The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: The Festival Choir of Madison performs “The Romance of Music” — featuring beloved favorites — this Saturday night. Plus, a concert of Indian music and Beethoven will take place SUNDAY night.
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ALERT: A noteworthy new event — and perhaps a new tradition — will take place at 7 p.m. this SUNDAY night (NOT Saturday night as mistakenly first listed here) in Mills Hall. That’s when the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra welcomes sitarist Chitravina N. Ravikiran (below) in the third edition of the cross-cultural and world music Melharmony Festival. The music is by Indian composer Dikshitar and Ludwig van Beethoven, who were contemporaries at the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century. Andrew Sewell will conduct.
For more information about the event, the players and tickets ($10-$35), visit:
http://www.wcoconcerts.org/performances/melharmony-festival/
By Jacob Stockinger
Friends at The Festival Choir of Madison have sent the following word:
The Festival Choir of Madison (below top) will perform “The Romance of Music,” conducted by Sergei Pavlov (below bottom), who also teaches at Edgewood College.
The concert is this Saturday night, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive.
Tickets are $15 for general admission; $12 for seniors; and $9 for students.
Do you remember when you fell in love with music? Was it a time and place? A person and feeling? Rediscover your love of music with trios of sacred songs, gypsy tunes and lullabies, straight from our heart to yours.
The program features such favorites as: “Jesu Meine Freude” (Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring) by Johann Sebastian Bach (at bottom in a YouTube video); “Hear My Prayer” by Felix Mendelssohn; “Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul” by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky; the “Humming Chorus” from “Madama Butterfly” by Giacomo Puccini; the “Gypsy Chorus“or “Anvil Chorus” from the opera “Il Trovatore” by Giuseppe Verdi; “Cantique de Jean Racine” by Gabriel Faure; and more.
The Festival Choir is a mixed voice choir of 40 to 50 singers.
Special guest musicians — who often perform with the Kat Trio, the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra — for this concert include: Victoria Gorbich (below top) on violin; Vladislav Gorbich (below second) on clarinet; Mary Ann Harr Grinde on harp (below third); and James McKenzie (below bottom) on percussion.
For more information and tickets, visit:
http://festivalchoirmadison.org
Tags: Anvil Chorus, Arts, Bach, Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, Beethoven, Chamber music, choral music, clarinet, Classical music, cross-cultural, crosscultural, Edgewood College, Faure, Felix Mendelssohn, festival, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, gypsy, harp, Il Trovatore, Indian music, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Kat Trio, lullaby, Madama Butterfly, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Melharmony Festival, Mendelssohn, Music, percussion, Piano, Puccini, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Romance, sacred, sitar, song, Tchaikovsky, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Verdi, Violin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, World music, YouTube
Classical music: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra plus choirs and soloists offer a FREE carol concert this Saturday night at the Orpheum Theater.
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By Jacob Stockinger
If you are still looking for seasonal and holiday music events to attend, The Ear has received word of a fine one that is SHORT and FREE.
Scott Foss (below) — the accomplished, congenial and generous music director of the First United Methodist Church in Madison who has been a longtime music advocate and participant in Madison — writes:
Hi Jake:
I am writing in regard to our FREE family-friendly, sacred music holiday concert “Celebration of Carols” by Joseph M. Martin. (You can hear some of the cantata in a YouTube video at the bottom.) It is coming up this Saturday night from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the landmark Orpheum Theater (below are photos of the exterior as well as the stage and interior of the restored historic theater). It is located at 216 State Street, across from the Overture Center.
We had our first rehearsal yesterday with the combined choirs and it really is going to be terrific.
I will conduct the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below) — the orchestra for the concert — and it will be fabulous as always.
The choirs sounded awesome. And you know that the two soloists — my wife, mezzo-soprano Kitt Reuter-Foss (below top), who has performed Mozart at the Metropolitan Opera under James Levine, and tenor J. Adam Shelton (below bottom) — will sing beautifully.
I’m really excited to bring this FREE public program to downtown Madison.
As you know, the First United Methodist Church has been a home to countless classical music groups and theater groups — Four Seasons Theatre, Forward Theatre, the Madison Opera, the Madison Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the Festival Choir of Madison, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir, the VSA Choir, the Madison Choral Project, Isthmus Brass, The Kat Trio — all either are currently or have in the past used our space for rehearsals.
And we always give it away for free as part of our ministry to downtown Madison where affordable rehearsal space is very difficult to find.
Plus, an understanding of the arts and how important they are to Madison and Dane County is in our DNA. The Isthmus Brass is giving a free concert in our sanctuary on Thursday night of this week. (I’ll be conducting the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra in Baraboo that night in one of their three performances of “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel, so I won’t be there).
So I had this idea that we should not only present house arts groups but also that we should be able to present art in a way that any and all in Madison could access it — in a beautiful space and beautifully performed.
Our church foundations agreed and they are financing the event — more than $10,000 to make this music available.
We hope you and others can attend.
Tags: Arts, Baroque, brass, Carol, Choir, Christmas, Classical music, Festival Choir of Madison, George Frideric Handel, holiday music, Isthmus Brass, James Levine, Kat Trio, Madison, Madison Choral Project, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Messiah (Handel), Messiah Part II, Metropolitan Opera, Mezzo-soprano, Mozart, Music, opera, Orchestra, Orpheum Theatre, Overture Center, seasonal music, tenor, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, YouTube
Classical music: In the next few days, three groups with a big and loyal local following will perform duo-piano music, woodwind music and clarinet trios.
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By Jacob Stockinger
With limited space — after all there are only so many days in the week and the local classical music scene keeps getting more and more crowded — sometimes The Ear has to combine performers and events. And that is the case today.
Several smaller concerts, some featuring performers with a loyal local following and all being offering for FREE, will take place this week and weekend.
DUO-PIANISTS VARSHAVSKI AND SHAPIRO
On Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the Oakwood Village West Center for Arts and Education, 6205 Mineral Point Road on Madison’s far west side near West Towne, duo-pianists Stanislava Varshavski and Diana Shapiro (below) will perform.
The program includes the “Allegro Brilliante” by Felix Mendelssohn; the “Lebenssturme” (Life Storm) by Franz Schubert; and “Petrushka” by Igor Stravinsky as arranged by Varshavi and Shapiro. (At the bottom you can hear a YouTube video in which the two women perform a beautiful Barcarolle from a suite by Sergei Rachmaninoff.)
For more information about the duo-pianists and samples of their music, visit:
THE KAT TRIO
On this Friday at 7:30 p.m., the Kat Trio -– short for the Ekaterinberg Trio that uses the violin, clarinet and piano — will perform a FREE concert at First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Avenue in Madison.
The original violin, clarinet and piano ensemble (below) from Ekaterinburg, Russia, was formed in May of 1998 in Ekaterinburg by three friends: Victoria Gorbich (violin), Vladislav Gorbich (clarinet) and Vasil Galiulin (piano). They had just graduated from the Ural State Music Conservatory.
Today’s “The Kat Trio” (below) -– which is well-known to Madison audiences -– is made up of Victoria, Vladislav and pianist Justin Snyder (below standing). Victoria and Vlad are doctoral graduates of Arizona State University. Justin is a graduate of University of Michigan and recently finished studying in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
According to publicity materials, Kat Trio concerts showcase unique Russian arrangements and transpositions of timeless melodies and feature classical works, well-known inspirational songs, and even American pop standards, including Scott Joplin’s rags.
This week’s program includes: a trio by Aram Khachaturian, plus works by Vladimir Vavilov, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Peter Tchaikovsky, Louis Moreau Gottschalk; Amy Beach; Samuel Barber; Michael Joncas; Joseph Lamb; Jerry Bock; and Peter Schickele (aka PDQ Bach).
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., but the three performers will do an audience Q&A prior to their performance, so you might arrive early.
The concert is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. A free will offering will be taken.
The Ekaterinburg Trio’s website, www.thekattrio.net, features a Music page where fans can hear music files from all 10 CDs. The Video link also features dozens of Kat Trio videos on YouTube.
BLACK MARIGOLD
This week will also see two performances by the Madison-based woodwind quintet Black Marigold (below).
Black Marigold will perform on this Friday, March 14, at the First Unitarian Society of Madison’s FREE Noon Musicale from 12:15 to 1 p.m. They will perform in the Landmark Auditorium of the historic building that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Then on Sunday, Black Marigold will perform on “Sunday Afternoon Live From the Chazen.” The FREE concert will be held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Brittingham Gallery 3 of the Chazen Museum of Art on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The concert will also be broadcast live by Wisconsin Public Radio (WERN 88.7 FM in the Madison area).
The program for both concerts includes: the Quintet, Op. 88, No. 2, by Anton Reicha; Six Bagatelles by Gyorgy Ligeti; “The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky, and arranged by Jonathan Russell; and “Vignettes Balletiques” by Brian DuFord.
For more information about Black Marigold, visit or write to:
https://www.facebook.com/BlackMarigold
Tags: Amy Beach, Aram Khachaturian, Arizona State University, Arts, Barber, barcarolle, Black Marigold, Brahms, brass, Brass quintet, Brian DuFord, Chamber music, Chazen Museum of Art, clarinet, Classical music, duo-pianists, Ekaterinburg Trio, Felix Mendelssohn, First Unitarian Society of Madison, Frank Lloyd Wright, Franz Schubert, Friday, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Igor Stravinsky, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, Kat Trio, Ligeti, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Madison, Metropolitan Opera, Mozart, PDQ Bach, Peter Schickele, Petrushka, Pianist, Piano, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, Robert Schumann, Samuel Barber, Schubert, Schumann, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Varshavski-Shapiro, Violin, wind music, wisconsin public radio, Woodwind quintet, YouTube
Classical music: Season-openers continue this weekend as Fresco Opera Theatre presents the “Paranormal Playhouse” this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Playhouse in the Overture Center. Plus, the Kat Trio plays a FREE concert at Grace Presents at noon on Saturday and the Edgewood Chamber Orchestra performs Rossini, Haydn and Arvo Part on Sunday afternoon.
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ALERT: A new season of Grace Presents gets underway this Saturday at noon with a FREE hour-long concert at Grace Episcopal Church, 116 West Washington Avenue, downtown on the Capitol Square. The Kat Trio (below, with a different pianist) has a long history in Madison and consists of violinist Victoria Gorbich, clarinetist Vladislav Gorbich and pianist Justin Snyder. The program includes works by Aram Khachaturian, Johannes Brahms, Alexander Glazunov, Jean Sibelius, Peter Tchaikovsky and Dmitri Shostakovich as well as unique Russian arrangements and transpositions of classical works, well-known inspirational songs, and even American pop standards (from “Fiddler on the Roof”) and rags by Scott Joplin. For more, visit: www.thekattrio.net
Next Up at Grace Presents: On Saturday, October 26, at noon, tenor Daniel O’Dea and soprano Marie McNamara will perform. Support for Grace Presents comes from donations, Dane Arts and the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation.
By Jacob Stockinger
As I said earlier this week, even though the concert season officially started with chamber music many classical music fans wait for big groups, bigger pieces and bigger audiences to see that the season is really underway.
Symphonies orchestras are well represented this weekend, what with three performances by the Madison Symphony Orchestra plus the University of Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra’s centennial homage to Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” on Sunday night.
But two other notable events add to the dynamic.
One is the first opera of the new season.
It is “Paranormal Playhouse,” to be presented Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the Playhouse at the Overture Center.
Here is more from an official press release:
“Fresco Opera Theatre has transformed the Overture Center Playhouse into a shell of its former self. The space is haunted by spirits of operas past, including performers who have met untimely deaths, evil spirits who sabotage those who get in their way and mysterious souls who are untraceable.
Patrons are being scared to death. The Overture Center needs help, and who are they going to call?
“Fresco has the answer. A.R.I.A. (Apparition Removal Investigation Association) will find the spirits and the stories behind their inhabiting the Playhouse.
“Fresco knows you will be moved by the stories of these unfortunate souls as they sing to the audience they long for. But be warned. As you are drawn in to these beautiful spiritual voices, something else evil is lurking…
“Opera shouldn’t be scary. No one knows this better than Fresco Opera Theatre.”
Sorry, I have no specifics about arias and other specific works and composers to be sung. For more information about this production and past productions as well as photos of the Fresco Opera Theatre, visit:
http://www.frescooperatheatre.com/paranormal-playhouse.html
The “Paranormal Playhouse” project is made possible with support from the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission (Dane Arts), Madison Arts Commission, and its generous donors.
ALSO: At Edgewood College this Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph Chapel, 1000 Edgewood College Drive, the Edgewood Chamber Orchestra (below top) will perform under the direction of Blake Walter (below bottom).
The program features Rossini’s Overture to “La Cambiale di Matrimonia,” Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 87 and Arvo Pärt’s “If Bach Had Been a Bee-Keeper” (At the bottom in a YouTube video.)
Admission is $5, or free with an Edgewood College ID.
Tags: Alexander Glazunov, Aram Khachaturian, Arvo Part, chamber orchestra, Dmitri Shostakovich, Edgewood College, Episcopal Church, Fresco Opera Theatre, Gioacchino Rossini, Grace Episcopal Church, Igor Stravinsky, Jacob Stockinger, Jean Sibelius, Johannes Brahms, Kat Trio, London, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, opera, Orchestra, Overture Center, Rite of Spring, Scott Joplin, Sunday, University of Wisconsin–Madison, YouTube
Classical music: The Kat Trio starts its new season on this Saturday in Fitchburg with music by Milhaud, Brahms, Dvorak, Kreisler, Shostakovich and others.
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Ekaterinburg Classical Trio -– also known as more colloquially as The Kat Trio -– will start its new season of concerts on this coming Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Memorial United Church of Christ (below) at 5705 Lacy Road in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.
Admission is a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for students.
The program includes Darius Milhaud’s “Suite,” Op. 157b; Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne, Op. 27, No. 2; Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5; Antonin Dvorak’s “Humoresque”; the Polka from Ballet Suite No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich; Fritz Kreisler‘s “Miniature Viennese Waltz”; Scott Joplin’s rag “The Entertainer”; and other works.
According to the trio, the church’s sanctuary has wonderfully warm acoustics and a beautiful grand piano. Artists will do an audience Q&A prior to their performances. There’s plenty of convenient free parking
Members of the very listener-friendly Kat Trio (below, in the the order named from the left) are the wife-and-husband team of violinist Victoria Gorbich, clarinetist Vladislav Gorbich with guest pianist Heidi Wiskur.
In addition to the August 24 and November 2 concerts that are confirmed, the trio will be scheduling concerts in February and April. Depending upon response to the first four concerts, they may move from four to six concerts per year.
BACKGROUND
The ensemble from Ekaterinburg, Russia, formed in May of 1998 in Ekaterinburg by three friends: Victoria Gorbich (violin), Vladislav Gorbich (clarinet) and Vasil Galiulin (piano). They had just graduated from the Ural State Music Conservatory. (Pianists have changed over the years.)
Today The Kat Trio is Victoria, Vladislav and pianist Heidi Wiskur. Victoria and Vlad are doctoral graduates of Arizona State University. Heidi is a graduate of Indiana University.
Their concerts showcase unique Russian arrangements and transpositions of timeless melodies and feature classical works, well-known inspirational songs, and even American pop standards, including Scott Joplin’s rags (At bottom is a YouTube video of a 2006 performance in Madison, Wisconsin, with the Kat Trio performing a tuneful movement from a trio by Aram Khachaturian.)
According to a press release, “ ‘Joyful’ is the word that audiences often use to describe the Ekaterinburg Classical Trio’s presentation of classical, inspirational, and pop standards. The Kat Trio loves performing live. The Kat Trio has done multiple U.S. tours, starting in 2000. It has played more than 600 concerts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Chicago, Dallas, Little Rock, Shreveport, Branson, Denver, Lincoln, Des Moines, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and hundreds of small communities. When not found in concert venues, college or high school auditoriums, or in classrooms doing Master Classes, the Trio is performing for Sunday services or presenting concerts in churches.”
The Ekaterinburg Trio’s website, www.thekattrio.net, features a Music page where fans can hear music files from all 10 CD’s. The Video link features dozens of Kat Trio videos on YouTube.
The Kat Trio recordings are:
“20th Century Masters” (2000) (Classical)
“The Kat Trio in America” (2000) (American standards)
“On Eagles’ Wings” (2001) (Inspirational)
“Serenade for Three” (2002) (Classical)
“The Kat Trio – Live” (2003) (All genres)
“A Kat Trio Christmas” (2004) (Traditional Christmas favorites)
“The Space Between” (2004) (Classical & American pop standards)
“Romantic Expressions” (2006) (Classical)
“Kat Trio Classics” (2009) (Classical)
“What Wondrous Love is This” (2011) (Inspirational)
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