the Madison Opera) returns as Alfredo, the young man for whom she sacrifices everything.
Weston Hurt (below) debuts with Madison Opera as Alfredo’s father Germont, whose disapproval of his son’s relationship with Violetta has tragic consequences.
Madison Opera’s Studio Artists are featured: Kirsten Larson as Flora, Emily Secor as Annina, Benjamin Hopkins as Gastone, and Stephen Hobe as the Marquis d’Obigny.
Rounding out the cast are Benjamin Sieverding (Romeo and Juliet) as Dr. Grenvil and Benjamin Major in his Madison Opera debut as Baron Douphol.
Fenton Lamb (below) directs this traditional production in her Madison Opera debut.
Maestro John DeMain conducts the singers, the Madison Opera Chorus and the Madison Symphony Orchestra.
The Madison Opera’s production of “La Traviata” is sponsored by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, Bert and Diane Adams, Carla and Fernando Alvarado, Chun Lin, Patricia and Stephen Lucas, Millie and Marshall Osborn, Kato and David Perlman, the Wallach Family, Helen Wineke, Capitol Lakes, and the Wisconsin Arts Board.
Tags: #19thCentury, #AlexandreDumasfils, #ArtisticDirector, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolLakes, #CapitolLakesRetirementCenter, #CastList, #CeciliaViolettaLopez, #ChoralMusic, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #DenverColorado, #DrinkingSong, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FentonLamb, #FlorenciaenelAmazonas, #Fridaynight, #GeneralDirector, #GeorgesBizet, #GiacomoPuccini, #GiuseppeVerdi, #GretaGardo, #HomeWebsite, #IncurableIllness, #InstantHit, #JohnDeMain, #JuliaRoberts, #KathrynSmith, #KatoPerlman, #LaBoheme, #LaTraviata, #MackenzieWhitney, #MadamaButterfly, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MarieDuplessis, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MoulinRouge, #MusicCritic, #MusicReview, #NicoleKidman, #OperaAria, #OperaColorado, #OperaHouse, #OrchestralMusic, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #ParisFrance, #PerennialFavorite, #PersonalRelationship, #PleasantT.Rowland, #PopularMusic, #PrettyWoman, #QuietDesperation, #RenéeFleming, #RomeoandJuliet, #RoyalOperaHouse, #RunningTime, #SempreLibera, #Sickness, #SopranoSinger, #StateOfWisconsin, #Sundayafternoon, #TenorSinger, #TheEar, #TheLostOne, #TheMagicFlute, #TheWashingtonPost, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VocalMusic, #WestonHurt, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WisconsinStudio, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YoungMan, #YoungWoman, #YouTubevideo, 19th century, acclaimed, afternoon, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfredo, all-consuming, aria, Artistic director, artististic, artists, Arts, ask, audience, baron, beloved, Bizet, blog, Brindisi, Camille, Capitol, Capitol Lakes, care, career, Carmen, cast, Cecilia Violetta Lopez, character, choral music, chorus, circumstance, circumstances, class, classic, Classical music, classicalmusic, classism, Colorado, coloratura, composer, conduct, conductor, consequences, consume, consuming, consumption, costumes, courtesan, critically acclaimed, cultural, culture, death, debut, Denver, desperation, die, director, disapproval, discount, discover, dramatic, drinking song, Dumas, emotions, English, etched, Facebook, famous, father, favorite, feature, Fenton Lamb, film, first, Florencia en el Amazonas, flute, foundation, France, free, Friday, gender, General director, generation, Georges Bizet, Germont, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, glittering, Greta Garbo, group, happiness, Health, heart, heartfelt, high-flying, History, hit, Home, illness, incurable, information, instant, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, John DeMain, Jula Roberts, Kathryn Smith, Kato Perlman, La bohème, La Traviata, lakes, life, like, limitation, limitations, link, lost, loves, Mackenzie Whitney, Madama Butterfly, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maestro, magic, man, Marie Duplessis, Mead Witter School of Music, modern, Moulin Rouge, movie, moving, Mozart, Music, music critic, music reviewer, Nicole Kidman, night, novel, old, omnivore, open, opera, Opera Colorado, Opera house, Orchestra, orchestral music, overcome, Overture Center, Overture Hall, Paris, parties, party, perennial, performer, personal relationship, photo, physical, play, Pleasant T. Rowland, pleasure, poor, popular, post, posting, premiere, pressure, Pretty Woman, production, projected, Puccini, Q&A, question-and-answer, questions, quiet, ravishing, reader, real, real-life, relationship, Renée Fleming, Retirement, review, role, Romeo and Juliet, royal, Royal Opera House, running, running time, sacrifice, same, Season, Sempre Libera, session, sets, Sexism, sexist, share, sick, signature, singer, Singing, social, societal, society, son, soprano, sponsor, State of Wisconsin, status, story, studio, subscriber, success, Sunday, sung, supertitles, surtitles, tag, talks, tenor, The Ear, The Lost One, The Magic Flute, The Washington Post, ticket, time, today, tour-de-force, traditional, Tragic, translation, tuberculosis, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Verdi, Violetta, vocal music, Website, weekend, well-known, Weston Hurt, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin Studio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, woman, world, year, young, young man, young woman, YouTube
Classical music: Concerts on the Square begin this Wednesday night – and half of the six concerts feature classical music
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE 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
The 36th annual FREE summer series of six Concerts on the Square, performed by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below) and guest soloists, will begin this Wednesday night, June 26, at 7 p.m. on the King Street Corner of the Capitol Square in downtown Madison.
Each concert draws an average of 30,000 people.
But if you think it is largely a pops concert event, think again.
One of the many outstanding achievements that WCO music director Andrew Sewell (below) has brought to the event – billed as “the Biggest Picnic of Summer” — over the past 20 years is an increased emphasis on classical music, perhaps to help build new audiences for the WCO’s winter Masterworks concerts.
The opening concert, for example, has become a tradition, a chance to introduce to the public the latest winner of the WCO’s young people’s concerto competition – and this year is no different.
Three of the six concerts will be also all-classical – and that’s not counting Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” that will be featured on the Fourth of July program on July 3.
There will also be pops music of course, including a tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ iconic album “Abbey Road”; patriotic fare for Independence Day; and an evening of movie scores, most composed by John Williams, with concertmaster Suzanne Beia as violin soloist in the theme from “Schindler’s List.”
All concerts are on six consecutive Wednesday nights from June 28 through July 31. Performances begin at 7 p.m. on the King Street corner of the Capitol Square. They usually last about two hours.
To find out more, including the programs and biographies of performers for each program, go to: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performance-listing/category/concerts-on-the-square
Once there, if you click on a specific date, on the right hand side you will also find information about concert etiquette, seating on the Capitol lawn, weather cancellations, catering menus, food vendor sales and other information, including details about volunteering and donating. Here is a link to general guidelines:
https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performances/concerts-on-the-square/attending-the-concert/
Here are the three classical concerts:
JUNE 26
“East Meets West” features the WCO’s concerto competition winner pianist Sakurako Eriksen (below) – a Madison native now living in Milwaukee — in the popular and virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Prokofiev.
Also on the program are “Francesca da Rimini” by Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky; “Noble and Sentimental Waltzes” by French composer by Maurice Ravel; and an unnamed work by Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz.
JULY 10
“Finlandia” features the Russian-born and Moscow Conservatory-trained accordion virtuoso Sergei Belkin (below).
On the program are unnamed works by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak and Alexander Glazunov; “Oblivion” by Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla; the “Sabre Dance” by Russian composer Aram Khachaturian; and “Finlandia” by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
JULY 31
“Rockin’ Rachmaninov” features Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev (below), a frequent WCO guest artist who teaches at the Mannes College of Music in New York City.
The program includes the Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, by Sergei Rachmaninov; the Overture to the opera “The Magic Flute” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; the 1944 “Cornish Rhapsody” piano concerto score, composed by English composer Hubert Bath for the World War II film “Love Story”; and a Suite from “The Firebird” by Igor Stravinsky.
Tags: #AbbeyRoad, #AlexanderGlazunov, #AndrewSewell, #AntoninDvorak, #AramKhachaturian, #AstorPiazzolla, #balletsuite, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolSquare, #CompactDisc, #ConcertEtiquette, #ConcertoCompetition, #ConcertsontheSquare, #CornishRhapsody, #Czechcomposer, #EnglishComposer, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FilmMusic, #FilmScore, #FinnishComposer, #FoodVendor, #FourthofJuly, #FrancescadaRimini, #Frenchcomposer, #GuestSoloist, #HubertBath, #IgorStravinsky, #IlyaYakushev, #IndependenceDay, #IsaacAlbeniz, #JeanSibelius, #JohnWilliams, #JulyFourth, #LoveStory, #MadisonWisconsin, #Mannes School of Music, #MannesCollege, #MasterworksConcerts, #MauriceRavel, #MoscowConservatory, #MovieMusic, #MovieSoundtrack, #MusicDirector, #NewYorkCity, #NobleandSentimentalWaltzes, #OperaMusic, #PatrioticMusic, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoConcerto, #PopsMusic, #RockandRoll, #RockMusic, #RussianComposer, #SabreDance, #SakurakoEriksen, #Schindler'sList, #SergeiBelkin, #SergeiProkofiev, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #SpanishComposer, #SuzanneBeia, #TheBeatles, #TheFirebird, #TheMagicFlute, #ValseNoblesetSentimentales, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorldWarII, #YoungPeople, 1812 Overture, @1812Overture, Abbey Road, accordion, achievement, Album, Alexander Glazunov, Andrew Sewell, Angentinean, anniversary, Antonín Dvořák, Aram Khachaturian, Arts, Ástor Piazzolla, ballet, biggest, biography, blog, build, cancellation, Capitol, Capitol Square, catering, Classical music, classicalmusic, Compact Disc, composer, Concert, concertmaster, concerto, concerto competition, Concerts on the Square, conductor, Cornish, Czech, donate, donation, downtown, east, emphasis, English, etiquette, event, Facebook, film, film music, Finland, Finlandia, Finnish, food, forward, Fourth of July, France, Francesca da Rimini, free, French, general, Glazunov, guest, guest soloist, guidelines, Hubert Bath, Igor Stravinsky, Ilya Yakushev, Independence Day, information, Isaac Albéniz, Jacob Stockinger, Jean Sibelius, John Williams, July 4, lawn, like, link, love story, Madison, Manners School of Music, Mannes College of Music, masterwork, Maurice Ravel, meet, menu, Milwaukee, Moscow Conservatory, movie, Mozart, Music, Music director, native, new, New York City, Noble and Sentimental Waltzes, Oblivion, opera, Overture, patriotic, patriotic music, People, performer, Pianist, Piano concerto, picnic, pops, popular, program, public, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, reader, rhapsody, Rock, rock and roll, rock music, Russia, Russian, Sabre Dance, Sakurako Eriksen, Schindler's List, Sergei Belkin, Sergei Prokofiev, series, share, soloist, Spain, Spanish, subscriber, Suite, summer, Suzanne Beia, tag, tango, Tchaikovsky, The Beatles, The Firebird, The Magic Flute, theme, tradition, train, tribute, unnamed, Valses nobles et sentimentales, vendor, Violin, virtuosic, volunteer, Waltz, WCO, weather, west, winner, winter, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, work, World War II, years, young people
Classical music: The second LunART Festival will spotlight women in the performing and creative arts. Here is Part 2 of 2 with more about new music, comedy and a full schedule
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT, 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.
ALERT: The second Van Cliburn Junior Piano Competition resumes today — Monday, June 3 — in Dallas at 2:20 p.m. CDT. The young players range from 13 to 17 and come from around the world, and they are terrific. Plus the quality of the live streaming is outstanding, especially for the camera work of the keyboard. It’s all FREE. If you want to see it, here is a link: https://www.cliburn.org. You might also be interested to know that among the jurors are Alessio Bax, who has performed in Madison at Farley’s House of Pianos, and Philippe Bianconi, who has soloed several times with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. All that and you get to vote for the Audience Award too!
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received a long and detailed announcement about the upcoming second LunART Festival. Here is Part 2 of two parts with more information about new music, comedy and a schedule of events. Yesterday was Part 1 — a link is below — with background and participants.
The LunART Festival, co-founded and co-directed by Iva Ugrcic and Laura Medisky, is back for its second season from this Wednesday, June 5, through Sunday, June 9, and will continue its mission of supporting, inspiring, promoting and celebrating women in the arts.
The 2019 season brings 10 events to eight venues in the Madison area, providing accessible, high-quality, engaging concerts and events with diverse programming from various arts fields.
The festival will showcase over 100 artists this season, including many familiar local artists and performers as well as guest artists hailing from Missouri to Texas, Minnesota to Florida and as far away as Peru.
LunART’s 2019 call for scores was open to women composers of all ages and nationalities, and received an impressive 98 applicants from around the globe. Scores were evaluated by a committee of 17 LunART Festival musicians and directors, and three works were selected to be performed at each of the Gala concerts.
The winning composers are Eunike Tanzil (below top), Edna Alejandra Longoria (below middle) and Kirsten Volness (below bottom). All three will be in attendance at the festival. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear a piece for cello and piano, with the composer playing the piano, by Eunike Tanzil.)
The “From Page to Stage: Emerging Composers” educational program also returns, bringing six composers to Madison to work with flutist and composer-in-residence Valerie Coleman (below).
During the festival she will mentor participants in developing practical skills to express their creative ideas, cultivate relationships with performers and master the art of collaboration. The program culminates with a free public concert featuring their music on Saturday, June 8, at 2 p.m. in the Capitol Lakes Grand Hall, 333 West Main street, downtown and two blocks from the Capitol Square.
On Friday, June 7 at Overture Center in Promenade Hall, Meaghan Heinrich (below) presents her pre-concert lecture, “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman,” which explores what it means to be a woman artist in the 21st century, and how women’s experiences shape their artistic expressions.
Following the Friday gala concert is “Holding Court,” this season’s Starry Night event at Robinia Courtyard. This all-women comedy show features Midwestern comics Vanessa Tortolano (below top), Chastity Washington (below bottom), Vickie Lynn, Samara Suomi and Cynthia Marie who are blazing a trail of funny that will leave you gasping in their wake.
“The Multi-faceted Artist” panel discussion is for anyone interested in the ongoing trend and need for artists to wear multiple hats to succeed and thrive.
Coleman (composer and flutist) and Dr. Linda DiRaimondo (psychiatrist and aerial dancer, below top on top) serve as panelists along with Katrin Talbot (violist, poet and photographer, below bottom in a photo by Isabel Karp), and will lead the discussion on Saturday, June 8, at the downtown Madison Public Library’s Bubbler Room.
The festival wraps up on Sunday, June 9, from 10 a.m. to noon at Common Ground, 2644 Branch Street in Middleton, with “Mooning Around” poetry reading and artist mixer, featuring a performance of “One for Mileva Maric (Einstein)” by Andrea Musher, with special guests Sarah Whelan and Jackie Bradley, and poetry readings by The Line-Breakers: Andrea Potos (below), Eve Robillard, Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva and Katrin Talbot.
Everyone is welcome to come enjoy their morning coffee and pastries while making creative connections with other artists.
LunART Festival is supported by Dane Arts, the Madison Arts Commission, the Wisconsin Arts Board and the Open Meadows Foundation; it also won first place at the 2018 National Flute Association C.R.E.A.T.E. Project Competition and second prize at the 2018 UW Arts Business Competition.
Schedule of 2019 Festival events:
Wednesday, June 5
- 6-8 p.m.: “Women Against Hate United by Love” exhibition opening reception @ Rotunda Stage, Overture Center for the Arts (free event)
Thursday, June 6
- 9 a.m.-Noon From Page to Stage composition master class with Valerie Coleman @ First United Methodist Church (free event)
- 7 p.m.: Opening Gala Concert @ Maiahaus (402 E. Mifflin St.) (Tickets: $20 general/$10 students)
Friday, June 7
- 6 p.m.: “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman” pre-concert lecture by Meaghan Heinrich (free event)
- 7 p.m.: “Portraits of Josephine” Gala Concert @ Promenade Hall, Overture Center for the Arts (Tickets: $20 general/$10 students)
- 9 p.m.: Starry Night: “Holding Court” All-Women Comedy Show @ Robinia Courtyard (Tickets: $7 in advance/$10 at the door)
Saturday, June 8
- 10 a.m.-Noon: “The Multi-faceted Artist” Panel Discussion @ Madison Public Library Bubbler Room (free event)
- 2 p.m.: From Page To Stage: Emerging Composers Concert @ Capitol Lakes Grand Hall (free event)
- 7 p.m.: “Gaia” Closing Gala Concert @ First Unitarian Society of Madison Atrium Auditorium (Tickets: $20 general/$10 students)
Sunday, June 9
- 10 a.m.-Noon: “Mooning Around” poetry reading and artist mixer @ Common Ground, 2644 Branch St., Middleton (free event)
More information can be found at lunartfestival.org
video
Tags: #21stCentury, #AlbertEinstein, #AlessioBax, #AndreaMusher, #AndreaPotos, #AtriumAuditorium, #AudienceAward, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CameraWork, #CapitolLakes, #CapitolSquare, #CelebratingWomen, #ChastityWashington, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ComedyShow, #CommonGround, #Composer-in-Residence, #CulturalDiversity, #CynthiaMarie, #DallasTexas, #DaneArts, #EdnaAlejandraLongoria, #EmergingComposers, #EthnicDiversity, #EunikeTanzil, #EveRobillard, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #Farley'sHouseofPianos, #FirstPlace, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FirstUnitedMethodistChurch, #GenderDiversity, #High-Quality, #IsabelKarp, #IvaUgrcic, #JackieBradley, #KatrinTalbot, #KirstenVolness, #LauraMedisky, #LindaDiRaimondo, #Line-Breakers, #LIveSteaming, #LunARTFestival, #MadisonArtsCommission, #MadisonPublicLibrary, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeaghanHeinrich, #MiddletonWisconsin, #MifflinStreet, #MilevaMaric, #MusicalDiversity, #MusicEducation, #NationalFluteAssociation, #NewMusic, #OpenMeadowsFoundation, #OvertureCenter, #PanelDiscussion, #PersonalRelationship, #PhilippeBIanconi, #PoetryReading, #Pre-concertLecture, #Prize-Winning, #PromenadeHall, #RacialDiversity, #RosemaryZurlo-Cuva, #RotundaStage, #SamaraSuomi, #SarahWhelan, #SaturdayAfternoon, #SecondPrize, #SpecialGuest, #StarryNight, #TheCliburn, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ValerieColeman, #VanCliburn, #VanessaTortolano, #VickieLynn, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WomanArtist, #WomanConductor, #WomenComposers, #YouTubevideo, 21st century, accessible, aerial, afternoon, age, alert, Alessio Bax, all-women, Andrea Musher, Andrea Potos, applicants, area, artists, Arts, Atrium Auditorium, attend, attendance, audience, award, background, blazing, blog, Business, camera, Capitol, Capitol Lakes, Capitol Square, celebration, Cello, Chamber music, Chastity Washington, choral music, Christian, church, Classical music, coffee, collaboration, comedian, comedy, comedy show, comic, comics, Common Ground, Competition, composer, Concert, creative, cultivate, Cynthia Marie, Dallas, dance, Dane Arts, directors, discussion, diverse, diversity, downtown, Edna Alejandra Longoria, Education, educational, Einstein, emerging, engaging, Eunike Tanzil, Eve Robillard, events, exhibition, experiences, explore, express, expressions, Facebook, Farley's House of Pianos, festival, first, first place, First Unitarian Society of Madison, First United Methodist Church, FloridaParu, flute, flutist, forward, foundation, free, funding, funny, gala, gasp, gasping, general, guest, hate, idea, ideas, impressive, information, inspiring, Isabel Karp, Iva Ugrcic, Jackie Bradley, Jacob Stockinger, June, juror, Katrin Talbot, Keyboard, Kirsten Volness, Laura Medisky, lecture, like, lin, Linda DiRaimondo, link, live streaming, local, Love, LunART Festival, Madison, Madison Arts Commission, Madison Public Library, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maiahaus, Master, Meaghan Heinrich, mentor, Methodist, Middleton, Midwestern, Midwestern United States, Milena Maric, Minnesota, mission, Missouri, Monday, Music, Music education, National Flute Association, nationalities, nationality, New Music, Open Meadows Foundation, outstandng, Overture Center, page, panel discussion, panelist, participants, pastries, pastry, performer, Philippe Bianconi, photo, photographer, Piano, place, poet, Poetry, poetry reading, portrait, practical, pre-concert, prize, programming, Promenade Hall, promoting, psychiatrist, public, race, racial diversity, reading, reception, relationship, resume, Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva, Rotunda Stage, Samara Suomi, Sarah Whelan, Saturday, schedule, score, Season, second, second prize, select, shape, share, show, showcase, skills, solo, special, special guest, stage, Starry Night, Student, succeed, support, supporting, tag, terrific, Texas, The Cliburn, thrive, ticket, today, trail, trend, unite, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, VALERIE COLEMAN, Van Cliburn, Vanessa Tortolono, venues, Vickie Lynn, video, Viola, Violin, violist, vocal music, wake, winning, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, woman, woman artist, women, women composers, work, yesterday, young, YouTube
Classical music: Madison Opera’s “A Little Night Music” proved totally satisfying as both music and theater
2 Comments
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
Larry Wells – The Opera Guy for The Well-Tempered Ear – went to both performances in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center last weekend by the Madison Opera of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” and filed the following review. Photos are by James Gill.
By Larry Wells
Although I was familiar with the recording, my first experience seeing “A Little Night Music” by Stephen Sondheim (below) was in London 25 years ago. I remember it as a theatrical experience – it featured Judi Dench and was performed at the National Theatre – more than as a musical event.
Two years ago, I saw it performed by Des Moines Metro Opera, and although it was “operatic” it was also sabotaged by a confusing, even chaotic, production designed by Isaac Mizrahi.
I finally experienced the complete package with the recent performances by the Madison Opera. It was a totally satisfying combination of acting, music and theatrical design.
Inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s film “Smiles of a Summer Night,” which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “A Little Night Music” concerns itself with mismatched lovers who are eventually properly paired or else reconciled.
Without going into detail, suffice it to say that the carryings-on are amusing, the dialogue is witty, and the lyrics are sophisticated.
One of the earliest numbers in the show — the trio of songs “Later,” “Now” and “Soon” — set the tone for the evening musically. Each was performed individually by three fine singers – Quinn Bernegger, Jeni Houser (below left) and Daniel Belcher (below right).
In a musical tour-de-force, the three songs ultimately combined into one. Houser’s clear tone, Benegger’s intense passion, and Belcher’s suave lyricism promised an outstanding musical experience to come. Special praise must go to Bernegger (below) who sang while comically, but skillfully, miming playing a cello.
One show-stopper was Sarah Day’s “Liaisons” which was really perfect in its world-weariness. Day (below) — from American Players Theatre in Spring Green — half-declaimed and half-sang such memorable lines of regret as, “What once was a sumptuous feast is now figs. No, not even figs. Raisins.” Or amusing internal rhymes like “…indiscriminate women it…”. (I am completely taken by Sondheim’s clever use of language.)
Likewise, the singing of “Miller’s Son” by Emily Glick (below) was a good old Broadway rendition – no operatic pretense – and the audience, and I, loved it.
Charles Eaton (below left) as a puffed-up dragoon and Katherine Pracht (below right) as his long-suffering wife were both outstanding vocally and deftly comic.
The center of most of the activity was the character Desirée Armfeldt portrayed by Emily Pulley (below). At first I thought she was overacting, but then I realized that, of course, she was portraying a veteran stage actress – a matinee idol type – who had internalized theatrical gestures into her own character. Her “Send in the Clowns” stopped the show, and the lyrics finally made sense to me. (You can hear the familiar Judy Collins interpretation in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
But I would have to say that the star of the show was the chorus, a quintet of excellent voices – Stephen Hobe, Kirsten Larson, Benjamin Liupaogo, Emily Secor and Cassandra Vasta. They waltzed through the action while sliding the panels and frames that comprised the set, moving props, and commenting on the action.
Never obtrusive but always necessary, I thought they were a delight. The three women got to sing a brief round “Perpetual Anticipation” that is another wonder of Sondheim’s musical imagination.
As mentioned, sliding panels, along with dropping frames and panels, comprised the set. The continuous changing of the panels, the blocking and the movements of the quintet were the creative product of stage director Doug Schulz-Carlson (below). There was often a whirlwind of activity, but I was never distracted.
The costumes by Karen Brown-Larimore seemed straight out of Edward Gorey – which is a good thing. And altogether I felt it was the best production of the musical I’ve seen.
The orchestra was situated on stage behind the set, which made additional seats available close to the stage. People seated in those rows had to bend their necks to read the supertitles, but the diction was so consistently excellent that I rarely needed to even glance at the supertitles.
Praise is due for members of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and particularly conductor John DeMain (below, in a photo by Prasad). I heard subtleties in the music that had heretofore eluded me, and that is always a reward for attending a live performance and is a tribute to the maestro.
I was happy to see a younger audience, particularly Friday night. Let us hope that they were enchanted enough to attend the upcoming production on April 26 and 28 of Antonin Dvorak’s “Rusalka.”
This is an opera I have never seen; and until recently, I was familiar only with one of its arias, the so-called “Song to the Moon.”
But now that I have a recording, I realize that it is a musical treasure that should not be missed. I suppose the reasons it is not so frequently performed are that it is in Czech and its plot involves water sprites. But don’t let that stop you. The music is wonderful.
Tags: #ALittleNightMusic, #AmericanPlayersTheatre, #AMIdsummerNight'sDream, #AntoninDvorak, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BroadwayMusical, #CapitolTheater, #CzechLanguage, #DesMoines, #DesMoinesMetroOpera, #DougSchulz-Carlson, #EdwardGorey, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GoodThing, #GreatBritain, #husband-and-wife, #IngmarBergman, #IsaacMizrahi, #JamesGill, #JohnDeMain, #JudiDench, #JudyCollins, #KarenBrown-Larimore, #LarryWells, #LivePerformance, #LondonEngland, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MatineeIdol, #Miller'sSon, #MusicReview, #OperaReview, #OvertureCenter, #SarahDay, #SendintheClowns, #Show-stopper, #SmilesofaSummerNight, #SongtotheMoon, #SpringGreen, #StageActress, #StageDirector, #StephenSondheim, #TheWell-TemperedEar, #WaterSprite, #WilliamShakespeare, #World-Weariness, A Little Night Music, A Midsummer Night's Dream, acting, action, activity, actress, American Players Theatre, amusing, Antonín Dvořák, Arts, audience, blog, Broadway, Capitol, Capitol Theater, Cello, chaotic, character, choral music, chorus, Classical music, clear, clever, comic, Compact Disc, complete, composer, conductor, confusing, costumes, Czech, declaim, delight, Des Moines Metro Opera, design, details, dialogue, diction, distraction, Doug Schulz-Carlson, Edward Gorey, enchant, event, experience, Facebook, film, forward, frame, gesture, good, Great Britain, husband, idol, imagination, Ingmar Bergman, intense, internal, Iowa, Isaac Mizrahi, Jacob Stockinger, James Gill, John DeMain, Judi Dench, Judy Collins, Karen Brown-Larimore, language, Larry Wells, liaison, like, lines, link, live, London, Love, lover, lyricism, lyrics, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Orchestra, matinee, memorable, Miller's Son, movie, Music, music review, musical, National Theatre, opera, operatic, Orchestra, outstanding, Overture Center, Overture Center for the Arts, package, pair, panel, Passion, performance, performer, photo, post, posting, praise, pretense, props, reconcile, recording, regret, review, rhyme, Rusalka, Sarah Day, seats, Send in the Clowns, set, Shakespeare, share, sing, Singing, skillful, Smiles of a Summer Night, song, Song to the Moon, sophisticated, Spring Green, stage, stage director, star, Stephen Sondheim, suave, suffering, supertitles, symphony, tag, The Well-Tempered Ear, theater, theatre, theatrical, thing, tone, trio, type, UK, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, use, Veteran, vocal music, vocally, Waltz, water sprite, weariness, weary, whirlwind, wife, Wisconsin, wit, witty, wonderful, world, young, YouTube
Classical music: Today is Sept. 11. Here are 10 pieces by 10 different composers inspired by the terrorist attacks of 2001
3 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
Today is Sept. 11, 2018.
That makes it the 17th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the U.S.
Two of the attacks took place on the Twin Towers (below) of the World Trade Center in New York City.
One took place on the Pentagon (below) in Washington, D.C.
And one, with an unknown target but perhaps either The White House or The Capitol, was thwarted on board Flight 93 when passengers forced the plane to crash in a field (below) in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
In past years, The Ear has chosen certain pieces to play or link to.
This year he found a list of 10 pieces of new music, with photos of the composers and short paragraphs of background as a program note, on the website for Classic FM digital radio.
Some of the pieces and the composers he already knows – and suspects you do too. They include John Adams, Steve Reich, Joan Tower, Eric Ewazen, Ned Rorem and John Corigliano.
But there are also quite a few new titles and names, including Robert Moran, Anthony Davis, Howard Goodall and Michael Gordon. (You can hear Howard Goodall’s “Spared” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
You can find recordings on YouTube.
Here is a link to the story to help you to listen in remembrance – although silence is also perfectly appropriate:
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/occasions/memorial/classical-music-inspired-911/
Of course, lots of old music and historic composers can be suitable without being new music directly inspired by 9/11.
So please tell us: What music would you play to mark the occasion?
Leave your choice and the reason for it in the COMMENT section along with, if possible, a link to a YouTube performance.
Tags: #AnthonyDavis, #ChoralMusic, #ClassicFM, #DigitalRadio, #EricEwazen, #Flight93, #HowardGoodall, #JoanTower, #JohnAdams, #JohnCorigliano, #LivingComposer, #LivingComposers, #MichaelGordon, #NedRorem, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #RadioStation, #RobertMoran, #September11, #ShanksvillePennsylvania, #SteveReich, #TerrorAttacks, #TerroristAttack, #TheCapitol, #ThePentagon, #TheWhiteHouse, #TwinTowers, #WashingtonDC., #WorldTradeCenter, #YouTubevideo, Al-Qaeda, Anthony Davis, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Capitol, Chamber music, choral music, Classic FM, Classical music, Compact Disc, composer, digital, Early music, Eric Ewazen, Flight 93, Franz Schubert, George Frideric Handel, historic, Howard Goodall, Jacob Stockinger, Joan Tower, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Adams, John Corigliano, Living composer, living composers, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Michael Gordon, Mozart, Music, New Music, New Rorem, New York City, NPR, opera, Orchestra, Piano, Radio, Robert Moran, Sept. 11, Sonata, Steve Reich, symphony, terror attacks, terrorism, The White House, Twin Towers, United States, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, White House, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, World Trade Center, YouTube
Classical music: Madison Opera will stage its first-ever production of Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio” this Friday night and Sunday afternoon
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend, the Madison Opera presents The Abduction from the Seraglio by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on Friday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 11, at 2:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater at the Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State Street.
According to a press release, the opera — below is a mock-up of the locally designed and constructed set — will be sung in German with English used for dialogue and in the translated supertitles above the stage. Running time is about 2-1/2 hours with one intermission.
Tickets are $25-$114 with student and group discounts available. Call the Overture Box Office at (608) 258-4141 or visit www.madisonopera.org
With some of the most virtuosic vocal writing by Mozart (below), the opera is an adventure story of love, danger, humor and humanity.
Set in the 17th-century Ottoman Empire, the opera begins when Belmonte, a Spanish nobleman, arrives at Pasha Selim’s palace to rescue three people who had been captured during a shipwreck: his fiancée, Konstanze, and their servants, Blonde and Pedrillo.
A simple escape proves no easy task, and Mozart’s masterpiece weaves together comedy, quiet reflection and youthful optimism, with a happy ending brought about by an Enlightened ruler.
“Abduction is a simply marvelous opera,” says Kathryn Smith (below, in a photo by James Gill), Madison Opera’s general director who will give free pre-performance talks in the third-floor Wisconsin Studio at 7 p.m. on Friday night and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. “It’s the opera with which Mozart started to reinvent opera, with not only the expected arias, but also brilliant ensemble work. The very real humanity of the piece – its funny parts, its moving parts and the universal truth of the ending – is extraordinary.”
The Abduction from the Seraglio (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) was Mozart’s first major success. Written for the National Singspiel in Vienna – a pet project of Emperor Joseph II – it premiered in 1782 and was an immediate hit. (You can hear the familiar and captivating Overture in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Like all singspiels, the opera uses spoken dialogue; indeed, the critical role of Pasha Selim is entirely spoken, perhaps one of the few instances of a major opera character not singing a note. In Madison, the dialogue will be performed in English, with the music sung in German (with projected English translations).
With a libretto by Johann Gottlieb Stephanie the Younger – an unauthorized adaptation of a libretto by Christoph Friedrich Breztner – Abduction was one the first successful German-language operas.
It was immortalized in the film Amadeus, and is famous for a possibly apocryphal story in which Emperor Joseph II criticized the work, saying to Mozart, “Too many notes,” and Mozart responded, “Exactly as many as needed.”
Abduction would go on to become Mozart’s most popular opera during his lifetime, but it has been a comparative rarity in the United States. This is Madison Opera’s first production of the opera in the company’s 57-year history.
“Mozart’s music for Abduction is a delight from start to finish,” says John DeMain (below, in a photo by Prasad), Madison Opera’s artistic director and conductor. “Great – and at times excitingly challenging – arias are enhanced by beautiful duets, trios and quartets. It has always been a favorite opera of mine, and I’m so looking forward to Madison Opera’s first production of this masterpiece with an absolutely knockout cast of great young singers.”
Mozart’s phenomenal vocal writing requires a strong team of five singers, and Madison Opera’s cast features a number of returning favorites.
Amanda Woodbury (below) sings the Spanish noblewoman Konstanze, whose aria “Martern aller Arten” is one of the most challenging arias ever written. Woodbury debuted with Madison Opera as Pamina in The Magic Flute last spring, and has recently sung leading roles for the Metropolitan Opera and Los Angeles Opera.
Tenor David Walton (below) sings Belmonte, Konstanze’s fiancé; he debuted at Opera in the Park this past summer, has sung many leading roles for Minnesota Opera, and sings at the Glimmerglass Festival this summer.
Matt Boehler (below) returns as Osmin, the palace overseer with some devilishly low bass notes. He sang Rocco in Fidelio and Leporello in Don Giovanni for Madison Opera, and more recently has sung with Minnesota Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and the Canadian Opera Company.
Konstanze and Belmonte’s servants, Blonde and Pedrillo, are sung by Ashly Neumann(below top) in her Madison Opera debut and Wisconsin native Eric Neuville (below bottom), who sang Laurie in Little Women for Madison Opera.
Alison Mortiz (below) directs this new production in her debut with Madison Opera. Moritz has directed at opera companies around the United States, including Central City Opera, Tulsa Opera and Tri-Cities Opera.
The sets and costumes (below) are locally made specifically for this production.
The scenery and lighting are designed by Anshuman Bhatia, also in his Madison Opera debut, with costumes designed by Karen Brown-Larimore. As always, the opera features the Madison Opera Chorus and the Madison Symphony Orchestra.
Madison Opera’s production of The Abduction from the Seraglio is sponsored by Kay and Martin Barrett, Fran Klos, Sally and Mike Miley, and the Wisconsin Arts Board.
Tags: "Amadeus", #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MetropolitanOpera, #MinnesotaOpera, #OperaInThePark, #TheMet, #UnitedStates, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Abduction From the Seraglio, adventure, afternoon, Alison Mortiz, America, aria, Artistic director, Arts, bass, Beethoven, Canada, Canadian Opera Company, Capitol, captivating, cast, character, choral music, chorus, cinema, Classical music, comedy, conductor, construct, danger, debut, design, Devil, dialogue, director, Don Giovanni, duet, Emperor, empire, ending, English, enlightenend, Enlightenment, ensemble, escape, familiar, festival, fiancee, Fidelio, film, Friday, funny, General director, German, Glimmerglass, group, happy', humanity, Humor, intermission, Jacob Stockinger, John DeMain, Kathryn Smith, language, libretto, lighting, Little Women, local, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Opera, Love, low, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Orchestra, masterpiece, Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Opera, movie, Mozart, Music, native, New York City, night, nobleman, noblewoman, notes, opera, Opera Philadelphia, optimism, Orchestra, Ottoman, Ottoman Empire, Overture, Overture Center, People, popular, premiere, press, press release, production, Quartet, quiet, rarity, reflection, rescue, ruler, running time, scenery, servant, set, sets, shipwreck, singer, singspiel, Spanish, spoken, stage, story, Student, success, Sunday, supertitle, surtitle, team, The Magic Flute, the Met, theater, ticket, translation, trio, truth, United States, universal, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vienna, virtuoso, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, work, writing, young, youthful, YouTube
Recent Comments
 | Brian Jefferies on Classical music: A major reass… |
 | welltemperedear on What made Beethoven sick and… |
 | rlhess5d5b7e5dff on What made Beethoven sick and… |
| welltemperedear on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200… |
 | Robert Graebner on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200… |
The Well-Tempered Ear 