Trombone | The Well-Tempered Ear

Bach Around the Clock 2023 is now streaming live and virtual performances

March 19, 2023
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

Perhaps you’ll recall the cold weather and heavy snow that greeted the seventh annual celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday with — Bach Around the Clock — in Madison a few weeks ago.

The bad winter weather even caused performances to be cancelled during the March 8-12 event.

But the free and public festival was planned to be both live and virtual, and now BATC has started to stream globally both public and private performances with more in the offing. It is a testament to the vision and unending hard work of the late director Marika Fischer Hoyt, who died just weeks before it began, that the festival remains on such a solid footing and seems certain to survive without her.

For complete details about programs and performers, go to the website’s home page: https://bachclock.com/

And here is a previous blog post with more background: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2023/03/08/remember-marika-with-bach-around-the-clock-2023-the-free-celebration-begins-today-and-runs-through-saturday-in-person-and-online/

The variety is astounding. You will find professionals, amateurs and young students. You will find choral music and instrumental music. You will find well-known pieces and less common repertoire. In short, you should find something to please you and perhaps even something that you or someone you know took part in.

Here is a link to the first batch of recorded and streamed performances:

Watch on YouTube the BATC 2023 virtual performances recorded in the homes and studios of Jim Burkholder; Tim Farley; Jeffery Rowley; Linda Clifford; Kieran Foltz; students of Shannon Farley; Marjasana Kay with Mark Bramptom Smith and Carol Carlson; Glenwood Moravian Trombone Choir; and The Neighborly Consort.

Also available now are: Just Bach’s Wednesday, March 8, concert of a motet; and Sean Kleve’s Thursday, March 9, marimba lecture/performance.

Recordings of performances from the all-day Saturday concert at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church will be posted soon.

Stay tuned! And spread the word!

As the semester ends, virtual concerts allow UW students to reach many more family members, friends and listeners. Here is how the public can connect to them

April 14, 2021
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

Starting tonight and over the next two weeks, as the spring semester at the UW-Madison comes to a close, there will be more than two dozen student recitals to listen to. (Below is the YouTube video for the concert this Thursday night, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. of the Marvin Rabin String Quartet that is comprised of graduate students.)

Often two or more concerts a day are scheduled, often at 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

That much is typical.

What is not typical during the pandemic is that technology will allow the recitals to be presented live-streamed and virtual.

The downside is that the students will not experience performing before a live audience.

But there is an upside.

Going virtual also means that the recitals will be available longer to family, friends and interested listeners here as well as around the country and — especially for international students — the world. (Below, in a photo by Bryce Richter for the UW-Madison, is the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall in the Hamel Music Center.)

It also means you can hear them when it is convenient for you and not at the actual scheduled times.

The Ear has heard his share of student recitals and often finds them to be exceptional events.

If you go to the Mead Witter School of Music’s website, you can see the concerts and the lineups.

You will see that there will be student recitals of vocal music, brass music, wind music, string music and piano music. There are solo recitals, chamber music and even a symphony orchestra concert. (Below, in a photo by Bryce Richter for the UW-Madison, is the Collins Recital Hall in the Hamel Music Center.)

There are too many details for each concert to list them all here individually.

But if you go to the Concerts and Events page on the music school’s outstanding website, you can hover the cursor over the event and then click on the event and get everything from the performers and programs to program notes, a performer biography and a photo with a link to the YouTube performance.

On the YouTube site, if you click on “See More” you will see more details and can even set up an alarm for when the concert starts.

Here is a link: https://www.music.wisc.edu/events/

Try it and see for yourself. Below is the YouTube link for pianist Mengwen Zhu, who performs his recital this Saturday, April 17, at 6 p.m.)

Happy listening!

Let us know what you think, especially if it is encouraging for the students.

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #BaroqueMusic, #BenjaminBritten, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #CarolineShaw, #CecileChaminade, #CelloMusic, #ChamberMusic, #Chinesecomposer, #ClarinetMusic, #ClassicalGuitar, #ClaudeDebussy, #CoronavirusPandemic, #DmitriShostakovich, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FluteMusic, #ForeignStudent, #FranzJosephHaydn, #GabrielFaure, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #GraduateStudent, #GuitarMusic, #HamelMusicCenter, #JacobStockinger, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #KatoPerlman, #LeosJanacek, #LiveAudience, #LiveMusic, #LiveStreaming, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MarvinRabin, #MarvinRabinStringQuartet, #MauriceRavel, #MengwenZhu, #OboeMusic, #OnlineConcert, #PercussionMusic, #PerlmanQuartet, #PianoMusic, #ProgramNotes, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #StringMusic, #StringQuartet, #SymphonyOrchestra, #TheEar, #TheUW, #TromboneMusic, #TrumpetMusic, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UW-MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #ViolaMusic, #ViolinMusic, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WindMusic, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, alarm, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, available, Bach, Baroque, Baroque music, Beethoven, Benjamin Britten, biography, blog, Brahms, brass music, Britten, Caroline Shaw, Cecile Chaminade, cellist, Cello, cello music, Chamber music, Chaminade, China, Chinese, clarinet, clarinetist, Classical music, Claude Debussy, click, close, composer, comprise, computer, Concert, convenient, coronavirus, country, cursor, Debussy, Dmitri Shostakovich, downside, dozen, Early music, encourage, encouragement, end, event, experience, Facebook, Family, Faure, flute, flute music, flutist, foreign, foreign student, forward, Franz Joseph Haydn, friends, Gabriel Fauré, Georg Philipp Telemann, George Frideric Handel, graduate student, guitar, Hamel Music Center, Handel, Haydn, hear, information, international, Jacob Stockinger, Janacek, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Leos Janacek, like, link, live, live audience, live music, livestream, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Marvin Rabin, Marvin Rabin String Quartet, Maurice Ravel, member, Mengwen Zhu, Mozart, Music, music student, Oboe, oboe music, oboist, online, Orchestra, pandemic, percussion, Percussion music, percussionist, performance, performer, Perlman, Perlman Quartet, photo, Pianist, Piano, piano music, post, posting, program, program notes, public, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, Ravel, recital, schedule, see, semester, Sergei Rachmaninoff, set, share, Shaw, Shostakovich, solo, Sonata, Spring, start, string music, String quartet, Student, symphony, symphony orchestra, tag, technology, Telemann, The Ear, time, tonight, Trombone, trombone music, Trumpet, trumpeter, try, typical, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, upside, UW, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW-Madison, Viola, viola music, Violin, violin music, violinist, violist, virtual, vocal music, week, wind music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world, WYSO, YouTube, Zhu

Due to popular demand, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) opens its FREE virtual master classes to the public. Today features the violin and Monday features the bass

January 10, 2021
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

The Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) welcomes back two distinguished and successful alumni this weekend to teach the fifth and sixth master classes in an ongoing series that has already wowed observers. (WYSO alumni are noted below with an asterisk.)

Each virtual event is free and open to the general public with registration required in advance.

“The series has been so fabulous that, due to popular demand, we’ve opened up the events to anyone who wants to attend,” says Susan Gardels, marketing and communications director for WYSO.

TODAY – Sunday, Jan. 10 — from 5:30-7:30 p.m. CST Derek Powell, a violinist with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., will coach four WYSO violin members in a two-hour master class.

This will be followed the next evening with a master class coached by Scott Pingel, Principal Bass with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (Monday, Jan. 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m. CST).

A master class presents a one-on-one opportunity for a student musician to learn from a guest artist with an audience invited to observe the process.

In previous master classes in this series, the audience has learned instrument performance techniques and musical interpretation tips from a wide variety of guest artists who professionally play music around the world.

With the master classes presented in an intimate Zoom setting, the audience learns along with the student— and it is amazing to see the sudden growth in a student’s musical prowess as a master class proceeds.

Derek Powell’s bio includes his experience with the New World Symphony where Powell (below) performed as concertmaster with famed conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and as a violinist with the Army Strings, as well as his current experience with the National Symphony Orchestra.

Scott Pingel (below) was a trumpet player in his WYSO days with a side love for electric bass. Pingel switched to concert bass as an undergraduate at UW-Eau Claire, continued studies at the Manhattan School of Music, and played with the New World Symphony and the Charleston Symphony before joining the San Francisco Symphony as Principal Bass in 2004. He recently created buzz by playing with Metallica in a packed house with the San Francisco Orchestra.

For more information, go to: WYSO Amazing Masterclass Series:

Here are details and links to register:

*Derek Powell, Violin Master Class

TODAY, Sunday, Jan. 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m. CST

Free and open to the public

Click here to register in advance

_______________________________

*Scott Pingel, Bass Master Class

Monday, Jan. 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m. CST

Free and open to the public

Click here to register in advance

Here are is a schedule of future WYSO alumni master classes:

Katherine Steele (below), oboe
Sunday, Jan. 17, 6-8 p.m. CST
(Principal Oboe, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) https://wysomusic.org/katherine-steel-masterclass/

James Shields (below), clarinet
Sunday, Jan. 24, 7-9 p.m. CST
(Principal Clarinet, Oregon Symphony Orchestra)
Read more about James Shields

*Nancy Goeres (below), bassoon
Sunday, Feb. 7, 6-8 p.m. CST
(Principal Bassoon, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

Danbi Um (below), violin
Sunday, Feb. 21, Time TBD
(Soloist, member Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center)

Megumi Kanda (below), trombone
Sunday, Feb. 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m. CST (Principal Trombone, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)

David Perry (below), violin
Sunday, March 7, 6-8 p.m. CST
(First Violin, UW-Madison Pro Arte Quartet and UW-Madison Music Professor)

Naha Greenholtz (below), violin
Sunday, March 28, 6-8 p.m. CST
(Concertmaster, Madison Symphony Orchestra and Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra)

*Sharan Leventhal (below), violin
Sunday, April 11, 6-8 p.m. CST
(Boston Conservatory)

For more information, go to https://wysomusic.org or call (608) 733-6283.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #African-Americanmusician, #ArmyStrings, #AugustaReadThomas, #BassPlayer, #BlackAmericans, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BostonConservatory, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberMusicSocietyofLIncolnCenter, #CharlestonSymphony, #ClarinetMusic, #CommunicationsDirector, #ConcertBass, #DanbiUm, #DavidPerry, #DerekPowell, #ElectricBass, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #GeneralPublic, #GuestArtist, #HomeWebsite, #JacobStockinger, #JamesShields, #KatherineSteele, #LincolnCenter, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #ManhattanSchoolofMusic, #MarketingDirector, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MegumiKanda, #MichaelTilsonThomas, #MilwaukeeSymphonyOrchestra, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #MusicCoach, #MusicEducation, #Musicfaculty, #MusicProfessor, #NahaGreenholtz, #NancyGoeres, #NationalSymphony, #NationalSymphonyOrchestra, #NewWorldSymphony, #OboeMusic, #OnlineConcert, #OrchestralMusic, #OregonSymphonyOrchestra, #PittsburghSymphony, #PopularDemand, #PrincipalBass, #PrincipalBassoon, #PrincipalClarinet, #PrincipalOboe, #PrincipalTrombone, #ProArteQuartet, #QuadCitiesSymphonyOrchestra, #RegistrationForm, #RockandRoll, #SanFranciscoSymphony, #ScottPingel, #SharanLeventhal, #TheEar, #TheUW, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #USArmy, #UW-EauClaire, #VirtualConcert, #WashingtonD.C., #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #YouTubevideo, #ZoomMeeting, advance, African American, alumni, alumnus, anyone, Army, Army Strings, Arts, asterisk, audience, bass, Bassoon, bio, black, blog, Boston Conservatory, buzz, call, Chamber music, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Charleston, Charleston Symphony, clarinet, Classical music, coach, communications, Concert, concert bass, concertmaster, conductor, current, D.C., Danbi Um, David Perry, demand, Derek Powell, details, director, distinguished, electric bass, evening, event, experience, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, faculty, forward, free, general public, go, guest artist, home website, information, instrument, invite, Jacob Stockinger, James Shields, Katherine Steele, learn, like, LIncoln Center, link, Love, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Manhattan School of Music, marketing, master class, masterclass, Mead Witter School of Music, Megumi Kanda, member, Mettalica, Michael Tilson Thomas, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Monday, MSO, MTT, Music, Music education, music faculty, Musician, Naha Greenholtz, Nancy Goeres, National Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, noted, Oboe, oboist, observe, observer, online, open, opportunity, Orchestra, orchestral music, Oregon, Oregon Symphony Orchestra, PAQ, performance, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, play, popular, popular demand, post, posting, Principal Clarinet, Principal Oboe, Principal Trombone, prinicipal, Pro Arte Quartet, process, professor, prowess, public, Quad Cities, Quad Cities Symphony, registration, require, rock and roll, San Francisco Symphony, Scott Pingel, series, Sharan Leventhal, share, side, society, solo, soloist, Student, studies, successful, Sunday, switch, symphony, tag, technique, techniques, The Ear, Trombone, trombonist, U.S. Army, undergraduate, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Madison, Violin, violin music, violinist, virtual, Washington, Washington D.C., Website, weekend, welcome, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Youth Symhony Orchestras, wowed, WYSO, Zoom

Classical music: FREE percussion, brass and wind concerts are featured this week at the UW-Madison

March 9, 2020
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

In the week before Spring Break, the Mead Witter School of music at the UW-Madison will feature FREE concerts of percussion, brass and wind music.

TUESDAY, MARCH 10

At 7:30 p.m. in the Collins Recital Hall of the new Hamel Music Center, 740 University Ave., the percussion department will give a FREE recital. No program is listed.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

At 7:30 p.m. in Collins Recital Hall, guest percussionist-composer Mark Stone (below) will give a FREE solo recital of original compositions for mbira and gyil.

The program will include music for the newly invented array mbira, an American-made 120 key lamellaphone. Stone will also share music composed for the Dagara gyil, a xylophone from Ghana as well as mbira traditions of South Africa and Uganda.

Also on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, the acclaimed Wisconsin Brass Quintet will give a FREE faculty recital.

The program is:

Johann Sebastian Bach – Contrapunctus IV from “Die Kunst Der Fuge” (The Art of Fugue). You can hear Canadian Brass perform it in the YouTube video at the bottom.

Andre Lafosse – “Suite Impromptu”

Werner Pirchner – “L’Homme au marteau dans la poche” (Man With a Hammer in His Pocket)

Rich Shemaria – “Pandora’s Magic Castle”

Per Nørgård – “Vision”

The 2019-2020 Wisconsin Brass Quintet (below) is: Jean Laurenz and Gilson Silva, trumpets; Daniel Grabois, horn; Mark Hetzler, trombone; and Tom Curry, tuba.

Please note: In spring 2020, Mark Hetzler will be on sabbatical. His replacement will be Will Porter (below), instructor of trombone at Eastern Illinois University . Read about Porter here

THURSDAY MARCH 12

At 7:30 p.m. in the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, the UW Wind Ensemble will give a FREE concert.

The ensemble will perform under the batons of director Scott Teeple (below) and guest conductor Ross Wolf.

The program is:

Frank Ticheli: “Apollo Unleashed” from Symphony No. 2

Ching–chu Hu: In Memory Of…*

With special guest The Hunt Quartet
*World Premiere Performance/UW Band Commissioning Member

Morten Larudisen/Reynolds: “Contre Qui, Rose”
Beverly Taylor, guest conductor.

Jodie Blackshaw: Symphony, “Leunig’s Prayer Book”*
*Wisconsin Premiere

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AfricanMusic, #American-made, #AndreLafosse, #ArtofFugue, #BaroqueMusic, #BeverlyTaylor, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #BrassQuintet, #CanadianBrass, #ChamberMusic, #Ching-chuHu, #ChoralMusic, #CollinsRecitalHall, #CommissionedMusic, #ConcertProgram, #CriticalAcclaim, #DanielGrabois, #EasternIllinoisUniversity, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyConcert, #FacultyMember, #FrankTicheli, #FrenchHorn, #GilsonSilva, #GuestArtist, #GyilMusic, #HamelMusicCenter, #HornMusic, #HuntQuartet, #InMemoryof, #JacobStockinger, #JeanLaurenz, #JodieBlackshaw, #JohannSebastianBach, #MarkHetzler, #MarkStone, #MeadWitterFoundationConcertHall, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MortenLauridsen, #PercussionMusic, #PerNørgård, #PrayerBook, #RichShemaria, #RossWolf, #ScottTeeple, #SouthAfrica, #SpringBreak, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #TomCurry, #TromboneMusic, #TrumpetMusic, #TubaMusic, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UWBand, #UWWindEnsemble, #VocalMusic, #WernerPirchner, #WillPorter, #WindMusic, #WisconsinBrassQuintet, #WisconsinPremiere, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, acclaim, Africa, African, American, and, Andre Lafosse, Apollo, array, Art of Fugue, artist, Arts, audience, Bach, band, Baroque, baton, Beverly Taylor, blog, Book, brass, Brass quintet, Canadian Brass, castle, Chamber music, Ching-chu Hu, choral music, Classical music, classicalmusic, Collins Recital Hall, commission, commissioned music, composer, Concert, conductor, Contrapunctus, counterpoint, Dagara, Daniel Grabois, department, director, Early music, Eastern Illinois University, ensemble, Facebook, faculty, Frank Ticheli, free, French horn, fugue, Ghana, Gilson Silva, Grabois, guest, guest artist, gyil, Hamel Music Center, hammer, Horn, Hunt Quartet, impromptu, In memory of, invented, Jacob Stockinger, Jean Laurenz, Jodie Blackshaw, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lafosse, lamellaphone, Madison, magic, man, Mark Hetzler, Mark Stone, mbira, Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Mead Witter School of Music, memory, Morten Lauridsen, Music, new, note, Orchestra, Pandora, Per Norgard, percussion, percussionist, perform, performer, Pirchner, pocket, post, posting, prayer, prayer book, professor, program, public, Quartet, quintet, recital, replacement, Rich Shemaria, rose, Ross Wolf, sabbatical, Scott Teeple, Shemaria, solo, South Africa, Spring Break, String quartet, Student, Suite, symphony, Taylor, The Ear, Ticheli, Tom Curry, tradition, Trombone, trombonist, Trumpet, Tuba, Uganda, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, unleashed, UW, UW Band, UW Wind Ensemble, UW-Madison, Viola, Violin, vision, vocal music, Werner Pirchner, Will Porter, Wind, wind music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Brass Quintet, Wisconsin Premiere, world premiere, xylophone, YouTube

Classical music: A busy week brings FREE concerts of violin, orchestra, percussion, band, cello and bassoon music to the UW-Madison

February 16, 2020
2 Comments

ALERT: This afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall is your last chance to hear John DeMain lead the Madison Symphony Orchestra with guest soloists violinist Pinchas Zukerman and cellist Amanda Forsyth in music by Brahms, Berlioz and Copland. Here is a positive review from Michael Muckian for Isthmus: https://isthmus.com/music/masterful-sounds-on-a-miserably-cold-night/

For more information about the program, soloists and tickets, go to: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2020/02/10/classical-music-this-weekend-the-madison-symphony-orchestra-celebrates-valentines-day-with-violinist-pinchas-zukerman-and-cellist-amanda-forsyth-in-the-romantic-double-concerto/

By Jacob Stockinger

The coming week at the UW-Madison will be busy with FREE concerts of violin, orchestral, percussion, band, cello and bassoon music.

Here is the lineup:

MONDAY

At 6:30 p.m. in the Collins Recital Hall at the new Hamel Music Center, 740 University Ave., you can hear a FREE performance of the popular Violin Concerto by Beethoven.

It is a student performance of the entire Beethoven Violin Concerto with the orchestra. The conductor is doctoral candidate Ji Hyun Yim (below) who is studying with UW conducting professor Oriol Sans. It is a concert of friends who enjoy playing together. The violinist soloist is Rachel Reese.

Then at 7:30 p.m. in the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, the Chamber Percussion Ensemble (below) – formerly the Western Percussion Ensemble – will give a FREE concert of contemporary music.

The conductor is director and UW-Madison percussion professor Anthony DiSanza, who is also the principal percussionist with the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

The program is “A Forest from a Seed.” Featured is post-minimalist music by composers not named Steve Reich. No specific works or composers are named.

Says DiSanza (below, in a photo by Katherine Esposito): “From the seed of minimalism (1964-1972), a deep and exhilarating repertoire has blossomed. Join us as we explore 40 years of diverse and engaging post-minimalist percussion chamber music.”

The Chamber Percussion Ensemble, he adds, “is dedicated to the performance of significant and engaging works for the Western percussion ensemble tradition, emphasizing core repertoire and works by emerging composers.”

TUESDAY (not Wednesday, as originally and incorrectly posted)

At 7:30 in the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, the UW Concert Band (below) will give a FREE concert under director and conductor Corey Pompey. For the complete program, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/uw-concert-band-3/

THURSDAY

At 7:30 p.m. in Collins Recital Hall, UW cello professor Parry Karp (below), who plays in the UW’s Pro Arte Quartet, will give a FREE recital.

Piano accompanists are Bill Lutes; Martha Fischer; Frances Karp, the mother of Parry Karp; and Thomas Kasdorf.

The program is:

Robert Schumann: “Five Pieces in Folk Style” for Piano and Cello, Op. 102 (You can hear the first of the five pieces in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

Johannes Brahms: Sonata in F Minor for Piano and Clarinet, Op. 120 No. 1 (arranged for piano and cello by Parry Karp)

Robert Kahn (below): Three Pieces for Piano and Cello, Op. 25

Richard Strauss: Andante from “Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme” (The Bourgeois Gentleman), Op. 60

Ernest Bloch: “Schelomo” – a Hebraic Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra

FRIDAY

At 8 p.m. in Collins Recital Hall, UW-Madison bassoon professor Marc Vallon (below) and friends – fellow faculty members and students — will perform a FREE concert of chamber music.

Joining Vallon, who plays in the acclaimed UW Wingra Wind Quintet, are: pianist Satoko Hayami; percussionist Todd Hammes; bassoonist Midori Samson; flutist Iva Ugrcic, clarinetist Alicia Lee; trumpeters Jean Laurenz and Gilson Luis Da Silva; trombonist Cole Bartels; and Travis Cooke.

Composers to be performed are: Robert Schumann; Alexander Ouzounoff; Sophia Gubaidulina (below); and Igor Stravinsky. No word about titles of specific works on the program.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AaronCopland, #AlexanderOuzounoff, #AliciaLee, #AmandaForsyth, #BassoonMusic, #BillLutes, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CelloSonata, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberPercussionEnsemble, #ClarinetMusic, #ColeBartels, #CollaborativePIano, #CollinsRecitalHall, #ConcertBand, #ContemporaryComposer, #ContemporaryMusic, #CoreyPompey, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #EmergingComposers, #ErnestBloch, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyConcert, #FacultyMember, #FolkStyle, #FrancesKarp, #GilsonLuisDaSilva, #GraduateStudent, #HamelMusicCenter, #HebraicMusic, #HectorBerlioz, #IgorStravinsky, #IsthmusMagazine, #IsthmusNewspaper, #IvaUgrcic, #JacobStockinger, #JeanLaurenz, #JiHyunYim, #JohannesBrahms, #JohnDeMain, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MarcVallon, #MarthaFischer, #MeadWitterFoundationConcertHall, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MichaelMuckian, #MinimalistMusic, #MusicProfessors, #MusicReview, #NewMusic, #OrchestralMusic, #OriolSans, #ParryKarp, #PercussionMusic, #PianoAccompanist, #PinchasZukerman, #ProArteQuartet, #RichardStrauss, #RobertKahn, #RobertSchumann, #SatokoHayami, #SofiaGubaidulina, #SteveReich, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #ThomasKasdorf, #ToddHammes, #TravisCooke, #TromboneMusic, #TrumpetMusic, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UWConcertBand, #ViolinConcerto, #WesternPercussionEnsemble, #WindQuintet, #WingraWindQuintet, #YouTubevideo, Aaron Copland, acclaimed, accompaniment, accompanist, afternoon, Alexander Ouzounoff, Alicia Lee, Amanda Forsyth, Andante, arrangement, Arts, audience, band, Bassoon, bassoonist, Beethoven, Berlioz, Bill Lutes, blog, blossom, bourgeois, Brahms, busy, candidate, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Chamber Percussion Ensemble, chance, choral music, clarinet, Classical music, Cole Bartels, Collins Recital Hall, composer, Concert, Concert Band, concert hall, concerto, conductor, contemporary, core, Corey Pompey, critically acclaimed, dedicated, deep, director, diverse, doctoral, emerging composers, engaging, ensemble, Ernest Bloch, event, exhilarating, Facebook, faculty member, flute, flutist, folk style, forest, forward, Frances Karp, free, friends, gentleman, Gilson Luis Da Silva, graduate student, Gubaidulina, guest, Hamel Music Center, Hebraic, Hebrew, Hector Berlioz, Hyun, Igor Stravinsky, information, Isthmus, Iva Ugrcic, Jacob Stockinger, Jean Laurenz, Ji, Ji-Hyun Yim, Johannes Brahms, John DeMain, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Marc Vallon, Martha Fischer, Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Mead Witter School of Music, Michael Muckian, minimalism, minimalist, Music, music faculty, New Music, Orchestra, orchestral, Oriol Sans, Parry Karp, percussion, percussionist, performer, Pianist, Piano, pieces, Pinchas Zukerman, playing, positive, post, post-minimalist, posting, principal, Pro Arte Quartet, professor, program, recital, repertoire, repertory, review, rhapsody, Richard Strauss, Robert Kahn, Robert Schumann, Satoko Hayami, Schelomo, Schumann, seed, share, significant, Sofia Gubaidulina, soloist, Sonata, Steve Reich, Stravinsky, String quartet, Student, tag, The Ear, Thomas Kasdorf, ticket, tickets, Todd Hammes, together, transcription, Travis Cooke, Trombone, Trumpet, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW Concert Band, UW-Madison, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, Western, western Percussion Ensemble, Wind quintet, Wings Wind Quintet, Wisconsin, works, years, Yim, YouTube

Classical music: The gala opening this weekend of the UW-Madison’s new Hamel Music Center is SOLD OUT. What do you think of the building, the music and the event? Plus, veteran music critic John W. Barker has died

October 25, 2019
7 Comments

PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE 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: Word arrived late last night that the respected longtime music critic John W. Barker, a retired UW-Madison professor of medieval history, died Thursday morning. He wrote locally for Isthmus, The Capital Times and this blog. Details will be shared when they are known.

By Jacob Stockinger

This weekend, Oct. 25-27, marks the official gala opening of the new Hamel Music Center (below, in a photo by Bryce Richter for University Communications) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music. It is located at 740 University Ave., next to the new wing of the Chazen Museum of Art, which has a special exhibit relating to the new music center.

The impressive $58-million structure, which has taken many years to fund (completely privately) and then to build, will celebrate its opening tonight, Saturday night (while the 14th annual Halloween FreakFest on State Street is happening) and Sunday afternoon.

The performers will include distinguished alumni, faculty members and students.

Here is a link to an overall schedule as published on the School of Music’s home website: https://www.music.wisc.edu/hamel-music-center-opening-schedule/

Thanks to an astute reader who found what The Ear couldn’t find, here is a complete schedule — long, varied and impressive — of works and performers: https://www.music.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20191025-Hamel-Music-Center-Opening-Weekend.pdf

And here is a link to the official UW-Madison press release with more background and details about the building: https://news.wisc.edu/mead-witter-school-of-musics-hamel-music-center-opening-this-fall/

UW-Madison composer Laura Schwendinger (below) has been commissioned to write a Fanfare that will receive its world premiere tonight.

The opening promises to be a success, complete with receptions at the end of each performance.

In fact, the public has signed on enough that the FREE tickets to all events are SOLD OUT, according to the School of Music’s home website.

Taste is personal and varies, and The Ear has heard mixed reviews of the new building. (For the special occasion, you can hear “The Consecration of the House” Overture by Beethoven, performed by the La Scala opera house orchestra in Milan under Riccardo Muti, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

Basically, people seem to agree that the acoustics are much improved over Mills Hall and Morphy Recital Hall in the old Humanities Building.

But public opinion seems more divided over other aspects, from the overall external architecture and interior design to the smaller size of the big hall, the seats and seating layout, and the restrooms.

So if you go – or have already gone – let the rest of us know what you think about those various aspects of the new building and about the various performers and programs.

As a warm-up preview, here are photos of the main halls or spaces, all taken by Bryce Richter for University Communications:

Here is the 660-seat Mead Witter Concert Hall:

Here is the 300-seat Collins Recital Hall:

And here is the Lee/Kaufman Rehearsal Hall:

But what do you say? You be the critic.

The Ear and others hope to see COMMENTS from listeners and especially performers. What is it like to perform there? Or to sit and listen?

What does the public think of the new building and concert halls? Are you satisfied? What do you like and what don’t you like?

Should some things have been done – or not done – in your opinion?

Does the building and do the concert halls live up to the expectations and hype?

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AaronCopland, #AnthonyDiSanza, #ArpeggioneSonata, #ArthurBenjamin, #AstorPiazzolla, #AugustaReadThomas, #BandMusic, #BeverlyTaylor, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #BryceRichter, #CapTimes, #ChamberMusic, #ChazenMuseumofArt, #ChenYi, #ChoralFantasy, #ChoralMusic, #ChristopherTaylor, #ClassicalGuitar, #ClaudeDebussy, #CollinsRecitalHall, #CommissionedMusic, #ConcertChoir, #ConcertHall, #ConsecrationoftheHouse, #CoreyPompey, #EmeritusProfessor, #EuphoniumMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FluteMusic, #FranzSchubert, #Fridaynight, #GuitarMusic, #HalloweenFreakfest, #HamelMusicCenter, #HomeWebsite, #HumanitiesBuilding, #InteriorDesign, #IsthmusMagazine, #IsthmusNewspaper, #JamesSmith, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnAdams, #JohnCage, #JohnW.Barker, #KarlheinzStockhausen, #KarlosMoser, #LaScala, #LauraSchwendinger, #Lee/KaufmanRehearsalHall, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MarcFink, #MarcVallon, #MarkHetzler, #MeadWitterFoundationConcertHall, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MedievalHistory, #MillsHall, #MorphyRecitalHall, #MusicCommission, #MusicCritic, #Musicfaculty, #NewMusic, #OldBuilding, #OperaHouse, #OperaMusic, #OrchestralMusic, #OriolSans, #ParryKarp, #PaulCollins, #PersonalTaste, #PianoMusic, #PressRelease, #ProfessorEmeritus, #PublicOpinion, #RebecccaBlank, #RiccardoMuti, #RichardLottridge, #RichardStrauss, #SaturdayNight, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #SoldOut, #SopranoSinger, #StateStreet, #StephenSondheim, #Sundayafternoon, #SusanC.Cook, #TenorSinger, #TheCapitalTimes, #TheEar, #TimothyHagen, #TomCurry, #TraditionalMusic, #TyroneGreive, #TyroneGrieve, #UniversityCommunications, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UW-MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #UWChorale, #UWSymphonyOrchestra, #VincenzoBellini, #ViolaMusic, #ViolinMusic, #VocalMusic, #WindEnsemble, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, Aaron Copland, acoustics, afternoon, alumni, Anthony DiSanza, architecture, Argentina, Arpeggione sonata, Art, Arthur Benjamin, artistic, Arts, audience, Augusta Read Thomas, Ástor Piazzolla, Bach, background, band music, Bassoon, Beethoven, Bellini, Beverly Taylor, blog, blue, brass, Brazil, Brazilian music, Bryce Richter, build, building, Campus, Cap Times, celebrate, Cello, Chamber music, chancellor, Chazen, Chazen Museum of Art, Chen Yi, Choir, choral, Choral Fantasy, choral music, Chorale, Christopher Taylor, clarinet, Classical music, classicalmusic, Claude Debussy, collage, Collins Recital Hall, comments, commission, commissioned music, communication, composer, Concert, Concert Choir, concert hall, conductor, consecration, Consecration of the House, Corey Pompey, critic, death, Debussy, design, details, die, died, director, distinguished, do, done, donor, ensemble, Euphonium, event, exhibit, expectations, external, Facebook, faculty, Fanfare, fantasy, fest, flute, folk song, folksong, forward, frak, Franz Schubert, freak, Freakfest, free, Friday night, fund, gala, graduates, guitar, Halloween, Halloween Freakest, Hamel Music Center, History, Holiday, home website, Horn, House, humanities, humanities building, hype, impressive, improved, information, interior, interior design, Isthmus, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, James Smith, Jazz, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Adams, John Cage, John W. Barker, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Karlos Moser, La Scala, Laura Schwendinger, Lee/Kaufman Rehearsal Hall, link, listeners, live, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, madrigal, major, Marc Fink, Marc Vallon, Mark Hetzler, Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Mead Witter School of Music, Medieval, Milan, Mills Hall, mixed, mixed reviews, Morphy Recital Hall, Mosse Humanities Building, Mozart, Music, music critic, music faculty, new, New Music, news, Oboe, occasion, Octet, offically, old, old building, opening, opera, Opera house, opinion, Orchestra, orchestral music, Oriol Sans, Overture, Parry Karp, Paul Collins, performer, performers, photo, photograph, photographer, Piano, pieces, post, posting, press, press release, preview, private, private schools, program, public opinion, publicity, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, reader, Rebecca Blank, reception, rehearsal, restroom, review, Riccardo Muti, Richard Lottridge, Richard Strauss, satisfaction, satisfied, Saturday night, say, schedule, Schubert, seat, seating, Serenade, share, social, sold-out, something, Sonata, soprano, space, special, State Street, Stephen Sondheim, Strauss, structure, Student, subscriber, success, Sunday, Sunday afternoon, Susan C. Cook, symphony, tag, tango, taste, tenor, The Capital Times, The Ear, think, Thursday, ticket, time, Timothy Hagen, Tom Curry, tonight, traditional, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, Tyrone Greive, Tyrone Grieve, United States, University Communications, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW Concert Choir, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW Wind Ensemble, UW-Madison, UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra, vary, Veteran, Vincenzo Bellini, Viola, Violin, vocal music, warm up, weekend, wind ensemble, wind music, winds, wing, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, word, world, world premiere, years, you, YouTube

Classical music: This weekend guest violinist Rachel Barton Pine solos with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in an all-Russian program

October 17, 2019
9 Comments

By Jacob Stockinger

This weekend the acclaimed Chicago violinist Rachel Barton Pine (below) makes her debut with the Madison Symphony Orchestra playing Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto in D minor.

The concert by the orchestra (below, in a photo by Peter Rodgers) opens with Prokofiev’s Suite from Lieutenant Kijé and concludes with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9.

Performances will be held in Overture Hall, 201 State St., on Friday night, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday night, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday afternoon, Oct. 20, at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall. Tickets are $19-$95. See below for details.

“There will be great discoveries in our all-Russian concert, starting with the MSO debut of virtuoso violinist Rachel Barton Pine playing the Khachaturian Violin Concerto, a big, bold and beautiful work in its MSO premiere,” said MSO music director and conductor John DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson). Lieutenant Kijé is sure to delight you with its wonderful melodies and infectious rhythms. Shostakovich has become a favorite with our audiences, and his ninth symphony is delightfully upbeat.”

Lieutenant Kijé is the fictional protagonist of an anecdote about the reign of Emperor Paul I of Russia. The story was used as the basis of a novella by Yury Tynyanov published in 1928 and filmed in 1934, with music by Sergei Prokofiev (below). The plot is a satire on bureaucracy and is often parodied in fictional works making fun of bureaucracies, most famously in the form of the M*A*S*H television episode “Tuttle,” featuring a fictional captain of similar provenance. (You can hear the popular “Troika” episode in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

Many of the themes in Violin Concerto in D minor are evocative of the native Armenia of Aram Khachaturian (below). Although the folk melodies aren’t played explicitly, one can hear the Armenian roots through the oriental essence of the scales and the rhythmic range of the featured dances. The piece won the Stalin Prize in 1941, becoming one of Khachaturian’s favorites.

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 is entirely unlike his other symphonies. In fact, it completely disregards the expectations for its programmatic elements. Shostakovich’s prior two symphonies are thematically tied to the ongoing war, therefore the public presumed that the ninth symphony would be a grand culmination to Stalin and mark the end of World War II. Instead, the composer (below) produced a short, neo-classical work that generated an abundance of controversy.

ABOUT RACHEL BARTON PINE

In both art and life, violinist Rachel Barton Pine (below) – who has performed in Madison before with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra — has an extraordinary ability to connect with people.

Celebrated as a leading interpreter of great classic and contemporary works, her performances combine her innate gift for emotional communication and her scholarly fascination with historical research. She plays with passion and conviction, thrilling audiences worldwide with her dazzling technique, lustrous tone, and infectious joy in music-making.

A prolific recording artist, she has also championed the works of female composers and African-American composers.

Pine was also recently named the recipient of the Cedille Records Musical Partnership Award for her Rachel Barton Pine Foundation. The Foundation was recognized as an organization that has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the classical music community in Chicago. Cedille noted the Foundation’s “support of the Chicago musical community’s most valuable asset — its musicians and composers.”

Pine was presented with the award by U.S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg whose son, Jim Ginsburg, founded Cedille Records. Pine began her Foundation in 2001 to provide instruments and instruction to children who might not otherwise be able to afford them.

You can read the Artist Story online about how Rachel Barton Pine overcame severe injuries and her own personal adversity to achieve her goals: https://madisonsymphony.org/19-20-artist-story-rachel-barton-pine-overcomes-adversity/

CONCERT, TICKET AND EVENT DETAILS

The lobby opens 90 minutes prior to each concert.

One hour before each performance, retired MSO trombonist and UW-Whitewater professor Michael Allsen (below, in a photo by Katrin Talbot) will lead a 30-minute Prelude Discussion in Overture Hall to enhance concertgoers’ understanding and listening experience. It is free to ticket holders.

The MSO recommends that concert attendees arrive early for each performance to make sure they have time to pass through Overture Center’s security stations, and so they can experience the Prelude Discussion.

Program notes for the concerts are available online: http://bit.ly/msooct19programnotes.

Single Tickets are $19-$95 each and are on sale now at: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/rachel-barton-pine-plays-khachaturian/through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141. Fees apply to online/phone sales.
Groups of 10 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information, visit, https://www.madisonsymphony.org/groups.
Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $15 or $20 tickets. More information is at: https://www.madisonsymphony.org/studentrush
Seniors age 62 and up receive 20% savings on advance and day-of-concert ticket purchases in select areas of the hall.
Flex-ticket booklets of 8-10 vouchers for 19-20 symphony subscription concerts are available. Learn more at: https://madisonsymphony.org/flex
Subscriptions for the 2019–2020 season are available now. Learn more at: https://madisonsymphony.org/19-20

Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #African-AmericanComposer, #All-Russian, #AllTime, #AramKhachaturian, #ArtisticControversy, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BoxOffice, #CedilleRecords, #ContemporaryMusic, #CriticalAcclaim, #DmitriShostakovich, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FemaleComposers, #FilmScore, #FilmSoundtrack, #folksongs, #Fridaynight, #GuestArtist, #JimGinsburg, #JohnDeMain, #JosefStalin, #LieutenantKijé, #M*A*S*H, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MichaelAllsen, #MovieSoundtrack, #Music-Making, #MusicAppreciation, #MusicDirector, #NewMusic, #NotoriousRBG, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #PoliticalControversy, #PopularMusic, #PreludeDiscussion, #ProgramNotes, #RachelBartonPine, #RachelBartonPineFoundation, #RussianComposer, #RussianMusic, #RuthBaderGinsburg, #SaturdayNight, #SeniorCitizen, #SergeiProkofiev, #Sovietcomposer, #SovietMusic, #SovietUnion, #StalinPrize, #Sundayafternoon, #SupremeCourt, #TheViolin, #U.S.SupremeCourt, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityofWisconsin-Whitewater, #ViolinConcerto, #ViolinistVirtuoso, #VirtuosoViolinist, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #World-wide, #WorldWarll, #YouTubevideo, #YuryTynyanov, ability, abundance, acclaim, achieve, adversity, afford, African American, afternoon, anecdote, appreciation, Aram Khachaturian, Armenia, Armenian, Art, artist, Arts, asset, audience, availability, basis, beautiful, big, blog, bold, box office, bureaucracy, captain, Cedille Records, celebrated, champion, Chicago, children, Classical music, classicalmusic, commitment, communication, community, Compact Disc, composer, Concert, concerto, conclude, conductor, connect, conquer, contemporary music, controversy, conviction, dance, debut, delight, discount, discovery, discussion, Dmitri Shostakovich, element, emotional, Emperor, end, episode, essence, expectations, experience, explicit, extraordinary, Facebook, fascination, favorite, feature, female composers, fictional, film, Film score, folk, folk song, forward, foundation, free, Friday, fun, generate, gift, goal, great, group, guest, guest artist, historical, History, ID, infectious, information, injuries, instruction, instruments, interpreter, J. Michael Allsen, Jacob Stockinger, Jim GInsburg, John DeMain, Joy, justice, Khachaturian, kids, lieutenant, Lieutenant Kijé, life, like, link, listening, lobby, lustrous, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, mark, Mead Witter School of Music, melodies, melody, Michael Allsen, military, Mother, movie, movie music, MSO, Music, music appreciation, Music director, Musician, myriad, native, neo-Classical, neoclassical, New Music, night, Notorious RBG, novella, online, Orchestra, oriental, oversame, Overture Center, Overture Center for the Arts, Overture Hall, parody, partnership, Passion, Paul, People, performance, performer, person, personal, play, plot, popular, post, posting, Prelude, premiere, prize, professor, program notes, programmatic, Prokofiev, prolific, protagonist, provenance, provide, public, publish, Rachel Barton Pine, Rachel Barton Pine Foundation, range, reader, recipient, recognize, recommend, recording, reign, research, retired, Retirement, rhythm, rhythms, roots, Russia, Russian, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, satire, savings, scales, scholarly, seat, security, senior, senior citizen, Sergei Prokofiev, severe, share, short, Shostakovich, similar, solo, son, soundtrack, Soviet, Stalin, Stalin Prize, story, Student, subscriber, Suite, Sunday, support, Supreme Court, symphony, tag, technique, Television, thematic, themes, thrill, ticket, time, tone, troika, Trombone, TV, U.S. Supreme Court, understanding, United States, University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, upbeat, USSR, UW-Whitewater, valuable, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, virtuoso, war, weekend, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wonderful, works, world, World War II, worldwide, YouTube, Yury Tynyanov

Classical music: This coming week at the UW-Madison brings a FREE concert of flute and piano music by guest artists on Monday night and a FREE performance by the Wisconsin Brass Quintet on Wednesday night

October 12, 2019
1 Comment

IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE 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 coming week at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music brings two FREE chamber music concerts of flute music and brass music.

On Monday night, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. in the Collins Recital Hall in the new Hamel Music Center, 740 University Ave., located next to the new wing of the Chazen Museum of Art, guest artists flutist Elise Blatchford (below top) from the University of Memphis and pianist Jacob Coleman (below bottom) from the University of Kentucky will perform a FREE recital.

No program is listed.

For more biographical information, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/guest-artists-elise-blatchford-flute-with-jacob-coleman-piano/

On Wednesday night, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall of the new Hamel Music Center, the Wisconsin Brass Quintet (below) will give a FREE performance.

The quintet is a critically acclaimed, longtime faculty group at the UW-Madison. For background about the ensemble, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/wisconsin-brass-quintet/

Members of the 2019-20 Wisconsin Brass Quintet are Jean Laurenz and Gilson Silva, trumpets; Daniel Grabois, horn; Mark Hetzler, trombone; and Tom Curry, tuba.

Please note: In fall 2019, Daniel Grabois will be on sabbatical. His replacement will be Jeff Scott (below), hornist with the Grammy-nominated Imani Winds. Read about Jeff here.

The program of modern classics includes:

“Mini Overture” by Witold Lutoslawski (heard in the YouTube video at the bottom)

“Celestial Suite” by James Stephenson

“Reflecting Light” by Adam Schoenberg

“Adam’s Rib” by James MacMillan

Quintet No. 2 by Victor Ewald

For more information, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/wisconsin-brass-quintet-faculty-ensemble/

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AdamSchoenberg, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #BrassQuintet, #ChamberMusic, #ChazenMuseumofArt, #CollaborativePianist, #CollinsRecitalHall, #ConcertHall, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #DanielGrabois, #EliseBlatchford, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FluteMusic, #FrenchHorn, #GilsonSilva, #GrammyAward, #GuestArtist, #HamelMusicCenter, #ImaniWinds, #JacobColeman, #JamesMacMillan, #JamesStephenson, #JeanLaurenz, #JeffScott, #MarkHetzler, #MeadWitterFoundationConcertHall, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #ModernClassics, #ModernMusic, #Musicfaculty, #PianoAccompanist, #TomCurry, #TromboneMusic, #TrumpetMusic, #TubaMusic, #UniversityofKentucky, #UniversityofMemphis, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VictorEwald, #WisconsinBrassQuintet, #WitoldLutoslawski, Adam, Adam Schoenberg, background, biographical, biography, blog, brass, brass music, Brass quintet, celestial, Chamber music, Chazen Museum of Art, Classical music, classics, collaborative, Collins Recital Hall, composer, Concert, concert hall, critically acclaimed, Daniel Grabois, Elise Blatchford, ensemble, Facebook, faculty, flute, flutist, forward, free, French horn, Gilson Silva, Grammy Award, group, guest artist, Hamel Music Center, Horn, hornist, Imani Winds, information, Jacob Coleman, Jacob Stockinger, James MacMillan, James Stephenson, Jean Laurenz, Jeff Scott, Kentucky, light, like, link, located, Mark Hetzler, Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Mead Witter School of Music, member, Memphis, modern, Music, new, nominated, nomination, Overture, performance, Pianist, Piano, post, posting, program, quintet, reader, recital, reflecting, replacement, rib, sabbatical, share, subscriber, Suite, tag, Tennessee, Tom Curry, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, United States, university, University of Kentucky, University of Memphis, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Victor Ewald, wing, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Brass Quintet, Witold Lutoslawski, YouTube

Classical music: The Pro Arte Quartet minus one plays string trios this Friday night and Sunday afternoon, then starts its Beethoven string quartet cycle on Friday, Nov. 22. Plus 3 UW profs premiere a new fusion work tonight

October 3, 2019
Leave a Comment

CORRECTION: The all-Telemann concert by the Madison Bach Musicians on this Saturday night at the First Unitarian Society of Madison is at 8 p.m. — NOT 7:30 as it was mistakenly listed in the early version of yesterday’s post. The Ear apologizes for the error. The pre-concert lecture is at 7:15 p.m. There is also a performance on Sunday at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton at 3:30 p.m., with a lecture at 2:45 p.m. For more information, go to: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2019/10/02/classical-music-how-did-baroque-composer-telemann-get-overshadowed-and-why-is-he-being-rediscovered-trevor-stephenson-talks-about-his-all-telemann-concerts-this-weekend/

ALERT: TONIGHT, Thursday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m., three UW-Madison music professors — Anthony Di Sanza (percussion), Tom Curry (tuba, keyboard and electronics) and Mark Hetzler (trombone and electronics) — will perform their new composition “Don’t Look Down” at the Arts + Literature Laboratory, located at 2021 Winnebago Street on Madison’s near east side. (Phone is 608 556-7415.)

The trio’s goal to showcase their instruments using a combination of electro-acoustic techniques, improvisation and traditional chamber music applications to create an array of sonic environments and musical languages.

The result is a work that looks at the impact of media and technology on society, while featuring shifting soundscapes and a variety of styles including classical, rock, jazz and experimental.

Tickets are $10 in advance at: https://dontlookdown.brownpapertickets.com; and $15 at the door. Student tickets are $5 off with a valid school ID. Advance ticket sales end one hour before the show. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

By Jacob Stockinger

First, a news flash: The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s critically acclaimed Pro Arte Quartet (below, in a photo by Rick Langer) will begin its complete cycle of Beethoven’s 16 string quartets on Friday, Nov. 22.

The program, time and other dates are not available yet, but should be announced soon.

The performances are part of the 2020 Beethoven Year, which will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Stayed tuned for more details.

This Friday night, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, three members of the Pro Arte will perform a FREE concert of string trios. Performers are second violinist Suzanne Beia, violist Sally Chisholm and cellist Parry Karp.

Featured on the program are: the Serenade in C Major, Op. 10 (1902), by the Hungarian composer Ernst von Dohnanyi (below top); the String Trio, Op. 48 (1950), by the Polish composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg (below bottom); and the Serenade in D Major, Op. 8 (1796-97), by Ludwig van Beethoven.) You can hear the opening movement of the Weinberg Trio in the YouTube video at the bottom.

For more information about the quartet and the program, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/pro-arte-quartet-5/

This Sunday afternoon, the Pro Arte Quartet will also perform FREE at the Chazen Museum of Art on Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen. The same program of string trios will be repeated. The performance will be held starting at 12:30 in the Brittingham Gallery 3.

For details about attending, go to: https://www.chazen.wisc.edu/index.php?/events-calendar-demo/event/sunday-afternoon-live-at-the-chazen9/

It will also be streamed live at the following portal: https://c.streamhoster.com/embed/media/O7sBNG/OS1C0ihJsYK/iqf1vBMs3qg_5

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AnthonyDiSanza, #ArtsandLiteratureLaboratory, #BeethovenYear, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrittinghamGallery3, #BrittinghamGalleryIII, #ChamberMusic, #ChazenMuseumofArt, #CompleteCycle, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #EastSide, #ElectronicMusic, #ErnstvonDohnanyi, #ExperimentalMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #HighTechnology, #HolyWisdomMonastery, #HungarianComposer, #LiveStreaming, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonBachMusicians, #MadisonWisconsin, #MarkHetzler, #MassMedia, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MieczyslawWeinberg, #MusicalStyle, #Musicfaculty, #MusicProfessors, #NewMusic, #NewsFlash, #ParryKarp, #PercussionMusic, #PolishComposer, #ProArteQuartet, #RockMusic, #SallyChisholm, #SecondViolin, #StreamedLive, #StringQuartet, #StringTrio, #Sundayafternoon, #SundayAfternoonLiveattheChazen, #SuzanneBeia, #TomCurry, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #YouTubevideo, acoustic, anniversary, Anthony Di Sanza, application, array, Arts, Arts and Literature Laboratory, audience, Austria, Beethoven, Beethoven Year, birth, blog, Brittingham, Brittingham Gallery 3, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Chazen, Chazen Museum of Art, Classical music, classicalmusic, complete, composer, Concert, create, critically acclaimed, cycle, date, details, doors, east side, electro, Electro-Acoustic, electronic, environment, Ernst von Dohnanyi, experimental, Facebook, faculty member, flash, Forst Unitarian Society of Madison, Georg Philipp Telemann, Germany, Holy Wisdom Monastery, Hungarian, Hungary, ID, impact, improvisation, information, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Keyboard, languages, lecture, literature, live streaming, look, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, Mark Hetzler, mass media, Mead Witter School of Music, media, member, Middleton, Mieczyslaw Weinberg, Music, music faculty, music professor, musical, musical style, New Music, news, Parry Karp, percussion, performer, phone, Poland, Polish, portal, post, posting, premiere, Pro Arte Quartet, professor, Quartet, result, Rock, Sally Chisholm, school, second violin, Serenade, shift, show, society, sonic, soundscape, streamed live, String quartet, string trio, stuydent, style, Sunday, Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen, Suzanne Beia, technique, technology, tickets, time, Tom Curry, trio, Trombone, Tuba, tuned, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, valid, variety, version, Vienna, Viola, Violin, violist, Wisconsin, work, yesterday, YouTube

Classical music: The eclectic fusion group Mr. Chair plays music by Stravinsky, Satie and others on Monday night in Spring Green

August 17, 2019
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear has received the following announcement from the Rural Musicians Forum:

Mr. Chair looks like a jazz quartet, sounds sometimes like a rock band, but in actuality is a contemporary classical music group in the guise of a modern band.

Classically trained musicians who are well versed in jazz, the players in Mr. Chair create a new sound using both acoustic and electric instruments.(You can hear Mr. Chair perform the original composition “Freed” in the the YouTube video at the bottom.)

The Rural Musicians Forum audience will have the chance to enjoy the soundscapes of this fascinating eclectic fusion group on this coming Monday night, Aug. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at Taliesin’s Hillside Theater (below) in Spring Green.

Members of Mr. Chair (below) are Professor Mark Hetzler, trombone and electronics; Jason Kutz, piano and keyboards; Ben Ferris, acoustic and electric bass; and Mike Koszewski, drums and percussion. All have close ties to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, where they also perform as an ensemble.

Mr. Chair’s compositions are long-form journeys, telling stories through sound by using and exploring the three pillars of music: melody, harmony and rhythm. Think cinematic, orchestral, surreal, romantic, emotional and gripping, and always equal parts dissonant and consonant. Their influences are far-reaching from classical, blues and rock to soul, funk, jazz and beyond.

For this concert, Mr. Chair will perform re-imagined excerpts from Igor Stravinsky’s Neo-Classical ballet masterpiece Pulcinella as well as music by Erik Satie and selections from their debut album, NEBULEBULA, which will be released on Thursday, Sept. 5, on vinyl, CD and digital streaming platforms.

The genre-bending quartet will perform in the beautiful Hillside Theater designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as part of his Taliesin compound. It is located at 6604 State Highway 23, about five miles south of Spring Green.

Admission is by free will offering, with a suggested donation of $15.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #BalletMusic, #BalletScore, #BenFerris, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BluesMusic, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberMusician, #CompactDisc, #ContemporaryMusic, #DrumMusic, #EqualParts, #ErikSatie, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FrankLloydWright, #FreewillOffering, #FunkMusic, #HillsideTheater, #IgorStravinsky, #JasonKutz, #JazzMusic, #MarkHetzler, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MikeKoszewski, #Mondaynight, #NewMusic, #PercussionMusic, #PulcinellaSuite, #RockandRoll, #RockBand, #RockMusic, #RuralMusiciansForum, #SoulMusic, #SpringGreen, #TheBlues, #TheEar, #TromboneMusic, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #YouTubevideo, acoustic, admission, Album, Arts, audience, ballet, band, Baroque, Ben Ferris, blog, blues, CD, Chamber music, chance, cinematic, Classical, Classical music, classicalmusic, close, Compact Disc, composer, Composition, compound, Concert, consonance, consonant, contemporary, create, debut, design, digital, dissonance, dissonant, drum, eclectic, electric, electronics, emotional, ensemble, equal, equal parts, Erik Satie, explore, Facebook, fascinating, forum, forward, Frank Lloyd Wright, freed, funk, fusion, gripping, group, guise, harmony, highway, Hillside Theater, Igor Stravinsky, imagine, influence, instrument, Jacob Stockinger, Jason Kutz, Jazz, Keyboard, like, link, long-form, Madison, Mark Hetzler, masterpiece, Mead Witter School of Music, melody, member, Mike Koszewski, modern, Monday, Mr Chair, Music, Musician, neo-Classical, new, New Music, night, offering, orchestral, original, part, percussion, performer, Pianist, Piano, pillar, platform, players, post, posting, Pulcinella, Pulcinella Suite, Quartet, rhythm, Rock, rock and roll, rock band, Romantic, rual, rural, Rural Musicians Forum, share, soul, Sound, soundscape, Spring Green, state, stories, story, streaming, subscriber, surreal, tag, Taliesin, The Ear, tie, Trombone, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, use, UW-Madison, vinyl, word, YouTube

	Brian Jefferies on Classical music: A major reass…
	welltemperedear on What made Beethoven sick and…
	rlhess5d5b7e5dff on What made Beethoven sick and…
	welltemperedear on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200…
	Robert Graebner on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200…

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: