But then you haven’t heard the Madison-based wind quintet Black Marigold.
And there is a historical precedent or two, including the “Coffee Cantata” by Johann Sebastian Bach and Classical Revolution Madison, which performs classic music in unusual venues such as cafes, coffee houses and bars.
In any case, Black Marigold (below) performed some of Beer Music in brew pubs and a church at the end of August.
Now the ensemble will begin its September concerts this Sunday afternoon at the Chazen Museum of Art on the UW-Madison campus.
The concert, which used to be carried live by Wisconsin Public Radio but was discontinued, is FREE at 12:30 p.m. in Brittingham Gallery No. 3 (below).
All performances offer FREE admission, with free will donations accepted.
As many Madisonians geared up for this past week’s Great Taste of the Midwest, the region’s largest craft beer festival, Black Marigold logged time in the rehearsal hall instead of the beer hall, fermenting new music for the group’s end-of-summer concert series.
All September programs will feature selections from Beer Music, an epic collection of short pieces inspired by 18 local craft beers, composed by Brian DuFord for Black Marigold.
Learn more about this unique commissioning collaboration in this recent feature in The Capital Times.
Here are details of individual programs:
Summer Concert Series
Sunday, September 4, 12:30 p.m., Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen (live stream link)
Thursday, September 15, 7 p.m., Stoughton Public Library
Quintet in D Major, Op. 91 No. 3 by Anton Reicha
Partita for Wind Quintet by Irving Fine
Beer Music (selections) by Brian DuFord (below top)
Pub Concerts: relax and enjoy a pint with your performance!
Saturday, September 10, 3 pm, The Malt House (below bottom)
Beer Music selections
Additional wind quintet selections
Beer Music was made possible by a grant from Dane Arts and individual donations from many friends.
ALERT: The concert of chamber music by Mozart, Verdi and Puccini next Tuesday night, Feb. 25, by the Rhapsodie Quartet (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) of the Madison Symphony Orchestra has been CANCELLED.
By Jacob Stockinger
Word reaches The Ear with an intriguing and appealing tavern concert with some outstanding music by the laudable local chapter of a national populist movement that brings classical music to non-traditional audiences in non-traditional venues such as bar, cafes and coffee houses. Many of the members and performers come from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music:
“Classical Revolution Madison will be back with a jam-packed show of classical and contemporary favorites at Brocach Irish Pub (below) on the Capitol Square, 7 West Main Street) on Thursday, February 20th at 7 p.m.
From 7-8 p.m., members of CRM (below) will present a dynamic program featuring works by Brahms, Shostakovich, Haydn, and more! (See below for more information on the pieces and performers)
Then, from 8-9 p.m., we will open up the floor for anyone who wants to sight read or jam, so come with your fiddle or the sheet music of your favorite chamber work if you would like to join in on some casual music making!
String Quartet Op. 76, No. 3 by Joseph Haydn (below, and you can hear the beautiful namesake first movement played by the acclaimed Takacs Quartet, in a YouTube video at the bottom.)
ALERT: This year’s winners of Wisconsin Public Radio‘s annual Neale-Silva Young Artists’ Competition are: cellist Alison Rowe playing Benjamin Britten’s Solo Suite No. 2; tuba player Trevor Litsey in Rolf Wilhelm’s Concertino for Tuba and Concert Band; pianist Garrick Olsen in Earl Wild’s Etude No. 4 based on George Gershwin’s song “Embraceable You” and the second and third movement of Bela Bartok’s Piano Sonata; flutist Samuel Golter in Thea Musgrave’s “Narcissus”; saxophonist Joseph Connor and marimba player Gregory Riss in the duos “Tesseract” by David Werfelmann and “Strange Dreams” by Nathan Daughtrey. The Winners’ Recital is FREE and open to the public, and will be broadcast live this Sunday, April 7, at 12:30-2 p.m. from Brittingham Gallery 3 of the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison on WPR’s News & Classical Network stations (WERN 88.7 FM in the Madison area).
By Jacob Stockinger
Some of the most vigorous and vital music-making in the Madison area is taking place through such grass-roots or populist organizations as Classical Revolution Madison and NEW MUSE (New Music Everywhere).
Most of the organizations specialize in taking classical music to non-traditional venues and non-traditional audiences, including bars and coffeehouses.
Two of the appearances by members of Classical Revolution Madison are coming up on this coming Sunday morning and this Monday night.
Mid-month brings another.
Here is a schedule with some appealing photos by cellist Tori Rogers. Unfortunately, I have no details yet about specific performers or specific pieces to be played. But if past programs are any clue, some wonderful listening awaits anyone who goes.
UPDATE: The program includes excerpts from the Divertimento in E flat, K. 563 by W.A. Mozart will be performed by Nathaniel Wolkstein, violin; Michah Behr, viola; and Mark Bridges, cello. Also on the program are excerpts from the Serenade, Op; 10. by Erno Dohnanyi with Teddy Wiggins, violin; Ben Seeger, viola; and Zou Zou Robidoux, cello; Solo pieces, to be announced, will be performed by guitarist Christopher Allen and saxophonist Erika Anderson.
Join CRM for a program of both solo and collaborative piano works on The WisconsinUnion Theater’s piano at the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery (below). If you’re interested in playing, please contact us. (For sense of the beautiful architecture and interiors as well as the performance space and its resonant acoustics, listens to the YouTube video at bottom.)
UPDATE: The program includes two movements from the Piano Trio, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”) by Ludwig van Beethoven withLydia Balge, violin; Emma Downing, cello; and Allison Jerza, piano. Also on the program is the Piano Sonata No. 2, Op; 14, by Sergei Prokofiev with pianist Evan Englestad .
Saturday, April 18 — 8 p.m.- 10 p.m. (NOT 7-9 p.m., as stated previously)
ALERT: The performance tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. by Classical Revolution Madison at Brocach Irish Pub (below) at 7 West Man Street, on the Capitol Square in Madison HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
By Jacob Stockinger
It’s time again for one of Madison’s annual and much anticipated Rites of Spring: “The Final Forte.”
That is the final round where four young classical musicians compete as soloists live and on stage with the Madison Symphony Orchestra (below top) under music director and conductor John DeMain (below bottom, in a photo by James Gill) in the Capitol Theater, although in previous years it was held in Overture Hall, of the Overture Center in downtown Madison near the Capitol Square.
I have heard and watched The Final Forte quite a few times and the music-making is always wonderful, and the display of talent is always impressive. I don’t envy the judges and their task. It is a terrific event to promote classical music, both the making of it and the hearing of it in live performance. Young performing artists always need more public platforms and exposure. And music education always needs more help.
Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) and Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) will once again offer statewide live broadcasts of Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14. The broadcast — part of WPT’s new Young Performers Initiative — also will be live simulcast at wpt.org on the Web.
The Final Forte features (below, from left, in a photo by James Gill) pianist Christopher Eom; harpist Chloe Tula; violinist C. Andrew Dunlap; and oboist Lauren McNeel. The four will vie for honors in the 2013 Bolz Young Artist Competition.
Each finalist will perform a movement from a concerto while judges determine who will win scholarships and the opportunity to perform as soloists with the MSO at the Spring Young People’s Concert.
Here is the complete program: W.A. Mozart – “The Impresario” Overture, K. 486; Franz Josef Haydn’s Oboe Concerto in C Major, first movement with Lauren McNeel, Oboe; Reinhold Gliere’s Harp Concerto in E flat Major, Op. 74, first movement, with Chloe Tula, harp; Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19, first movement, with C. Andrew Dunlap, violin; Camille Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22, first movement, with Christopher Eom, piano; Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird” Suite (1945) sections 9) Infernal Dance, 10) Berceuse and 11) Finale.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the free live performance in the Capitol Theater (below) at the Overture Center in Madison; phone (608) 257-3734 to reserve a seat. Audience members must be seated by 6:45 p.m.
“Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte” is a partnership of Wisconsin Public Television, Wisconsin Public Radio and the Madison Symphony Orchestra.
Major funding for “Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte” is provided by Diane Endres Ballweg; Stanley and Shirley Inhorn; Julie and Larry Midtbo; Fred and Mary Mohs; and Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, with additional gifts from A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust, Baird Foundation, The Boldt Company, Mildred and Marv Conney, Sentry Insurance Foundation, W. Jerome Frautschi, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
WPT is a service of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Extension. Statewide outlets include WHA-TV, Madison; WPNE-TV, Green Bay; WHRM-TV, Wausau; WLEF-TV, Park Falls; WHLA-TV, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV, Menomonie-Eau Claire.