The Well-Tempered Ear
Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) will build a new $25 million home on East Washington Avenue
1 Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following major announcement to post:
The Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) has announced plans to construct a new $25 million-building in the 1100 block of East Washington Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin.
The new home will occupy three lots and will replace the historic Avenue Bar (below)
The new music center will continue WYSO’s vision to expand instrumental music education and performance opportunities for young people of diverse backgrounds and inspire excellence and a lifelong connection to music.
More than 500 young musicians from communities throughout southern Wisconsin currently participate in WYSO’s programs.
This 500 percent growth in student numbers since the organization’s founding is driving the need for facilities large enough to support both the organization’s programs and its mission of providing transformational musical experiences and opportunities.
For more information about WYSO, go to its home website: https://wysomusic.org
The purchase of the property and the kick-off of WYSO’s capital campaign have been made possible by two lead gifts totaling $18 million from Pleasant Rowland and Jerry Frautschi, who have long been supporters of the organization.
The planned 40,000 sq. ft- building will provide state-of-the-art rehearsal spaces sized for full orchestras; a room designed for percussion including a world-class array of percussion instruments; rehearsal rooms perfect for ensembles and chamber music; a piano laboratory; and small teaching studios for private lessons.
The building will also hold all of WYSO’s current orchestra and Music Makers programs, administrative offices, a music library— and provide opportunity to grow.
But the building will NOT contain public performance spaces. WYSO will continue to rent and use venues that already exist.
Since the fall of 2020, the organization – which used to be located in the UW-Madison School of Music — has been without a home base and has pieced out its program in different facilities throughout the Madison area. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear the WYSO Youth Orchestra give a virtual and socially distanced performance last year of the finale of Rossini’s Overture to “William Tell.”)
This new building will allow all of WYSO’s programs to thrive under a single roof and provide the space, location, resources and connections necessary for WYSO to become a key collaborator in a growing youth arts community.
WYSO’s new home will be around the corner from the newly constructed Madison Youth Arts (My Arts), creating a vibrant youth arts synergy on the near east side. (An architect’s renderings of the exterior and interior theater are below.)
Located on a major transit corridor for easy access with adequate parking, the building will be in proximity to area performing arts venues, with space for WYSO’s programs and community events.
Says WYSO’s Executive Director Bridget Fraser: “Thanks to the incredible generosity of Pleasant Rowland and Jerry Frautschi, musicians of all ages will have state-of-the-art rehearsal facilities to call home. It’s a dream come true!”
WYSO has partnered with Urban Assets, city planners with experience in real estate development; Strang, an integrated architecture, engineering, interior design and planning firm with a history of designing for the civic and cultural sectors; Talaske Sound, experts in architectural acoustics; and J.H. Findorff & Son, a local construction firm passionate about youth education and the arts.
Tags: #AvenueBar, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BridgetFraser, #CapitalCampaign, #ChamberMusic, #CityPlanner, #CoronavirusPandemic, #EastWashingtonAvenue, #ExecutiveDirector, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GioachinoRossini, #HomeWebsite, #InteriorDesign, #J.H.Findorff, #J.H.Findorff&Son, #JacobStockinger, #JerryFrautschi, #KyleKnox, #LastYear, #MadisonYouthArts, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicCenter, #MusicDirector, #MusicEducation, #MusicLibrary, #MusicMakers, #OperaOverture, #PleasantRowland, #PrivateLesson, #RealEstate, #SocialDistance, #TalaskeSound, #TheEar, #TheUW, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UrbanAssets, #VirtualConcert, #WilliamTell, #WilliamTellOverture, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #WYSOconcerts, #YoungPeople, #YouthOrchestra, #YouTubevideo, achitecture, acoustics, adequate, administrative, architect, area, Arts, audience, Avenue Bar, bar, blog, Bridget Fraser, build, building, capital campaign, Cello, center, Chamber music, city planner, civic, Classical music, collaborator, community, Concert, connection, construction, contain, coronavirus, coronavirus pandemic, corridor, cultural, development, diverse, diversity, dream, East Washington Avenue, Education, engineering, ensemble, exapnd, Executive director, exist, experience, expert, exterior, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, facilities, firm, forward, founding, Fraser, gift, Gioachino Rossini, grow, growth, historic, Home, information, instrument, interior, interior design, J.H. Findorff & Son, Jacob Stockinger, Jerry Frautschi, key, kick off, Kyle Knox, Laboratory, large, last, last year, lessons, library, like, link, local, located, lots, Madison, Madison Youth Arts, major, Mead Witter School of Music, million, mission, Music, music center, Music director, Music education, music library, Music Makers, need, new, numbers, office, opera, opportunity, Orchestra, organization, Overture, pandemic, parking, partner, passionate, percussion, performance, Piano, plan, Pleasant Rowland, possible, post, posting, private lesson, program, property, public, purchase, real estate, rehearsal, rendering, Rent, replace, resources, restaurant, rooms, Rossini, sector, share, size, small, social distance, son, space, state-of-the-art, Strang, students, studio, support, supporter, symphony, synergy, tag, Talaske Sound, teaching, The Ear, theater, transformation, transit, true, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Urban Assets, use, UW, UW-Madison, venue, vibrant, Viola, Violin, virtual, vision, Washington, Website, William Tell, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, world-class, WYSO, year, young, young people, Youth, Youth Orchestra, YouTube, YouTube video
Classical music: After 54 years at the UW-Madison, the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) will move this fall to the new McFarland Performing Arts Center.
11 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Starting this fall, the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO, below) will have a new home for classes, rehearsals and performances.
The news of moving to the McFarland Performing Arts Center (below) is very good for WYSO. But The Ear feels sad to see the University of Wisconsin-Madison and WYSO parting ways after a partnership of 54 years.
It feels like the UW, a distinguished public institution, is backing away from the Wisconsin Idea of public service to the citizens who fund the university. It is embodied in the saying that “the boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state.” (Editor’s note: For more about the Wisconsin Idea and its Progressive Era history, go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Idea)
It feels, in short, like a setback to community engagement by the UW-Madison and its Mead Witter School of Music, where WYSO once had offices and used Mills Concert Hall.
Be that as it may, here is a WYSO email newsletter’s account of what led up to the decision and move.
“The news from University of Wisconsin-Madison started trickling in a little at a time.
“First, Mills Hall (below), where WYSO had rehearsed almost every Saturday since the Humanities Building opened, was scheduled for transformation from a concert hall into a lecture hall. (You can see WYSO performing in Mills Hall in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
“Then the UW began to reconsider whether pre-college programs should actually share space with university departments.
“And there was the growth of WYSO itself — from one full orchestra to three, plus two string orchestras, a chamber music program (below top), a full array of ensembles, and the community-impact Music Makers (below bottom).
“Meanwhile, 12 minutes away, the town of McFarland opened an amazing 841-seat, state-of-the-art performing arts center (below).
“And incredibly, the adjacent middle school and high school campus (below) had enough parking and enough rehearsal space to accommodate the entire WYSO program with room to grow — all of the student musicians, all of the orchestras, and all rehearsing at the same time.
“In a unique move of creative place-making, McFarland’s School Superintendent Andrew Briddell reached out to WYSO and suggested all of the above opportunities, plus collaboration with the McFarland schools, staff and community, and the ability to build on the creative history of the town itself.
“Passionate about music and education, Andrew Briddell, earned a double major in music and English from Indiana University, a Master’s degree in bassoon from Temple University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the UW-Madison.
“”A talented bassoon player, Briddell (below) played with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and was music director of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Birmingham.
“What a perfect match for this collaboration!
“It was an invitation too good to pass up. So starting in the fall of 2020, the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras will be in residence at the new McFarland Performing Arts Center.”
To read more details about WYSO’s new home, including design and acoustics, go to: https://www.wysomusic.org/the-wyso-weekly-tune-up-april-17-2020-wysos-new-home/
What do you think about the new move WYSO?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AlabamaSymphonyOrchestra, #AndrewBriddell, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ConcertHall, #DoctoralDegree, #DoubleMajor, #EmailNewsletter, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #HarpEnsemble, #HighSchool, #HumanitiesBuilding, #IndianaUniversity, #JacobStockinger, #LectureHall, #Master'sDegree, #McFarlandHighSchool, #McFarlandPerformingArtsCenter, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MiddleSchool, #MillsHall, #MosseHumanitiesBuilding, #MusicDirector, #MusicEducation, #MusicMakers, #PassUp, #PercussionEnsemble, #PerformingArts, #PerformingArtsCenter, #PublicService, #SchoolSuperintendent, #StringMusic, #StringOrchestra, #StudentMusicians, #SymphonyOrchestra, #TempleUniversity, #TheEar, #Wikipediabiography, #Wikipediaentry, #WisconsinIdea, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #YouthSymphonyOrchestraofBirmingham, #YouTubevideo, ability, accomodate, account, acoustics, Alabama, analysis, Andrew Briddell, Arts, audience, bassoonist, Birmingham, blog, border, boundary, build, Campus, Chamber music, citizen, classes, Classical music, collaboration, community, Concert, concerto, concerto hall, creative, degree, department, design, detail, doctorate, double major, downtown, Education, educational, email, embody, English, ensemble, entire, Facebook, fall, forward, full, fund, good, grow, grown, high school, History, Home, humanities, humanities building, impact, Indiana University, institution, invitation, Jacob Stockinger, leadership, lecture hall, like, link, Madison, major, masters degree, match, McFarland, McFarland High School, McFarland Performing Arts Center, Mead Witter School of Music, Middle school, Mills Hall, Mosse Humanities Building, move, Music, Music director, Music education, Music Makers, new, newsletter, oepn, opportunities, Orchestra, PAC, parking, partnership, pass, pass up, percussion, perfect, perform, performance, performer, Performing arts, Performing Arts Center, Piano, player, policy, post, posting, pre-college, program, progressive, Progressive Era, public, public service, rehearsal, residence, room, saying, schedule, school, school superintendent, share, sharspace, space, staff\, state, state-of-the-art, string music, String Orchestra, student musicians, symphony, symphony orchestra, tag, talented, Temple University, The Ear, think, town, transformation, unique, United States, university, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, up, UW-Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Idea, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, WYSO, years, Youth Symphony Orchestra of Birmingham, YouTube
Classical music NEWS ALERT: Coronavirus causes WYSO to cancel, postpone Winterfest concerts this Friday night and Saturday afternoon. It will also postpone other events through April 11
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Now it begins — the response of local arts groups to the threat posed by the Corona virus and COVID-19.
Here is an announcement The Ear received late yesterday from Bridget Fraser, the executive director of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO):
Dear WYSO Students and Families,
In response to the recent announcements from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra concert with the Madison Opera Studio Artists scheduled for this Friday, March 13, will NOT take place as scheduled.
All of the WYSO Winterfest concerts scheduled for Saturday, March 14, will also be postponed.
The safety and health of our community is our most important priority. The UW-Madison is cancelling all large campus events until April 10, due to the uncertainties presented by COVID-19 (the corona virus). That includes the Hamel Music Center, Mills Hall and the Humanities Building.
For the safety of our senior community and supporters, we are also postponing activities at Capitol Lakes and Oakwood Village University Woods.
Everything is a work-in-progress as we look at the calendar and rescheduling events, however. The range of WYSO activities currently impacted is below:
March 13: Friday, Winterfest Concert at the Hamel Center: POSTPOSED
March 14: Saturday, All Winterfest Concerts at Mills Hall: POSTPONED
March 19: Thursday, Master Class with Madison Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Naha Greenholtz at Oakwood Village: POSTPONED or POSSIBLE VENUE CHANGE
March 21: Art of Note Gala, Monona Terrace: POSTPONED
March 28: Music Makers at Bach Around the Clock (BATC): CANCELLED
April 4: Saturday, Percussion Extravaganza: POSTPONED
April 4: Chamber Music Recital, Capitol Lakes: POSTPONED
April 11: Chamber Music Recital, Oakwood Village University Woods: POSTPONED or POSSIBLE VENUE CHANGE
Thank you for your understanding, patience and support as we navigate these circumstances. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the WYSO office at: https://www.wysomusic.org
Tags: #ArtofNote, #BachAroundtheClock, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BridgetFraser, #CapitolLakes, #ChamberMusic, #CommunitySupport, #COVID-19, #ExecutiveDirector, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #HamelMusicCenter, #HumanitiesBuilding, #JohannSebastianBach, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MillsHall, #MononaTerrace, #MusicEducation, #MusicMakers, #NahaGreenholtz, #NewsAlert, #OakwoodVillage, #OakwoodVillageWest, #PercussionMusic, #SeniorCitizen, #StudioArtist, #TheEar, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityWoods, #VocalMusic, #Winterfestconcerts, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, activities, announcement, Art of Note, Arts, audience, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, Baroque, Baroque music, BATC, begin, blog, Bridget Fraser, calendar, Campus, cancel, Capitol Lakes, Capitol Lakes Retirement Center, Cello, Chamber music, circumstances, Classical music, community, composer, Concert, concertmaster, conductor, coronavirus, Early music, event, Executive director, Facebook, families, Family, forward, free, Hamel Music Center, Health, humanities building, important, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, like, link, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Orchestra, master class, masterclass, Mills Hall, Monona Terrace, Mosse Humanities Building, Music, Music education, Music Makers, Naha Greenholtz, navigate, news, news alert, Oakwood Village, Oakwood Village West, office, opera, Orchestra, patience, percussion, performer, Piano, post, posting, postpone, priority, range, recent, recital, reschedule, resonse, response, safety, scheduled, senior, senior citizen, share, singer, singers, Singing, Student, students, Studio Artist, support, supporter, symphony, tag, The Ear, threat, uncertainties, understanding, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, venue, Viola, Violin, violinist, vocal music, Winterfest, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, WYSO
Classical music: Con Vivo concludes its 17th season Saturday night with chamber music by Prokofiev, Haydn, Medtner and Mozart. Children in Music Makers perform a FREE concert on Sunday afternoon
1 Comment
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.
ALERT: The final Music Makers concert is this Sunday, June 2, at 4 p.m. in the First Unitarian Society of Madison’s Atrium Auditorium, 900 University Bay Drive. The concert is FREE and open to the public and will include performances by students from age 8 to 18 performing works by Shostakovich, Puccini and more.
Part of Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, Music Makers aims to enrich and develop the music skills of children from all backgrounds in an inclusive and non-competitive environment. Music Makers provides the financial support for instruments, lessons and performance opportunities, making music education accessible for all children. Learn more at wysomusicmakers.org.
By Jacob Stockinger
This Saturday night, the chamber music group Con Vivo (below) will close out its 17th season.
The concert, entitled “Overture to Summer,” will include music for violin and piano by Nikolai Medtner; the Overture on Hebrew Themes by Sergei Prokofiev; the Piano Trio in G Major “Gypsy Rondo” by Joseph Haydn; and the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. (You can hear the Gypsy Rondo movement from Haydn’s piano trio in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The concert takes place on this Saturday night, June 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the intimate Chapel at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Avenue, across from Camp Randall Stadium.
Tickets can be purchased at the door for $18 for adults and $15 for seniors and students.
Audience members are invited to join the musicians after the concert for a free reception to discuss the concert.
About the concert, artistic director Robert Taylor says: “We conclude our 17th season with music evocative of warm summer days in the sun. The wonderful lush strains of Medtner’s violin music are contrasted by the bright music of Haydn in his Piano Trio in G Major nicknamed “Gypsy Rondo.” The evening continues with one of Con Vivo’s signature pieces, Overture on Hebrew Themes by Prokofiev. We conclude with the beautiful Quintet for Clarinet and Strings by Mozart. What could be a better way to ring in the warm sunny days of summer?”
Con Vivo is a professional chamber music ensemble comprised of Madison area musicians assembled from the ranks of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and various other performing groups familiar to Madison audiences.
For more information, go to the home website www.convivomusicwithlife.org
Tags: #AtriumAuditorium, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CampRandallStadium, #ChamberMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ClarinetQuintet, #ConVivo, #DmitriShostakovich, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FinancialSupport, #FirstCongregationalUnitedChurchofChrist, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FranzJosephHaydn, #GiacomoPuccini, #GypsyRondo, #JesusChrist, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MusicEducation, #MusicLessons, #MusicMakers, #MusicStudent, #NikolaiMedtner, #OvertureonHebrewThemes, #PianoTrio, #SaturdayNight, #SeniorCitizen, #SergeiProkofiev, #Sundayafternoon, #ViolinMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, accessible, aim, Artistic director, Atrium Auditorium, audience, background, blog, bright, Camp Randall Stadium, centerpiece, Chamber music, chapel, Christ, Christian, church, Clarinet Quintet, Classical music, classicalmusic, Con Vivo, Concert, conclude, contrast, day, days, develop, diversity, enrich, environment, evening, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, final, financial, First Congregational United Church of Christ, First Unitarian Society of Madison, Franz Joseph Haydn, free, group, gypsy rondo, Hebrew, inclusive, instruments, intimate, Jesus, lesson, like, link, lush, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, movement, Music, Music education, Music Makers, Musician, Nikolai Medtner, non-competitive, Overture, performer, performing, Piano, Piano Trio, piece, program, public, Puccini, Sergei Prokofiev, share, Shostakovich, signature, skills, strains, strings, Student, students, summer, sun, Sunday, support, tag, themes, ticket, video, Violin, violin music, warm, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, works, WYSO, YouTube
Music education: Music Makers of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras will close the season by performing a FREE concert this Sunday afternoon
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement to post from the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO):
Join us at 4 p.m. this Sunday, June 3, at Music Hall (below top), 925 Bascom Mall in Madison – at the base of Bascom Hill on the UW-Madison campus — for the final concert of the WYSO Music Makers (below bottom) during their inaugural season.
The FREE concert includes performances by students ages 8 to 18 on violin, guitar and piano. (Editor’s note: Sorry, there is no word about the composers or works on the program.)
“It’s been an incredible year in so many ways and it’s exhilarating to think back to September 2017 and see how much we have all learned and how many new friends we have made,” said violinist and WYSO Music Makers program director Paran Amirinazari (below). “Our students have grown as musicians and individuals and we can’t wait to continue growing and learning together.”
WYSO Music Makers exists to enrich and develop the music skills of children from all backgrounds in an inclusive and non-competitive environment. We provide the financial support for instruments, lessons, and performance opportunities, making music education accessible for all children. No motivated student is turned away for lack of resources. Learn more at wysomusic.org/wysomusicmakers. (See the YouTube video at the bottom.)
WYSO Music Makers is supported by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, with additional support from CUNA Mutual Foundation, Edith Olsen Music Foundation, Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation, Madison Community Foundation, and Madison Gas & Electric Foundation, Inc.
Tags: #BascomHill, #CUNAMutual, #EndresManufacturing, #GuitarMusic, #MadisonGas&Electric, #MaidsonCommunityFoundation, #MG&E, #MusicEducation, #MusicHall, #MusicLessons, #MusicMakers, #PianoMusic, #PleasantT.Rowland, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, afternoon, announcement, Arts, Chamber music, Classical music, composer, Concert, CUNA Mutual, director, Endres Mfg. Company, financial, free, funding, growing, guitar, inaugural, instrument, Jacob Stockinger, learning, Madison, Madison Community Foundation, Madison Gas and Electric, Music, Music education, Music Makers, Orchestra, Piano, Pleasant T. Rowland, Season, Student, Sunday, supported, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Violin, Wisconsin Youth Symhony Orchestras, YouTube
Classical music: Here are the performers, programs and schedule for Saturday’s concerts by the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement from the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras to post:
Join us for our second concert series of the season, the Diane Ballweg Winterfest Concerts on this Saturday, March 10, in Mills Concert Hall, 455 North Park Street, on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
Programmed pieces include works from Brian Balmages, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ralph Matesky, Gustav Holst, Samuel Barber, and more.
For the full concert repertoire, go to: https://www.wysomusic.org/2018-winterfest-repertoire/
“Every one of these concerts is jam-packed with great music—the kind of classics that have endured,” said interim WYSO artistic director Randal Swiggum (below).
“These concerts will inspire audiences, guaranteed, not just with masterworks like Holst’s ‘Jupiter’ from The Planets, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, but with the energy and freshness that young musicians bring to this music.” (You can hear the dramatic and well-known opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, with an engaging graphic display of its structure, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Additional highlights from the concerts include an Opus One collaboration with the WYSO Music Makers Honors Ensemble on the traditional piece Goin’ To Boston; a guest appearance from NBC-15 TV News Anchor/Reporter John Stofflet (below top) who will narrate Sinfonietta’s performance of Lincoln at Gettysburg; and concerto performances from the 2017-2018 Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition winners, violist Maureen Sheehan (below middle) of Middleton and violinist Dexter Mott (below bottom) of Madison.
“Both Maureen with the Walton Viola Concerto, and Dexter with the Sibelius Violin Concerto, have tackled mature pieces that demand not just technical prowess, but thoughtful, nuanced interpretation,” Swiggum said. “I know audiences will be truly moved by their playing.”
Tickets are available at the door the day of the concerts, and are $10 for adults and $5 for youth 18 and under.
Diane Ballweg Winterfest Concerts Schedule
11:30 a.m. – Opus One with WYSO Music Makers (below, playing at the Wisconsin Union Theater) and Sinfonietta with NBC-15 News Anchor/Reporter John Stofflet narrating Lincoln at Gettysburg.
1:30 p.m. – Harp Ensemble (below) and Concert Orchestra.
4:00 p.m. – Philharmonia Orchestra (below), with a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, and Holst’s “Jupiter” from The Planets.
7:00 p.m. – Youth Orchestra, with performances from the 2017-2018 Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition winners, Dexter Mott and Maureen Sheehan.
Tags: #AbrahamLincoln, #FifthSymphony, #FranzSchubert, #GeorgesBizet, #GustavHolst, #JayUngar, #JeanSibelius, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnStofflet, #LeonardBernstein, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MusicEducation, #MusicMakers, #NBCNews15, #PaulDukas, #SamuelBarber, #ThePlanets, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #WilliamWalton, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, anchor, Arts, audience, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, Bernstein, Bizet, Boston, Brian Balmages, Campus, Cello, Chamber music, Classical music, Competition, composer, Concert, concerto, display, Dukas, energy, freshness, Gettysburg, graphic, great, harp, highlight, honors, interpretation, Jay Ungar, Jay Unger, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Stofflet, Jupiter, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, mature, Middleton, Mozart, Music, Musician, narrate, news, nuance, Orchestra, playing, prowess, Ralph Matesky, reporter, Rossini, Samuel Barber, Schubert, Sibelius, solo, soloist, structure, symphony, technical, Television, thoughtful, TV, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, video, Viola, Violin, Walton, winner, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, WYSO, young, Youth, YouTube
Classical music: Grammy-winning Eighth Blackbird performs Saturday night at the Wisconsin Union Theater. Go early and don’t miss the half-hour student “warm-up” show
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
Of course the main event at the Wisconsin Union Theater this Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. is the performance by the four-time Grammy-winning group Eighth Blackbird (below), which specializes in performing contemporary composers and new music.
Here is a link with more information – videos, sound samples, reviews, the program and tickets — about the concert by Eighth Blackbird, which you can hear giving a Tiny Desk Concert for National Public Radio (NPR) in the YouTube video at the bottom.
https://union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/event-calendar/event/eighth-blackbird/
But if you can, go to the concert early.
That’s because The Ear wants to give a loud shout-out to the Wisconsin Union Theater for offering a pre-concert concert of student players at 7 p.m. (There is also a free pre-concert lecture by conductor Randal Swiggum at 6 p.m.)
The students play Bach, Vivaldi, folk music and more. They set the mood and get you ready, kind of like the warm-up band at a rock concert. They also restore your faith in the future of classical music.
This time the young performers will be the Suzuki Sonora Strings of Madison.
They are fun, impressive and inspiring. The Ear remembers hearing violin virtuoso Hilary Hahn praise the Suzuki Sonora Strings and the Suzuki method for starting her on her own career. (Hahn, far right in the front, is seen below with the students.)
And below is a statement provided by Esty Dinur, the director of marketing for the Wisconsin Union Theater, about why they feature the students — an idea that The Ear praises highly because he thinks it expands and rewards the audience as well as the students.
Music education needs more of this kind of public visibility that doesn’t isolate the young learners and performers but instead integrates them into the mainstream classical music scene.
Here is the statement by Dinur:
“We have so far hosted two groups of young musicians, the Suzuki Sonora Strings and the group known previously as Madison Music Makers and currently as the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) Music Makers.
“The Sonora Strings (below, seen from the balcony) performed before the concerts by Hilary Hahn in the 2015-2016 season and Joshua Bell in the 2016-2017 season. They will be performing again this Saturday ahead of the concert by Eighth Blackbird.
“WYSO Music Makers (below) performed before last season’s Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (and I learned that one of the LAGQ musicians played with them—from behind the shell!). We may add other young musicians in the future.
“We view them as the artists, teachers, audience members and advocates of the future, the people who will continue loving and spreading the love of classical and other music.
“As such, we’re excited to have the ability to provide them with experiences by world-class musicians in a world-class venue.
“It is always wonderful to see them working so hard on stage, being serious and intent and excited. It is also wonderful to see their parents and families derive such pleasure and justified pride for the accomplishments of their kids.
“We are also delighted to be able to present groups that are more diverse than the usual classical music crowd. The future promises to be significantly more diverse than the present. It’s nice to be able to bring that future onto our stage and our audience right now.
“Reactions from all quarters have been great. The kids, their teachers and their families are all very appreciative of the opportunity. So far, I’ve heard nothing but good feedback from the audience which seems to enjoy both watching and listening to the youngsters and to appreciate the intent behind their performances.
“Finally, these shows may be taxing at times for our staff but they’re happy to shoulder the challenges in order to participate in this important work.”
Tags: #AntonioVivaldi, #EighthBlackbird, #GrammyAwards, #HilaryHahn, #JohannSebastianBach, #JoshuaBell, #LosAngelesGuitarQuartet, #MusicMakers, #NationalPublicRadio, #NewMusic, #SuzukiMethod, #SuzukiStrings, #TinyDeskConcert, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, Arts, audience, Bach, Baroque, career, Classical music, composer, Concert, contemporary, crowd, diversity, families, fanily, feedback, Folk music, future, Grammy, Grammy Award, guitar, Hilary Hahn, intent, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joshua Bell, kids, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, marketing, Music, Music education, Musician, New Music, night, NPR, Orchestra, Parent, Piano, pleasure, pride, program, public, Quartet, reaction, ready, restore, Saturday, Sonora, Suzuki, ticket, Tiny Desk Concert, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, venue, video, Viola, Violin, virtuoso, visibility, Vivaldi, world-class, WYSO, young, Youth, YouTube
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 