The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra will start this summer’s six Concerts on the Square in late July and move them to Tuesdays at 6 p.m. Plus, other changes for the WCO are in the works
Leave a Comment
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 has received the following announcements from the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra:
Greetings to the family of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO, below in photo by Mike Gorski)!
For 37 summers, Concerts on the Square (below) has brought us together as a community to enjoy world-class music with our friends, family and neighbors.
To try and ensure these performances continue despite uncertain times, the WCO is delaying the start of Concerts on the Square to July 28, 2020 — starting at our new time, Tuesdays at 6 p.m.
The opening concert will feature 2020 Gilmore Young Artist Maxim Lando (below, in a photo by Matt Dine) – who recently gave a solo recital on the Salon Piano Series at Farley’s House of Pianos – performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1
It’s our hope that by delaying the concerts by five weeks, larger community gatherings will be safe and permitted, and we can continue to entertain the thousands of patrons who join us at each Concerts on the Square performance.
We plan to retain the same number of key performances. Visit www.wconconcerts.org for an up-to-date schedule, the names of guest artists and the programs.
Concerts on the Square is something we all look forward to each year, which is why our goal is to preserve it this summer. We will all be eager to get outside and enjoy the WCO tradition, but we need to be smart and safe about it.
The series will return to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays next year.
Here is the complete schedule of the series of FREE concerts that draw an average of 20,000 people to the downtown Capitol Square for each concert:
Concerts on the Square #1 – Tuesday, July 28, 6 p.m.
Concerts on the Square #2 – Tuesday, Aug. 4, 6 p.m.
Concerts on the Square #3 – Tuesday, Aug. 11, 6 p.m.
Concerts on the Square #4 – Tuesday, Aug. 18, 6 p.m.
Concerts on the Square #5 – Tuesday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m.
Concerts on the Square #6 – Tuesday, Sept. 1, 6 p.m.
The WCO moved the series to Tuesday for scheduling needs and to avoid interrupting other local performances in late summer.
To keep up-to-date with performance schedules, community members can sign up for email updates on the WCO website or follow the orchestra on Facebook and Instagram.
“The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra is alive and well – and there is nothing more we want than to perform for our community during these uncertain times,” says Joe Loehnis (below), CEO of the WCO. “At the same time, we want to be responsible and mindful of community safety. In that light, we believe the best thing to do is to push the start of Concerts on the Square into late July.”
OTHER NEWS
The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra is also using this time to move the organization forward for its fans.
In the coming weeks the orchestra is rolling out a new logo and new website, as well as launching the Friends of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra membership program.
#Coucherto: WCO MUSICIANS PERFORM ONLINE
The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra is home to talented and creative musicians, so it’s no surprise they are reaching for their instruments during the stay-at-home order.
Sharing solo performances from their homes as part of the WCO’s #coucherto series, orchestra members are delivering music – and messages – for everyone to enjoy while stuck on their sofas.
“Our musicians are the backbone – the lifeblood – of the WCO, and we couldn’t just sit back and not perform,” Loehnis said. “I firmly believe music makes everything better and if we can provide a bright spot for our community right now we’re going to jump at the opportunity.”
The #coucherto series is available on the WCO’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and website pages. Additionally, the WCO will share previously recorded concerts during the order.
MUSICIAN RELIEF FUND IS LIVE
With live performances delayed, the WCO remains committed to helping its musicians.
Through its newly created Musicians Relief Fund, the orchestra has raised more than $10,000 to help pay its musicians during this time. The WCO is working on several fronts to ensure its artists receive financial support.
“Our musicians aren’t just wonderful artists, they’re wonderful people. They’re our friends. They have families. And it’s vital as an organization we support them at all times,” says maestro Andrew Sewell (below, in a photo by Alex Cruz), who is in his 20th year as WCO’s music director. “The music will go on. But first and foremost, we need to do everything we can to help our musicians.”
To donate, visit wcoconcerts.org/donate.
Tags: #AndrewSewell, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrightSpot, #CapitolSquare, #ConcertsontheSquare, #Couchtero, #CouchteroSeries, #COVID-19, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #Farley'sHouseofPianos, #FriendsoftheWisconsinChamberOrchestra, #GilmoreCompetition, #InstagramPost, #JacobStockinger, #JoeLoehnis, #LiveMusic, #MaximLando, #MusicalTradition, #MusicDirector, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoConcerto, #SalonPIanoSeries, #ShelterinPlace, #SocialDistancing, #StartingTime, #Stayathome, #TheEar, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #YoungArtist, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, alive, Andrew Sewell, announcements, artist, Arts, audience, August, available, average, avoid, backbone, believe, better, blog, bright, Capitol Square, CEO, Classical music, classicalmusic, community, complete, Concert, Concerts on the Square, coronavirus, coucherto, creative, delay, deliver, downtown, draw, email, enjoy, everyone, everything, Facebook, Family, fan, Farley's House of Pianos, forward, free, friends, Friends of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, fund, Gilmore, hashtag, help, Home, Instagram, interrupt, interrupting, Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, Jacob Stockinger, Joe Loehnis, late, launch, lifeblood, light, like, link, live, local, logo, Maestro, Maxim Lando, member, members, membership, message, mindful, move, Music, Music director, Musician, needs, neighbor, new, nthing, online, opportunity, Orchestra, order, organization, pandemic, pay, People, performances, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Piano, Piano concerto, post, posting, program, public, push, reader, recital, relief, responsible, safe, safety, salon, Salon Piano Series, schedule, September, series, share, shelter, smart, social distancing, sofa, solo, spot, start, stay, stay at home, subscriber, summer, surprise, tag, talented, Tchaikovsky, The Ear, times, together, tradition, Tuesday, Twitter, uncertain, United States, up-to-date, update, updates, use, Viola, Violin, WCO, Website, Wednesday, weeks, well, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, world-class, young, young artist, YouTube
Classical music: Local groups stream videos to entertain home-bound listeners, and perhaps to promote their next seasons. Plus, the Madison Symphony Orchestra cancels and postpones its May concerts
Leave a Comment
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
Cancellations and postponements aren’t the only effects that the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic are having on the local classical music scene.
Many local ensembles – much like such national and international organizations as the Metropolitan Opera and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra — are also starting to offer free streamed performances, some of them archival and some of them are specially performed.
Bach Around the Clock even held a virtual festival this year that featured many different original recorded performances spread out over many days and continues.
Why are they doing so?
Certainly to help entertain the public while they weather the boredom and loneliness of social distancing and sheltering in place at home. Music can comfort.
Perhaps they are also doing so as a smart marketing move to stay in the public’s consciousness despite cancellations and to indirectly promote their upcoming seasons.
Here are some examples:
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is offering a link to a YouTube performance — by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra below) — of the Dvorak Requiem, which the MSO orchestra and chorus were supposed to perform this weekend but had to cancel.
The video also has a message from music director John DeMain; texts and translations from the Czech; a special pre-concert talk and program notes for the Requiem by J. Michael Allsen; and a link to the MSO’s 2020-21 season.
Here is a link: https://madisonsymphony.org/experience-dvorak-requiem-virtually/
In other MSO news: The concerts with pianist Yefim Bronfman playing the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Brahms on May 1, 2 and 3 and the open rehearsal on April 30 are now canceled, and the May 5 organ performance has been postponed.
For those who hold tickets for May concerts, the MSO will be announcing options for donation, exchange and refunds sometime this weekend or next week.
The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO), which recently streamed its December concert in the UW’s Hamel Center, has started a special “Coucherto” series – it’s a pun on concerto and couch – of special at-home concerts by individual musicians in the WCO for those listeners who are staying at home.
The project uses social media including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo and at the WCO’s home website. Also included is an invitation by music director Andrew Sewell.
The WCO’s next season hasn’t been announced yet, but should be soon.
Here is a link: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/about/coucherto/
For its part, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, which is facing uncertainty about its June concert series, which focuses on Beethoven’s piano trios – is offering selected chamber music performances from its past seasons that are on BDDS’ YouTube channel.
It too has comments and the program lineup for its season this summer.
Here is a link: https://bachdancing.org/watch-listen/video/
Have you seen any of these videos?
What do you think of them?
Dp you think they work as marketing strategies?
Have you discovered sites for streaming classical music that you recommend to others?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AndrewSewell, #AntoninDvorak, #AtHome, #BachAroundtheClock, #BachDancingandDynamiteSociety, #BerlinPhilharmonic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ClassicalMusician, #ConcertOrgan, #Czechcomposer, #CzechLanguage, #CzechMusic, #CzechRepublic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GregZelek, #HamelMusicCenter, #HomeWebsite, #J.MIchaelAllsen, #JacobStockinger, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnDeMain, #LiveStreaming, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyChorus, #MeadWitterFoundationConcertHall, #MetropolitanOpera, #OpenRehearsal, #OrganConcert, #OrganMusic, #PianoConcerto, #PianoTrio, #PragueRadioSymphonyOrchestra, #ProgramNotes, #shelter-at-home, #ShelterinPlace, #SocialDistance, #SocialDistancing, #SocialMedia, #TheEar, #TheMet, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #YefimBronfman, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, Andrew Sewell, announce, Antonín Dvořák, April, archival, Arts, at home, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Baroque, BDDS, Beethoven, Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, blog, boredom, Brahms, cancel, Cello, Chamber music, channel, choral music, Classical music, comfort, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, consciousness, couch, coucherto, Czech, Czech Republic, different, discover, donation, Dvorak, ensemble, entertain, exchange, Facebook, festival, free, Greg Zelek, Hamel Music Center, Home, home website, individual, international, invitation, J Michel Allsen, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John DeMain, June, language, like, link, live-stream, local, loneliness, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, marketing, May, Mead Witter School of Music, media, message, Metropolitan Opera, mind, move, MSO, Music, Music director, Musician, national, New York City, offer, open, opera, options, Orchestra, organ, organizations, original, others, Overture Center, past, perform, performance, Piano, Piano concerto, Piano Trio, post, posting, Prague, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, pre-concert, presenter, program notes, promote, public, Radio, recommend, recorded, refund, rehearsal, Requiem, scene, Season, share, site, smart, social, social distance, social distancing, social media, special, strategy, stream, supposed, symphony, tag, talk, The Ear, the Met, tickets, Twitter, uncertainty, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, upcoming, UW-Madison, Vimeo, Viola, Violin, virtual, WCO, weather, Website, week, weekend, why, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Yefim Bronfman, YouTube
Recent Comments
 | welltemperedear on A jazz-pop composer is the new… |
 | David Spies on A jazz-pop composer is the new… |
| welltemperedear on A jazz-pop composer is the new… |
 | Kathy O on A jazz-pop composer is the new… |
 | Ann Boyer on A jazz-pop composer is the new… |
The Well-Tempered Ear 
Classical music: Here are many more FREE online and streamed concerts to follow and listen to as you quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic
Leave a Comment
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
During the COVID-19 public health crisis and coronavirus pandemic, live streaming of concerts has taken off. It started with daily broadcasts of past productions by the Metropolitan Opera and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Local organizations have followed suit. They include the Madison Symphony Orchestra; the “couchertos” of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra; the twice weekly “tiny desk concerts” by the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society sent to email newsletter subscribers and other recorded audiovisual performances; and local recordings made by Rich Samuels and aired on WORT-FM 89.9.
Here is a compilation, from the British radio station Classic FM with many other FREE listings that also get updated: https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/live-streamed-classical-music-concerts-coronavirus/
Here is another listing of FREE live streams and archived performances from Minnesota Public Radio (MPR): https://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2020/03/16/free-online-classical-concerts
And below are several more that The Ear has checked out and recommends:
CARNEGIE HALL LIVE
Carnegie Hall (below), America’s premier concert venue, has started a series of live streams that include world music, jazz and of course classical music.
The format includes conversation and remarks from homes as well as first-rate live performances from the past. (You can also hear many of the concerts on radio station WQXR in New York City: https://www.wqxr.org)
This past week, The Ear heard an outstanding concert with three pianists, all of whom appeared in Madison last season: Emanuel Ax, who performed an all-Beethoven recital at the Wisconsin Union Theater, played the piano and acted as host; Orion Weiss, who performed a Mozart concerto with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra; and Shai Wosner, who gave a terrific master class and a memorable recital on the Salon Piano Series at Farley’s House of Pianos. If you missed it, it is still archived and accessible.
On this Thursday, April 30, at 1 p.m. CDT you can hear violinist Joshua Bell with pianist Jeremy Denk and cellist Steven Isserlis.
Here is a link: https://www.carnegiehall.org/Explore/Watch-and-Listen/Live-with-Carnegie-Hall?sourceCode=31887&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsYigzumB6QIVjIbACh061Qz2EAAYASABEgJE3fD_BwE
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
Deutsche Grammophon, the world oldest record label, which was established in 1898, has several online series of live streams and archived concerts.
They include “Moment Musical” (Musical Moment) by Daniel Barenboim and guest artists, broadcast from the Pierre Boulez Saal (concert hall) in Berlin.
Barenboim, who started as a child prodigy pianist and ended up being a world-class conductor who once headed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has done solo piano and chamber music concerts with the Piano Quintet and two solo pieces by Robert Schumann; the epic Diabelli Variations by Beethoven; and an all-Chopin program of encores. You can also find individual ones on YouTube.
Along more promotional lines, DG also offers a “Best of” series that features movements and excerpts from their newer recordings by some of the best known artists – including pianists Lang Lang, Danill Trifonov, Yuja Wang, Vikingur Olafsson, Jan Lisiecki and Seong-Jin Cho; conductors Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Andris Nelsons; opera singers Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca.
Here is a link to DG’s homepage from where you can get to the various series: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC34DbNyD_0t8tnOc5V38Big
MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Closer to home, every Friday you can listen to weekly concerts by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra called “Musical Journeys.”
Performers include the MSO’s new music director Ken-David Masur as well as guest conductors like Jeffrey Kahane and the past conductor Edo de Waart.
You can hear the past five episodes, and join new ones. You can also hear past concerts by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (below) on Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcast time is Sunday at 2 p.m.
Here is a link to Musical Journeys: https://www.mso.org/about/music/mso-musical-journeys-5/
VIOLINIST DANIEL HOPE AT HOME
British violinist Daniel Hope – who has performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra — has been streaming chamber music concerts from the living room of his home in Berlin.
A prolific concert artist and 25 recordings and four Grammy Award nominations to his credit, Hope (below) has many invited guests and offers a wide range of repertoire.
Here is a link with past episodes. You can also click in upcoming episodes: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/RC-019356/hope-home/
Are there other sites and streamed performances that you recommend?
Please leave the name and a link in the Comment section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Share this:
Like this:
Tags: #AndrisNelsons, #AnnaNetrebko, #BachDancingandDynamiteSociety, #BaroqueMusic, #BerlinGermany, #BerlinPhilharmonic, #Bestof, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CarnegieHall, #ChamberMusic, #ChicagoSymphonyOrchestra, #ChineseMusicians, #ChoralMusic, #ClassicalMusician, #ClassicFM, #COVID-19, #DanielBarenboim, #DanielHope, #DaniilTrifonov, #DeutscheGrammophon, #DiabelliVariations, #EdodeWaart, #ElinaGaranca, #EmailNewsletter, #EmanuelAx, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #Farley'sHouseofPianos, #FredericChopin, #GrammyAward, #GuestArtist, #GustavoDudamel, #HomePage, #JacobStockinger, #JanLisiecki, #JeffreyKahane, #JeremyDenk, #JohannSebastianBach, #JoshuaBell, #Ken-DavidMasur, #KoreanMusician, #LangLang, #LiveFromtheMetinHD, #LiveStreaming, #LivingRoom, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MetropolitanOpera, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #MInnesotaPublicRadio, #MomentMusical, #MusicalJourneys, #MusicalMoment, #NationalPublicRadio, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #OperaSinger, #OrionWeiss, #PianoConcerto, #PianoQuintet, #PierreBoulez, #PierreBoulezSaal, #PolishComposer, #PublicHealth, #RadioStation, #RichSamuels, #RobertSchumann, #RomanticMusic, #SalonPIanoSeries, #Seong-JinCho, #ShaiWosner, #shelter-at-home, #SouthKorea, #SouthKorean, #StevenIsserlis, #TheEar, #TheMet, #TinyDeskConcert, #VikingurOlafsson, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorldMusic, #WORT-FM89.9, #WQXRradio, #YannickNezet-Seguin, #YouTubevideo, #YujaWang, accessible, America, Andris Nelsons, Anna Netrebko, archive, Arts, at home, audience, Bach, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Baroque, BDDS, Beethoven, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, best, blog, British, Broadcast, Carnegie Hall, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Child, China, Chinese, Cho, Chopin, choral music, Classic FM, Classical music, classicalmusic, comment, compilation, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, conversation, coronavirus, coucherto, credit, crisis, Daniel Barenboim, Daniel Hope, Daniil Trifonov, Deutsche Grammophon, DG, Diabelli Variations, Dudamel, Early music, Edo de Waart, Elina Garanca, email, Emanuel Ax, encore, encores, episode, Facebook, Farley's House of Pianos, format, forward, Frédéric Chopin, free, Grammy, Grammy Award, guest artist, Gustavo Dudamel, HD, hear, hope, host, Jacob Stockinger, Jan Lisiecki, Jazz, Jeffrey Kahane, Jeremy Denk, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joshua Bell, Ken-David Masur, Korea, Korean musician, label, Lang Lang, like, link, listing, live, Live From The Met in HD, live streaming, live-stream, livestream, living room, local, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, master class, masterclass, memorable, Metropolitan Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Public Radio, Moment Musical, Mozart, MPR, MSO, Music, Musical Journeys, musical moment, National Public Radio, New Music, New York City, newsletter, nomination, NPR, oldest, online, opera, Orchestra, organizations, Orion Weiss, pandemic, past, performance, performer, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, Piano Quintet, pieces, Pierre Boulez, Pierre Boulez Saal, Polish, post, posting, premier, prodigy, program, prolific, Public health, public radio, Radio, radio station, range, recital, recording, remarks, repertoire, Rich Samuels, Robert Schumann, Romantic, Romantic music, Salon Piano Series, Seong-Jin Cho, series, Shai Wosner, share, singer, solo, Sonata, South Korea, South Korean, stay at home, Steven Isserlis, stream, streaming, subscriber, Sunday, symphony, tag, The Ear, the Met, time, Tiny Desk Concert, United States, upcoming, update, venue, Vikingur Olafsson, Violin, violinist, vocal music, Wang, WCO, Website, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world, World music, world-class, WORT-FM 89.9, WPR, WQXR, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, YouTube, Yuja Wang