The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Organist and composer Chelsea Chen debuts at Overture Hall on Tuesday night
3 Comments
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
Organist Chelsea Chen (below) makes her Madison debut on this Tuesday night, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall as part of the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Concert Organ series.
Ticket information is below.
Chen brings to her Overture Hall premiere an array of widely known classical pieces plus her own original composition.
Chen’s performance begins with Ola Gjeilo’s Sinfonietta and Edvard Grieg’s First Peer Gynt Suite, Op. 46— continuing with Chen’s original work, the Taiwanese Suite, Camille Saint-Saens’ Finale from “Organ” Symphony No. 3, Ad Wammes’ Miroir, and finally, selections from Gustav Holst’s The Planets.
Composer Gjeilo (below) has praised Chen’s interpretation of Sinfonietta, which the organist has performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.
The First Peer Gynt Suite, Op. 46, by Grieg is one of the most easily recognizable compositions within the musical art form. Subtitled “Morning,” it is the first of two suites that Grieg (below) transcribed from Henrik Ibsen’s 1867 Norwegian play Peer Gynt.
The opus, albeit a short first movement from the suite, intends to instill imagery of the sunrise over the North African desert. Despite this, it is more commonly associated with the sweeping mountains, fjords and lakes that mark Norway’s landscape.
Chen’s own Taiwanese Suite combines the dynamic range of the organ with inflections of traditional Asian folksongs. It is composed of three movements: “Hills in the Springtime,” “Moonlight Blue” and “Mountain of Youth.”
Inspired by the works of Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt and others, Saint-Saens (below) composed a variety of arrangements and selections for numerous occasions. By age 10, the French composer and child prodigy had given his first concert. His Finale from “Organ” Symphony No. 3 is, as some consider, the pinnacle of his body of compositions. (You can hear Chen’s playing of the Finale from the “Organ” Symphony by Saint-Saens in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Miroir was composed by Dutch composer Ad Wammes (below) for Stephen Taylor to celebrate the organist’s appointment to the Nicolaïkerk, a church in the Netherlands. In an unconventional mirroring — hence the title — the right hand repeats the higher voices in the same pattern throughout the song, whereas the left hand varies texture, voice and tone in the lower registers. The result is a calming, low hum that is lifted by the glistening echoes of the upper registers.
To Holst, The Planets suite could be framed as “a series of mood pictures,” with its seven movements. Ironically, Holst (below) seemed to heavily dislike his explosive popularity resulting from the suite’s compositional structure. Despite his supposed negativity towards the piece, its inherent superb qualities of each movement — no two are alike — became a staple of evocative composition.
Following an academic career at the Juilliard School and Yale University, Chelsea Chen has practiced under the tutelage of known names in the musical world, such as Paul Jacobs and John Weaver. For more information about her, go to: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/chelsea-chen/
Single Tickets are available for $20 each and can be purchased online at http://madisonsymphony.org/chen, through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141.
Groups of 10 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information, visit, https://madisonsymphony.org/groups
Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two tickets for $10 each. More information is at: https://madisonsymphony.org/studentrush
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
This performance is sponsored by Friends of the Overture Concert Organ (below) that was custom-built by Klais Orgelbau of Germany. Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund. With a gift from Pleasant T. Rowland, the Madison Symphony Orchestra commissioned the Overture Concert Organ.
Tags: #AdWammes, #AsainFolksongs, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CamilleSaint-Saens, #ChelseaChen, #ChildProdigy, #ConcertOrgan, #DianeBallweg, #DutchComposer, #EdvardGrieg, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzLiszt, #Frenchcomposer, #GustavHolst, #HenrikIbsen, #JohnWeaver, #JuilliardSchool, #KimmelCenter, #KlaisOrgelbau, #LeftHand, #LosAngeles, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #NorthAfrica, #NorwegianComposer, #OlaGjeilo, #OrganSymphony, #OvertureHall, #PaulJacobs, #PeerGynt, #PhiladelphiaPennsylvania, #PleasantT.Rowland, #RichardWagner, #RightHand, #SeniorCitizen, #TaiwaneseSuite, #TheNetherlands, #ThePlanets, #WaltDisney, #WaltDisneyConcertHall, #YaleUniversity, #YouTubevideo, Arts, asian, audience, blog, calm, Camille Saint-Saëns, Chelsea Chen, child prodigy, China, Chinese, church, Classical music, composer, Composition, concert organ, debut, desert, Diane Ballweg, discount, donor, drama, Dutch, echoes, Edvard Grieg, explosive, Facebook, finale, fjord, fjords, folksong, forward, Franz Liszt, French, Germany, gift, Grieg, Gustav Holst, Henrik Ibsen, hills, hum, Jacob Stockinger, John Weaver, Juilliard School, Kimmel Center, Klais, Klais Orgelbau, lake, landscape, left hand, like, link, Los Angeles, lower, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Miroir, mirror, mood, moonlight, morning, mountain, movement, Music, Netherlands, North Africa, Norway, Norwegian, Ola Gjeilo, opus, Orchestra, organ, organ symphony, Overture Concert Organ, Overture Hall, pattern, Paul Jacobs, Peer Gynt, performer, Philadelphia, Picture, pieces, play, Pleasant T. Rowland, popularity, register, repeat, Richard Wagner, right hand, senior, senior citizen, share, Sinfonietta, song, springtime, structure, Student, Suite, sunrise, symphony, tag, Taiwan, texture, The Planets, theater, theatre, tone, traditional, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, upper, voice, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Wisconsin, Yale University, Youth, YouTube, YouTube video
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra introduces its new organist at this Saturday’s FREE Farmers’ Market concert at 11 a.m. in Overture Hall
1 Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
Greg Zelek (below) is the new organist for the Madison Symphony Orchestra.
Zelek will make his official debut at the FREE Farmers’ Market organ recital this Saturday morning at 11 a.m. in Overture Hall of the Overture Center, the home of the MSO Concert Organ built by Klaisorgelbau of Germany.
Zelek is succeeding Samuel Hutchison, who has retired.
Here is a link to a previous blog post with more details about Zelek, a graduate of the Julliard School in New York City, and his impressive background:
His virtuosic program this Saturday morning includes music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, American church composers Powell Weaver and Leo Sowerby, and Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. (Sorry, no word about specific pieces. But you can hear Zelek playing Lecuona’s well-known “Malagueña” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The program will last about 45 minutes.
No tickets or reservation are needed, and all ages are welcome.
For more information, visit:
https://www.madisonsymphony.org/farmers
Tags: America, American, Arts, Bach, Baroque, blog, church, Classical music, Cuba, Dane County Farmers' Market, Debussy, Early music, Ernesto Lecuoña, Farmer's Market, Germany, Greg Zelek, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Juilliard School, Klais Orgelbau, Leo Sowerby, Liszt, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Malagueña, Music, New York City, organ, Overture Center, Paul Jacobs, post, Powell Weaver, program, reservation, Samuel Hutchison, Student, symphony, ticket, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: Madison Symphony Orchestra holds a FREE Farmers’ Market organ and piano concert this Saturday at 11 a.m.
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
The Art Fair on the Square, the annual summer fundraiser held by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, will displace the usual Dane County Farmers’ Market this Saturday morning around the Capitol Square downtown,
But the second of this summer’s three monthly FREE Farmers’ Market organ concerts, sponsored by the Madison Symphony Orchestra, will take place this Saturday at 11a.m. in Overture Hall of the Overture Center for the Arts.
The MSO invites families and friends for a relaxing 45-minute concert.
No tickets or reservations are needed and all ages are welcome.
The concert features music for piano and organ and is billed as: “The Über Steinway Meets the Colossal Klais II” with pianist Stephen Nielson (below left) and organist Samuel Hutchison (below right).
The program includes: A Mighty Fortress is Our God, arr. Nielson and Young; Water Music Suite by George Frideric Handel; Hungarian Etude, Op. 39, by Edward MacDowell; Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring from Cantata No. 147 by Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Myra Hess; O Polichinelle from Prole do Bebe by Heitor Villa-Lobos; Simple Gifts, arr. Charles Callahan; Fugue in D Major, BWV 532, by Johann Sebastian Bach (heard in the YouTube video at the bottom); When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, arr. Nielson & Young; Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, arr. Nielson and Young
Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
American pianist Stephen Nielson made his orchestral debut as a pianist at age 11. During a 30-year collaboration with his late colleague, Ovid Young, Nielson performed more than 3,500 concerts world-wide as part of the distinguished piano duo Nielson & Young.
Since 2001, Samuel Hutchison has served as Curator and Principal Organist for Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Overture Concert Organ. As an organ soloist, Hutchison has presented many recitals both in the United States and in Europe
For more information about the event and the performers, visit: http://www.madisonsymphony.org/farmer
Tags: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, Art, Art Fair on the Square, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Cantata, Capitol Square, Chamber music, Classical music, Dane County Farmers' Market, Edward MacDowell, etude, Europe, George Frideric Handel, Heitor Villa-Lobos, hymn, Jacob Stockinger, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Johann Sebastian Bach, Klais Orgelbau, Madison, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Martin Luther, MMOCA, Music, Orchestra, organ, Overture Center, Piano, Simple Gifts, Steinway, Suite, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Water Music, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: Rising star Isabelle Demers opens the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Overture Concert Organ season this coming Tuesday.
1 Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
The acclaimed Canadian organist Isabelle Demers (below) will open the 11th Overture Concert Organ series for the Madison Symphony Orchestra with an unusual recital this coming Tuesday night, Oct. 6.
The concert, which includes her own transcriptions of orchestral works, is at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall of the Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State Street.
In addition to performing works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sergei Prokofiev, Henry Martin, Max Reger, George Thalben-Ball and Louis Vierne, Demers in her Madison debut will also perform sections of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s famous orchestral work Scheherazade, which she has transcribed for the organ.
For the specific works on the program, go to: http://www.madisonsymphony.org/demers
Demers (below), who was recently appointed Professor of Organ and head of the Organ Department at Baylor University, has established herself as one of North America’s most virtuosic organists, and is also renowned worldwide as a brilliant performer who consistently enraptures audiences.
She has released recordings including works by Max Reger and Rachel Laurin, which have been praised as “profound and searching” and “superbly produced.” (You can hear Isabelle Demers perform a dramatic work by Rachel Laurin in a YouTube video at the bottom.)
General admission for the concert is $20 and tickets can be purchased at www.madisonsymphony.org/demers, the Overture Box Office or (608) 258-4141.
Student rush tickets are $10 day of show with a valid student ID (see http://www.madisonsymphony.org/studentrush.
This performance is sponsored by the Skofronick Family Charitable Trust. Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund. With a gift from Pleasant T. Rowland, the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) commissioned the Klais custom-built Overture Concert Organ (below), which is the stunning backdrop of all MSO concerts.
To see the Overture Concert Organ series of concerts for 2015-16 or to subscribe at a 25 percent savings, visit: www.madisonsymphony.org/organseason15-16 or call (608) 257-3734.
Tags: American Guild of Organists, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Baylor University, Classical music, concert organ, concerto, George Thalben-Ball, Henry Martin, Isabelle Demers, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Klais Orgelbau, Louis Vierne, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Max Reger, Music, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Orchestra, Overture Center, Rachel Laurin, Scheherazade, Sergei Prokofiev, transcription, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra presents a FREE Farmers’ Market Concert of music for organ and piano this Saturday morning. Plus, there is a FREE orchestra concert and viola concert at Capitol Lakes Retirement Center TONIGHT at 7.
Leave a Comment
ALERT: A friend writes: TONIGHT at 7 p.m. at Capitol Lakes Retirement Community, 333 West Main Street, downtown off the Capitol Square, UW-Madison graduate student Kyle Knox (below with the Middleton Community Orchestra) will be conducting the Serenade No. 1 by Johannes Brahms (at bottom, you can hear the Berlin Philharmonic under conductor Claudio Abbado, in a YouTube video) performed by many members of the Middleton Community Orchestra, and past and future soloists. On the second half of the program, violist Vicki Powell, who is just in Madison for the week, will perform solo works.
The Brahms sounds great. We are lucky to be joined by Madison Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Naha Greenholtz; violinist Paran Amirinazari who will be Middleton Community Orchestra’s concertmaster in the fall; and violist Vicki Powell plus many other fine players.
THE CONCERT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
By Jacob Stockinger
It could sound like a professional wrestling match: “This Saturday the Über Steinway meets the Colossal Klais!”
The Madison Symphony Orchestra’s (MSO) German (Hamburg) Steinway piano will meet the colossal Klais Overture Concert Organ (below) in a free concert featuring guest pianist Stephen Nielson and organist Samuel Hutchison.
The concert will take place during the Dane County Farmers’ Market (below) on this Saturday, June 20, at 11 a.m. in Overture Hall of the Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State Street.
No tickets or reservations are needed for this 45-minute concert.
From familiar hymns to rousing patriotic medleys and stunning solos for piano and organ, this first and only Farmers’ Market organ concert of the summer promises to deliver thrills for all.
American pianist Stephen Nielson made his orchestral debut as a pianist at age 11. During a 30-year collaboration with his late colleague, Ovid Young, Nielson performed more than 3,500 concerts world-wide as part of the distinguished piano duo Nielson & Young.
His 2008 performance with Samuel Hutchison in Overture Hall garnered rave reviews from those in attendance. Nielson received his degree from Indiana University, where he also earned the Distinguished Performer and Phi Beta Kappa honors. Nielson was named a finalist in the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels and has performed throughout Europe and Asia.
Samuel Hutchison has served as Curator and Principal Organist for Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Overture Concert Organ since 2001. An honors graduate of Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, Hutchison has presented many recitals in the U.S and in Europe in locations that include the Riverside Church, New York City; St. Paul’s Cathedral, London; and Notre Dame, St. Sulpice and St. Étienne-du-Mont, Paris. He also performed the complete works of J.S. Bach in a series of 11 weekly recitals for the 300th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra and Overture Center for the Arts present the Farmers’ Market Concert in partnership with the Wisconsin State Journal/Madison.com.
Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund. With a gift from Pleasant T. Rowland, the Madison Symphony Orchestra commissioned the Overture Concert Organ, which is the stunning backdrop of all MSO concerts.
To see the Overture Concert Organ series of concerts for 2015-16 or to subscribe at a 25% savings, visit: www.madisonsymphony.org/organseason15-16
Tags: Artistic director, Arts, Asia, Bach, Baroque, Berlin Philharmonic, Brahms, Capitol Lakes Retirement Center, Chamber music, Classical music, Claudio Abbado, concertmaster, Dane County, Dane County Farmers' Market, Europe, Indiana University, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Klais, Klais Orgelbau, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Middleton Community Orchestra, Music, Music director, New Jersey, New York City, Orchestra, organ, Overture Center, Piano, Queen Elizabeth Competition, Riverside Church, Serenade, Steinway, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, Westminster choir College, Wisconsin, Wisconsin State Journal
Classical music: British razzle-dazzle concert organist Thomas Trotter returns for a fifth appearance in Overture Hall on this coming Tuesday night.
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
On this coming Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, the virtuoso British concert organist Thomas Trotter (below) will return for a fifth recital to mark the 10th anniversary of his unforgettable inaugural recital on the colossal custom-made Klais organ.
Trotter’s performance that night drew a sold-out crowd and he extraordinarily performed “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov — with his feet! (At the bottom, you can hear him play in “The Ride of the Valkyries” by Richard Wagner in a YouTube video.)
Admission is $20.
Student Rush Tickets: $10 day of concert at Overture Box Office.
Adds the magazine The American Organist: “… Thomas Trotter completely deserves his high repute in the organ world…”
For more information and background about Trotter and the remaining organ concerts on the overture Concert Organ (below) this season, visit:
http://www.madisonsymphony.org/trotter
Here is the program, a mix of old and contemporary music, for Tuesday night:
Charles Villiers Stanford (below, 1852-1924)
Fantasia and Toccata in D minor
John Stanley (1712-1786)
Voluntary in F, Op. 7 no. 6
Andante-Vivace
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Trio Sonata No. 1 BWV 525
Allegro-Adagio-Allegro
Jonathan Dove (below)
The Dancing Pipes (2014)
INTERMISSION
Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
The World Awaiting the Saviour
(1st movement from Passion Symphony)
William Bolcom (below, b. 1938)
Two Gospel Preludes: Sweet Hour of Prayer; Free Fantasia on “O Zion, Haste” and “How Firm a Foundation”
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
arranged by Thomas Trotter
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Overture to St. Paul
arranged by W.T. Best
Tags: Arts, Bach, Baroque, Classical music, concert organ, Dukas, Flight of the Bumblebee, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Klais, Klais Orgelbau, Madison, Marcel Dupré, Mendelssohn, Music, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, organ, Overture Center, Richard Wagner, Ride of the Valkyries, Stanford, Stanley, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, WILLIAM BOLCOM, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra’s FREE Christmas Carol Sing is this Saturday morning at 11 a.m. in Overture Hall. Plus, FREE UW Wind Ensemble concert, featuring a world premiere, is this Friday night.
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
FREE MADISON SYMPHONY CAROL SING
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) invites the entire community to a sing-along with the Overture Concert Organ (below) at a FREE Christmas Carol Sing in Overture Hall, 201 State Street, on this coming Saturday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m. (A sample, with “Adeste Fideles” or “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” at Westminster Abbey in England is at the bottom in a YouTube video.)
All ages are welcome and the event is FREE. No registration or tickets are required.
MSO Principal Organist and Curator Samuel Hutchison (below, in a photo by Joe DeMaio) will lead the carol singing, which will last approximately 45 minutes.
For more holiday singing, come 45 minutes early to each performance of A Madison Symphony Christmas concert to hear the Madison Symphony Chorus sing Christmas carols in the festively-lit lobby of the Overture Center.
Here is a link to more information about the concert:
Those concerts are on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 7, at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall and tickets can be purchased at www.madisonsymphony.org/singletickets and through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141.
With a gift from the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, the Madison Symphony Orchestra commissioned the Overture Concert Organ, which is the stunning backdrop of all MSO concerts.
MSO Principal Organist Samuel Hutchison programs and curates the instrument that was custom-built by Klais Organ Works in Bonn, Germany.
In addition to the Free Farmers’ Market Concerts, the instrument is featured in the annual MSO Christmas concert, along with several Free Community Hymn Sings and a Christmas Carol Sing.
See details for all organ performances at www.madisonsymphony.org/organperformances.
Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund. For more information, please contact the MSO at (608) 257-3734 or email info@madisonsymphony.org.
UW-MADISON WIND ENSEMBLE
This Friday night, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall, the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music and the UW Wind Ensemble (below) will present “The Wisconsin Idea and a Premiere” with faculty soloists UW-Madison bassoonist Marc Vallon and UW-Madison baritone Paul Rowe.
The UW Wind Ensemble continues its tradition of “Wisconsin Idea” performances when it shares the stage with the Oconomowoc (Wisconsin) High School Wind Symphony (below), Michael Krofta, conductor.
The UW Wind Ensemble will give the premiere performance of “A Dialogue with Self and Soul,” a concerto commissioned by the UW-Madison from composer and conductor James Stephenson (below).
Basoonist Marc Vallon (below top, in photo by James Gill) and baritone Paul Rowe (below bottom, in a photo by Katrin Talbot) will be faculty soloists.
![Marc Vallon 2011 James Gill (baroque & modern)[2]](https://welltempered.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/marc-vallon-2011-james-gill-baroque-modern2.jpg)
Closing the program will be a sneak peek of the March 2015 Carnegie Hall performance and Wisconsin premiere of “The Frozen Cathedral” by John Mackey. Also included is Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral by Richard Wagner/Cailliet.
This concert will be streamed live on the Internet! Please check this link and sign up for a reminder preceding the concert.
Here is a link:
https://new.livestream.com/accounts/1969065/UWWEwOconomowocHS
The ensemble’s director is Scott Teeple (below).
The Wind Ensemble is the premier wind and percussion ensemble at the UW-Madison School of Music. Repertoire varies from classical wind compositions to contemporary works. The Wind Ensemble actively commissions new works from world-renowned composers, often performing with internationally acclaimed soloists and guest conductors.
Tags: Adeste Fideles, Arts, baritone, Bassoon, Bonn, cathedral, choral music, chorus, Christmas, Classical music, commission, Germany, hymn, Jacob Stockinger, James Stephenson, Klais, Klais Orgelbau, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music, O Come All Ye Faithful, Oconomowoc, Orchestra, organ, Overture Center, Richard Wagner, sing-along, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, vocal music, wind ensemble, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Idea, YouTube
Classical music: Friday night is another big Train Wreck that offers lots of great classical music choices: the Westminster Abbey Choir of London, the UW-Madison Pro Arte String Quartet and Edgewood College’s Fall Choir Concert as well as the opening night of University Opera’s production of “Albert Herring.”
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
This Friday night is, as The Wise Critic likes to call them, another big “Train Wreck.”
That is because there are so many fine but conflicting concerts to choose from.
Yesterday, The Ear posted an interview with David Ronis, who talked about his own background and about the University Opera’s production of Benjamin Britten’s comic opera “Albert Herring.” It opens Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in Music Hall with repeat performances at 3 p.m. on Sunday and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.
Here is a link:
But that opera opening night is just the beginning.
Here are three other events that merit your attention and consideration:
On Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall of the Overture Center, The Westminster Abbey Choir of London, England opens the 10th anniversary season of the Overture Concert Organ (below), custom built by Klais of Bonn, Germany.
From the Madison Symphony Orchestra: “For nearly 1,000 years, inspiring choral music has filled the vast cathedral of London’s Westminster Abbey, the site of every British coronation since 1066. (At the bottom in a popular YouTube video, you can hear the choir singing British composer John Rutter’s “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” at the 60th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.)
“Now, this renowned 40-voice choir (below) comes to Madison to sing with the Overture Concert Organ in a program of music from the 11th century to the Renaissance and 20th century, featuring the works of Orlando Gibbons, George Frideric Handel, Sir Hubert Parry and William Walton.
“Praised by the Sydney Morning Herald as “…One of the great choral powerhouses of our time,” The Choir of Westminster Abbey has performed for numerous notable events including, Evening Prayer in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, which was seen by a worldwide television audience of over two billion people. In June 2012, the Choir made a historic visit to Rome, when it sang, at the Pope’s invitation, alongside the Sistine Chapel Choir.
“When not touring the world with destinations such as Sydney, Hong Kong, Washington, D.C., and Moscow, The Choir of Westminster Abbey works on a celebrated series of recordings for Hyperion. Their critically acclaimed recording Mary and Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey received the Gramophone Critics’ Choice Award and has been hailed as “a showcase for English choral singing at its most charismatic.”
General admission for the concert is $20 and tickets can be purchased at www.madisonsymphony.org/westminster, the Overture Center Box Office or (608) 258-4141. Student rush tickets are $10 on the day of show with a valid student ID (see www.madisonsymphony.org/studentrush).
This concert is sponsored by Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and Alfred P. and Ann M. Moore.
To see the Overture Concert Organ series of concerts for 2014-15 or to subscribe at a 25 percent savings, visit:
www.madisonsymphony.org/organseason14-15 or call (608) 257-3734.
PRO ARTE QUARTET
On Friday night at 7:30 p.m.in Mills Hall, the Pro Arte Quartet (below, in a photo by Rick Langer), which has been artists-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music since 1941, will perform a FREE concert.
The program is: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 71 No. 2 (1793) by Franz Joseph Haydn; String Quartet No. 4 (1936) by Alexander Zemlinsky (1936); and the popular String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96 “American” (1893) by Antonin Dvorak.
EDGEWOOD COLLEGE
On Friday night at 7 p.m., Edgewood College will present its Fall Choral Concert in the St. Joseph Chapel, 1000 Edgewood College Drive. Admission is FREE.
The Edgewood Chamber Singers, under the direction of Albert Pinsonneault (below top), will be joined by the Women’s Choir, under the direction of Kathleen Otterson (below bottom) and the Men’s Choir, under the direction of Sergei Pavlov.
There is no admission charge.
Sorry, The Ear has received no word about specific works on the program.
Tags: Albert Herring, Albert Pinsonneault, American Quartet, Arts, Benjamin Britten, Britten, Chamber music, Choir, choral music, Classical music, Compact Disc, Dvorak, Edgewood College, England, Friday, George Frideric Handel, Haydn, Hubert Parry, Jacob Stockinger, Kathleen Otterson, Klais Orgelbau, London, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music, opera, Orchestra, organ, organ music, Orlando Gibbons, Overture Center, Pro Arte Quartet, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Abbey Choir, William Walton, YouTube, Zemlinsky
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra presents this summer’s last FREE organ concert for the downtown Dane County Farmers’ Market at 11 a.m. this coming Saturday.
1 Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will host the last of three FREE summer performances on the Overture Concert Organ, this time featuring guest organist Donald VerKuilen, during the Dane County Farmers’ Market (below) on this coming Saturday, Aug. 9, at 11 a.m. in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.
No tickets or reservations are needed for this 45-minute concert.
A Wisconsin native and current Oberlin College organ performance major, Donald VerKuilen (below) makes his Overture Hall debut in an exciting program. (You can hear VerKuilen performing “Variations on ‘In Dulci Jubilo’ in a YouTube video at the bottom.)
The music includes the Fantasie in D-flat Major, by Camille Saint-Saëns (below top), the Allegro Vivace for Organ Symphony No. 5 by Charles-Marie Widor (below middle, at the organ in the church of St. Sulpice in Paris circa 1900) and the Suite for organ by Malcolm Archer (below bottom).
VerKuilen recently returned from a concert tour of French organs, and is certain to bring the same magic to the colossal Klais organ, custom-built by Klais-Orgelbau of Bonn, Germany, in Overture Hall.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra and Overture Center for the Arts present the Farmers’ Market Concert Series in partnership with 77 Square.
The Free Farmers’ Market Concerts are sponsored by Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund.
To see the Overture Concert Organ series of concerts for 2014-15 or to subscribe at a 25 percent savings, visit: www. madisonsymphony.org/organseason14-15
Tags: Arts, Bonn, Camille Saint-Saëns, Charles-Marie Widor, Classical music, Dane County Farmers' Market, French music, Jacob Stockinger, Klais, Klais Orgelbau, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Malcolm Archer, Oberlin College, organ, Overture Center, Overture Concert Organ, Paris, YouTube
Classical music: This Saturday morning is the second of this summer’s three FREE Dane County Farmers’ Market organ concerts at 11 a.m. in Overture Hall by the Madison Symphony Orchestra. It marks the Madison debut of guest organist Ahreum Han. Plus, tonight at 7 p.m. violinist and concertmaster Suzanne Beia solos in classical repertoire in the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s FREE Concert on the Square.
Leave a Comment
ALERT: Here is a reminder that tonight, Wednesday, July 16, at 7 p.m., the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra under conductor Andrew Sewell will perform the most classical Concert on the Square of this summer season. For the program “A Little Night Music,” the guest soloist will be WCO Concertmaster violinist Suzanne Beia (below), an accomplished and always busy musician who also plays in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Pro Arte Quartet.
The concert is on the King Street corner of the Capitol Square, and blankets may be placed on the lawn at 3 p.m.. It is road construction season, so remember to allow plenty of time for travel. It will be cooler than normal too, so bring something warm as to wear as the sun sets.
Click here for Suzanne Beia’s biography:
http://wcoconcerts.org/about-wco/musicians/suzanne-beia-concertmaster/
The program includes: The first movement from “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; the first movement from the Violin Concerto in E Minor by Felix Mendelssohn; the first movement from the Symphony No. 6 “Pastorale” by Ludwig van Beethoven; and the third movement from the Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique” by Peter Tchaikovsky.
By Jacob Stockinger
This won’t take long.
The Ear just wants to remind you about a FREE 45-minute organ concert by prize-winning Korean-American organist Ahreum Han (below), a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, that will take place this Saturday, July 19, at 11 a.m. in Overture Hall at Overture Center for the Arts.
Here is the press release:
“Step into the cool expanse of Overture Hall on Saturday, July 19, during the Dane County Farmers’ Market (below top) on the Capitol Square to enjoy the gift of beautiful music with the Madison Symphony Orchestra‘s Overture Concert Organ (below bottom) that was custom-built by Klais Organ Works in Bonn, Germany.
“Bring your family and friends for a relaxing 45-minute concert. No tickets or reservations are needed and all ages are welcome!”
Here is more information and a detailed program from the MSO website:
THE PROGRAM
Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880), transcribed by Ahreum Han, “Overture to Orphée aux enfers” (Orpheus in the Underworld); Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Sinfonia from Cantata 29; Johannes Matthias Michel (b.1962), Three Jazz Preludes, I. Swing Five (Erhalt uns, Herr); II. Bossa Nova (Wunderbarer König); III. Afro-Cuban (In dir ist Freude); Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) “My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice” from “Samson and Delilah”; Louis Vierne (1870-1937), Naïdes from Fantasy Pieces, Op. 55, No. 4, and the Finale from his Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 59.
The program and artist subject to change.
For a full and very impressive biography of Han, who now lives and works in Davenport, Iowa, here is a link to the MSO website:
http://www.madisonsymphony.org/farmershan
And here is a YouTube video of Ahreum Han performing another work, the opening of Organ Symphony No. 3 by Louis Vierne, at the Curtis Institute of Music:
Tags: Arts, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, Bonn, Classical music, concertmaster, concerto, Curtis Institute of Music, Dane County Farmers' Market, Davenport, Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Felix Mendelssohn, Iowa, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Klais, Klais Orgelbau, Louis Vierne, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Music, Offenbach, organ, organ symphony, Overture Center, Overture Hall, Pastorale, Peter Tchaikovsky, Philadelphia, Pro Arte Quartet, symphony, Tchaikovsky, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vierne, Violin, Violin concerto, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
Recent Comments
 | Ronnie on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
 | welltemperedear on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
 | Polly Kuelbs on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
| welltemperedear on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
 | Ann Boyer on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
The Well-Tempered Ear 