The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music education: As the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music heads into Spring Break, there is a lot of good news to report: music education students organize a local chapter; pianist Christopher Taylor get a patent; top prizes go to high school piano students; University Opera’s retiring director Bill Farlow rehearses his farewell production; a first-place singing prize goes to a UW-Madison a cappella group; and cellist Uri Vardi prepares a fusion concert of Arab and Israeli music to take place April 5.

By Jacob Stockinger

On Wisconsin!

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison of Music, Spring Break officially begins this Saturday, although The Ear is betting that a good number of students and faculty members are already on their way to spring break destination — or are already there.

All the more reason, then, to make sure that the students who remain or are just heading out get a last dose of good and even impressive news before they take off for a week or more.

And there is indeed a lot of good to news to report.

More than 40 UW-Madison students (below) in music education have established a Madison chapter of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).

The news includes a faculty member, virtuoso pianist Christopher Taylor (below) who was granted a federal patent for a special double-keyboard piano.

The prizes that were awarded to high school students during inaugural Piano Vortex on the first weekend of March have also been announced.

For background and the repertoire that all students, including the winners, played, here is a link to my previous post:

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/classical-music-a-piano-vortex-will-descend-this-friday-and-saturday-on-the-university-of-wisconsin-madison-school-of-music-all-free-and-open-to-the-public-on-friday-night-classical-virtuoso-chr/

Retiring University of Opera director Bill Farlow (below, in a photo by Kathy Esposito, who is the concert and publicity manager at the School of Music) has also been deep in rehearsals for his final production, Hector Berlioz’ “Beatrice and Benedict,” which will be staged on April 11, 13 and 15 in Music Hall.

The UW a cappella singing group Fundamentally Sound (below) took first prize in a regional composition.

UW baritone Paul Rowe (below, in a photo by Michael R. Anderson) and UW alumna Julia Foster with UW-Madison pianist Martha Fischer are also preparing and rehearsing for their March 26 concert of Hugo Wolf’s “Italian Song Book.”

Longtime cello professor Uri Vardi (below) will be featured in a concert on April 5 that is a fusion event of Arab and Israeli music.

And Brian Gurley, a UW-SOM alumnus who is now the organist and music director at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, New York, is featured in a news story about how he handled the potential disaster of a snow-laden, leaking roof during this harsh, this very harsh winter in the Snow Belt.

For the full stories on all of these -– including audio clips, numerous links as well as news photos — here is a link to Fanfare!, the MUST-READ outstanding blog that the UW School of Music has started this year under the direction of Kathy Esposito, who writes the text and takes the photos.

Check it out.

Be proud.

Then go enjoy a week or so of silence and spring break.

http://uwmadisonschoolofmusic.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/acappella_taylorpiano_beatriceopera/