Classical music: Brass Week in Madison kicks off with tuba and French horn concerts at the University of Wisconsin by John Stevens and Daniel Grabois, who will highlight works by contemporary UW composers.

February 10, 2014
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By Jacob Stockinger

Call it Brass Week in Madison.

Concerts this week will feature three different brass instruments: the tuba, the French horn and the trumpet.

The Ear guesses it is all due more to happenstance than planning.

But whatever the origin, Brass Week begins Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music with a FREE recital by tuba professor and composer John Stevens, who will retire at the end of this semester.

It continues on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall with a FREE recital by French horn professor, who also is the latest addition to the Wisconsin Brass Quintet, Daniel Grabois.

And then on Thursday, Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth will start her three performances as soloist in concertos by Haydn and Alexander Arutiunian with the Madison Symphony Orchestra under John DeMain.

Helseth will be featured in a separate Q&A on this blog tomorrow.

But here are details, drawn from the UW School of Music calendar of events, about the first two concerts.

JOHN STEVENS

UW tuba professor John Stevens (below) will perform three well-known masterpieces – the Horn Quintet by Mozart, the “Songs of a Wayfarer” by Gustav Mahler and the Horn Trio by Johannes Brahms– all adapted for the tuba.

Guest artists include violinist David Perry, violist Sally Chisholm, cellist Parry Karp, all of the UW Pro Arte Quartet, and UW pianist Martha Fischer.

John Stevens (below with his instrument) has enjoyed a distinguished career as a teacher, orchestral, chamber music, solo and jazz performer and recording artist, composer/arranger, conductor and administrator. He has performed with every major orchestra in New York and was a member of the New York Tuba Quartet and many other chamber groups. He was principal tubist in the Aspen Festival Orchestra; toured and recorded with a wide variety of groups including Chuck Mangione, the American Brass Quintet and the San Francisco Ballet; and was the tuba soloist in the original Broadway production of BARNUM.

Stevens has released two solo recordings; an LP of his own compositions titled POWER (Mark Records, 1985) and a CD titled REVERIE (Summit Records, 2006). He joined the UW-Madison faculty in 1985 and, in addition to his other duties, was the Director of the School of Music from 1991 to 1996 and 2011 to 2013.

As a composer and arranger with over 50 original compositions and almost as many arrangements to his credit, Stevens is internationally renowned for his works for brass, particularly for solo tuba, euphonium and trombone, tuba/euphonium ensemble, brass quintet and other brass chamber combinations. He is the winner of numerous ASCAP awards and has received many composition grants and commissions.

In 1997 Stevens (below, composing at his Madison home and at bottom in an interview in a YouTube video) was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to compose a tuba concerto. This work, entitled JOURNEY, was premiered by the CSO, with tubist Gene Pokorny as soloist. Recent compositions include the CONCERTO FOR EUPHONIUM AND ORCHESTRA, SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS, a composition for wind band commissioned by a consortium of 14 American universities, and MONUMENT for Solo Tuba and String.

And here is a link to a long story by local writer Paul Baker about Stevens, his career and the activities surrounding his retirement this semester. It appeared on the outstanding blog “Fanfare” at the UW-Madison School of Music:

http://uwmadisonschoolofmusic.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/stevens/

DANIEL GRABOIS

The program by horn professor Daniel Grabois (below, in a photo by James Gill), who also curates the SoundWaves program at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, and pianist Jessica Johnson will perform a program of “All in the Family: 21st Century Music by UW-Madison Composers.”

The works include “Gossamer Snowfall, Crystalline Pond” (2000), by UW saxophone professor Les Thimmig (below);  the world premiere of “War Suite” (2014) by  Alex Charland  (1. War Song,  2. Dirge,  3. Ballad); “Indigo Quiescence” (2000) by Les Thimmig; “Soliloquy in June” (2000) by Les Thimmig; the world premiere “Antilogy” (2014) by Daniel Grabois; Sonata for Horn and Piano (2008) by John Stevens; and “Song at Dusk” (2000) by Les Thimmig .

Daniel Grabois is Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music. The former Chair of the Department of Contemporary Performance at the Manhattan School of Music, he is the hornist in the Meridian Arts Ensemble, a sextet of brass and percussion soon to celebrate its 25th anniversary. With Meridian, he has performed over 50 world premieres, released 10 CDs, received two ASCAP/CMA Adventuresome Programming Awards, and toured worldwide, in addition to recording or performing with rock legends Duran Duran and Natalie Merchant and performing the music of Frank Zappa for the composer himself.

The author/composer of two etude books for horn, Grabois has appeared as a frequent guest with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and has performed in New York and on tour with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and many other ensembles. He also appears on over 30 CD recordings, and has recorded a concerto written for him by composer David Rakowski. Grabois taught horn for 14 years at The Hartt School, and has taught courses on the business of music at both the Hartt and the Manhattan School of Music.

Classical music: Pianist Jeremy Denk is named a MacArthur “genius.” Here is a sampler of his immense talent as displayed in concerts at the Wisconsin Union Theater, at NPR, in his blog “Think Denk” and on his latest Nonesuch recordings of Bach, Beethoven and Ligeti.

September 28, 2013
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By Jacob Stockinger

As you may have already heard, classical pianist Jeremy Denk (below) received a prestigious MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” this week. The stipend is $625,000 to be paid over five years and to be used for whatever the recipient wants, no string attached.

Here is a link to the MacArthur Foundation announcement (curiously, yet another year has gone by without any recipients from the UW-Madison):

http://www.macfound.org

Several observations and interpretations come to mind.

One is that Jeremy Denk, a trained chemist as well as pianist, has already performed in Madison – TWICE – at the Wisconsin Union Theater. Both programs were mammoth undertakings. I met and worked with Denk both times, especially the first, and he is a remarkably deserving artist who is honest, droll, articulate and original. I also very much like his philosophy that radical music should stay sounding radical, no matter how many years later.

The first recital featured J.S. Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations on the first half with Charles Ives’ Sonata No. 1 on the second half. Whew!

While here for that concert, Denk, a master blogger as you can find in “Think Denk,” he gave a public master class for young pianists (below), a fascinating talk on pedaling in Chopin at the UW School of Music, and a panel on blogging. As you can tell, Denk is a terrifically gifted musician with many different achievements to his credit.

Then last season, Denk appeared again in recital, in Mills Hall, to a regrettably small audience, and he played Franz Liszt and Bela Bartok, followed by J.S. Bach and Beethoven. It was nothing short of phenomenal and utterly convincing.

Both concerts were outstanding events.

And both events point to the wisdom of the Wisconsin Union Theater in finding and booking up-and-coming talent.

Not that Jeremy Denk is young.

At 43, Denk is a seasoned concert veteran and he has taken the time to make the music he plays his own. He is not fresh out of some competition win at 23 or 24, and still stretching to find his maturity and a personal point of view. He is writing a book for Alfred A. Knopf based, to be published this year, based on some articles (on making his first recording and on being a piano student under various teachers) that he wrote for The New Yorker magazine and on his blog “Think Denk.”

Denk is also a devout Francophile who loves Proust and Balzac as well as great food and drink. The Ear thinks that helps to explain the sheer beauty and sensuality as well as logic of his playing.

If you have any qualms about the Wisconsin Union Theater concert series this year –which features violinist Rachel Barton Pine (below top) with the UW Symphony Orchestra under UW alumnus conductor Kenneth Woods on Saturday, Nov. 2, the Miro String Quartet (below middle, in a photo by Jim Leisy) on Friday, Feb. 21; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra principal tuba player Gene Pokorny with the UW Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, March 8; and pianist Inon Barnatan (below bottom) on Friday, April 18. The MacArthur’s high-profile recognition of Jeremy Denk is a good reminder to trust the WUD series, however unexpected its choices may seem.

Here is a link to the Wisconsin Union Theater series:

http://www.uniontheater.wisc.edu/season2013-14.html

Here is a link to Jeremy Denk’s blog:

http://jeremydenk.net/blog/

And here are links to NPR, where Denk was an artist-in-residence for a week and where you can hear both interviews and excerpts from his first Nonesuch recording of etudes by Gyorgy Ligeti and Beethoven’s final Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111; and excerpts from his CD and DVD of J.S. Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations (the famous opening Aria is at the bottom in a YouTube video) that will be released this coming week. (He also recorded a fabulous album of Turn-of-the-20th-Century French violin sonatas with Joshua Bell for Sony Classical.)

http://www.npr.org/event/music/155236091/in-practice-jeremy-denk

http://www.npr.org/2013/09/21/224429650/first-listen-jeremy-denk-j-s-bach-goldberg-variations

Personally, The Ear hopes Jeremy Denk records a lot more repertoire, and soon, especially now that he is a house artist of the prestigious Nonesuch Records label, which gives the notoriously difficult-to-record piano outstanding sonic engineering. Several requests come to mind: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15, for which he is well-known; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503, which he is touring with right now; the six Piano Pieces, Op. 118, by Johannes Brahms; some shorter J.S. Bach preludes and fugues as well as various suites; some sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti; and some works by Frederic Chopin, preferably the thorny and often underplayed mazurkas and the ballades that are so rich for fresh interpretation.

Did you hear Jeremy Denk perform in Madison?

Have you listened to his recordings?

What do you think of Denk’s playing and writings?

The Ear wants to hear.

Classical music: Here is the impressive concert lineup for Semester II — the Spring Semester — for the 2013-14 season at the University of Wisconsin School of Music.

July 23, 2013
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By Jacob Stockinger

It is only mid-July and Kathy Esposito, the concert manager and director of public relations at the University of Wisconsin School of Music is on the job.

Kathy has sent out the copy for the UW School of Music’s new brochure with the dates and artists for the impressive lineup of concert during the upcoming 2013-2014 season.

You will notice that a lot of artists and groups have still not yet submitted programs. But whatever is available right now is here.

So get out your datebooks and start checking for conflicts and penciling in your favorites.

The list is long, so the first semester – the Fall Semester — appeared yesterday; only the second semester – the Spring semester — is featured TODAY.

Here is Kathy’s introduction:

Hello all,

Attached herewith is our 2013-14 season schedule, which is in the end stages of design and will be printed and mailed this August. I wanted to give you a heads-up, for obvious reasons.

You’ll notice a slew of very interesting concerts. We will feature several highly successful UW alumni, including conductor Ken Woods (below, now working in England); Nate Stampley, Broadway singer; Chris Washburne, a trombonist now based in NYC; and Ilia Radoslavov, a pianist now at Truman State University.

Other guests include Todd Reynolds, a violinist from NYC, Taiseer Elias & Menachem Wiesenberg (presenting classical Arabic and Israeli music), duoARtia (the piano duo of Jeri-Mae G. Astolfi & Holly Roadfeldt), and Third Coast Percussion of Chicago.

Our tuba professor and SOM director John Stevens (below top) is retiring this year, and he will conduct Chicago Symphony Oecgestra’s Gene Pokorny in the work that Stevens wrote for CSO, some years ago. Opera director Bill Farlow (below, in a photo by Katrin Talbot) will also retire, and will present Hector Berlioz’ “Beatrice et Benedict” in his final appearance as director.

We also have much in the way of more contemporary music, both new classical and electro-acoustic, plus many masterclasses and talks that are open to the public. There’s a lot of experimentation happening all the time at the UW School of Music (SOM).

Best of all: all concerts are free – unless noted otherwise with $$.

SEMESTER II

JANUARY

Martha Fischer, piano, and Friends will celebrate the birthday of Franz Schubert (1797-1828) with an all-Schubert program. Faculty Concert

Fri 31, Mills Hall, 8 pm

FEBRUARY

Stephanie Jutt, flute Faculty Concert

Sat 1, Morphy Hall, 8 pm

Les Thimmig, “The Feldman Trios” Part III Faculty Concert

Sun 2, Mills Hall, 1 pm

Prof. Les Thimmig, flutes; Jennifer Hedstrom, keyboards; Sean Kleve, percussion.

Three lecture-performances of the late-period work of American composer Morton Feldman. Final concert.

UW Symphony Orchestra with Concerto Competition Winners

Sat 8, Mills Hall, 8 pm

James Smith, conductor

Our school’s talented musicians perform with the university symphony orchestra.

John Stevens, tuba Faculty Concert

Tues 11, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

With guest artists David Perry, Sally Chisholm, Parry Karp, & Martha Fischer

Mozart’s Horn Quintet, Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer, and Brahms’s Horn Trio. All works adapted for tuba.

Daniel Grabois, horn Faculty Concert

Wed 12, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Works by UW composers John Stevens, Laura Schwendinger (premiere), and Les Thimmig.

UW Black Music Ensemble

Thurs 13, Morphy Hall, 8:30 pm

Richard Davis, director

An eclectic group of musicians exploring repertoire of black composers.

UW Chamber Orchestra

Tues 18, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

James Smith, conductor

Todd Reynolds, Violinist Guest Artist

Concert: Wed 19, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Masterclasses on composing, electronic music, violin performance, & entrepreneurship: Wed/Thurs 19/20

Violinist, composer, educator, and technologist Todd Reynolds (below) is the violinist of choice for Steve Reich, Meredith Monk, and Bang on a Can, and is a founder of the string quartet Ethel. His performance and compositional style is a hybrid of old and new technology, multi-disciplinary aesthetic, and pan-genre composition and improvisation. Emerging from the classical tradition, Reynolds is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Reynolds studied with violin legend Jascha Heifetz and was principal second violin of the Rochester Philharmonic.

UW Western Percussion Ensemble

Thurs 20, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Anthony Di Sanza & Tom Ross, directors

UW Wind Ensemble

Sat 22, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Scott Teeple, director

Woodwind-Piano Duo Competition: Winners’ Recital

Sun 23, Morphy Hall, 1:30 pm

Generously supported by former UW Chancellor Irving Shain.

UW Concert Band

Sun 23, Mills Hall, 2 pm

Michael Leckrone, director

Hunt Quartet

Sun 23, Morphy Hall, 3:30 pm

Paran Amirinazari, Ju Dee Ang, Lindsey Crabb, Elspeth Stalter

The Hunt Quartet, a joint effort of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, UW and area schools, is comprised of outstanding graduate students from the School of Music who introduce students in grades K-3 to chassical music. This year’s members include Paran Amirinazari, Ju Dee Ang, Lindsey Crabb, and Elsbeth Stalter.

Hunt quartet

UW Contemporary Chamber Ensemble

Tues 25, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

UW composer Laura Schwendinger, director (below)

CCE continues its mission to present the music of living composers. This year’s featured composers include Kathryn Alexander, Suzanne Sorkin, and David Gompper.

Wingra Woodwind Quintet UW Ensemble in Residence

Thurs 27, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Stephanie Jutt, flute; Kostas Tiliakos, oboe; Linda Bartley, clarinet; Marc Vallon, bassoon; Linda Kimball, horn

Christopher Taylor, piano Faculty Concert

Fri 28, Mills Hall, 8 pm

MARCH

Musicians of the Sibelius Academy, Finland Guest Artists

Aulikki Eerola, Pertti Eerola, & Eija Järvelä

In residency: March 1-8

Concert: Sat 8, Luther Memorial Church, time TBD.

Masterclasses: Please check website for details.

Three revered Finnish musicians, all from the faculty of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, will be in residency at the School of Music during the first week of March 2014 to present master classes, workshops, discussions on Finnish music education, and a concert at Luther Memorial Church on Saturday, March 8th. This residency is made possible by support from the Vilas Trust, the Kemper Knapp Bequest, the Finlandia Foundation, the Department of Scandinavian Studies, Luther Memorial Church, and the Association of Church Musicians.

Pro Arte Quartet UW Ensemble in Residence

Sat 1, Mills Hall, 8 pm

David Perry & Suzanne Beia, violin; Sally Chisholm, viola; Parry Karp, cello

Music of Arriaga, Korngold, and Beethoven.

Piano Performance Extravaganza

Featuring Prof. Johannes Wallmann and the students of Martha Fischer, Jessica Johnson, Christopher Taylor, and Todd Welbourne.

Performances: Sat 1, Morphy Hall, all day

Masterclasses & workshops: See website for details.

UW University Bands

Sun 2, Mills Hall, 2 pm

Matthew Mireles, conductor

Winds of Wisconsin

Sun 2, Mills Hall, 6 pm

Scott Teeple, director

A premier high school wind ensemble on the UW-Madison campus.

Blue Note Ensemble, Jazz Composers’ Septet, & Contemporary Jazz Ensemble

Thurs 6, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Johannes Wallmann & Les Thimmig, directors

Ilia Radoslavov, piano Guest Artist & UW Alumnus

Fri 7, Morphy Hall, 8 pm

A native of Bulgaria, pianist Ilia Radoslavov (below) earned his doctorate in piano performance at UW-Madison, where he studied with Christopher Taylor and received the Paul Collins Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. In 2009, Radoslavov was the gold medalist in the 2009 Seattle International Piano Competition and also earned first prize in the American Protege International Piano and Strings Competition, followed by a performance at Carnegie Hall’s Weil Recital Hall. Dr. Radoslavov is now on faculty at Truman State University.

Parry Karp, cello Faculty Concert

Sat 8, Mills Hall, 8 pm

With Eli Kalman, piano

Works of Beethoven, Ettore Desderi, and Shostakovich/Lera Auerbach.

John Stevens, tuba & euphonium Faculty Concert

Sat 8, Music Hall, 4 pm

A chamber music concert featuring compositions of Prof. Stevens, with guests from the Wisconsin Brass Quintet.

Tuba/Euphonium Extravaganza

Sun 9, Mills Hall, 2 pm

Matthew Mireles, director

Presenting the works of Prof. John Stevens, performed by current and former students.

UW Symphony Orchestra with guest artist Gene Pokorny

Sun 9, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

James Smith, conductor, and John Stevens, guest conductor

Performing Journey, composed by UW Prof. John Stevens.

Gene Pokorny (below) has been the tuba player in the Chicago Symphony since 1989 and was previously a member of the Israel Philharmonic, Utah Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition to playing film scores in Hollywood such as Jurassic Park and The Fugitive, he has played in chamber music, opera orchestras, and orchestra festivals worldwide. Journey, a concerto for tuba written by UW Prof. John Stevens, was originally commissioned and premiered in 2000 by Gene Pokorny and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

John Stevens, who will retire from UW-Madison at the end of this year, has been professor of tuba and euphonium at UW-Madison since 1985 and was director of the School of Music from 1991-1996 and 2011-2013. He is also a member of the Wisconsin Brass Quintet. As a composer and arranger Stevens is internationally renowned for his works for brass, particularly for solo tuba, euphonium and trombone, tuba/euphonium ensemble, brass quintet, and other brass chamber combinations. In addition to Journey, Stevens’ other compositions include the Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra composed for Brian Bowman, Symphony in Three Movements, a composition for wind band commissioned by a consortium of fourteen American universities, and Monument for solo tuba and strings, commissioned by tuba icon Roger Bobo in memory of the great LA studio tubist, the late Tommy Johnson. Stevens has been a member of the International Tuba Euphonium Association (ITEA) Executive Committee and was recently been awarded the ITEA’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor in his field.

UW Jazz Orchestra & UW Platteville Jazz Ensemble

Mon 10, Location TBD, 7:30 pm

Johannes Wallmann & Allen Cordingley, directors

Opera Workshop

Tues 11, Music Hall, 7:30 pm

William Farlow & Mimmi Fulmer, directors

UW Chamber Orchestra

Wed 12, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

James Smith, conductor

UW Percussion Studio Recital

Thurs 13, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Anthony Di Sanza, Todd Hammes, & Tom Ross, directors

UW Concert Band

Tues 25, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Michael Leckrone, director

Paul Rowe and Martha Fischer Faculty Concert

Wed 26, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch performed by guest artist and UW voice almuna Julia Foster, soprano.

Wisconsin Brass Quintet Ensemble in Residence

Sat 29, Mills Hall, 8 pm

John Aley & Jessica Jensen, trumpets; Dan Grabois, horn; Mark Hetzler, trombone; John Stevens, tuba

APRIL

James Doing & Martha Fischer, tenor & piano Faculty Concert

Thurs 3, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Marc Vallon Faculty Concert

Fri 4, Morphy Hall, 6:30 pm

Presenting “Domaine Musicale”, an homage to Pierre Boulez’s legendary group.

Uri Vardi, cello, with Taiseer Elias & Menachem Wiesenberg Guest Artists

Sat 5, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Presenting “Fusions Continuum,” a recital of Jewish music and Arabic art music.

A master of both Eastern and Western music, oud and violin artist Taiseer Elias enjoys an international career as a performer, conductor, and composer. He is founder and conductor of the first Orchestra of Classical Arabic Music in Israel and is currently the musical director and conductor of the Arab-Jewish Youth Orchestra.

Menachem Wiesenberg is a Professor and Dean of Composition, Conducting, and Music Education at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and also a senior consultant to the Jerusalem Music Center.

Uri Vardi (below) is professor of cello at UW-Madison.

Beethoven Piano Competition: Winners’ Recital

Sun 6, Morphy Hall, 3:30 pm

Generously supported by former UW Chancellor Irving Shain.

Kostas Tiliakos, oboe Faculty Concert

Mon 7, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Twisted Metal

Tues 29, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

The UW horns perform their second annual concert as Twisted Metal, a rock band playing original songs and arrangements by ensemble members.

University Opera $$

Fri 11, 7:30 pm / Sun 13, 3 pm / Tues 15, 7:30 pm, Music Hall

William Farlow, director

James Smith, conductor

Hector Berlioz, Beatrice et Benedict

Call (608) 265-ARTS (2787) for ticket info.

The Center for New Music, University of Iowa Guest Artists

Fri 11, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Presenting performances devoted to late 20th and early 21^st-century repertoire.

UW Concert Choir & UW Chamber Orchestra $$

Sat 12, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Beverly Taylor, conductor

J.S. Bach, The Passion of St. John

The Perlman Piano Trio

Sat 12, Morphy Hall, 3:30 pm

Daniel Ma, violoncello; Alice Bartsch, violin; SeungWha Baek, piano

The Perlman Piano Trio 2012 members below) is sponsored by retired UW research scientist Dr. Kato Perlman and provides annual awards for a violinist, cellist, and pianist who present one concert each year of great masterpieces of the piano literature. The UW thanks Dr. Perlman for her support.

UW Chorale

Sun 13, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Bruce Gladstone, director

Anthony Di Sanza, percussion Faculty Concert

Mon 14, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Guitar Ensemble

Wed 16, Mills Hall, 8:30 pm

Javier Calderon, director

Black Music Ensemble

Thurs 17, Morphy Hall, 8:30 pm

Richard Davis, director

An eclectic group of musicians exploring repertoire of black composers.

Pro Arte Quartet UW Ensemble in Residence

Thurs 17, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

David Perry & Suzanne Beia, violin; Sally Chisholm, viola; Parry Karp, cello

Music of Onslow, Schoenberg, and Mendelssohn.

Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble

Sat 19, Mills Hall, 4 pm

John Stevens, director

Madrigal Singers

Sat 19, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Bruce Gladstone, director

Blue Note Ensemble, Jazz Composers’ Septet, & Contemporary Jazz Ensemble

Tues 22, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Johannes Wallmann & Les Thimmig, directors

Western Percussion Ensemble

Wed 23, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Anthony Di Sanza & Tom Ross, directors

UW Wind Ensemble

Fri 25, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Scott Teeple, director

UW Choral Union $$

Sat 26, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Beverly Taylor, director

Sergei Rachmaninoff, Vespers

Call (608) 265-ARTS (2787) for ticket info.

University Bands

Sun 27, Mills Hall, 2 pm

Matthew Mireles, conductor

Contemporary Chamber Ensemble

Laura Schwendinger, director

Mon 28, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

CCE continues its mission to present the music of living composers. This year’s featured composers include Kathryn Alexander, Suzanne Sorkin, and David Gompper.

MAY

Brian Lynch, trumpet, with UW Jazz Orchestra & UW High School Honors Jazz Band Guest Artist

Thurs 1, Music Hall, 7:30 pm

Johannes Wallmann, director

Grammy Award Winner Brian Lynch is as comfortable negotiating the complexities of clave with Afro-Caribbean pioneer Eddie Palmieri as he is swinging through advanced harmony with bebop maestro Phil Woods. Having honed his chops as a member of both Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the Horace Silver Quintet, Lynch has been a valued collaborator with jazz artists such as Benny Golson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Charles McPherson; Latin music icons as diverse as Hector LaVoe and Lila Downs; and pop luminaries such as Prince.

World Percussion Ensemble

Sat 3, Music Hall, 12 pm

Todd Hammes & Tom Ross, directors

UW All-University Strings

Sat 3, Mills Hall, 4 pm

Janet Jensen, director

UW Women’s Chorus & University Chorus

Sat 3, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Beverly Taylor, director

UW Concert Band

Sun 4, Mills Hall, 2 pm

Michael Leckrone, director

UW Chamber Orchestra

Sun 4, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

James Smith, conductor

Master Singers

Mon 5, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Bruce Gladstone, conductor (bel0w)

Posted in Classical music
Tags: Eastman School of Music, Franz Schubert, Gene Pokorny, Gustav Mahler, Irving Shain, Jacob Stockinger, Laura Schwendinger, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Meredith Monk, Mills College, Mills Hall, Musical ensemble, New York City, Orchestra, Sibelius Academy, Truman State University

Classical music: Here is the impressive lineup of concerts for the 2013-14 season at the University of Wisconsin School of Music. Today is the Semester I; tomorrow is the second semester.

July 22, 2013
4 Comments

By Jacob Stockinger

It is only mid-July and Kathy Esposito, the concert manager and director of public relations at the University of Wisconsin School of Music, is on the job.

Kathy has sent The Ear the copy for the UW School of Music’s new brochure with the dates and artists for the impressive lineup of concerts during the upcoming 2013-2014 season. The brochures themselves will be ready in August.

You will notice that a lot of artists and groups have still not submitted programs. But whatever is available right now is here.

So get out your datebooks and start checking for conflicts and penciling in your favorites.

The list is long, so the first semester – the Fall Semester — is featured today; the second semester – the Spring semester — will be featured tomorrow.

Here is Kathy’s introduction:

Hello all,

Attached herewith is our 2013-14 season schedule, which is in the end stages of design and will be printed and mailed this August. I wanted to give you a heads-up, for obvious reasons.

Our tuba professor and SOM director John Stevens (below top) is retiring this year, and he will conduct Chicago Symphony Oecgestra’s Gene Pokorny in the work that Stevens wrote for CSO, some years ago. Opera director Bill Farlow (below bottom, in a photo by Katrin Talbot) will also retire, and will present Hector Berlioz’ “Beatrice et Benedict” in his final appearance as director.

Best of all: concerts are free – unless otherwise noted with a $$.

SEPTEMBER

Annual Karp Family Opening Concert

Mon 2, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Featuring Isabel & Ariana Karp, narrators; Suzanne Beia, violin; Katrin Talbot, viola; Ariana Karp, cello; Parry Karp, cello; Christopher Karp, piano; Howard & Frances Karp, pianos

Music of Handel, Harbison, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn.

Les Thimmig, “The Feldman Trios” Part 1 Faculty Concert

Sun 15, Mills Hall, 1 pm

Prof. Les Thimmig, flutes; Jennifer Hedstrom, keyboards; Sean Kleve, percussion

Three lecture-performances of the late-period work of American composer Morton Feldman; subsequent concerts on Oct 27 and Feb 2.

School of Music Annual Alumni Recital

Sun 15, Morphy Hall, 3:30 pm

Alex Weaver, horn; Michael Mixtacki, percussion; Kristine Rominski, flute; & others

The Center for New Music, University of Iowa Guest Artist

Sat 21, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Performances devoted to late 20^th and early 21^st-century repertoire.

Paul Rowe, baritone Faculty Concert

Sun 22, Mills Hall, 2 pm

Baroque cantatas for strings, voice, and continuo, featuring works by J.S. Bach, J. Ph. Rameau, Heinrich Schutz, and G.F. Handel.

Nate Stampley Guest Artist & UW-Madison School of Music Alumnus

Concert: Sun 22, Mills Hall, 5 pm

Masterclass: Mon 23, Music Hall, 1:15-3:15 pm

Broadway singer and 2008 School of Music alumnus Nate Stampley (below) will return to Madison to perform a free concert of show tunes from recent productions. Stampley, who studied with voice professor Mimmi Fulmer, will star this fall as Porgy in a national Broadway tour of “Porgy and Bess.” Stampley has also appeared on Broadway as Mufasa in “The Lion King” and in many other roles in New York, London, Chicago, and other cities.

Black Music Ensemble

Thurs 26, Morphy Hall, 8:30 pm

Richard Davis, director

An eclectic group of musicians exploring repertoire of black composers.

UW Symphony Orchestra

Sun 29, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

James Smith, conductor

Featuring Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, in celebration of the work’s 100^th anniversary.

OCTOBER

UW Chamber Orchestra

Tues 1, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

James Smith, conductor

Pro Arte Quartet UW Ensemble in Residence

Thurs 3, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

David Perry & Suzanne Beia, violin; Sally Chisholm, viola; Parry Karp, cello

Music of Mozart, Kreisler, and Brahms.

UW Wind Ensemble

Fri 4, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Scott Teeple, conductor

Third Coast Percussion Guest Artist

Concert: Wed 9, 7:30, Mills Hall

Owen Clayton Condon, Fractalia

Steve Reich, Mallet Quartet

John Cage, Third Construction

Augusta Read Thomas, Resounding Earth (commissioned work)

Masterclasses on Western percussion music & the commissioning process: TBA

Chicago-based Third Coast Percussion (below) explores and expands the extraordinary sonic possibilities of percussion repertoire through performances, teaching, and the creation of new works. Founded in 2005, Third Coast Percussion has performed hundreds of concerts across the country, teaches musicians of all ages and experience levels, and has commissioned dozens of new works.

Noa Kageyama: Performance Psychologist Guest Artist

Workshops: Wed/Thurs 9/10, Morphy Hall, 7-9 pm

Keynote Address: “Performance Skills of Top Performers,” Thurs 10, 12-1 pm, Mills Hall

Dr. Noa Kageyama (below) is on the faculty of The Juilliard School and is the performance psychology coach for the New World Symphony in Miami. He specializes in working with performing artists and teaching them how to utilize sport psychology principles and more consistently demonstrate their full abilities under pressure.

HOMECOMING WEEKEND

UW Wind Ensemble

Fri 11, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Scott Teeple, conductor

Presenting “Collage,” an hour of non-stop performances showcasing a variety of musical ensembles and styles from within the UW-Madison arts disciplines.

Wisconsin Brass Quintet UW Ensemble in Residence

Sat 12, Mills Hall, 8 pm

John Aley & Jessica Jensen, trumpets; Dan Grabois, horn; Mark Hetzler, trombone; John Stevens, tuba

Music of Peaslee, Sampson, Scheidt, and others.

UW Concert Band

Sun 13, Mills Hall, 2 pm

Scott Teeple, director

UW University Bands

Sun 13, Mills Hall, 4 pm

Matthew Mireles, conductor

John C. Stowe, harpsichord Faculty Concert

Sun 13, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

UW Choral Collage

Sat 19, Mills Hall, 4 pm

Beverly Taylor, director

James Doing, tenor Faculty Concert

Sat 19, Mills Hall, 8 pm

With Martha Fischer, piano

Michael Norsworthy, clarinet Guest Artist

Sun 20, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

With David Gompper, piano (University of Iowa Center for New Music)

Music of Bermel, Beaser, Schwantner, Epstein, Foss and Gompper.

Michael Norsworthy (below), professor of clarinet at the Boston Conservatory, is one of the most celebrated champions of the modern repertoire, having premiered over 125 new works with leading contemporary music groups.

Javier Calderon, guitar Faculty Concert

Thurs 24, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

University Opera & UW Chamber Orchestra $$

Fri 25, 7:30 pm / Sun 27, 3 pm / Tues 29, 7:30 pm, Music Hall

William Farlow, opera director

James Smith, orchestra director

George Frideric Handel, “Ariodante”

Call (608) 265-ARTS (2787) for ticket info.

Mark Hetzler, trombone (below) & Martha Fischer, piano Faculty Concert

Sat 26, Mills Hall, 6:30 pm

“Meditations and Visions: The Music of Anthony Plog and Anthony Barfield”: Two modern works that feature lyricism and technical virtuosity in a rich romantic language.

Les Thimmig, “The Feldman Trios” Part II Faculty Concert

Sun 27, Mills Hall, 1 pm

Les Thimmig, flutes; Jennifer Hedstrom, keyboards; Sean Kleve, percussion

Three lecture-performances of the late-period work of American composer Morton Feldman. Next concert Feb 2.

Parry Karp, cello Faculty Concert

Sun 27, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Thomas Kasdorf, piano; Suzanne Beia, violin; Parry Karp, cello

Piano trio recital.

Michelle Stanley, flute, with cellist Yoriko Morita Guest Artists

Concert: Mon 28, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Masterclass on flute performance: Mon 28

Music of Lonnie Hevia and Cherise Leiter.

Michelle Stanley is assistant professor of music at Colorado State University and Yoriko Morita is an active cellist in the Boulder/Denver area.

NOVEMBER

UW Symphony Orchestra with guest violinist Rachel Barton Pine $$

Conducted by Kenneth Woods, UW-Madison School of Music alumnus

Concert: Sat 2, Mills Hall, 8:00 pm

Johannes Brahms, Violin Concerto

Part of the Wisconsin Union Theater Concert Series. Tickets $25 general public, $10 students. Call (608) 265-ARTS (2787) for ticket info.

Chicago native Rachel Barton Pine (below) was a child prodigy who had her earliest appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 10 and 15 and won numerous national and international competitions while still in her teens. The youngest person (at age 17) and first American to win a gold medal at the prestigious 1992 J.S. Bach International Competition in Leipzig, Germany, she also has won top prizes in many international competitions. Rachel Barton Pine also performs rock and heavy metal music with her band Earthen Grave and has jammed with the likes of Slash, Guns N’ Roses, and other rock and metal stars.

Author, conductor, and cellist Kenneth Woods has worked with many orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Budapest Festival Orchestra, and the State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra. In 2013, he takes up a new position as Artistic Director and conductor of the English Symphony Orchestra’s subscription concerts. In 1993, Ken Woods received a master’s degree in music from UW-Madison; he is also an alumnus of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra.

UW Contemporary Chamber Ensemble

Tues 5, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Laura Schwendinger, director

CCE continues its mission to present the music of living composers. This year’s featured composers include Kathryn Alexander, Suzanne Sorkin, and David Gompper.

UW Chamber Winds

Wed 6, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Scott Teeple, conductor

Jeff Hirshfield, percussionist Guest Artist

Concert with Johannes Wallmann Quartet: Wed 6, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Concert with UW Madison’s Blue Note Ensemble, Contemporary Jazz Ensemble, and Jazz Composers’ Septet: Thurs 7, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Masterclasses on percussion: Wed/Thurs 6/7

Among the most versatile and in-demand sidemen in jazz, New York City-based Jeff Hirshfield has appeared on over 300 albums. His performance and recording credits include Woody Herman, Jim Hall, Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie, Dr. John, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, John Zorn, Bob Brookmeyer, and many others. The Toronto Star called Hirshfield “a drummer with endless capacity for innovation.”

Combined Concert: UW Concert Choir & UW Chorale

Fri 8, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Beverly Taylor, director

Parry Karp, cello Faculty Concert

Sat 9, Mills Hall, 8 pm

With Howard & Frances Karp, piano

Music of Schumann, Tournemire, Brahms, Kirchner, and Beethoven.

Guitar Ensemble

Wed 13, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Javier Calderon, director

UW Black Music Ensemble

Thurs 14, Morphy Hall, 8:30 pm

Richard Davis, director

An eclectic group of musicians exploring repertoire of black composers.

Marc Vallon, bassoon Faculty Concert

Fri 15, Morphy Hall, 8 pm

UW Madrigal Singers

Sat 16, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Bruce Gladstone, director

Chris Washburne, trombonist & UW-Madison School of Music alumnus, with UW Jazz Orchestra Guest Artist

Concert: Sat 16, 8 pm, Music Hall

Masterclasses on music entrepreneurship, improvisation, and artistry: Fri/Sat 15/16

Presenting Latin jazz mixed with funk, hip-hop, gospel, and house.

Now a leading New York freelancer, Chris Washburne (below) received his bachelor’s degree in music from UW in 1986, studying with Richard Davis, Les Thimmig, and Bill Richardson. He is now Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance program at Columbia University. His book Sounding Salsa was published in 2008 by Temple University Press.

UW Women’s Chorus & University Chorus

Sun 17, Mills Hall, 4 pm

Beverly Taylor, director

duoARtia Guest Artists

Mon 18, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

duoARtia is the piano duo of Jeri-Mae G. Astolfi (below top) and Holly Roadfeldt (below bottom)

Works of Bela Bartok, Witold Lutoslawski, UW-Madison composer Joseph Koykkar, James Leatherbarrow, Ed Martin, Kirk O’Riordan, Rob Paterson, Jamie Wilding, and Yehuda Yannay.

Astolfi is currently a member of the music faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and Roadfeldt is currently teaching at Lafayette College, has a private studio in New York City and serves as piano faculty with distinction at The Music School of Delaware.

UW Concert Band

Mon 18, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Scott Teeple, director

2$ Broom: The UW-Madison Electro-Acoustic Ensemble

Tues 19, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm
Daniel Grabois & Mark Hetzler, directors

Student performers, composers, improvisers, and engineers will present new music in both acoustic and electronic settings.

Wingra Woodwind Quartet UW Ensemble in Residence

Thurs 21, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Stephanie Jutt, flute; Kostas Tiliakos, oboe (replacing Marc Fink on far right); Linda Bartley, clarinet; Marc Vallon, bassoon; Linda Kimball, horn

Pro Arte Quartet UW Ensemble in Residence

David Perry and Suzanne Beia, violin; Sally Chisholm, viola; Parry Karp, cello

With guest artist Samuel Rhodes, violist, Juilliard Quartet

Fri 22, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Presenting the Bruckner Viola Quintet and the world premiere of the Benoit Mernier Quartet.

UW Choral Union & UW Symphony Orchestra $$

Sat 23, 8 pm / Sun 24, 2 pm, Mills Hall

Beverly Taylor, conductor

Ralph Vaughan Williams, Dona Nobis Pacem

Felix Mendelssohn, Die erste Walpurgisnacht

Call (608) 265-ARTS (2787) for ticket info.

Winds of Wisconsin

Sun 24, Mills Hall, 6 pm

Scott Teeple, director

A premier high school wind ensemble on the UW-Madison campus.

UW Trombone Choir

Mon 25, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Mark Hetzler, director

Opera Workshop

Tues 26, Music Hall, 7:30 pm

William Farlow & Mimmi Fulmer, directors

UW Western Percussion Ensemble

Tues 26, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

Anthony Di Sanza & Tom Ross, directors

DECEMBER

UW Early Music Ensemble

Tues 3, Morphy Hall, 8:30 pm

UW Jazz Orchestra & The Sun Prairie High School Big Band

Wed 4, Music Hall, 7:30 pm

Johannes Wallmann & Steve Sveum, directors

Blue Note Ensemble, Jazz Composers’ Septet, & Contemporary Jazz Ensemble

Thurs 5, Morphy Hall, 7:30 pm

Johannes Wallmann & Les Thimmig, directors

UW Wind Ensemble

Fri 6, Mills Hall, 8 pm

Featuring Joel Puckett, composer in residence.

Scott Teeple, director

UW World Percussion Ensemble

Sat 7, Morphy Hall, 12 pm

Todd Hammes & Tom Ross, directors

UW All-University String Orchestra

Sat 7, Mills Hall, 4 pm

Janet Jensen, director

UW Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble

Sat 7, Mills Hall, 8 pm

John Stevens, director

UW University Bands

Sun 8, Mills Hall, 2 pm

Matthew Mireles, conductor

UW “Prism” Concert

Sun 8, Luther Memorial Church, 2 & 4 pm

Concert Choir, Chorale, Women’s Chorus, Madrigal Singers, & University Chorus

Beverly Taylor and Bruce Gladstone, conductors

UW Chamber Orchestra

Sun 8, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

James Smith, conductor

UW Master Singers

Mon 9, Mills Hall, 7:30 pm

	Kathy O on Juilliard cracks down on facul…
	Bill Lane on The new Apple Music Classical…
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	welltemperedear on The new Apple Music Classical…
	Bill Lane on The new Apple Music Classical…

The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Brass Week in Madison kicks off with tuba and French horn concerts at the University of Wisconsin by John Stevens and Daniel Grabois, who will highlight works by contemporary UW composers.

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Classical music: Pianist Jeremy Denk is named a MacArthur “genius.” Here is a sampler of his immense talent as displayed in concerts at the Wisconsin Union Theater, at NPR, in his blog “Think Denk” and on his latest Nonesuch recordings of Bach, Beethoven and Ligeti.

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Classical music: Here is the impressive concert lineup for Semester II — the Spring Semester — for the 2013-14 season at the University of Wisconsin School of Music.

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Classical music: Here is the impressive lineup of concerts for the 2013-14 season at the University of Wisconsin School of Music. Today is the Semester I; tomorrow is the second semester.

OCTOBER

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