The Well-Tempered Ear
University Opera’s original online video project celebrates the life and music of American composer Marc Blitzstein. It will be posted for FREE on YouTube this Friday night, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m.
2 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
This fall, University Opera presents its first project of 2020-21 in video format as it turns to the music of the American composer Marc Blitzstein (1905-1964).
“I Wish It So: Marc Blitzstein – the Man in His Music” will be released free of charge on the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music’s YouTube channel this Friday night, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. CDT at the general site www.youtube.com/meadwitterschoolofmusic or the official specific link: https://youtu.be/77FXFZucrWc.
Director of University Opera David Ronis (below top) is the director of the original production and will give introductory remarks. UW-Madison graduate Thomas Kasdorf (below bottom) is the musical director. The production lasts 1 hour and 40 minutes, and features four singer-actors, a narrator and a piano.
Marc Blitzstein’s life story parallels some of the most important cultural currents in American history of the mid-20th-century.
Known for his musicals — most notably The Cradle Will Rock in 1937 (you can hear Dawn Upshaw sing the lovely song “I Wish It So” from “Juno” in the YouTube video at the bottom) — his opera Regina and his translation of Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera, Blitzstein was an outspoken proponent of socially engaged art. Like many artists of his time, he joined the American Communist Party. But he also enthusiastically served in the U.S. Army during World War II (below, in 1943).
Nevertheless, in 1958, long after he had given up his Communist Party membership, Blitzstein (below) was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) where he “named no names.”
An extremely gifted yet underappreciated composer, he was a close friend of and mentor to Leonard Bernstein (below right, with Blitzstein on the left) and traveled in a close circle of American composers including David Diamond and Aaron Copland.
Although openly gay, he married Eva Goldbeck in 1933. Sadly, she died three years later from complications due to anorexia.
Blitzstein’s own death was likewise tragic. In 1964, while in Martinique working on an opera about the anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti, a commission from the Metropolitan Opera, he was robbed and badly beaten by three Portuguese sailors whom he had picked up at a bar. He died the next day of internal injuries.
Although throughout his life and afterwards, Blitzstein’s work was championed by Bernstein and others, many claim that neither the composer nor his stunning music and beautiful lyrics ever received the attention they deserved. So University Opera is proud to present this show celebrating his life and his works.
“I Wish It So: Marc Blitzstein – the Man in His Music” is a unique production put together by David Ronis. A biographical pastiche, it tells the story of Blitzstein’s life by recontextualizing 23 songs and ensembles from his shows, juxtaposing them with spoken excerpts from his working notes and letters, and tying it all together with a narration.
The result is a dramatic, evocative and enjoyable portrait of Blitzstein’s life and his art, according to Ronis.
“We’ve discovered a lot of “silver linings” while working on this production,” says Ronis. “We were disappointed at not being able to do a normal staged show. But working with video has had tremendous artistic and educational value.
“Our students are learning on-camera technique, not to mention how to work with a green screen (below, with soprano Sarah Brailey), which allows for post-production editing and digital manipulation of backgrounds. They’re also working with spoken text as well as sung pieces. Mostly, we’re just very grateful to have a creative project to sink our teeth into during the pandemic.
“And the music of Blitzstein is so fantastic, we’re very happy to be able to share it with our audience. This project is like none other I’ve ever done and we’re thinking that it’s going to be pretty cool.”
Research on the project was completed at the Wisconsin Historical Society, where Blitzstein’s archives are housed. University Opera gratefully acknowledges the help of both Mary Huelsbeck of the Wisconsin Center for Film and Television Research, and the Kurt Weill Foundation for their assistance with this project.
The cast features five UW-Madison graduate students: Sarah Brailey, Kenneth Hoversten, Justin Kroll, Lindsey Meekhof (below) and Steffen Silvis.
The video design was done by Dave Alcorn with costumes by Hyewon Park.
Others on the production staff include Will Preston, rehearsal pianist; Elisheva Pront, research assistant and assistant director; Dylan Thoren, production stage manager; Alec Hansen, assistant stage manager; Teresa Sarkela, storyboard creator; and Greg Silver, technical director.
The video will be accessible for 23 hours starting at 8 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 23. Although there will be no admission price for access, donations will be gratefully accepted. A link for donations will be posted with the video.
University Opera, a cultural service of the Mead Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides comprehensive operatic training and performance opportunities for students and operatic programming to the community. For more information, email opera@music.wisc.edu or visit music.wisc.edu.
Tags: #20thCentury, #AaronCopland, #AmericanCommunistParty, #AmericanComposer, #Americanhistory, #ArcticCircle, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BroadwayMusical, #BroadwayShows, #CentralDaylightSavingTime, #CentralDaylightTime, #CityofMadison, #CommissionedMusic, #CommunistParty, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DaveAlcorn, #DavidDiamond, #DavidRonis, #DawnUpshaw, #DigitalMedia, #EngagedArt, #EnglishTranslation, #EvaGoldbeck, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #Fridaynight, #GiveUp, #GreenScreen, #HouseUn-AmericanActivities Committee, #HouseUnAmericanActivitiesCommittee, #InternalInjuries, #IWIshItSo", #JacobStockinger, #KurtWeill, #KurtWeillFoundation, #LeonardBernstein, #LGBTRights, #LifeStory, #MadisonWisconsin, #MarcBlitzstein, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MetropolitanOpera, #MusicalDirector, #MusicEducation, #NewYorkCity, #OnlineConcert, #OperaMusic, #OriginalWork, #PianoAccompaniment, #PianoAccompanist, #PickUp, #RedScare, #SaccoandVanzetti, #SarahBrailey, #SilverLining, #SociallyEngaged, #SpokenWord, #StageManager, #TechnicalDirector, #The CradleWillRock, #TheEar, #TheThreepennyOpera, #TheUW, #ThomasKasdorf, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityOpera, #USArmy, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinCenterforFilmandTelevisionResearch, #WisconsinHistoricalSociety, #WorkingNotes, #WorldWarII, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, 20th-century, Aaron Copland, accept, acknowledge, Actor, admission, American, American Community Party, American composer, American history, anarchism, anarchist, anorexia, Army, Art, artistic, artists, Arts, assistance, attention, audience, background, bar, Bashar al-Assad, Beat, beaten, beautiful, biographical, blog, camera, CDT, celebrate, Central Daylight Saving Time, Central Daylight Time, champion, circle, Classical music, close, commission, Communist, Communist Party, community, complications, composer, comprehensive, Concert, Congress, cool, coronavirus, costumes, creative, creative process, cultural, currents, Dave Alcorn, David Diamond, David Ronis, Dawn Upshaw, death, deserve, design, died, digital, director, disappointed, donation, donations, done, dramatic, editing, educational, engaged art, English, English translation, enjoyable, ensemble, enthusiastic, Eva Goldbeck, evocative, excerpts, fabtastic, Facebook, fantastic, format, forward, foundation, free, Friday, friend, gay, gift, gifted, give up, graduate, graduate student, grateful, green screen, happy share, happy', History, House Un-American Activities Committee, House UnAmerican Activities Committee, HUAC, I Wish it So, important, information, injuries, internal, internal injuries, Jacob Stockinger, join, Joseph McCarthy, Juno, juxtapose, Kurt Weill, Kurt Weill Foundation, learning, Leonard Bernstein, letters, LGBT, life, life story, like, link, lyrics, Madison, man, Marc Blitzstein, marry, Martinique, McCarthyism, Mead Witter School of Music, membership, mentor, Metropolitan Opera, Music, Music education, musical, musical director, name, narration, narrator, New York City, night, normal, notes, October, on-camera, online, opera, operatic, opportunity, original, outspoken, pandemic, parallel, pastiche, performance, Pianist, Piano, piano accompaniment, Piano accompanist, pick-up, Portugal, Portuguese, post, posting, present, price, production, program, programming, proponent, proud, receive, Red Scare, Regina, research, revue, rob, Sacco and Vanzetti, sad, sailors, Sarah Brailey, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, serve, share, show, silver lining, singer, singers, Singing, sink, socialist, socially engaged, song, spoken, spoken word, stage, stage manager, story, students, stunning, tag, technical director, technique, teeth, text, The Cradle Will Rock, The Ear, the Met, The Threepenny Opera, Thomas Kasdorf, together, Tragic, training, translation, travel, tremendous, U.S. Army, underappreciated, unique, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Opera, US Army, UW, UW-Madison, value, video, virtual, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Center for Film and Television Research, Wisconsin Historical Society, wish, words, work, working, working notes, World War II, years, YouTube, YouTube channel
The third LunART Festival celebrates Black women in the arts with FREE streaming concerts and events this Saturday night, Oct. 10, and next Saturday night, Oct. 17
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement to post:
The LunART Festival is back for its third season, continuing its mission to support, inspire, promote and celebrate women in the arts, with a special presentation, “Human Family,” available via two FREE video livestreams on LunART’s website and Facebook page on Saturday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. CDT.
The events will be co-hosted by LunART founder and flutist Iva Ugrcic (below top), and by vocalist and art administrator Deja Mason (below bottom).
In response to the most recent and ongoing racial inequality and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, LunART will present the “Human Family” virtual festival featuring art created by Black women.
These FREE streamed events will feature a palette of emerging and established artists drawn from Madison’s rich arts scene, while also celebrating those who have paved the way for generations to come.
Radical inclusivity has been part of LunART’s mission from its conception. While women have historically been underrepresented in the arts, we cannot deny that there are segments of women that have been doubly marginalized, including women of color, women in the LGBTQIA+ community, older women and women with disabilities.
Part of creating a more just, inclusive world means recognizing that even within the space of underrepresentation, there remain disparities.
Works from the past include Florence Price’s “Five Folksongs of Counterpoint” for string quartet (heard in the YouTube video at the bottom), which is deeply rooted in the African-American spiritual tradition; Margaret Bonds’ Spiritual Suite for solo piano, written in a neo-Romantic classical style infused by jazz harmonies and rhythms; Afro-American Suite for flute, cello and piano by Undine Smith Moore, based on authentic spiritual songs used to express and record everyday life of slaves in America.
Florence Price (below), Margaret Bonds and Undine Smith Moore all fought against both racial and gender discrimination throughout their lives. To be a woman composing classical music in the mid-20th century was unusual; to be a Black woman composer was even more so. And yet, these women forged ahead, making history and paving the way for the women who would follow them.
Along with these pioneers of the past, LunART will also celebrate contemporary Black women who are making a big impact in the world of arts, culture, advocacy and activism, following the footsteps of their predecessors.
“Voodoo Dolls” for string quartet by Jessie Montgomery (below in a photo by Jiyang Chen) is influenced by West African drumming patterns that are interwoven with lyrical motifs in the improvisatory style.
“Fanmi Imen,” a work for flute and piano by Valerie Coleman (below) — LunART’s 2019 Composer-in-Residence) — is based on a powerful poem by Maya Angelou, “Human Family.” Angelou calls for peace and unity, while acknowledging differences due to ethnic and cultural background in her famous refrain: “we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”
The chamber music will be performed by Madison’s finest musicians: Isabella Lippi, Karl Lavine, Peter Miliczky, Magdalena Sas, Marie Pauls, Satoko Hayami, Yana Avedyan and Iva Ugrcic.
Celebrating women’s creativity across many art forms has been a core component of LunART’s artistic mission from its inception, and this year is no exception. While music will create a sound painting, “Human Family” will also feature women who use words and movement to tell their story.
Enter a world of phenomenal talent with emerging singer-songwriters Danielle Crim and Akornefa Akyea performing their most recent original songs; magically moving poems and spoken-word pieces by Jamie Dawson and Shasparay Lighteard; and join dancer and choreographer Kimi Evelyn in self-exploration of what happens when the body and the soul are left in complete solitude through her powerful piece “Body, Sweet Home.”
To commemorate the Festival events, LunART has commissioned digital artwork (below) by local artist and activist Amira Caire, which is inspired by the “Human Family” concept. This stunning piece of art will be available for purchase in printed form on LunART’s website.
We are calling our community to eat local, drink local and support local. By supporting LunART, you are also supporting local nonprofits and small businesses.
This project would not be possible without the generosity of Madison’s creative media agency Microtone Media, The Piano Gal Shop from Sun Prairie, Dane Arts and a grant from the Madison Arts Commission at https://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/planning/madison-arts-commission/1580/, with the additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board.
Events are free and available for anyone to watch online, and donations are welcomed. For more details about the artists, events, programs and links, and donation methods, please visit https://www.lunartfestival.org
Tags: #20thCentury, #African-AmericanMusic, #ArtsScene, #ArttForm, #BlackComposer, #BlackLivesMatter, #BlackWomen, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #CityofMadison, #ClassicalStyle, #ClassiclaMusic, #Composer-in-Residence, #ContemporaryComposers, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DaneArts, #DejaMason, #DigitalMedia, #DisabilityRights, #EmergingArtist, #EstablishedArtist, #EthnicDiversity, #EverydayLife, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FlorencePrice, #folksongs, #HomeWebsite, #HumanFamily, #ImaniWinds, #IsabellaLippi, #IvaUgrcic, #JacobStockinger, #JessieMontgomery, #LGBTQrights, #LGBTRights, #LiveStreaming, #LivingComposer, #LunARTFestival, #LyricalMusic, #MadisonArtsCommission, #MadisonWisconsin, #MargaretBonds, #MariePauls, #MayaAngelou, #MicrotoneMedia, #MusicalStyle, #NewMusic, #NonprofitOrganization, #OnlineConcert, #PeterMiliczky, #RacialInequality, #SatokoHayami, #Shostkovich, #SmallBusiness, #SongWriter, #SoundPainting, #SpokenWord, #StateOfWisconsin, #StringQuartet, #SunPrairie, #SunPrairieWisconsin, #TheEar, #ThePianoGalShop, #TheU.S., #UndineSmithMoore, #ValerieColeman, #VirtualConcert, #VirtualFestival, #VocalMusic, #VoodooDolls, #WestAfrica, #WindMusic, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WomenofColor, #YanaAvedyan, #YouTubevideo, 20th-century, 20th-century classical music, 20th-century music, acknowledge, Activism, activist, administrator, advocacy, Africa, African, African American, agency, America, art form, artists, Arts, artwork, audience, authentic, available, based, black, Black Lives Matter, Black women, BLM, blog, body, call, celebrate, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, choreographer, Classical, Classical music, commemorate, community, component, compose, composer, conception, Concert, contemporary, continue, core, coronavirus, counterpoint, create, creativity, culture, dance, dancer, Dane Arts, Deja Mason, difference, digital, disability, discrimination, disparity, doll, donation, doubly, drink, drumming, eat, emerging, established, ethnic, event, events, everyday, exploration, express, Facebook, feature, festival, Florence Price, flute, flutist, forward, friend, gender, generation, generosity, harmony, historically, History, home website, host, human family, Imani Winds, impact, improvisation, improvistory, inception, inclusive, inclusivity, inequality, influence, infuse, inspire, interwoven, Isabella Lippi, Iva Ugrcic, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Jessie Montgomery, just, Karl Lavine, KarlLavine, LGBT, LGBTQ, life, like, link, lives, livestream, Living composer, local, LunART Festival, lyrical, Madison, Madison Arts Commission, Magdalena Sas, make, Margaret Bonds, marginalized, Marie Pauls, Maya Angelou, media, method, Microtone Media, mission, motif, movement, Music, musical, Musician, neo-Romantic, New Music, nonprofit, older, ongoing, online, original, page, painting, palette, pandemic, patterns, peace, performer, Peter Miliczky, Pianist, Piano, piece, pioneer, poem, post, posting, powerful, predecessor, presentation, program, project, promote, race, racial, racial inequality, radical, recent, record, refrain, response, rhythm, Satoko Hayami, Saturday, scene, Season, segments, self, share, singer, Singing, slavery, slaves, small business, solidarity, solitude, solo, song, soul, Sound, sound painting, space, special, spiritual, spoken word, State of Wisconsin, story, stream, String quartet, style, Suite, Sun Prairie, support, tag, talent, tell, The Ear, The Piano Gal Shop, tradition, U.S., underrepresented, Undine Smith Morre, United States, unity, unusual, use, VALERIE COLEMAN, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtual, virtual festival, vocal music, vocalist, Voodoo, Voodoo Dolls, Website, West Africa, wind music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, women, women of color, words, works, world, Yana Avedyan, year, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Choral Project performs “Finding Our Path” this Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Plus, the Madison New Music Ensemble performs a FREE concert this Friday night
1 Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend, the critically acclaimed Madison Choral Project (below) will give two performances – in two different venues this year — of its seventh annual holiday program.
The MCP was founded and is directed and conducted by Albert Pinsonneault (below), who taught at Edgewood College and now works at Northwestern University. The group’s stated goal is to inspire, enhance and improve life through music. (You can hear them singing the Octet from Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
In keeping with a format that you often find in places of worship — think Scripture and hymns — the MCP once again uses a holiday formula that remains popular and works very effectively by combining the spoken word with choral music.
This year’s theme is “Finding Our Path” and features music and texts on the theme of feeling adrift, seeking guidance and finding our path.
Performances are on this Friday night, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Atrium Auditorium of the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive; and this Saturday afternoon, Dec. 14, at 3 p.m. in the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Avenue, near Camp Randall Stadium.
Noah Ovshinsky (below), the news editor at Wisconsin Public Radio, will once again serve as the narrator.
Unfortunately, The Ear has seen no word about the works or composers in the musical part of the program, except that two commissions, including a world premiere by MCP composer-in-residence Justin Merritt, will be performed.
PREFERRED SEATING has a limit of 20 per concert. A reserved seat is in an acoustically “prime” spot in the house (center, about a third of the way back from the stage) and costs $40.
GENERAL ADMISSION is $28 purchased in advance and online or $32 at the door.
STUDENT TICKETS are $10 and can be purchased in advance or at the door. Please show valid student ID at will-call to redeem the ticket.
To purchase tickets online, go to: http://themcp.org/tickets
For more information, including a list of other concerts this season as well as recordings and videos, go to: http://themcp.org/concerts-2
MADISON NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE
This Friday night, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. the Madison New Music Ensemble (below) will perform a FREE concert at the Capitol Lakes Auditorium, 333 W. Main St., in downtown Madison, two blocks off the Capitol Square.
Parking is available in the ramp across from Capitol Lakes.
The concert features music by Joseph Koykkar (below), a Madison-based composer who teaches at the UW-Madison; Gabriela Lena Frank; Gareth Farr; Astor Piazzolla; and Paul Harvey.
Performers in the Madison New Music Ensemble are: Danielle Breisach, Amy Harr, Xinyi Jiang, Elena Ross, Joseph Ross and Bethany Schultz.
For more information, go to the Madison New Music Ensemble on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madisonnewmusicensemble/
Or go to the YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oehEnNWbA0Q
Tags: #AlbertPinsonneault, #AstorPiazzolla, #AtriumAuditorium, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CampRandall, #CampRandallStadium, #CapitalLakesRetirement Community, #CapitolSquare, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #CommissionedMusic, #Composer-in-Residence, #EdgewoodCollege, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FelixMendelssohn, #FirstCongregationalUnitedChurchofChrist, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #Fridaynight, #GabrielaLenaFrank, #GarethFarr, #HolidayMusic, #HolyBible, #HousesofWorship, #JosephKoykkar, #JosephRoss, #LivingComposers, #MadisonChoralProject, #MadisonNewMusicEnsemble, #NewMusic, #NewsEditor, #NoahOvshinsky, #NorthwesternUniversity, #PaulHarvey, #PlacesofWorship, #RetirementCenter, #SaturdayAfternoon, #SaturdayNight, #SpokenWord, #TheEar, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, acoustics, admission, adrift, afternoon, Albert Pinsonneault, annual, Arts, Atrium Auditorium, Ástor Piazzolla, Bible, blog, Camp Randall, Camp Randall Stadium, Capitol Lakes Retirement Center, Capitol Lakes Retirement Community, Capitol Square, Chamber music, choral music, Christian, Christianity, church, Classical music, commission, composer, Concert, conductor, Edgewood College, editor, Elijah, enhance, Facebook, feeling, Felix Mendelssohn, First Congregational United Church of Christ, First Unitarian Society of Madison, format, formula, free, Friday night, Gabriela Lena Frank, Gareth Farr, general, goal, guidance, Holiday, House, houses of worship, hymns, ID, improve, inspiration, inspire, Jacob Stockinger, Joseph Koykkaar, Joseph Ross, life, living composers, Madison, Madison Choral Project, Madison New Music Ensemble, Mendelssohn, Music, narrator, new, New Music, news, night, Noah Ovshinsky, Northwestern University, Octet, online, oratorio, parking, path, Paul Harvey, place, place of worship, popular, post, posting, program, public, reading, Recordings, Retirement, Scripture, Season, seating, seek, Singing, spoken word, stage, Student, text, The Ear, theme, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, venue, vocal music, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, work, works, world premiere, worship, year, YouTube, YouTube video
Classical music: Starting Wednesday, the second LunART Festival will again spotlight women in the performing and creative arts. Here is the first of a two-part preview
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received a long and detailed announcement about the upcoming second LunART Festival. Here is Part 1 with background and participants. Tomorrow will be Part 2 with more information about new music and a schedule of events.
The LunART Festival is back for its second season from this Wednesday, June 5, through Sunday, June 9, and will continue its mission of supporting, inspiring, promoting and celebrating women in the arts.
The 2019 season brings 10 events to eight venues in the Madison area, providing accessible, high-quality, engaging concerts and events with diverse programming from various arts fields.
The festival will showcase over 100 artists this season, including many familiar local artists and performers as well as guest artists hailing from Missouri to Texas, Minnesota to Florida and as far away as Peru.
LunART’s inaugural 2018 season was a success on numerous fronts. From showcasing a wide variety of artists and arts disciplines to building lasting relationships and collaborations, LunART has distinguished itself from other arts events in Madison.
Both artists and audiences have commented that the LunART atmosphere is one of camaraderie, love and acceptance. Festival directors Iva Ugrcic and Laura Medisky (below right and left, respectively) have set this season to come back even stronger, with expanded dates and more diverse programming.
Like last year, the three ticketed evening gala concerts are centered on classical chamber music. Other art forms — including contemporary and aerial dance, poetry, spoken word and visual arts — are interwoven throughout the programs to create a unique atmosphere for performers, artists and audiences.
This year’s Grammy-nominated composer-in-residence is flutist Valerie Coleman (below), a former member of Imani Winds, who was described as one of the “Top 35 Female Composers in Classical Music” by The Washington Post.
Coleman embodies LunART’s vision by challenging norms and being a strong advocate for diversity in the arts. Her rich compositional output infuses elements of jazz and African secular music into the Western classical tradition, creating a soundscape that honors both worlds. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear Valerie Coleman playing her own composition “Fanmi Imen” at the 2018 convention of the National Flute Association.)
Coleman’s music will be featured throughout the festival among the works of other remarkable women who shaped music history, from Baroque composer Barbara Strozzi to Romantic composer Clara Schumann to living composer Missy Mazzoli.
Drawing from Madison’s rich arts scene and community, LunART 2019 features local artists including: former Madison poet laureate Andrea Musher (below); actor and theater artist Deborah Hearst; choreographers and dancers Liz Sexe and Kimi Evelyn; and aerial dancer Linda DiRaimondo.
Also featured are musicians from arts organizations such as Madison Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Fresco Opera Theatre, Arbor Ensemble, Madison New Music Ensemble and Sound Out Loud Contemporary Music Collective. Under the direction of Edgewood College professor Kathleen Otterson, Madison’s only women’s choir ARTemis Ensemble returns in greater numbers and will present a work by LunART 2018 “From Page to Stage” alum Meg Huskin among others.
Visual art will have a stronger presence in the 2019 Festival. From May 11-July 7, Overture’s Playhouse Gallery will house “Women Against Hate United by Love,” a collaborative, traveling art exhibition and multi-step “anti-hate” campaign united against bigotry, intolerance and racism, created by J. Leigh Garcia (below), Rachael Griffin and Kelly Parks Snider.
A gallery reception on Wednesday, June 5, serves as LunART’s opening event, in which Snider will give a talk about the exhibit and her use of art to educate communities about targeted issues in the hopes of shaking up the status quo. This engaging and thought-provoking exhibit is meant to provide a meaningful and hopeful community experience for all who attend.
In collaboration with Studio 84 and ArtWorking, two nonprofit art studios specializing in the creative development of people with disabilities, the final Gala concert at First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, on Saturday, June 8, will showcase 40 artworks. This exhibit will feature 20 women artists whose works will be displayed, flanking the Atrium Auditorium stage as well as in the lobby.
Tomorrow: New music to be premiered, comedy and the full schedule of events
Tags: #AfricanMusic, #AndreaMusher, #ArborEnsemble, #ARTemisEnsemble, #ArtExhibit, #ArtExhibition, #ArtForm, #ArtWorking, #ArtWorks, #AtriumAuditorium, #BarbaraStrozzi, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CelebratingWomen, #ChamberMusic, #ClaraSchumann, #Composer-in-Residence, #ContemporaryMusic, #CulturalDiversity, #DeborahHearst, #EdgewoodCollege, #EthnicDiversity, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FemaleComposer, #FeministArt, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FluteMusic, #FrescoOperaTheatre, #FromPagetoStage, #GenderDiversity, #GrammyAward, #GrammyNominations, #GuestArtist, #High-Quality, #ImaniWinds, #J.LeighGarcia, #JazzMusic, #KathleenOtterson, #KellyParksSnider, #KimiEvelyn, #LindaDiRaimondo, #LivingComposer, #LizSexe, #LunARTFestival, #MadisonNewMusicEnsemble, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MegHuskin, #MeToo, #MeToomovement, #MissyMazzoli, #MusicHistory, #NationalFluteAssociation, #NewMusic, #NonprofitOrganization, #OpeningNight, #OvertureCenter, #PoetLaureate, #RachelGriffin, #RomanticMusic, #SaturdayNight, #SecularMusic, #SoundOutLoud, #SpokenWord, #StatusQuo, #Studio84, #TheEar, #ThePlayhouse, #TheWashingtonPost, #ThoughtProvoking, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ValerieColeman, #VisualArts, #WindMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #Women'sChoir, #WomenArtists, #YouTubevideo, accessible, accpetance, Actor, actress, advocate, aerial, African, all-women, alum, alumna, Andrea Musher, announcement, Arbor Ensemble, area, art exhibition, art form, Art Works, ARTemis Ensemble, artists, Arts, atmosphere, Atrium Auditorium, audience, background, Barbara Strozzi, Baroque, bigotry, blog, camaraderie, campaign, celebrating, Cello, challenging, Chamber music, choral music, choreographer, Clara Schumann, Classical music, classicalmusic, collaborative, comedy, community, composer, Composition, Concert, contemporary, contemporary music, convention, create, dance, dancer, dates, Deborah Hearst, detail, disabilities, disciplines, diverse, diversity, Early music, Edgewood College, educate, engaging, ethnic, evening, event, exhibit, expand, experience, Facebook, female, female composer, feminism, feminist, fina, final gala, First Unitarian Society of Madison, Florida, flute, flutist, forward, Fresco Opera Theatre, From Page to Stage, fronts, gala, gallery, gender, Grammy, Grammy Award, guest artist, hate, History, honor, hope, hopeful, Imani Winds, information, inspiring, intolerance, J. Lee Garcia, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Kathleen Otterson, Kelly Parks Snider, Kimi Evelyn, like, Linda DiRaimondo, link, Living composer, Liz Sexe, lobby, local, Love, LunART Festival, Madison, Madison New Music Ensemble, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Me Too, Mead Witter School of Music, Meg Huskin, Minnesota, mission, Missouri, Missy Mazzoli, Music, music history, National Flute Association, New Music, nominations, nonprofit, norms, numbers, opening, Overture Center, page, part, participants, People, performer, Peru, Piano, Playhouse, Poet laureate, Poetry, professor, programming, race, Rachel Griffin, racism, reception, rich, Romantic, Romanticism, Saturday, scene, schedule, second, secular, shake up, share, showcase, Sound Out Loud, soundscape, spoken word, stage, status quo, strong, studio, Studio 84, success, supporting, tag, talk, target, Texas, The Ear, The Washington Post, thought provoking, ticket, tomorrow, tradition, traveling, united, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, VALERIE COLEMAN, venue, Viola, Violin, vision, visual arts, vocal music, Wednesday, Western, winds, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, women, women artists, women;s choir, world, YouTube
Classical music: You be the critic. Was there a specific piece or an entire concert of holiday music that you especially liked – or disliked — this year?
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
Well, Hanukkah, the winter solstice and Christmas are over and we’ve just about made it through another holiday time, with Kwanzaa and New Year’s still to come.
Holiday music, especially choral music, is undeniably popular during holiday season.
Year after year, the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas program (below is a photo by Peter Rodgers) – which uses local and ethnically diverse talent and well as imported guest vocal artists — usually comes close to selling out three performances in Overture Hall.
And year after year for a decade, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and Festival Choir plus guest soloists (below) sell out their one performance of “Messiah” at the Blackhawk Church in Middleton.
Plus, there are lots of other holiday events – including the Madison Bach Musicians with Baroque chamber music favorites and the Madison Choral Project with spoken word narration and new music as well as programs of traditional carols and hymns– that drew good crowds or even full houses.
There are so many holiday music events, in fact, that it can often be hard to choose.
So here is what The Ear is asking: You be the critic.
Please tell us if there was a particular piece of music you especially enjoyed – say, Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” or George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” or violin concertos by Arcangelo Corelli – music you really liked or disliked?
For next year, what do you recommend that people should keep an eye and ear out for, including programs on Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television as well as on other TV and radio stations?
Similarly, was there a specific program or event – an entire program or concert – that surprised you for better or worse?
Given the limited time that most people have during the holidays, what holiday concerts should people plan on attending or avoid next year?
Often the public trusts other audience members more than they trust professional critics.
So here is a chance for you to be a critic and to direct the public’s attention as well as to thank certain performers and groups for what you see as the Best Holiday Music of 2018.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #ArcangeloCorelli, #BaroqueMusic, #BlackhawkChurch, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BlogReview, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ChristianReligion, #ChristmasOratorio, #EthnicDiversity, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FestivalChoir, #FestivalChoirofMadison, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GuestArtist, #HallelujahChorus, #Handel'sMessiah, #HolidayMusic, #HolidaySeason, #LivingComposers, #MadisonBach Musicians, #MadisonChoralProject, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MiddletonWisconsin, #NewMusic, #NewYear, #NewYear's, #OvertureHall, #RadioStation, #SpokenWord, #TelevisionStation, #TraditionalMusic, #ViolinConcerto, #WinterSolstice, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WisconsinPublicTelevision, #YouTubevideo, Arcangelo Corelli, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Baroque music, Blackhawk Church, blog, Carol, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, Christian religion, Christmas, Christmas Oratorio, church, Classical music, composer, concerto, decade, diversity, ear, Early music, ethnic, eye, Facebook, Festival Choir, Festival Choir of Madison, Festval Choir, Franz Schubert, George Frederic Handel, George Frideric Handel, groups, guest artist, Hallelujah Chorus, Hanukkah, Holiday, hymn, Jacob Stockinger, Kwanzaa, living composers, Madison, Madison Choral Project, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Messiah, Middleton, Mozart, Music, narration, New Year's, NPR, Orchestra, Overture Hall, performers, Piano, post, posting, professional, program, public, Radio, Religion, review, Season, singer, singers, soloists, Sonata, song, spoken word, station, sung, symphony, talent, Television, traditional, TV, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, Violin concerto, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, year, you, YouTube
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 
New York Times music critics pick 10 MUST-HEAR online virtual classical concerts to stream for October
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
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.
Share this:
Like this:
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