The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Here is the music that Wisconsin Public Radio hosts find calming and inspiring during the pandemic. What music would you list?
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By Jacob Stockinger
One of the major sources of music during the COVID-19 public health crisis and the coronavirus pandemic is Wisconsin Public Radio.
The Ear finds WPR a reliable source of beauty and companionship during this difficult time of self-isolation and self-quarantining required by the state’s stay-at-home and self-distancing orders.
Each host plans and broadcasts hours of classical music each day. So they hear a lot of classical music.
They also contribute to a blog that offers insights to: new and old recordings; background information about the composers, music and performers; and personal observations about classical music.
Recently, the radio hosts – including Stephanie Elkins (below), Norman Gilliland, Lori Skelton, Ruthanne Bessman, Anders Yocom (at bottom, in a photo by James Gill) and Peter Bryant — listed the music that they find particularly calming and inspiring during a difficult and anxiety-ridden time.
The names of composers include Bach, Scarlatti, Mendelssohn, Mahler, Ysaye, Vaughan-Williams and film score master John Williams.
The list includes audio-visual performances of the pieces.
Take a look and listen.
Then tell us what you think of the various suggestions and which ones you prefer?
Also leave the composers, pieces and performers that you would add to such a list, with a YouTube link if possible.
Here is a link:
https://www.wpr.org/wpr-music-hosts-share-music-calms-and-inspires
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Classical music: The Festival Choir of Madison closes its season TONIGHT with a concert of East Asian music from China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan
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ALERT: Today and next Saturday, Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Music in Wisconsin” program, hosted by Lori Skelton, will air recorded performances from the past season by the Madison Opera. Both broadcasts start at 1 p.m. This week’s opera is the double bill of one-acts “Cav/Pag,” as Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria rusticana” and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “Paglicacci” are known. Next week will see Antonin Dvorak’s “Rusalka,” with the famous soprano aria “Song to the Moon.”
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
The Ear has received the following announcement to post:
The Festival Choir of Madison (below) will present the last concert of the season, “Jasmine Flowers,” TONIGHT — Saturday, May 18 — at 7:30 p.m. in the Atrium auditorium of the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, in Madison.
The choir and its artistic director, Sergei Pavlov (below right in front row), will perform arrangements of famous songs such as the Japanese “Sakura” (Cherry Blossom), arranged by the late Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu (his version is heard in the YouTube video at the bottom); and “Mo-Li-Hua” (Jasmine Flower), a popular Chinese folk song used variously as a national anthem and for the Olympics, arranged by the leading Korean composer Hyo-won Woo.
The choir will also feature other recent compositions sung in Taiwanese, Korean, Chinese, English and French — including works by Chen Yi, Libby Larsen, Bob Chilcott, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel — inspired by the musical traditions of East Asia.
Admission, with general seating, is $10 for students, $15 for senior citizens, and $20 for adults, with tickets available at the door the day of the concert. Tickets can also be purchased online through Brown Paper Tickets at:
https://www.festivalchoirmadison.org/concerts/2019/5/18/jasmine-flowers
The Festival Choir of Madison is an auditioned, mixed-voice volunteer choir of over 50 experienced singers. The choir performs thematic concerts of artistically challenging choral music from around the world for listeners who enjoy traditional, modern and eclectic works, and for singers who enjoy developing their talents with others.
To learn more about the Festival Choir of Madison, go to www.festivalchoirmadison.org.
Tags: #AntoninDvorak, #ArtisticDirector, #AsianComposers, #AsianMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BobChilcott, #BrownPaperTickets, #CavalleriaRusticana, #ChenYi, #CherryBlossom, #ChoralMusic, #ClaudeDebussy, #EastAsia, #EastAsian, #EnglishLanguage, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FestivalChoirofMadison, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FrenchLanguage, #FrenchMusic, #HomeWebsite, #Hyo-wonWoo, #JapaneseComposer, #JasmineFlower, #KoreanComposer, #LibbyLarsen, #LoriSkelton, #MadisonOpera, #MauriceRavel, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #ModernComposers, #ModernMusic, #MusicalTradition, #NationalAnthem, #OperaAria, #OperaMusic, #OperarMusic, #PietroMascagni, #RadioBroadcast, #RadioHost, #RadioShow, #RuggeroLeoncavallo, #SaturdayAfternoon, #SaturdayNight, #SeniorCitizen, #SergeiPavlov, #SongtotheMoon, #SopranoSinger, #SouthKorea, #ToruTakemitsu, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #YouTubevideo, admission, adult, air, announcement, anthem, Antonín Dvořák, aria, arranged, arrangement, artistic, Artistic director, Arts, Asia, asian, Asian composers, Asian music, audience, bill, blog, blossom, Bob Chilcott, Broadcast, Brown Paper Tickets, Cavalleria Rusticana, challenge, challenging, Chen Yi, cherry, cherry blossom, China, Choir, choral music, Classical music, Claude Debussy, composer, Composition, Concert, conductor, develop, double, dual, East Asia, eclectic, English, exposure, Facebook, famous, Festival Choir of Madison, First Unitarian Society of Madison, flower, flowers, folk, folk song, folksong, French, French music, host, Hoy-won Woo, inspiration, inspired, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Japanese composer, Jasmine, Jasmine Flower, Korea, Korean, Korean composer, last, Libby Larsen, link, listener, liuke, Lori Skelton, Madison, Madison Opera, Maurice Ravel, Mead Witter School of Music, member, modern, Music, musical tradition, national, national anthem, Olympics, Olympics Games, one-act, online, opera, Pagliacci, performance, performer, Pietro Mascagni, program, public, Radio, recent, recorded, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Rusalka, Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, Season, seating, senior, Sergei Pavlov, share, singer, singers, song, Song to the Moon, songs, soprano, South Korea, spread, Student, tag, Taiwan, talent, thematic, theme, ticket, Toru Takemitsu, tradition, United States, University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, video, vocal music, volunteer, Website, week, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, word, works, YouTube
Classical music: Here is the schedule of the Chazen Museum of Art’s chamber music concerts — live and streamed — for 2016. They start this Sunday afternoon with the Wisconsin Brass Quintet. Plus, Mark Adamo will talk about his opera at the performance TONIGHT of “Little Women” by the Madison Opera
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ALERT: Kathryn Smith, the general director of the Madison Opera, which is presenting Mark Adamo‘s opera “Little Women” tonight at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center, writes: “One thing you might let your readers know is that Mark Adamo is doing the pre-show talk TONIGHT in tandem with me — meaning I’m going to ask him questions, so he can talk about his opera instead of me doing so as usual. That is at 7 p.m. in the Wisconsin Studio of the Overture Center, and is free to ticket holders.”
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following message that you may want to print out or write into your datebook:
The Chazen Museum of Art is pleased to announce the continuation of Sunday Afternoon Live From the Chazen for 2016.
On the FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH, the Chazen presents chamber music performances in Brittingham Gallery III of the old Conrad A. Elvehjem Building.
In addition to the gallery performance, the monthly concerts are streamed live on the Internet, making them readily accessible anywhere in the world.
This year marks the 38th season for Sunday Afternoon Live From the Chazen. Until 2015, the series took place weekly and was broadcast live by Wisconsin Public Radio.
When WPR stepped away, the Chazen took over the series.
Lori Skelton, the producer of Sunday Afternoon Live at WPR for many years, has again volunteered to program the concert series and act as its host. Without her musical expertise, as well as her generosity of spirit, the Chazen would not be able to continue this popular program.
During the intermissions, live stream listeners will hear an interview or conversation featuring the museum’s director, Russell Panczenko. Topics include current exhibitions and the permanent collection.
Concerts begin at 12:30 p.m.
All concerts are free and open to the public. However, seating is limited. Chazen Museum of Art members may call 608-263-2246 to reserve seating the week before the concert.
To listen to the concert live on the Internet, simply go to www.Chazen.wisc.edu on the day of the concert and click on Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen.
2016 Schedule
This Sunday, February 7: Wisconsin Brass Quintet
Wisconsin Brass Quintet
March 6: Pro Arte String Quartet
April 3: Clocks in Motion percussion ensemble
May 1: Pro Arte Quartet
June 5: Madison Bach Musicians
July 3 TBD
August 7 TBD
September 4: Black Marigold Wind Quintet
October 2: Pro Arte String Quartet
November 6: Parry Karp, cello
December 4: Pro Arte String Quartet (below in a photo by Rick Langer)
Tags: Arts, Baroque, Bassoon, Beethoven, Black Marigold, brass, Brass quintet, Cello, Chamber music, Chazen Museum of Art, clarinet, Classical music, Clocks in Motion, Concert, cornet, drum, Early music, Elvehjem, flute, French horn, historically informed performance practices, Jacob Stockinger, Little Women, Lori Skelton, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, Madison Opera, Mark Adamo, Music, Oboe, Overture Center, percussion, period instruments, period music, Piano, Pro Arte Quartet, String quartet, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin Brass Quintet, Wisconsin Brass Quntet, wisconsin public radio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Woodwind quintet, YouTube
Classical music: A new statewide collective has been formed to perform and promote Baroque music in Wisconsin, with initial concerts in Madison and Milwaukee. Plus, the Lawrence Chamber Players from Appleton will perform music by Brahms, Elliott Carter and Juan Orrega-Salas this Sunday afternoon on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Sunday Afternoon Live From the Chazen” Museum of Art.
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ALERT: The accomplished and always popular Lawrence Chamber Players, from the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin, will perform on this weekend’s edition of “Sunday Afternoon Live From the Chazen” on Wisconsin Public Radio (88.7 FM in the Madison area). The FREE concert is in Brittingham Gallery III of the art museum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and airs live from 12:30 to 2 p.m. The program includes the Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60, by Johannes Brahms; Duos for Violin and Viola by Elliott Carter, and the Sonata for Viola and Piano by Juan Orrego-Salas. As always, the host will be WPR’s Lori Skelton.
By Jacob Stockinger
Attention, all early music fans!
If you haven’t heard news yet, a new statewide collective has been formed to perform and promote Baroque music in Wisconsin, with initial concerts and groups in Madison and Milwaukee.
Major organizers, with their hometowns, include: Brett Lipshutz, Monica Steger and Christine Hauptly Annin, who all live in Milwaukee; and Eric Miller and Theresa Koenig, who live in Madison.
Brett Lipschutz and Monica Steger — you can hear them with cellist Anton Ten Wolde and harpsichordist Max Yount — performing flute music by Baroque master Georg Philipp Telemann in a YouTube video at the bottom — recently cooperated to answer an email Q&A by The Ear to give readers more information:
When and why did the collective come into being?
The idea began when Monica moved to Milwaukee. Being two of a very small disparate group of musicians playing on period instruments, they wanted to create more activity locally.
Having to travel all of the time to play with good musicians didn’t seem logical, considering the size of Milwaukee. The idea then went from local to statewide in the hopes of connecting a broad base of period musicians, regardless of affiliation.
Our first informal public gathering was July 3, 2013. Brett Lipshutz, Monica Steger, Eric Miller (below), Theresa Koenig, and Christine Hauptly-Annin came together to do open public rehearsals just to bring some awareness to historically informed performance practice.
We know that there are many musicians playing Baroque music on period instruments in Wisconsin, but some feel isolated. The collective offers an opportunity for such musicians to find like-minded colleagues with whom to collaborate, as well as a way to encourage improvement in performance through peer review or studying with guests we would like to bring here. (Below are the Madison Bach Musicians, who will perform a FREE program of J.S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Corelli and Scarlatti this Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Grace Episcopal Church, 116 West Washington Avenue, on the Capitol Square downtown.)
What does such a statewide collective say about the state of early music and how established it is among the general public by now?
Because this is such a new endeavor, the Collective is just starting to be discussed among musicians interested in developing such a community. It might take a bit of time and exposure for the general public to catch on. The emphasis now is the music and the people who play it. The hope is that this emphasis will create excitement about projects that lead to audience education and development.
How many members or chapters belong to it now and where are they located? How does the collective benefit its musician members?
This collective has just gotten started, and we have about 10 musicians in the Madison and Milwaukee areas who have participated in reading sessions and informal public performances, or concerts. But there are more and more who are expressing interest.
What is the plan of concerts and events that the collective has in mind? Do you have other projects such as recordings or special plans in mind?
At this point, members of the Collective have been creating concerts and playing for events under the name of the Wisconsin Baroque Musicians Collective. We’ve also had a music reading session and plan to do them on a regular basis. This includes discussions about relevant peripheral elements such as aesthetics of music, etc. (Below is a concert from the annual Madison early music Festival that takes place every July.)
Are there special aspects of Baroque music – composers, works, instruments (below) – that you expect to champion and educate the public about?
We want our audiences to learn to be curious about the music and its cultural context. Much of the music we play is enjoyable upon the first hearing, but we want to encourage listeners to take a “deep dive” into learning about styles and philosophies informing the music as well as the underlying systems that make the music’s narrative apparent.
How do musicians, presenters or the general public contact you and learn about you?
Musicians interested in playing Baroque music on period instruments are encouraged and welcome to contact us at wisbmc@gmail.com.
We also have a basic informational webpage up at www.harmonyhallforall.com/collective.
Because we are just beginning, our performances are mostly informal and sporadic. However, presenters can contact us for a list of potential projects that group members have expressed interest in realizing in the next couple of years.
Tags: Appleton, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Brahms, Chamber music, Chazen Museum of Art, Christine Hauptly Annin, Classical music, Corelli, duo, Early music, Elliott Carter, flute, Georg Philipp Telemann, George Frideric Handel, Grace Episcopal Church, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Juan Orrego-Salas, Lawrence University, Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, Lori Skelton, Madison, Madison Early Music Festival, Milwaukee, Monica Steger, Museum, Music, Piano, Piano Quartet, Piano Quartet No. 3, Scarlatti, Sonata, Sunday, Sunday Afternoon Live From the Chazen, Telemann, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Viola, Vivaldi, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, WPR, YouTube
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