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Middleton Community Orchestra performs the second of four FREE outdoor summer concerts at Firemen’s Park this Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

June 19, 2021
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By Jacob Stockinger

This Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Firemen’s Park, the mostly amateur but critically acclaimed Middleton Community Orchestra (MCO) will give the second of its FREE four summer outdoors concerts.

Besides the fact that the day is Father’s Day holiday, weather predictions also call for a good chance of rain or even thunderstorms.

Updates on whether the concert will take place, be cancelled or postponed to a later date, can be found by checking the MCO’s website at 10 a.m.: https://middletoncommunityorchestra.org

Meanwhile, here are the programs, conductors and soloists for the remaining three concerts. All concerts take place in Firemen’s Park in Middleton close to Middleton High School:

CONCERT – SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (revised program)

Sergei Pavlov (below), conductor and professor at Edgewood College

George Walker – “Lyric for Strings”

Ralph Vaughan Williams – “Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis” (heard in the YouTube video at the bottom)

Giacomo Puccini – Lauretta’s aria from “Gianni Schicchi”; Mimi’s aria in Act 3 and Musetta’s aria in Act 2 from “La Boheme” with soprano Yanzel Rivera (below).

Selections from the Pixar movie COCO (piano and strings)

CONCERT – SUNDAY, JULY 25, 11:30 – a.m.-1 p.m.

Chris Ramaekers (below), conductor and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky – “March Slav”

Carl Maria von Weber — Clarinet Concerto No. 2 with soloist and Madison Symphony Orchestra principal clarinetist JJ Koh (below)

Tchaikovsky — Symphony No. 2 “Little Russian”

CONCERT 4 – SUNDAY, AUG. 15, 11:30-1 p.m.

Sergei Pavlov, conductor

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist and UW-Madison graduate Thomas Kasdorf (below)

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Soprano and UW-Madison graduate student Sarah Brailey wins a Grammy Award

March 15, 2021
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By Jacob Stockinger

Soprano Sarah Brailey (below), a native of Wisconsin — who now lives, works and studies in Madison — won a Grammy Award last night.

Brailey received the prestigious award (below) in the category “Best Classical Solo Album” category. It was for her role in the long-neglected, opera-like choral symphony “The Prison” by English composer Dame Ethel Smyth on the Chandos label. (You can hear an excerpt from the Brailey recording in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

Brailey’s win is especially noteworthy because it comes early in her career.

Although she has toured nationally and internationally, and has established herself as a professional singer of note, Brailey is a busy graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, where she is finishing her doctoral degree.

Here is a link to her website: https://sarahbrailey.com

Brailey is also one of the city’s busiest and most respected musicians.

During the pandemic year, she explained and help spark benefit concerts and fundraising for musicians whose livelihoods suffered due to cancelled performances. Here is a link: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/?s=sarah+brailey

She also hosts the Sunday morning radio show “Musica Antiqua” – which features early music — on WORT-FM 89.9.

Recently, Brailey became the artistic director of “Grace Presents,” a series of free concerts at the downtown Grace Episcopal Church across from the state Capitol.

An avid early music performer, Brailey — who won and now directs the annual Handel Aria Competition — also co-founded and co-directs the free monthly series of Just Bach concerts (below, second from right), the lastest of which takes place this Wednesday, March 17. She sings solos, greets listeners and viewers, and often leads the final sing-along chorale from a Bach cantata.

You can hear many of her performances duing the Just Bach concerts on the Just Bach channel on YouTube.

Leave your own congratulations and thoughts about her performances in the Coment section.

The Ear will post a complete list of the classical music Grammy Award nominees and winners later this week.

PS: Another native of the Madison area was nominated for a non-classical Grammy is Bill Rahko, who co-produced the album “Everyday Life” for the rock band Coldplay. The album was nominated for Album of the Year, but lost to Taylor Swift’s “Folklore.”

Here is a link to a story on NBC 15 about Rahko, who attended Middleton High School: https://www.nbc15.com/2021/03/14/madison-area-native-up-for-grammy-award-for-album-of-the-year/

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Here are the Top 10 online concerts to stream in March, according to critics for the New York Times

March 2, 2021
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ALERT: The online live-streamed concert by the UW-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet — scheduled for this Friday night, March 5 — in the all-Beethoven cycle of string quartets has been canceled and postponed until next year. The Friday, April 9 installment of the Beethoven cycle will be held as Installment 7 instead of 8.

By Jacob Stockinger

Classical music critics of The New York Times have once again picked their Top 10 online concerts for the month of March.

The Ear has found such lists helpful for watching and hearing, but also informative to read, if you don’t actually “attend” the concert.

If you have read these lists before, you will see that this one is typical.

It offers lots of links with background about the works and performers; concert times (Eastern); and how long the online version is accessible.

Many of the performers will not be familiar to you but others – such as pianist Mitsuko Uchida (below, in a photo by Hiroyuki Ito for the Times), who will perform an all-Schubert recital, will be very familiar.

But the critics once again emphasize new music and even several world premieres – including one by Richard Danielpour — and a path-breaking but only recently recorded live performance of the 1920 opera “Die Tote Stadt” (The Dead City) by long-neglected composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold (below), who is best known for his Hollywood movie scores but who also wrote compelling classical concert hall music. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear soprano Renée Fleming sing “Marietta’s Song.’)

But some works that are more familiar by more standard composers – including Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Ravel and Copland – are also included.

The Times critics have also successfully tried to shine a spotlight on Black composers and Black performers, such as the clarinetist and music educator Anthony McGill (below top), who will perform a clarinet quintet by composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (below) and music in the setting of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

No purists, the critics also suggest famous oboe and clarinet works in transcriptions for the saxophone by composer-saxophonist Steven Banks (below).

Also featured is a mixed media performance of words and music coordinated by the award-winning Nigerian-American novelist, essayist and photographer Teju Cole (below), whose writings and photos are irresistible to The Ear.

Here is a link to the story in the Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/arts/music/classical-music-streaming-concerts.html

Are there other online concerts in March – local, regional, national or international – that you recommend in addition to the events listed in the Times?

The Ear wants to hear.

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Salon Piano Series cancels the rest of this season but offers a free monthly video from past concerts

December 13, 2020
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By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear has received the following announcement from the Salon Piano Series that take place at Farley’s House of pianos:

Dear friends,

How we’ve missed seeing you, since last we were able to gather – in February, for pianist Shai Wosner (below, in a photo by Marco Borggreve) and his recital of heart-stopping Schubert, Scarlatti, Rzewski and Beethoven.

Since then, our pianos have sat silent, waiting for the day we can safely reopen and welcome you back.

For now, although it breaks our hearts, we do need to stay dark through the rest of the 2020-21 season, for everyone’s safety. Our highest priority is the well-being of our artists, audience and staff.

But rest assured that we are rescheduling all of our postponed performances:

Drew Petersen (below) (https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4275242) will perform next October.

Jazz great Bill Charlap (below) (https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4275248) will perform in June.

We are working to schedule Sara Daneshpour, violinist Rachel Barton Pine, Niklas Sivelov and John O’Conor over the next two seasons.

In the meantime, while we can’t gather in person, we’re pleased to announce the launch of a monthly video series featuring some of our past and upcoming artists.

December brings us the incomparable Shai Wosner and in January, Adam Neiman (below).

During these uncertain times, we appreciate remembering time spent together enjoying music.

Please take a break from your day to see and hear Shai Wosner (below) performing Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonata in C Minor, K. 230, and Frederic Rzewski’s Nano Sonata No. 12.

The video was recorded live at Farley’s House of Pianos as part of the Salon Piano Series on Feb. 23, 2020.

Click here or at the bottom for the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MCxr5ioV4o&feature=youtu.be

Last March, Shai Wosner released a 2-CD album (http://www.shaiwosner.com/recordings.html) of Schubert late piano sonatas. The album’s producer is nominated for a Grammy Award for the album.

Over the years, you have supported the intimate Salon Piano Series with your attendance, individual sponsorships and donations (https://salonpianoseries.org/donate).

We look forward to bringing you more world-class musical performances in our unique salon setting again soon.

In the meantime, these performances are a way to recapture the live concert experience, including commentary from artistic director Tim Farley, with videography by Tom Moss.

Those on our e-newsletter list, available at our website at https://salonpianoseries.org/contact.html, will receive a video link each month, and the videos are also available on our social media channels.

Stay safe, stay healthy and keep listening.

Sincerely,

The Salon Piano Series Board of Directors

Posted in Classical music
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The Madison Symphony Orchestra cancels the remaining orchestra and organ concerts of the 2020-21 season and postpones its Beethoven celebration until next season

December 2, 2020
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By Jacob Stockinger

The Madison Symphony Orchestra (below, in a photo by Peter Rodgers) has canceled the remaining orchestral and organ concerts of the 2020-21 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A free online performance of “A Virtual Madison Symphony Christmas” will take place on Dec. 16 and stay posted through Dec. 31. For more information about the program and performers, plus a link to register and to hear that performance, go to: https://madisonsymphony.org

Plans for others online events – free or paid – have not been announced, although the MSO seems to be considering such steps. It also suggests that the 2021-22 season will be a postponed version of the same concerts planned this season to celebrate the Beethoven Year.

Here is the email from executive director Richard H. Mackie that the MSO sent out Monday:

Dear Friends of the Madison Symphony Orchestra,

As you know, the continuing COVID-19 crisis has curtailed planned performances of orchestras all over the world.

As more and more orchestras face the almost certain prospect that well-attended, full-orchestra concerts indoors will not be possible for the foreseeable future, at least until a successful vaccination program has brought COVID-19 under control, the remainder of many symphony concert seasons across America are now being cancelled .

We have previously cancelled our live, main stage concerts and education performances through January 2021 due to public health restrictions and the closure of Overture Hall.

Public Health Madison and Dane County restrictions continue to prohibit publicly attended indoor concerts. As a consequence, we have faced a painful decision in recent months regarding the fate of the rest of our 2020–2021 season.

I am grieved to announce that, under the present conditions — which offer no reasonable prospect of abatement until the summer, at least — we deem it an unfortunate necessity to cancel all previously scheduled Madison Symphony Orchestra concerts, Education and Community Engagement Programs, and Overture Concert Organ performances through May 2021.

Our June 2021 Concert on the Green remains on our schedule at this time.

We are prepared to issue refunds to our subscribers as we did in the fall. We will be communicating directly with our subscribers to provide options, including the option to donate the value of their tickets.

As we consider alternative programming opportunities for the spring, we will continue to welcome donations to our Musicians’ Relief Fund.

When we planned a joyous celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday, we could scarcely have imagined the devastation of the coronavirus in almost every aspect of our lives. But we are finding solace in successfully rescheduling this epic season just one year hence.

The emerging promise of vaccine development has rekindled our enthusiasm for making great music on a grand scale for our community with our Beethoven celebration. We all look forward to a new beginning with John DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) and the orchestra in September 2021. (You can hear the original promotional preview in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

Please stay tuned for some exciting news about next season. In the meantime, should there be a breakthrough opportunity to restore any of the cancelled orchestra or organ concerts, or educational and community services to the schedule, we will be prepared to do so.

We are committed to helping our orchestra and keeping great music alive in Madison. Thank you for your interest and continuing support.

Sincerely,

Richard H. Mackie, Executive Director

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The New York Times music critics pick 10 online concerts and operas to watch through the month of November

October 30, 2020
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By Jacob Stockinger

Classical music critics for The New York Times have again listed their picks of virtual and online concerts that will be streamed during the month of November, starting this Sunday, Nov. 1, and running right through Nov. 30. In September, they did the same for the month of October.

The list of 10 highlights includes chamber music, orchestral music and operas as well as lots of new music, world premieres of commissions and even the Cliburn International Piano Competition, now known simply as The Cliburn.

Most of the events are posted and available for quite a while.

Note that all times are Eastern and that on this Sunday, Nov. 1, daylight saving ends.

As the critics point out, the list may be especially helpful and enjoyable now that the weather is turning colder, people are isolating at home during the nationwide spikes in coronavirus cases, and concert halls remain closed to the public.

Well-known institutions such as The Metropolitan Opera (below) and the Los Angeles Opera are featured. (You can sample an earlier Met production of Philip Glass’ “Satyagraha” – about the early life of Gandhi — in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

So are symphony orchestras from Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco and Cincinnati.

And pianist Igor Levit (below top), who this past year released the highly praised, award-winning complete cycle of 32 piano sonatas by Beethoven and who was named Artist of the Year by Gramophone magazine, is also featured, as is the outstanding Chicago-based violinist Jennifer Koh (below bottom, in a photo by the Los Angeles Times).

Here is a link to the story: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/28/arts/music/classical-music-stream.html

What do you think of the choices?

Do you have other concerts or classical music events to add to the list?

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #18thCentury, #African-AmericanComposer, #AnthonyDavis, #AnthonyMcGill, #BangonaCan, #BeethovenPianoSonatas, #BeethovenYear, #BerlinGermany, #BlackComposer, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BostonModernOrchestraProject, #BrettDean, #CarlVine, #CassieWieland, #CelloConcerto, #CelloSonata, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberOpera, #ChevalierdeSaint-Georges, #ChoralMusic, #CincinnatiOhio, #CincinnatiSymphonyOrchetsra, #ClaudeDebussy, #CommissionedMusic, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DavidRobertson, #DaylightSaving, #DetroitMichigan, #DetroitSymphonyOrchestra, #ElectionDay, #EllenReid, #Esa-PekkaSalonen, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FerruccioBusoni, #FlorencePrice, #folksongs, #FranzSchubert, #FredericRzewski, #GramophoneMagazine, #IgorLevit, #JacobStockinger, #JamesConlon, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnAdams, #JordanNelson, #JosephBoulogne, #JuliaHagen, #JuliaPerry, #KevChoice, #LiveStreaming, #LosAngelesCalifornia, #LosAngelesOpera, #LouisLangree, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MeredithMonk, #MetropolitanOpera, #MinimalistMusic, #Mirandawarning, #MusicCritic, #MusicDirector, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #NewYorkPhilharmonic, #NewYorkTimes, #NicoMuhly, #OnlineConcert, #OrchestralMusic, #PhilipGlass, #PianoMusic, #PianoSonata, #PulitzerPrize, #RoscoeMitchell, #SanFranciscoSymphony, #SeattleSymphony, #SethParkerWoods, #SocialDistancing, #SouthAfrica, #SouthAsia, #SouthKorea, #StandardTime, #StevenLin, #SteveReich, #StringQuartet, #SymphonyOrchestra, #TheAnonymousLover, #TheCliburn, #TheEar, #TheMet, #ThomasKocheff, #TrackMusic, #TyshawnSorey, #UnfinishedSymphony, #VanCliburn, #VanCliburnInternationalPianoCompetition, #VickyChow, #ViolinConcerto, #ViolinMusic, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WigmoreHall, #WorldPremiere, #XianZhang, #YouHavetheRighttoRemainSilent, #YouTubevideo, 18th century, acclaimed, African American, Anthony Davis, Anthony McGill, arrangement, Arts, asian, audience, available, award, Bach, Bang on a Can, Beethoven, Beethoven piano sonatas, Beethoven Year, Berlin, birthday, black, blog, Blog post, blog posting, Boston, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Brett Dean, Busoni, California, cancel, Carl Vine, Cassie Wieland, cellist, Cello, Cello Concerto, Chamber music, chamber opera, Chevalier de Saint Georges, China, Chinese, choral music, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, clarinet, clarinetist, clarinettist, Classical music, classicalmusic, Claude Debussy, colder, commissions, company, Competition, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, coronavirus, counterpoint, David Robertson, Daylight Saving, Debussy, December, Detroit, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, early, Election Day, Ellen Reid, enjoyable, Esa-Pekka Salonen, event, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, Fantasia, Ferruccio Busoni, Florence Price, forward, Franz Schubert, Frederic Rzewski, Gandhi, Germany, Gramophone (magazine), helpful, highlight, Home, hymn, Igor Levit, improvisatory, India, institution, instrumentalist, insurrection, isolating, Jacob Stockinger, James Conlon, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Adams, Jordan Nelson, Joseph Boulogne, Julia Hagen, Julia Perry, Kev Choice, known, Korea, Korean, Korean musician, life, like, link, list, livestream, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Opera, Louis Langrée, Ludwig van Beethoven, masterpiece, Meredith Monk, Met, Metropolitan Opera, Michigan, minimalist music, Miranda warning, monk, month, music critic, Music director, nationwide, New Music, New York City, New York Philharmonic, Nico Muhly, October, Ohio, online, opera, option, Orchestra, orchestral music, pandemic, People, performer, Philip Glass, Pianist, Piano, piano music, Piano sonata, pick, Politics, postpone, production, program, Pulitzer Prize, resident, Roscoe Mitchell, running, San Francisco, San Francisco Symphony, Satyagraha, Schubert, Seattle, Seattle Symphony, Septemeber, Seth Parker Woods, share, singer, social distance, soloist, Sonata, song, South Africa, South Asia, spike, spriritual, standard time, starting, Steve Reich, Steven Lin, stream, String quartet, subscriber, symphony, symphony orchestra, tag, testament, The Anonymous Lover, The Cliburn, The Ear, the Met, The New York Times, Thomas Kocheff, time, track record, turn, Tyshawn Sorey, Unfinished Symphony, United States, Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Vicky Chow, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, virtual, vocal music, weather, well-known, Wigmore Hall, winner, world premiere, Xian Zhang, YouTube

Madison Opera postpones the tribute TONIGHT to Giorgio Tozzi by Kyle Ketelsen

October 24, 2020
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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 word that tonight’s virtual and online tribute concert by Sun Prairie bass-baritone Kyle Ketelson to his world-renowned teacher Giorgio Tozzi (below) has been CANCELED for TONiGHT — Saturday Oct. 24 — and POSTPONED as part of the Digital Fall series.

Here is the complete message that was posted on Instagram:

“This weekend’s “Live From the Madison Opera Center” concert starring Kyle Ketelsen (below, in a photo by Lawrence Brownlee) has been postponed.

“We are attempting to reschedule for the following weekend and will let you know when we have details.”

For more information about this concert and $50 household subscriptions to the Madison Opera’s Digital Fall, as well as a sample of Tozzi, go to: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2020/10/17/madison-opera-cancels-its-january-production-of-she-loves-me-tonight-is-the-last-virtual-concert-by-the-lunart-festival-of-music-and-art-by-black-women/

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #BassBaritone, #BassSinger, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ConcertSeries, #DigitalFall, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #JacobStockinger, #KyleKetelsen, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaCenter, #OnlineConcert, #OperaMusic, #SocialMedia, #StreamedLive, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #YouTubevideo, Arts, attempt, audience, bass, blog, cancel, canceled, Classical music, Concert, detail, details, digital, event, Facebook, fall, following, forward, Instagram, Jacob Stockinger, Kyle Ketelsen, like, link, live, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Center, message, Music, online, opera, photo, Piano, post, posting, postpone, postponed, reschedule, sample, schedule, series, share, sing, Singing, social media, song, streamed, tag, The Ear, tonight, tribute, United States, virtual, vocal music, weekend, Wisconsin, word

Madison Opera cancels its January production of “She Loves Me.” Will other groups follow suit? Plus, tonight is the last online concert by the LunART Festival of music by Black women

October 17, 2020
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ALERT: TONIGHT, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. the third LunART Festival will wrap up with the second of its two FREE streamed “Human Family” concerts featuring the works of Black women (below). Due to popular demand, last week’s concert is still posted and available for viewing. This week’s concert will be followed by a virtual party. Here are links for information, programs and biographies: https://www.lunartfestival.org/2020virtualfestival and https://welltempered.wordpress.com/?s=LunART

By Jacob Stockinger

The coronavirus pandemic continues to slowly take its toll on local live productions during the current season.

The Madison Opera has now canceled its second production of the season, the Broadway musical “She Loves Me” by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, which was scheduled for late January in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center.

Here are details from Madison Opera: “We will replace She Loves Me with a Digital Winter season that lasts from January to March. Details will be announced in December. (She Loves Me will be part of our 2021/22 season, so it’s only a delay!)”

For more about Madison Opera’s digital fall season – which costs $50 per household to subscribe to – go to: https://www.madisonopera.org/Fall2020

The next digital event is at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday, Oct. 24, by Sun Prairie bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen (below, in a photo by Lawrence Brownlee), who has performed around the world, including at the Metropolitan Opera.

He will perform a live-streamed concert from the Madison Opera Center that will be a tribute to the American bass Giorgio Tozzi (below), who was Ketelsen’s teacher at Indiana University. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear Tozzi sing “This Nearly Was Mine” from “South Pacific” by Rodgers and Hammerstein.)

Here is Tozzi’s biography from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Tozzi

Soprano Emily Secor (below top) and pianist Scott Gendel (below bottom) will perform with Ketelsen.

Here is a link to details of Kyle Ketelsen’s recital: https://www.madisonopera.org/class/liveketelsen/?wcs_timestamp=1603567800

___________________________________________________________________________

The cancellation makes The Ear wonder: Are local groups and presenters being too timid or too hopeful when it comes to future plans for the current season?

After all, this past week we learned that both the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic have canceled the rest of the current season due to public health concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. And all indications are that it will be a very rough, unsafe winter and spring in Wisconsin and Madison.

That’s why The Ear suspects that, unfortunately, the rest of the season will either be canceled or be virtual and moved online. It even seems more than plausible that there will be no live performances until the winter or spring of 2022.

So you can probably expect further word pretty soon of more cancellations, postponements and virtual online performances from the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Madison Opera, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Wisconsin Union Theater, the UW-Madison Mead Witter School of Music, the University Opera and others.

What do you think?

Will there be operas, orchestral performances and live chamber music sometime yet this season?

When do you think it will be safe to perform and attend live concerts?

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #African-AmericanComposer, #Blackcomposers, #BlackWomen, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BloomingtonIndiana, #BroadwayMusical, #CapitolTheater, #ChamberMusic, #CityofMadison, #CollaborativePianist, #ConcertProgram, #ConcertSeason, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DigitalWinter, #EmilySecor, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FlorencePrice, #GiogioTozzi, #HumanFamily, #IndianaUniversity, #JacobStockinger, #JerryBock, #KyleKetelsen, #LiveConcerts, #LiveStreaming, #LunARTFestival, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaCenter, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MadisonWisconsin, #MetropolitanOpera, #MusicEducation, #MusicPresenter, #NewYorkCity, #NewYorkPhilharmonic, #OnlineConcert, #OrchestralMusic, #OscarHammerstein, #OvertureCenter, #PianoAccompaniment, #PianoAccompanist, #PopularDemand, #PublicHealth, #RichardRodgers, #RodgersandHammerstein, #ScottGendel, #SeasonSubscriber, #SheldonHarnick, #SheLovesMe, #SouthPacific, #SunPrairie, #SunPrairieWisconsin, #TheEar, #TheMet, #TheUW, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityOpera, #VirtualConcert, #VirtualFestival, #VocalMusic, #Wikipediabiography, #Wikipediaentry, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WomenComposer, #WrapUp, #YouTubevideo, 2020, 2020-21, 2021, 2022, accompaniment, accompany, African American, American, announce, artists, Arts, attend, audience, bass, bass-baritone, biography, Black composers, Black women, blog, Bloomington, Broadway, cacnel, cancellation, Capitol Theater, Chamber music, Classical music, classicalmusic, composer, Concert, coronavirus, current, December, delay, demand, details, digital, Digital Winter, Emily Secor, expect, Facebook, Florence Price, forward, free, further, future, Gendel, Giorgio Tozzi, group, hopeful, household, human family, Indiana, Indiana University, indication, information, Jacob Stockinger, January, Jerry Bock, Ketelsen, Kyle Ketelsen, last, like, link, live, live concerts, live streaming, livestream, local, LunART Festival, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Center, Madison Symphony Orchestra, make, Mead Witter School of Music, Metropolitan Opera, move, Music, Music education, musical, New York City, New York Philharmonic, online, opera, Orchestra, orchestral, Oscar Hammerstein, Overture Center, pandemic, party, perform, performance, Pianist, Piano, plans, plausible, popular, post, posting, postpone, postponements, presenter, price, production, program, Public health, recital, replace, Richard Rodgers, rough, safe, scheduled, Scott Gendel, Season, Secor, share, She Loves Me, Sheldon Harnick, South Pacific, stream, Student, subscribe, Sun Prairie, suspect, symphony, tag, Teacher, The Ear, the Met, think, timid, toll, Tozzi, tribute, unfortunately, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Opera, unsafe, UW, UW-Madison, virtual, vocal music, week, what, when, Wikipedia, winter, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Union Theater, women composer, wonder, word, world, wrap up, you, YouTube

New York Times music critics pick 10 MUST-HEAR online virtual classical concerts to stream for October

October 3, 2020
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ALERT: Tonight’s concert by the choral group Roomful of Teeth for the Wisconsin Union Theater at the UW-Madison’s Hamel Music Center has been canceled and postponed indefinitely.

By Jacob Stockinger

Increasingly the coronavirus pandemic seems surging out of control. So it comes as no surprise that also more and more concerts of classical music are taking place virtually and online.

There are many ways to choose among local, regional, national and international concerts.

But one good guide was published this last week and featured the choice of must-hear classical concerts by critics for The New York Times.

It is an interesting and varied selection, and includes times, links and brief descriptions.

It features concerts that emphasize Black composers such as Florence Price (below top) and women composers. It covers many genres from a solo piano recital by Jeremy Denk (below bottom) – who is supposed to perform here on Dec. 11 at the Wisconsin Union Theater – to chamber music, vocal music, orchestral concerts and operas.

Curiously, there is quite bit of new music but little early music, either Renaissance or Baroque. Perhaps more will appear around the holiday times, when that music is part of the traditional holiday celebrations.

You will find contemporary composers but also lots of certified, tried-and-true classics and masterworks.

Some are one-day only events but many run from a week through a month.

Here is a link to the story. PLEASE NOTE THAT TIMES ARE ALL EASTERN: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/arts/music/classical-music-stream.html

Please let The Ear know if you like this kind of listing and find it useful.

And please feel free to leave in the comment section other guides or events that the public should know about.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: "Blind Tom" Wiggins, #92ndStreetY, #African-AmericanComposer, #African-AmericanMusic, #AndrewNorman, #BachCantata, #BaroqueComposers, #BaroqueMusic, #BenjaminBritten, #BerlinGermany, #BerlinPhilharmonic, #BlackAmericans, #BlackComposer, #BlindTom"Wiggins, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrentanoQuartet, #BrentanoStringQuartet, #CarnegieHall, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberMusicSocietyofLIncolnCenter, #ClaudeDebussy, #ClevelandOrchestra, #ConcertProgram, #CoronavirusPandemic, #CountertenorSinger, #COVID-19, #DetroitMichigan, #DetroitSymphonyOrchestra, #EasternTime, #EricGarner, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FelixMendelssohn, #FlorenceItaly, #FlorencePrice, #folksongs, #FrankBridge, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FranzWelser-Möst, #FredericRzewski, #GeorgeWalker, #GillesVonsattel, #GustavoDudamel, #HamelMusicCenter, #HolidayConcert, #HolidayMusic, #J'NaiBridges, #JeremyDenk, #JessieMontgomery, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnAdams, #KirillPetrenko, #LawrenceBrownlee, #LosAngelesPhilharmonic, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MetropolitanOpera, #MichaelBrown, #MinimalistMusic, #MusicCritic, #NathalieJoachim, #NewMusic, #NewYorkTimes, #OnlineConcert, #OperaMusic, #OperaPhiladelphia, #OrchestralMusic, #OttorinoRespighi, #PeopleofColor, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoMusic, #PIanoRecital, #PianoSonata, #QuodlibetEnsemble, #RenaissanceMusic, #RoomfulofTeeth, #ScottJoplin, #SpektralQuartet, #SpokenWord, #StringQuartet, #StringQuintet, #TaniaLeon, #TenorSinger, #TheEar, #TheMet, #TheUW, #TrayvonMartin, #Tried-and-True, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VikingurOlafsson, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WilliamGrantStill, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WomenComposers, #YouTubevideo, 92nd Street Y, Adams, Africa, African, African American, African-American music, America, American, Arts, audience, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, Benjamin Britten, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, Bert, black, Black Americans, blog, Brentano Quartet, Brentano String Quartet, Britten, cancel, canceled, Cantata, Caramoor, Carnegie Hall, celebration, cellist, Cello, certified, Chamber music, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, choose, choral music, Classical music, classicalmusic, classics, Claude Debussy, Cleveland Orchestra, comment, composer, Concert, conductor, contemporary, coronavirus, countertenor, critic, Debussy, Denk, description, Detroit, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Dudamel, Early music, earlymusic, Eastern time, emphasize, Eric Garner, Europe, Facebook, Felix Mendelssohn, Florence, Florence Price, folk, folk song, forward, Frank Bridge, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Welser-Möst, George Walker, Germany, Gilles Vonsattel, good, guide, Gustavo Dudamel, Haiti, Haitian, Hamel Music Center, Haydn, Holiday, holiday music, Holidays, images, incarceration, interesting, internation, inventive, Italy, J'Nai Bridges, Jacob Stockinger, Jeremy Denk, Jessie Montgomery, Joachim, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Adams, kind, Kirill Petrenko, know, Lawrence Brownlee, like, link, live-stream, local, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ludwig van Beethoven, masterpiece, Mead Witter School of Music, Mendelssohn, Metropolitan Opera, Mezzo-soprano, Michael Brown, Michigan, minimalism, month, Mozart, Music, music critic, must-hear, narrator, Nathalie Joachim, national, New Music, New York City, New York Times, October, Ohio, online, opera, Opera Philadelphia, Orchestra, orchestral music, Ottorino Respighi, pandemic, people of color, performer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Pianist, Piano, post, posting, postpone, postponed, price, prison, program, public, Quodlibet Ensemble, recital, regional, Renaissance, Respighi, Roomful of Teeth, Rzewski, Scott Joplin, selection, share, singer, Singing, solo, Sonata, Spektral Quartet, spoken word, Still, stream, String quartet, string quintet, subscriber, surprise, symphony, tag, Tania Leon, Tchaikovsky, tenor, text, The Ear, the Met, theme, time, traditional, Trayvon Martin, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, useful, UW, UW-Madison, varied, Vikingur Olafsson, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtual, virtually, vocal music, Walker, ways, week, William Grant Still, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, women, YouTube

Looks like there will be no live concerts for the rest of the 2020-21 season and maybe until early 2022

September 21, 2020
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By Jacob Stockinger

Some important things for classical music fans to know happened over the weekend, even as Dane County continues to break records for new cases of coronavirus.

Three high federal health officials, including director of the CDC Dr. Robert Redfield and his colleague Dr. Anthony Fauci, have testified that it is highly unlikely that vaccines for the coronavirus will be widely available to the public until May 2021 at the earliest and may well be delayed until early 2022 or later.

President Donald Trump says they are wrong, but the public health officials are standing by their estimates.

Adding to the concern is that the rate of people who say they will not get the hurried vaccine continues to rise from 35 percent to 50 percent or more.

In addition, there are reports of logistical problems because the vaccines will be difficult to distribute as they require cold temperatures.

This amounts to bad news for a long list of local arts presenters.

The net effect is that mass gatherings – such as concerts – will not be safe to attend for the rest of this season and perhaps until the beginning of 2022.

That means that many groups that have planned on reopening by January or February are likely to cancel or postpone events for the remainder of this season, and perhaps also for next fall – just as they planned for doing this concert season.

Instead there will probably be more virtual and online events substituted for in-person events — if anything at all is offered.

Among the major groups who have announced earlier reopening and be affected by the new deadlines are: the Madison Symphony Orchestra (below top); the Madison Opera; the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below bottom, in a photo by Mike Gorski); the Wisconsin Union Theater; the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music; the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO); and the Middleton Community Orchestra.

We can all hope that live music starts happening sooner. But The Ear suspects that alternative plans are already being drawn up and will be announced shortly.

What do you think about the estimates of the delays in vaccine accessibility and acceptance?

What do you think music groups will do – or should do in –in the wake of the public health crisis?

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: "Music After the Fall", #AnthonyFauci, #ArtsPresenters, #BadNews, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CentersforDiseaseControl, #ClassicalMusician, #ConcertSeason, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DaneCounty, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #HealthCrisis, #JacobStockinger, #LiveMusic, #MadisonOpera, #MassGathering, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MiddletonCommunityOrchestra, #NetEffect, #NewsReports, #OnlineConcert, #PresidentDonaldTrump, #PresidentTrump, #PublicHealth, #RelatedEvent, #RobertRedfield, #TheEar, #ThePresident, #TheUW, #VirtualConcert, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, 2021, 2022, acceptance, accessibility, adueince, alternative, announce, Anthony Fauci, Arts, arts presenters, attend, avaioale, bad news, beginning, blog, cancel, cases, CDC, Centers for Disease Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Classical music, classicalmusic, cold, Concert, concert season, coronavirus, crisis, Dane County, delay, delayed, difficult, director, distribute, doctor, earliest, early, estimate, event, Facebook, fall, fans, Fauci, February, federal, forward, group, happen, Health, high, hurried, in person, Jacob Stockinger, January, like, link, live music, logistics, Madison Opera, major, mass gathering, Mead Witter School of Music, Middleton Community Orchestra, net effect, new, news, next, official, online, pandemic, People, performer, perhaps, plan, planned, post, posting, postpone, President, President Donald Trump, problems, public 2020, Public health, rate, reader, reopening, reports, Robert Redfield, safe, Season, share, shortly, sooner, start, subscriber, suspect, tag, temperature, testify, The Ear, Trump, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, vaccine, virtual, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, wrong, WYSO

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