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This Saturday afternoon, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir presents a free online parking lot concert of “Car Carols” with an emphasis on African-American composers

December 11, 2020
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By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear has received the following announcement to post:

Join the Wisconsin Chamber Choir (below) this Saturday afternoon, Dec. 12, at 2 p.m. for Car Carols, a unique holiday concert featuring live, socially-distanced performances of music by African-American composers and seasonal favorites.

Choir members will sing from their individual cars using wireless microphones (below), listening to the sound of the whole choir via their car radios. The audience is invited to join our Facebook event or listen in live on YouTube.

There is no charge to view the live-stream, but donations would be welcome.

You can find the concert on this Saturday, Dec. 12, a 2 p.m. via the following links: live on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ZonVn1cvgb8, or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1561155960751974/

This unusual concert format was necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic, but the WCC is grateful for the opportunity to continue singing together in safe ways.

Since September, the choir has been rehearsing as a Parking Lot Choir, generating local media coverage from WKOW-TV at https://wkow.com/2020/10/13/wisconsin-chamber-choir-making-adjustments-to-prepare-for-performance/ and Madison Magazine, whose story was headlined “Forget tailgates, parking lots are for choir practice: https://www.channel3000.com/forget-tailgates-parking-lots-are-for-choir-practice/

This past September and October, smaller groups from the WCC assembled on Saturday mornings at the Warner Park Pavilion to rehearse in widely spaced formations.

They wore specially designed singers masks, and occasionally harmonized with nearby sandhill cranes that seemed unsure what to make of the a cappella music floating through their habitat.

Recordings by five distinct small ensembles — minus the cranes — will be aired during the Dec. 12 Car Carols broadcast, in addition to live singing by the Parking Lot choristers.

The Car Carols repertoire highlights music by African-American composers spanning nearly a century. Idiomatic pieces in the style of spirituals and contemporary gospel alternate with “non-idiomatic” motets and anthems by Nathaniel Dett (below top), William Dawson, Undine Smith Moore (below middle) and Carlos Simon (below bottom, with an oral self-portrait in the YouTube video at the bottom).

The remainder of the Parking Lot Choir selections consists of carol arrangements by WCC favorites — the late Stephen Paulus (below) and Peter Blotch — and feature virtual harp and violin accompaniment.

Live and virtual performers will also unite to sing Craig Hella Johnson’s moving arrangement of the songs I Love You and What a Wonderful World.

Interspersed between the live Car Carols will be a wide variety of pre-recorded selections, including the world premiere of WCC member Linda Palmer’s arrangement of Sussex Carol, plus music by Johannes Brahms, John Rutter, 17th-century female composer Chiara Cozzolani (below), and Tleycantimo choquilia, a carol from colonial-era Mexico, sung in Spanish and Nahuatl.

Founded in 1998, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir has established a reputation for excellence in the performance of oratorios by Bach, Handel, Mozart and Brahms; a cappella works from various centuries; and world-premieres.

Artistic director Robert Gehrenbeck (below), who heads the choral program at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, has been hailed by critics for his vibrant and emotionally compelling interpretations of a wide variety of choral masterworks. WCC members have acknowledged Gehrenbeck for his intrepid conducting in freezing temperatures during Parking Lot Choir rehearsals.

Posted in Classical music
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Classical music: During the COVID-19 pandemic, hosts at Wisconsin Public Radio suggest music that expresses gratitude and hope

May 13, 2020
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By Jacob Stockinger

The various hosts of Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) — an indispensable companion during self-isolation at home — listen to a lot of music and think a lot about it, especially about its meaning and appeal to the public.

So it comes as no surprise that they have once again suggested music to listen to during the coronavirus pandemic and the mounting toll of COVID-19.

Almost two months ago, the same radio hosts suggested music that they find calming and inspiring. They did so on the WPR home page in an ongoing blog where they also included YouTube audiovisual performances.

Here is a link to that earlier posting, which is well worth reading and following: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/?s=Wisconsin+Public+Radio

This time, the various hosts – mostly of classical shows but also of folk music and world music – suggest music that inspires or expresses hope and gratitude. (Below is Ruthanne Bessman, the host of “Classics by Request,” which airs at 10 a.m. on Saturdays.)

Here is the genesis of the list and public service project:

“At a recent WPR music staff meeting, we talked about the many ways music can unite us and about how music can express the gratitude we feel for people and things that are important to us, often much better than words.

“That discussion led to this collection of music, which we wanted to share with you. It’s eclectic and interesting, just like our music staff.”

The composers cited include some familiar names such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten and John Williams.

But some new music, based on historical events and written by contemporary or modern composers, is also named. It includes works by the American composer Daniel Gawthrop (b. 1949, below top) and the Israeli composer David Zehavi (1910-1977, below bottom). Here are links to their biographies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_E._Gawthrop

https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/zehavi-david

Sound-wise, it is quite an eclectic list that runs from solo harpsichord music to orchestral and choral music as well as chamber music.

Many of the performers have played in Madison at the Overture Center, with Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, at the Wisconsin Union Theater, at the UW-Madison and on the Salon Piano Series at Farley’s House of Pianos.

They include: the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; cellist Amit Peled and pianist Eli Kalman, who received his doctorate from the UW-Madison and now teaches at the UW-Oshkosh; conductor-composer John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers; and superstars violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma along with Venezuelan pianist-improviser Gabriela Montero in a quartet that played at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Here is a link to the new WPR suggestions: https://www.wpr.org/wpr-hosts-share-music-gratitude-and-hope

Happy listening!

If you read the blog or listen to the music, let us know what you think in the Comment section.

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
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Classical music: The Oakwood Chamber Players announce their new season with the theme of “Journey”

August 10, 2017
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By Jacob Stockinger

Over many years, the Oakwood Chamber Players (below) have built a solid reputation for programming unusual composers and neglected works, all performed with first-rate playing.

(You can sample their recording for Naxos Records of a work by UW-Madison graduate Daron Hagen in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

The new 2017-018 season, based on aspects of a JOURNEY is no exception.

Except where noted, performances are on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at Oakwood University Woods Center for Arts and Education, 6201 Mineral Point Road, on Madison’s far west side, not far from West Towne Mall.

The group writes:

“Join the Oakwood Chamber Players on our 2017-2018 season journey with composers whose music encompasses the animation and anticipation at departure and beyond. We’ll have something for adventure seekers as they consider the view over the ever-expanding horizon.

“We’ll stop over to stay a while with friends and see the future with those who forever influence the musical landscape. We will welcome both familiar and new faces as guest artists this season. Come along with us on the JOURNEY!”

JOURNEY

DEPARTURE

September 9/10, 2017

Strauss-Schoenberg Kaiser-Walzer for mixed ensemble

Reger Serenade for flute, violin and viola

Arutiunian Concert Waltz for winds and piano

QUEST

November 26, 2017 (1 and 3:30 p.m.)

Blake Snowman Suite for string quartet

Mozetich Angels in Flight for mixed ensemble

Rutter Brother Heinrich’s Christmas for vocal quartet, narrator and mixed ensemble

HORIZON

January 13/14, 2018

Casella Serenade for mixed ensemble

Mikulka Sunset 1892 for clarinet, viola and piano

Huber Quintet for winds and piano

SOJOURN

March 10/11, 2018

Hofmann Octet for mixed ensemble

Schoenberg Presto for string quartet

Scott Cornish Boat Song for piano trio

Mendelssohn Concert Piece for clarinet, bassoon and piano

LEGACY

May 19/20, 2018

Kaminski String Quartet

Smit Sextet for wind quintet and piano

Sekles Capriccio – Yankee Doodle con variazioni for piano trio

2017-2018 Season Ticket Prices

Senior (62+) Single: $20 per concert

Senior (62+) Series: $85 for the season*

Adult Single: $25 per concert

Adult Series: $105 for the season*

Student Single: $5 per concert

*Season concert series offers five concerts at a 15% discount. Tickets available at the door.

The Oakwood Chamber Players now accept payment via credit card as well as cash and check.

For more information, go to: https://www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com

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Classical music: In a busy week, here are some other performances of violin, harpsichord, guitar and vocal music that merit your attention and attendance

April 28, 2017
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By Jacob Stockinger

It’s getting so that, more and more often, the week just isn’t long enough to cover the ever-increasing number of classical music events in the Madison area.

It is compounded by the fact that so many events mean more previews than reviews – which The Ear thinks benefits both the public and the performers.

But here are four more events that you might be interested in attending during the coming weekend:

SATURDAY

On Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Overture Hall, legendary superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman (below, in a photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco) will perform a recital with his longtime accompanist Rohan de Silva. (You can hear the two perform the Serenade by Franz Schubert in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

The program includes the Sonata in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2, by Antonio Vivaldi; Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1, by Ludwig van Beethoven; the “Fantasy Pieces,” Op. 73, by Robert Schumann; the Sonata No. 2 in G Major for Violin and Piano by Maurice Ravel; and selected works to be announced from the stage.

Tickets are $50 to $100. Here is a link for tickets and more information about the performers:

http://www.overture.org/events/itzhak-perlman

If you want to prepare for the concert and go behind the scenes with Perlman, here is a great interview with Perlman done by local writer Michael Muckian for the Wisconsin Gazette:

http://wisconsingazette.com/2017/04/20/itzhak-perlman-good-music-recipe-mix/

On Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Landmark Auditorium of the First Unitarian Society, 900 University Bay Drive, the Third Annual Mark Rosa Harpsichord Recital will take place. It features guest harpsichordist JungHae Kim (below top) and local baroque violinist Kangwon Kim (below bottom).

The program includes works by Arcangelo Corelli, Jean-Henri D’Anglebert, Jean-Marie Leclair, Gaspard LeRoux and Domenico Scarlatti.

Admission at the door is $15, $10 for seniors and students.

The harpsichord was built by Mark Rosa and is a faithful reproduction of the 1769 Pascal Taskin instrument at Edinburgh University. It has two keyboards, two 8-foot stops, one 4-foot stop, two buff stops and decorative painting by Julia Zwerts.

Korean born harpsichordist JungHae Kim earned her Bachelor’s degree in harpsichord at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore She then earned a Masters in Historical Performance in Harpsichord at the Oberlin Conservatory before completing her studies with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam on a Haskell Scholarship. While in The Netherlands she also completed an Advanced Degree in Harpsichord Performance under Bob Van Asperen at the Sweelinck Conservatorium.

Kim has performed in concert throughout United States, Europe and in Asia as a soloist and with numerous historical instrument ensembles including the Pierce Baroque Dance Company, the Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra, Music’s ReCreation, and Agave Baroque. She performed at the Library of Congress with American Baroque and frequently performs with her Bay Area period instrument group; Ensemble Mirable.

As a soloist, Kim has performed with Musica Angelica, Brandywine Baroque, the New Century Chamber Orchestra, and with the San Francisco Symphony. Kim frequently teaches and performs at summer music

SUNDAY

On Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph Chapel of Edgewood College, 1000 Edgewood College Drive, the Edgewood Chorale, along with the Guitar Ensemble, will give a spring concert.

The concert also features performances by students Johanna Novich on piano and Renee Lechner on alto saxophone.

The program includes music by Gabriel Fauré, John Rutter, Frederic Chopin, Bernhard Heiden and many others.

Admission is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Edgewood College’s Music Department was recognized by the readers of Madison Magazine with the Best of Madison 2017 Silver Award.

On Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the West Middleton Lutheran Church, 3773 Pioneer Road, at Mineral Point Road in Verona, the internationally acclaimed and Grammy Award-winning tenor Dann Coakwell (below) will team up with keyboardist and MBM founder-director Trevor Stephenson to perform Robert Schumann’s masterpiece song cycle Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Loves).

Just last week Coakwell sang the role of the Evangelist John in the Madison Bach Musicians’ production of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion.

Stephenson will be playing his restored 1855 Bösendorfer concert grand piano (both are below).

Also on the program are four selections from Franz Schubert’s last song collection Schwanengesang (Swansong).

This concert will start off a three-day recording session of this repertoire ― with a CD due for release later this year.

Tickets are $30. Seating at the church is very limited. Email to reserve tickets: www.trevorstephenson.com

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Classical music: The Madison Youth Choirs and the Overture Concert Organ will join forces in a varied concert Saturday night in Overture Hall.

May 6, 2014
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By Jacob Stockinger

On this Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall in the Overture Center, the Madison Youth Choirs (below top) will join forces with Samuel Hutchison (below bottom), the organist and curator for the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

The vocal talents of the choirs will blend with the beautiful custom-built Klais Organ (below).

Hutchison will perform both solo and collaborative works, displaying the diverse repertoire at the hands of the modern organist.

Early pieces from the Baroque period will share the program with works by living composers. In all, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Louis Vierne, Herbert Howells (below and at the bottom where you will find a YouTube video of his “Sarabande” for Easter Morning), Francis Poulenc, Jean Langlais and John Rutter will be performed.

Single tickets are $20, and a $10 student rush will be offered on the day of the performance.

Here is a link to more information, including the specific works on the extensive program and how to join the choirs:

http://www.madisonsymphony.org/youthchoirs

The Madison Youth Choirs, under the direction of Michael Ross (below), are no strangers to Overture Hall. In December, the ensemble performed in the three sold-out Madison Symphony Christmas concerts.

Conductor John DeMain (below, in a photo by Prasad) said he is excited about the upcoming performance: “I can never say enough about the good work that Michael Ross is doing with the Madison Youth Choirs. They are an essential and beloved part of our Christmas concerts.”

Here is a link to the Madison Youth Choirs, which are celebrating their 10th anniversary and many members of which will travel -– by invitation only — to the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, in Scotland, this summer. (Below is a photo of the Opening Ceremony of the festival.)

http://www.madisonyouthchoirs.org

This organ and choir concert is sponsored by the Friends of the Overture Concert Organ and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation.

Classical music Q&A: Gabriel Faure’s music is hard to perform and very underrated, says First Unitarian Society of Madison music director Dan Broner who will conduct two FREE performances of Faure’s sublime Requiem this coming Palm Sunday.

April 8, 2014
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By Jacob Stockinger

This coming Sunday, April 13, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. the First Unitarian Society of Madison will offer one of its All-Music Sundays.

This time, the event – open to the public and not just FUS members — features two FREE performances on the lovely and consoling Requiem by Gabriel Faure at the historic meeting-house, (below) designed like a plow tilling the soil by Frank Lloyd Wright, at 900 University Bay Drive.

To The Ear, it seems a perfect choice for the upcoming Easter season – Sunday is, after all, Palm Sunday.

To be sure, a lot of sublime choral music has been or will be performed here in a short time, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St. John Passion” and Mass in B Minor, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s storied Requiem and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s a cappella Vespers.

I gave a rundown in this earlier post:

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/classical-music-april-will-bring-lots-of-choral-music-by-bach-mozart-beethoven-faure-and-rachmaninoff-among/

But there is something special in the quietude of the Faure Requiem that seems to marry the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions in away that also allows secularists to enter into the music.

I asked FUS music director Dan Broner (below), who programmed and will conduct the Requiem, to talk about it and he agreed to do an email Q&A:

Why did you choose to do the Requiem by Gabriel Faure?

Two years ago we did the Requiem by John Rutter. A singer at the time asked if we could do the Faure Requiem next and since I hadn’t conducted the entire work for some time, I thought it would be fun to do it again.

John Rutter (below) worked on a new edition of the Faure Requiem in the early 1980s, which inspired him to compose his own requiem. So I thought it would be fun for the Society Choir to sing it while the Rutter was still relatively fresh in their ears.

What do you think of Faure’s music in general and what do you especially like about it and what makes it appropriate for the Unitarians?

I think Faure’s music is underrated. He was comparatively prolific, having written over 100 songs, many piano solo works, and lots of wonderful chamber music. Yet he is best known for his Requiem and a few instrumental numbers (“Sicilienne,” “Pavane” and “Elegie”).

I think it may be because he didn’t write many large-scale works, and his piano solo repertoire is quite difficult technically. (Liszt pronounced it too difficult.)

Faure (below) was a terrific melodist on par with Schubert and Chopin and his life (1845-1924) spanned a period that began with the music of Chopin and Schumann and into the jazz era and the second Viennese school. An important educator, he taught many well-known composers including Maurice Ravel and Nadia Boulanger.

Faure worked for the Roman Catholic Church, and properly wrote his Requiem in Latin. But he eschewed the usual “Dies Irae” (Day of Wrath) movement with its emphasis on judgment and damnation for a gentler spirit that focused instead on eternal rest. I think this plays well with Unitarian humanist leanings.

How does it differ from other well-known Requiems?

In addition to the “Dies Irae,” Faure also doesn’t include the “Benedictus” portion of the “Sanctus.” And his “Agnus Dei” (heard at the bottom in a popular YouTube video) is in F major and is more lyrical than the typical big, minor key “Agnus Dei” movements of other Requiems.

Interesting is the similarities with the “German” Requiem by Johannes Brahms, written some 20 years earlier. Both are in seven movements and both use soprano and baritone soloists. I think it was Aaron Copland (below) who declared Faure “the Brahms of France.”

What else would you like to say or add about the work and the performances?

We will be using John Rutter’s chamber orchestration which lends itself for performing in a relatively small space: organ, harp, solo violin, divided violas and cellos, bass, two horns and timpani. The chorus will number a little over 60 singers. Soprano Heather Thorpe and baritone Bart Terrell are the soloists. And it will take place in the older Landmark Auditorium (below) because that’s where the organ is.

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The Well-Tempered Ear

This Saturday afternoon, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir presents a free online parking lot concert of “Car Carols” with an emphasis on African-American composers

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Classical music: During the COVID-19 pandemic, hosts at Wisconsin Public Radio suggest music that expresses gratitude and hope

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Classical music: The Oakwood Chamber Players announce their new season with the theme of “Journey”

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Classical music: In a busy week, here are some other performances of violin, harpsichord, guitar and vocal music that merit your attention and attendance

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Classical music: The Madison Youth Choirs and the Overture Concert Organ will join forces in a varied concert Saturday night in Overture Hall.

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Classical music Q&A: Gabriel Faure’s music is hard to perform and very underrated, says First Unitarian Society of Madison music director Dan Broner who will conduct two FREE performances of Faure’s sublime Requiem this coming Palm Sunday.

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