The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: This Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, the Oakwood Chamber Players finish their “Vignettes” season with an American audio-visual work and music by French, Italian and British composers
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By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend, the Oakwood Chamber Players — known for highlighting neglected composers and works — perform the last concert of their current season series “Vignettes” with an array of contrasting and generally neglected works from the late 19th to 21st century.
Performances will take place on Saturday night, May 18, at 7 p.m. and on Sunday afternoon, May 19, at 2 p.m. Both concerts will be held at the Oakwood Village Center for Arts and Education, 6209 Mineral Point Road, on Madison’s far west side near West Towne Mall.
Tickets can be purchased with cash or personal checks at the door: $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors and $5 for students.
Members of the Oakwood Chamber Players (below) are: Marilyn Chohaney, flute; Nancy Mackenzie, clarinet; Amanda Szyczs, bassoon; Anne Aley, horn; and Maggie Townsend, cello.
They are joined by guest artists: Valree Casey, oboe; Hillary Hempel, violin; Michael Koszewski, percussion; Jason Kutz, piano; and Carrie Backman, conductor.
American composer Michael Gandolfi (below top) collaborated with MIT computer animator Jonathan Bachrach (below bottom) to create a unique musical and visual partnership for his Abridged History of the World in Seven Acts. Six instrumentalists create overlapping textures and rhythmic interplay in response to mesmerizing images.
Four French composers from the late 19th to mid-20th century are featured: The piano, four-hand “Dolly Suite” by Gabriel Fauré (below top) in an arrangement for woodwind quintet and piano; Petite Pièces (Small Pieces) for violin, horn and piano by his student Charles Koechlin (below middle; the sweetly engaging quartet Sérénade (Serenade) by Reynaldo Hahn (below third); and five Pièces en Trio (Trio Pieces) for oboe, clarinet and bassoon by Jacques Ibert (below bottom).
The Piano Trio in One Movement” by British composer Norman O’Neill (below) is full of verve and heart-felt melodies.
The woodwind quintet Piccolo Offerta Musicale” by noted Italian film composer Nino Rota (below), who wrote the scores for many films by Federico Fellini, is a short homage to Johann Sebastian Bach. (You can hear in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The Oakwood Chamber Players are a group of Madison-area professional musicians who have rehearsed and performed at Oakwood Village for over 30 years. They perform in other groups, including the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Willy Street Chamber Players.
For more information, go to www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com or call (608) 230-4316.
The Oakwood Chamber Players are a professional music ensemble supported by Oakwood Lutheran Senior Ministries and the Oakwood Foundation.
Tags: #19thCentury, #21stCentury, #AmericanComposer, #AnneAiley, #BaroqueMusic, #BassoonMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BritishComposer, #CelloMusic, #ChamberMusic, #CharlesKoechlin, #ClarinetMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FedericoFellini, #FilmComposer, #FilmScore, #FilmSoundtrack, #FluteMusic, #Frenchcomposer, #FrenchMusic, #GabrielFaure, #GuestArtist, #HornMusic, #InstrumentalMusic, #InstrumentalPlayer, #italianComposer, #JacquesIbert, #JasonKutz, #JohannSebastianBach, #JonathanBachrach, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MaggieTownsend, #MarilynChohaney, #MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MichaelGandolfi, #NancyMackenzie, #NeglectedComposers, #NeglectedMusic, #NeglectedRepertoire, #NinoRita, #NormanO'Neill, #OakwoodChamberPlayers, #OakwoodVillage, #OboeMusic, #PercussionMusic, #PersonalCheck, #PianoMusic, #PianoTrio, #PrincipalCellist, #ReynaldoHahn, #SaturdayNight, #SeniorCitizen, #Sundayafternoon, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViolinMusic, #WestTowneMall, #WillyStreetChamberPlayers, #WindMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WoodwindInstruments, #WoodwindMusic, #WoodwindQuintet, #YouTubevideo, 19th century, 21st century, abridged, acts, admission, afternoon, American, animate, animation, animator, Anne Ailey, array, Arts, audio-visual, Bach, Baroque, Bassoon, bassoonist, blog, British, cash, Cello, Chamber music, Charles Koechlin, clarinet, clarinetist, Classical music, collaborate, composer, computer, Concert, conductor, contrast, create, current, Dolly, door, Early music, ensemble, Facebook, feature, Federico Fellini, film, flute, flutist, forward, foundation, French, full, funding, Gabriel Fauré, group, guest artist, heart, highlight, History, homage, Horn, images, information, instrumentalist, interplay, Italian, Jacob Stockinger, Jacques Ibert, Jason Kutz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Jonathan Bachrach, like, link, Lutheran, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Marilyn Chohaney, Mead Witter School of Music, melodies, melody, mesmerizing, Michael Gandolfi, ministry, MIT, movement, movie, Music, musical, Nancy Mackenzie, night, Nino Rota, Norman O'Neill, Oakwood Chamber Players, Oakwood Village, Oboe, oboist, one, partnership, percussion, percussionist, perform, performer, personal, Pianist, Piano, Piano Trio, pieces, professional, purchase, quintet, rehearse, response, Reynaldo Hahn, rhythm, Saturday, score, Season, senior, Serenade, series, share, short, small, soundtrack, Student, students, Suite, Sunday, support, sweet, tag, texture, tickets, trio, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, variety, verve, vignette, Violin, violinist, visual, west, west side, West Towne Mall, Willy Street Chamber Players, winds, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, woodwind, work, world, YouTube
Classical music: Oakwood Chamber Players concludes its season with performances of “Summer Splash” this Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet and music by Samuel Barber is included.
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement from the outstanding Oakwood Chamber Players, known for giving fine performances of programs that feature both unusual repertoire and classic works:
The Oakwood Chamber Players will round out its 2015-2016 season with a concert entitled Summer Splash on this Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m.
The concerts will both be held at the Oakwood Village University Woods Center for Arts and Education, 6209 Mineral Point Road, on Madison‘s far west side near West Towne Mall.
Tickets can be purchased with cash or personal checks at the door – $20 general admission, $15 seniors and $5 students. Visit www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com for more information.
The concert will honor the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death through Six Pieces After Shakespeare by American composer Craig Bohmler (below). This piece – which was commissioned by the Oakwood Chamber Players and which is receiving its world premiere — explores some of the Bard’s most emblematic comedic and dramatic characters: flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and string bass depict the quicksilver movements of Puck, pathos of Ophelia, eeriness of Macbeth’s witches and rollicking nature of Falstaff.
The program will also include Romanesque by Argentine/French composer Reynaldo Hahn (below), a work that radiates charm with its simplicity and heart as well as its sweetly flowing melody. The expressive musical lines are even more emphasized by the melded flute and viola timbres as they join together in unison.
The complexity and artistry of Summer Music by Samuel Barber (below) make it an enduring and fascinating piece of music. Its slow and bluesy beginning shifts to flashes of dissonance with contrasting lofty and flowing lines. As the work draws to its conclusion the listener is returned to the lazily unfolding material of the start, echoing the idle quality of summertime.
Finally, the concert will close with the delightful and uplifting theme and variations movement from the beloved “Trout” Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667, for violin, viola, cello, bass and piano, by Franz Schubert (below). The work gets its nickname from the theme and variations movement based on the song “The Trout” by Schubert. (You can hear that movement in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The Oakwood Chamber Players is a group of Madison-area professional musicians who have rehearsed and performed at Oakwood Village for over 30 years.
The Oakwood Chamber Players are a professional music ensemble proudly supported by Oakwood Lutheran Senior Ministries and the Oakwood Foundation.
Tags: Argentina, Arts, Bard, blues, brass, Cello, Chamber music, clarinet, Classical music, Craig Bohmler, dissonance, Falstaff, flute, France, Franz Schubert, Horn, Jacob Stockinger, Macbeth, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Oakwood Chamber Players, Oboe, Ophelia, Piano, Puck, quintet, Reynaldo Hahn, Shakespeare, splash, string bass, strings, summer, Trout Quintet, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, winds, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: Two percussion concerts — by Clocks in Motion and Madison native Nathaniel Bartlett — take place on Sunday afternoon. This week’s FREE Friday Noon Musicale features vocal music by many composers.
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ALERT: This Friday’s FREE Noon Musicale, from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, features Rachel Eve Holmes (below), soprano; Christopher Apfelbach, baritone and Michael Keller, piano, in the music of Carlisle Floyd, Reynaldo Hahn, Amy Beach, Richard Strauss, Benjamin Britten, Gabriel Faure, Paul Bowles and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
By Jacob Stockinger
As I wrote and posted on Monday and Tuesday, Friday night is a major “train wreck” of competing concerts.
But Sunday is busy also and brings potential conflicts, particularly for percussion fans, though there is time to get from one concert to the other.
CLOCKS IN MOTION
On Sunday at NOON — NOT 1 p.m. as previously stated — in Mills Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, the percussion group Clocks in Motion (below), will give a FREE concert. The program features world premieres as well as music by Frank Zappa, Edgard Varèse and John Cage. (Free parking is available on Sundays in nearby Grainger Hall in the basement of the UW-Madison Business School.)
Here is a press release from the group, which includes Dave Alcorn, Jennifer Hedstrom, Sean Kleve, Michael Koszewski and James McKenzie:
“Contemporary chamber ensemble Clocks in Motion blends the classical concert hall with the rock n’ roll venue in a bold performance on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. in Mills Hall.
The program will pair one of the first pieces written for percussion ensemble with music by iconoclast Frank Zappa.
Zappa listed Edgard Varèse’s groundbreaking work, Ionisation, as one of his fundamental inspirations in becoming a composer.
Clocks will juxtapose this influential piece with Zappa’s Black Page, a drum solo that was later expanded to a full-band tune. Black Page’s uniquely virtuosic sound blends rock, contemporary, and experimental avant-garde music.
Guitarist Anthony Lanman joins the program as a guest performer on the world premiere of his 8-string electric guitar concerto, Automaton.
A lush quartet for mallet percussion, piano, and cello by Joseph Diedrich will also receive its world premiere.
Rounding out the program is John Cage’s Second Construction, a grooving classic in the percussion literature.
Here are more specifics about the program:
Ionisation: Although it is only 5 minutes long, Edgard Varèse’s seminal percussion piece laid the groundwork for 90-plus years of composition for the genre (and beyond, as displayed by Frank Zappa). Varèse (below) explores the coloristic possibilities of percussion with unique instruments including drums, woodblocks, sirens, cymbals, chimes, maracas, slapsticks, and more.
Black Page: Originally constructed as a drum solo in a style unique to Frank Zappa (below), Black Page is known for its impressive rhythmic complexity and polyrhythms. This meticulous, thrilling piece is in two parts: No. 1, a full-ensemble percussion unison featuring a “statistical density”; and No. 2, the “Easy Teenage New York Version,” which grooves through the same material with a full band.
Automaton: Says Anthony Lanman (below): “When Clocks in Motion asked me to write a piece for them, immediately their name set off a series of images in my head. I saw a lonely watchmaker — an unappreciated genius — who had a vision in his mind of a great automaton. I saw him slaving away in his workshop, creating the massive creature, and then, finally, releasing it (with the best of intentions) upon the world. Unfortunately, the automaton didn’t function as planned…
“This all broke down into a concerto for electric guitar and percussion, and was organized into three movements: I. Watchmaker’s Daydream – II. Workshop/Steam – III. …In Motion.”
Saturation: Writes Joseph Diedrich: Composed in 2013, Saturation combines the distinct timbral subtleties of mallet percussion, strings, and piano. Using UW-Madison composer Stephen Dembski’s constellation protocol, the piece embarks on an evolutionary journey, culminating in the discovery of tonality. Starting with distant, sparse reverberations, Saturation quickly becomes a wild musical adventure.
Second Construction: The 1940 work by John Cage (below) is scored for four players, and features piano prepared with cardboard, screws, and a metal cylinder carefully placed inside the instrument. The instrumentation is fascinating — water gong, temple bowls, almglocken, maracas and tam-tam are heard.
New music, new instruments and new sounds define Clocks in Motion’s fresh and innovative approach to contemporary classical performance. Hailed as “nothing short of remarkable” (ClevelandClassical.com), Clocks in Motion is a group that performs new music, builds its own instruments and breaks down the boundaries of the traditional concert program. Clocks in Motion consistently performs groundbreaking concerts involving performance art, theater, and computer technology.
Featuring world premieres alongside rarely performed classic works, this ensemble strives to create a new canon of percussion repertoire. You can hear how they make music on found objects in a YouTube video at the bottom.
Clocks in Motion works passionately to educate young audiences through master classes, residencies, presentations and school assemblies.
The ensemble’s unique skill sets and specialties contain an impressive mix of rock, jazz, contemporary classical, orchestral, marching and world styles.
Clocks in Motion has served as resident performers and educators at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Casper College, the University of Michigan, Baldwin-Wallace University, VIBES Fine and Performing Arts, Traverse City West High School, Traverse City East Middle School, Rhapsody Arts Center, and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Formed in 2011, Clocks in Motion began as an extension of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Graduate Percussion Group, and now serves as the affiliate ensemble of the UW-Madison percussion studio.
NATHANIEL BARTLETT
At 6:30 p.m. in Promenade Hall of Overture Hall, the Madison-born percussionist and marimba-player Nathaniel Bartlett (below), who uses complex computer technology in his music, will perform an unusual concert.
Tickets are $16.
Here is a link to the full description of the artist and the concert:
http://www.overturecenter.org/events/nathaniel-bartlett
Tags: Amy Beach, Arts, Baldwin-Wallace University, Benjamin Britten, Britten, Carlisle Floyd, Casper College, Chamber music, Classical music, Clock, Edgard Varèse, Faure, First Unitarian Society of Madison, Frank Zappa, Jacob Stockinger, John Cage, Madison, Mozart, Music, Paul Bowles, Performing arts, Reynaldo Hahn, Richard Strauss, Sunday, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
Classical music: UW-Madison tenor James Doing and his students continue to explore classical “standards” on Saturday night in a FREE song recital.
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ALERTS: French pianist Philippe Bianconi (below in a photo by Bernard Martinez), who is in town this weekend to play three performances of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Madison Symphony Orchestra under the baton of John DeMain, will be the guest on Norman Gilliland’s “The Midday” program on THURSDAY from noon to 1 p.m on Wisconsin Public Radio WERN 88.7 FM in the Madison area. And on Friday from 12:15 to 1 p.m., guitarist Steven Waugh plays Johann Sebastian Bach, John Dowland, Isaac Albeniz, Charlie Parker, Errol Garner and more for the First Unitarian Society’s weekly FREE FRIDAY Noon Musicale at 900 University Bay Drive.
By Jacob Stockinger
Three years ago, University of Wisconsin-Madison tenor James Doing (below) launched an ambitious and much appreciated project that helps to acquaint classical music fans – especially fans of singing – with some basic and well-known repertoire and basic vocal techniques. The format is much like a master class to acquaint the general public with the music from the inside and to help non-musicians understand the process of learning how to sing.
The second installment of the series of four recitals will be this Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall. Admission is FREE and open to the public.
Here is how Doing recently explained the special concert to Kathy Esposito for “Fanfare,” the terrific new blog at the University of Wisconsin School of Music.
http://uwmadisonschoolofmusic.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/doing1/
It is the kind of reinventing of the classical music recital that The Ear thinks should be done more often to attract new audiences, younger audiences and non-specialty audiences. I was there and it was terrific. It was especially moving to see teacher and students sing together as partners, which is in fact what they: master and apprentice. It is the oldest educational method in the world — and it still works.
Here is a letter that Doing has sent out via email to his many friends and fans and to The Ear:
“Three years ago I presented a “Teaching Favorites for the Voice Studio” recital complete with program notes about vocal technique, diction and so on, and it was well received. (A YouTube video with a lovely sampling from that first concert, of James Doing singing Reynaldo Hahn’s song, is at the bottom.)
Jacob Stockinger had some nice things to say in his blog The Well-Tempered Ear: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/classical-music-review-uw-tenor-james-doing-successfully-reinvents-the-art-song-recital/
The songs I sang on that recital are posted on my YouTube Channel, which has a link at the bottom.
On this Saturday night, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, my students and I are going to be singing another “Teaching Favorites for the Voice Studio.” The pianist will be UW professor Martha Fischer (below, in a photo by Katrin Talbot).
Admission is FREE. And I would love to have many singers and teachers from the community come and share the evening with me and my students.
I’ll be performing 18 songs and five of my female voice students will assist by singing eight selections. (The students are: CatieLeigh Laszewski, Jenny Marsland, Olivia Pogodzinski, Melanie Traeger and Sheila Wilhelmi.)
The generous and varied program of English, Italian, German and French art songs and opera arias includes:
“Strike the Viol” by Henry Purcell (1659?-1695) from “Come, ye Sons of Art”; “Se Florinda è fedele” by Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) from “La donna ancora è fedele”; “Total eclipse” by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) from “Samson” and “V’adoro pupille” from “Giulio Cesare”, with CatieLeigh Laszewski, soprano; “Sebben, crudele” by Antonio Caldara (1670?-1736) from “La costanza in amor vince l’inganno”; “Và godendo” by George Frideric Handel (below) from “Serse” (Xerxes) with Melanie Traeger, soprano; “An die Musik” by Franz Schubert (1797-1828); “Das Veilchen” (The Violet) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791); “Du bist wie eine Blume” (You Are Like a Flower) by Robert Schumann (1810-1856); “Sonntag” (Sunday) by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897); “Auch kleine Dinge” (And Small Things) by Hugo Wolf (1860-1903); “Ständchen” (Serenade) with Olivia Pogodzinski, soprano, by Richard Strauss (1864-1949).
And that is just before intermission. Then comes the second half.
The second half features: “Plaisir d’amour” by Johann-Paul Martini (1741-1816); “Lydia” by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924); “Claire de lune” and “L’heure exquise” by Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947); “Si mes vers avaient des ailes” (If mY Word Had Wings) and “Les Papillons” by Ernest Chausson (1855-1899); and “Apparition” with Olivia Pogodzinski, soprano, by Claude Debussy (1862-1918); from “Le Nozze di Figaro” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), “Giùnse alfin il momento . . . Deh vieni, non tardar” with CatieLeigh Laszewski, soprano, and “Voi, che sapete” with Sheila Wilhelmi, mezzo-soprano; “Go, lovely rose” by Roger Quilter (1877-1953); “The Green Dog” with Jenny Marsland, soprano, by Herbert Kingsley (1858-1937 … I think!); “Love’s Philosophy” with Olivia Pogodzinski, soprano, by Roger Quilter; “At St. Patrick’s Purgatory” from “Hermit Songs” by Samuel Barber (below, 1910-1981); and “When I have sung my songs” by Ernest Charles (1895-1984).
Historical notes are being provided by Chelsie Propst (below), a fine young soprano who completed her Masters of Music in voice with Paul Rowe and is now a PhD candidate in Musicology. I add some Performance Notes/Suggestions and Diction pointers.
For this concert of 26 songs we will provide the full notes on about 10 songs and I will provide my own translations and International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcriptions for all of them (except the final set of English songs).
This concert is the second in a series of four with number three taking place April 3, 2014 in Mills Hall and number four taking place during the 2014-15 school year.
The goal or plan at this point is to eventually complete a book tentatively entitled 100 Teaching Favorites for the Voice Studio. The book will begin with some chapters on vocal pedagogy, diction, ornamentation, and other issues followed by the 100 songs. Each song will have historical background written by Ms. Propst, followed by performance and diction pointers, translations and IPA.
Would you be so kind as to spread the word and announce this concert at your choir rehearsal?
Thank you so much. If you are able to attend please come and say hello after the performance.
Feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone you like:)
All the best,
Jim Doing, Tenor, Professor of Voice, University of Wisconsin School of Music, NATS National Voice Science Advisory Committee
http://www.youtube.com/user/tenorjamesdoing
Tags: Alessandro Scarlatti, Claude Debussy, Doctor of Philosophy, Ernest Charles, Ernest Chausson, Franz Schubert, George Frideric Handel, Hugo Wolf, International Phonetic Alphabet, Jacob Stockinger, John DeMain, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Marriage of Figaro, Mezzo-soprano, Mills Hall, Philippe Bianconi, phonetics, Reynaldo Hahn, Richard Strauss, Robert Schumann, Samuel Barber, songs, soprano, Sunday, tenor, University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, vocal music, voice, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
Classical music: The “Grace Presents” music series names UW-Madison graduate student Kelly Hiser at its new program coordinator.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Madison certainly has its share of free, high quality classical musical events.
But among those programs not associated with larger institutions, such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison or the Madison Symphony Orchestra, “Grace Presents” has proven especially reliable and successful.
I think back with fondness to the concerts I attended last season where I heard Brahms violin sonatas (below) with violinist Laura Burns and pianist Jess Salek; various songs by Faure, Hahn and Verdi, including Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Waltzes” (in a YouTube video at bottom); and a solo piano recital by Yana Groves of Debussy, Rachmaninov and Schubert.
“Grace Presents,” now in its third season of concerts held in Grace Episcopal Church (below top) on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison, has announced that Kelly Hiser (below bottom) became its new Program Coordinator as of July 1.
Hiser is a doctoral candidate in musicology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, with a special interest in the history of the spacey-sounding theremin, one of the first forms of electronic instruments, famously used in the slow movement of Aram Khachaturian’s popular Piano Concerto. She is currently serving as Project Assistant to Professor Susan Cook, the recently named Director of the School of Music.
“Grace Presents” offers free concerts by performers in a wide variety of musical styles, including classical, jazz, world and folk, in an outstanding acoustical venue that is resonant for the ears and for the eyes also features beautiful stained glass windows and lovely sculpted wood.
Bruce Croushore, the founder and chair of Grace Presents, noted that the music series is fortunate to have Hiser in charge of lining up interesting talent for future concerts.
“Kelly brings to Grace Presents an impressive skill set, an extensive knowledge of many musical genres and a wide range of connections to the Madison music scene,” Croushore noted. “She will keep Grace Presents in the minds and hearts of lovers of diverse musical styles, performed in Grace Church’s beautiful and acoustically superb space,” he continued.
The monthly hour-long concerts are typically held at noon on Saturdays to encourage shoppers, workers, and downtown residents and visitors to enjoy fine music in a peaceful setting.
The Fall lineup will be announced in August, and The Ear as been told that Hiser will be setting up a website of its own for “Grace Presents.”
In the meantime, here is a link to the Grace Episcopal Church’s website where you can often find news about “Grace Presents” artists and programs:
Tags: Concert, Franz Schubert, Gabriel Fauré, Giuseppe Verdi, Grace Church, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, Laura Burns, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Reynaldo Hahn, Sergei Rachmaninov, theremin, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: The outstanding “Grace Presents” FREE concert series is seeking to hire a new coordinator. Here is all the information about the job and the application process.
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By Jacob Stockinger
It is no secret that Madison is filled with great classical music, much of it free for the attending and listening.
But individual smaller programs like the First Unitarian Society’s Friday Noon Musicales and the non-traditional, eclectic concerts by Classical Revolution Madison can still fly under the radar.
One of the most noteworthy is the monthly “Grace Presents” series on Saturdays at noon at the Grace Episcopal Church downtown on Capitol Square.
It sends out a newsletter via the Grace Episcopal Church, which does have a website, but “Grace Presents” has no website of its own that I can find, or even a complete, easy-to-find schedule on the regular Grace Episcopal website. And yet the attendance can be quite good and the performances quite impressive.
I can’t speak to other kinds of music, like Celtic or folk, though some of the performers’ names are familiar. But this past winter I heard two outstanding concerts.
One featured violinist Laura Burns and pianist Jess Salek (below) in sonatas by Brahms.
The other (below is an YouTube video excerpt) featured four singers and two pianists in songs by Schubert, Schumann, Faure, Hahn, Verdi and Brahms.
And on May 18, I want to hear the season closer this spring with pianist Yana Groves (below), who was born in Ukraine and trained at the UW by Christopher Taylor. She will perform the lyrical Prelude Op. 23, No. 4, by Sergei Rachmaninoff; three “Estampes” or “Prints” by Claude Debussy; and the big, soulful Sonata in A Minor, D. 845, by Franz Schubert.
Anyway, Grace Presents is looking for a new coordinator, and The Ear wants to help the series get the best one it can find. The organizers deserve no less, and so do the attentive and appreciative Madison public and Madison group of musicians.
Much of its success can no doubt be attributed to Bruce Croushore, a tireless, capable and affable man who recruits fine musicians, spreads the word and is a gracious host.
Here is the job posting that he forwarded to me to post:
Music Series Seeks Program Coordinator
“Grace Presents” is a series of concerts that began in the Spring of 2011. To date, two dozen diverse musical performances -– classical, folk, Celtic — have been enjoyed by audiences that range in size from 30 to as many as 300.
“Most concerts take place at Noon on Saturdays, so as to attract Dane County Farmers’ Market shoppers.
“Grace Presents’ mission is to open the doors of Madison’s historic landmark, Grace Episcopal Church (below is its acoustically resonant interior)), on the downtown Capitol Square, continuing the ancient tradition of music in the marketplace.
“To provide musicians and music-lovers from Dane County and beyond an outstanding acoustical performance venue that is attractive, peaceful, and in the heart of Madison.
“To offer free concerts of exceptional quality by local performers representing a wide variety of musical styles including classical, jazz, world, and folk.
“To attract and enrich a broad audience, including downtown neighborhood residents, secondary school and university students, farmers’ market shoppers, local business people, State workers, local visitors, tourists, and people who are homeless.
“Grace Church’s close proximity to the Overture Center (below), Monona Terrace and downtown shops, restaurants, museums, and offices encourages attendees to walk, ride bikes, or to use public transportation and reduces the carbon footprint of an excellent cultural event.
“Grace Presents seeks a Program Coordinator whose duties include:
“1. Engaging musicians to perform 8-12 concerts throughout the calendar year. This includes scheduling dates that work for the musicians, Grace Church, and the community at large. Dates should be far enough in advance to allow for promotion of each concert. At times program content may be specific to a given audience (i.e., children or shelter meal participants).
“2. Preparing and disseminating publicity through various media, including online and print listings and similar promotional opportunities.
“3. Arranging payment for musicians. (i.e. paperwork and coordinating checks with the church’s Finance Administrator)
“4. Preparing and printing programs, posters and flyers for the concerts.
“5. Acting as a liaison between performers and venue (Grace Church).
“6. Attending the concerts to assist with day-of logistics and taking care of musicians’ needs, except in special circumstances.
7. Attending periodic meetings of Grace Presents’ task force.
8. Completing and submitting grant applications with the assistance of task force members.
“QUALIFICATIONS: This is an excellent opportunity for someone interested in gaining experience in concert promotion and arts administration. Strong organizational and communication skills are necessary. Having knowledge of the Madison music scene, both commercial and educational, is a plus.
“COMPENSATION: Quarterly honoraria of $500.
“APPLICATION DEADLINE: Apply by email with resume attached not later than June 1, 2013
“Although the Grace Presents’ concert series is booked through December 2013, the task force intends to fill the position by June 30, 2013 so that the incumbent will be able to train her successor over the summer months.
“CONTACT: Bruce Croushore at croushoreb@gmail.com
Tags: Celtic, Christopher Taylor, Classical music, Franz Schubert, Gabriel Fauré, Grace Church, Grace Episcopal Church, Grace Presents, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, Madison, Monona Terrace, Overture Center, Reynaldo Hahn, Robert Schumann, Saturday, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ukraine, YouTube
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