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By Jacob Stockinger
The various hosts of Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) — an indispensable companion during self-isolation at home — listen to a lot of music and think a lot about it, especially about its meaning and appeal to the public.
So it comes as no surprise that they have once again suggested music to listen to during the coronavirus pandemic and the mounting toll of COVID-19.
Almost two months ago, the same radio hosts suggested music that they find calming and inspiring. They did so on the WPR home page in an ongoing blog where they also included YouTube audiovisual performances.
This time, the various hosts – mostly of classical shows but also of folk music and world music – suggest music that inspires or expresses hope and gratitude. (Below is Ruthanne Bessman, the host of “Classics by Request,” which airs at 10 a.m. on Saturdays.)
Here is the genesis of the list and public service project:
“At a recent WPR music staff meeting, we talked about the many ways music can unite us and about how music can express the gratitude we feel for people and things that are important to us, often much better than words.
“That discussion led to this collection of music, which we wanted to share with you. It’s eclectic and interesting, just like our music staff.”
The composers cited include some familiar names such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten and John Williams.
But some new music, based on historical events and written by contemporary or modern composers, is also named. It includes works by the American composer Daniel Gawthrop (b. 1949, below top) and the Israeli composer David Zehavi (1910-1977, below bottom). Here are links to their biographies.
Sound-wise, it is quite an eclectic list that runs from solo harpsichord music to orchestral and choral music as well as chamber music.
Many of the performers have played in Madison at the Overture Center, with Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, at the Wisconsin Union Theater, at the UW-Madison and on the Salon Piano Series at Farley’s House of Pianos.
They include: the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; cellist Amit Peled and pianist Eli Kalman, who received his doctorate from the UW-Madison and now teaches at the UW-Oshkosh; conductor-composer John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers; and superstars violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma along with Venezuelan pianist-improviser Gabriela Montero in a quartet that played at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Get out your datebooks and calendars.
Here is a complete listing for major concerts and events at the University of Wisconsin Mead Witter School of Music during the new 2019-20 season.
The calendar starts with the FREE season-opening 40th annual Karp Family Labor Day Concert this coming Tuesday night, Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall. The program features chamber music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Dvorak. For more information about the program and performers, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/40th-karp-family-concert/
Most concerts this season will take place in the new Hamel Music Center (below), which has a three-day opening celebration Oct. 25-27.
Please note that just a few programs are listed. For other programs, and for information about any admission charge, you can go to the School of Music’s home website closer to the event and click on Concerts and Events: https://www.music.wisc.edu/events/
Tuesday, Sep 3, 2019
Karp Family Concert
7:30 PM
Mills Hall
Sunday, September 29, 2019,
Jessica Martin & John O’Brien – Nordic song recital
4:00 PM
Morphy Hall
Monday, Sept. 30, 2019
Beth Wiese, Tuba, Guest Artist Recital
7:30 PM
Morphy Hall
Friday, October 4, 2019
Pro Arte Quartet
8:00 PM
Mills Hall
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019
Chanticleer
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019
Wind Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Friday, October 11, 2019
UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sunday, October 13, 2019
University Bands
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Contemporary Jazz & Blue Note Ensemble
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Wisconsin Brass Quintet – Faculty Concert Series
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thursday, October 17
Jazz Faculty Quintet with special guest Michael Dudley, trumpet
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Monday, October 21, 2019
Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble and UW Jazz Orchestra
7:30 PM
Play Circle
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Concert Band
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Wed, October 23, 2019
Jazz Composers Group & Jazz Standards
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Thu, October 24, 2019
Parry Karp with Eli Kalman, piano
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Friday, October 25, 2019
Opening Celebration Weekend: Hamel Music Center. Please check our website for details.
All Day
740 University Avenue
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Opening Celebration Weekend: Hamel Music Center. Please check our website for details.
All Day
740 University Avenue
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Opening Celebration Weekend: Hamel Music Center. Featured Event: Collins Fellows Concert
1:00 PM
Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center
Wed, October 30, 2019
Master Class with Violist Nobuko Imai
6:30 PM
Collins Hall
Thu, October 31, 2019
Violist Nobuko Imai with Pro Arte Quartet
12:00 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, November 1, 2019
Madrigal Singers
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, November 2, 2019
Alicia Lee, faculty clarinet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sun, November 3, 2019
Wind Ensemble
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, November 8, 2019
Wingra Wind Quintet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, November 9, 2019
UW Chorale
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thu, November 14, 2019
UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, November 15, 2019
University Opera: Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Sun, November 17, 2019
University Opera: Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2:00 PM
Music Hall
Tue, November 19, 2019
University Opera: Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Sat, November 16, 2019
Low Brass Ensemble
4:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, November 16, 2019
Combined Choirs
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, November 16, 2019
Timothy Hagen, faculty flute
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, November 22, 2019
UW Concert Choir
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, November 22, 2019
Pro Arte Quartet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, November 22, 2019
UW Jazz Orchestra
5:00-7:00 PM
Rathskeller
Saturday, Nov 23, 2019
Undergrad Audition Day
All day
Sat, November 23, 2019
World Percussion Ensemble
12:00 PM
Music Hall
Sat, November 23, 2019
Brass Ensembles
1:00 PM
??
Sun, November 24, 2019
UW Concert Band with Winds of Wisconsin
5:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Mon, November 25, 2019
Chamber Percussion Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mills Hall
Tue, November 26, 2019
Opera Scenes
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Mon, December 2, 2019
Piano Studio Recital
6:30 PM
Collins Hall
Tue, December 3, 2019
Jazz Composers & Contemporary Jazz Ensembles
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Wed, December 4, 2019
Jazz Standards Ensemble & Afro-Cuban Jazz
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Thu, December 5, 2019
UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra & UW Wind Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, December 6, 2019
Saxophonist Greg Ward with the Blue Note Ensemble and UW jazz faculty
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, December 7, 2019
UW & Madison Metropolitan Jazz Festival
Final Concert, 3:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, December 7, 2019
Choral Union: Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “A Sea Symphony”
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, December 8, 2019
University Bands
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, December 8, 2019
Choral Concerts at Luther Memorial Church
2:00 PM
Luther Memorial Church
Sun, December 8, 2019
Choral Concerts at Luther Memorial Church
4:00 PM
Luther Memorial Church
Sun, December 8, 2019
All-University Strings
4:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
BEGIN 2020
Sun, January 26, 2020
Annual Schubertiade
3:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, February 1, 2020
Christopher Taylor and Friends — Beethoven Symphony Extravaganza
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Wed, February 5, 2020
Daniel Grabois, horn
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Thu, February 6, 2020
UW Symphony Orchestra
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, February 8, 2020
The Knights
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, February 16, 2020
UW Wind Ensemble
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Monday, February 17, 2020
Chamber Percussion Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mills Hall
Tue, February 18, 2020
Concert Band
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thu, February 20, 2020
Parry Karp, faculty recital
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, February 21, 2020
Marc Vallon & Friends
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sunday, Feb 23, 2020
Les Thimmig, faculty recital
2:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, April 18, 2020
Low Brass Ensemble
4:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, February 28, 2020
Pro Arte Quartet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, February 29, 2020
Wingra Wind Quintet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, February 28, 2020,
University Opera – Mozart’s Così fan tutte
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Sun, March 1, 2020
University Opera – Mozart’s Così fan tutte
2:00 PM
Music Hall
Tue, March 3, 2020
University Opera – Mozart’s Così fan tutte
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Sun, March 1, 2020
Winds of Wisconsin
5:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Wed, March 4, 2020
Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Composers Group
7:30
Collins Hall
Thu, March 5, 2020
Blue Note Ensemble & Jazz Standards Ensemble
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, March 7, 2020
UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra with guest pianist Wu Han
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, March 8, 2020
University Bands
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Tue, March 10, 2020
Percussion Department Recital
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Weds March 11, 2020
UW Jazz Orchestra
7:30 PM
Play Circle
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Wisconsin Brass Quintet – Faculty Concert Series
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thu, March 12, 2020
UW Wind Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, March 27, 2020
Le Domaine Musicale with Marc Vallon and Friends
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sun, March 29, 2020
Concert Band
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, April 5, 2020
Beethoven Competition Winners’ Recital
3:30 PM
Collins Hall
Sun, April 5, 2020
“Symphony Showcase” Concerto Winners’ Solo Concert
7:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 11, 2020
Chorale
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, April 12, 2019
Perlman Trio Chamber Concert
3:00 PM
Collins Hall
Tue, April 14, 2020
Opera Scenes
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Wed, April 15, 2020
Contested Homes: Migrant Liberation Movement Suite
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thu, April 16, 2020
Pro Arte Quartet
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, April 17, 2020
Combined Choirs
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 18, 2020
Low Brass Ensemble
4:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 18, 2020
UW-Madison Choral Reunion concert featuring Concert Choir, Madrigals and alumni
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ALERT: This Friday’s FREE Noon Musicale at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, features harpsichordist Faythe Vollrath (below). She has been hailed by the Wall Street Journal for her “subtly varied tempo and rhythm that sounds like breathing.” Her programs do not focus solely on early music, but also incorporate new music written for historic instruments. The concert runs from 12:15 to 1 p.m. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear and see her playing the 1993 “Toccata” by Emma Lou Diemer.)
By Jacob Stockinger
On this coming Friday night, April 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, the Madison New Music Ensemble will give its debut concert.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Only cash and personal checks will be accepted at the door.
The program features music by the group’s artistic director and Madison-based composer Joseph Koykkar — the director of music in the Dance Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison — Robert Muczynski, Ed Martin, Lennon/McCartney and others.
Special guests are The Vine Street Trio, a faculty trio from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, playing works by contemporary composers and saxophonist Peterson Ross.
Members of the Madison New Music Ensemble (below, from left) are: Danielle Breisach; Joseph Koykkar; Monica Jiang; Joseph Ross; Amy Harr; Elena Ross; and Bethany Schultz
ALERT: This coming Thursday night, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall, UW-Madison cellist Parry Karp, of the Pro Arte Quartet, will perform a FREE all-French recital with longtime piano partner Eli Kalman of the UW-Oshkosh. The program includes the Cello Sonata by Claude Debussy; the Cello Sonata by Albéric Magnard; “Granada” from “Foreign Evenings” by Louis Vierne; and Cello Sonata No. 1 by Camille Saint-Saens. For more information, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/faculty-recital-parry-karp-cello-and-eli-kalman-piano-2/
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By Jacob Stockinger
The event is coming a couple of weeks earlier than the actual birthday on March 21.
But next Saturday, March 2, from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., the annual Bach Around the Clock will celebrate the 334th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
At 10 p.m., there will even be a birthday cake for the birthday boy and for those who are still there celebrating the Big Bang of classical music.
The FREE informal event – complete with interviews, snacks and beverages – will take place at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (below) at 1833 Regent Street on Madison’s near west side close to Randall Elementary School.
How do you like your Bach?
Sung? Played on instruments?
As originally scored? As arranged and transcribed?
Played by students? By adult amateurs? Or by professionals?
Whatever you are looking for and love to hear, chances are good you will find it on the schedule. There will be all of the above, and more. There will be cantatas and concertos, suites and sonatas, preludes and fugues. (You can hear the instantly recognizable and frequently played Prelude No. 1 in C Major from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The whole event will be streamed live locally and beyond.
To get an idea of what will happen from previous events, go to the previous blog post, which has a lot of photos, or use this blog’s search engine:
For more information, here is a link to the home website that has both the full schedule and a link for streaming as well as other information about free parking as well as how to participate in and support the event.
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement about performances this coming weekend by the Wisconsin Chamber Choir (below) and the professional orchestra Sinfonia Sacra of what is, unfortunately and undeservedly, often considered, when compared to Handel’s “Messiah,” “The Other Oratorio” for the holiday season:
There will be two performances of four parts of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” (1734). On Friday night, Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m. at the Luther Memorial Church (below), 1021 University Ave., in Madison; and on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. in the Young Auditorium at the UW-Whitewater, 930 Main Street, in Whitewater.
Advance tickets for the Friday night performance at Luther Memorial Church in Madison are available for $20 ($10 for students) from www.wisconsinchamberchoir.org, via Brown Paper Tickets, or at Orange Tree Imports (Madison) and Willy Street Coop (all three locations in Madison and Middleton).
Advance tickets for the Sunday afternoon performance at Young Auditorium in Whitewater are available from www.uww.edu/youngauditorium/tickets
Of the six cantatas that make up the “Christmas Oratorio,” Part, 1, 2, 3 and 5 will be performed. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear the brisk and energetic opening, performed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Concentus Musicus of Vienna with the Arnold Schoenberg Choir.)
Parts 1 to 3 tell the Christmas story: Mary and Joseph, the birth of Jesus, the shepherds and the angels. Part 5 introduces the magi from the East, traditionally known as the Three Kings.
The music offers a sampling of every style of music in the repertoire of Johann Sebastian Bach (below) as a composer.
Massive, concerto-like movements crowned by brilliant trumpet fanfares, booming timpani and virtuosic fugues highlight the full chorus.
Solo arias, duets and trios and even one instrumental movement provide a contemplative contrast with constantly changing instrumental colors—from lush strings to playful flutes and the pastoral sounds of oboes and bassoons.
Featured vocal soloists include mezzo-soprano Rachel Wood (below top) and tenor J. Adam Shelton (below middle), both on the faculty of UW-Whitewater. Highly accomplished members of the choir, including baritone Bill Rosholt (below bottom, and a Madison Savoyards regular), will share the solo parts with these professionals.
The members of Sinfonia Sacra, under concertmaster Leanne League (below), are drawn from the rosters of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble and the music faculties of UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh.
Trumpet virtuoso John Aley (below top) and oboist Marc Fink (below bottom) will also perform.
Founded in 1998, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir has established a reputation for excellence in the performance of oratorios, a cappella choral works from various centuries, and world premieres.
Bach’s music has always occupied a special place in the choir’s repertory, with performances of the Christmas Oratorio (2002 and 2003), the Mass in B minor (2005), the St. John Passion (2010) and the Magnificat (2017).
Artistic Director Robert Gehrenbeck (below) has been hailed by critics for his vibrant and emotionally compelling interpretations of a wide variety of choral masterworks.
The Ear has received the following news from the office of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO):
The Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the 2015 Rabin Youth Arts Award recipients.
They are James and Geri Grine, who will receive the award in the category of Artistic Achievement. The award is a glass sculpture (below) designed and made by artist Colleen Ott of Spring Green. It will be presented at state Arts Day on this Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at the downtown Central Branch of the Madison Public Library.
Deserving individuals and organizations from across the state were nominated for their support of youth arts across all disciplines.
Jim and Geri Grine have been fervent supporters of the arts in Oshkosh and throughout Wisconsin. Through their careers as musicians, conductors, teachers and arts administrators, the Grines have promoted and expanded performing arts opportunities for youth in Oshkosh and the state of Wisconsin.
Geri Grine (below) has been a long-time orchestra director and music teacher at both Oshkosh high schools. She has been the conductor and Musical Director of the Oshkosh Youth Symphony Orchestra for 28 years. Geri created the Oshkosh Youth Symphony’s Philharmonia Orchestra in 2008. She has sponsored several hands-on artist residencies for local high school students as a board member for Project SOAR.
Geri also founded the Suzuki program at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. From 1996 to 2006, Geri built a Suzuki string program in her native Hawaii. This would be become the first string program on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Since 2008, Jim Grine (below) has served as the Volunteer Executive Director of the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra. He has been instrumental in raising funds to support the symphony’s Art and Music Synergy Programs, which has led to several collaborations between local arts organizations. Under Jim, the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra devotes one-third of its annual income to supporting the Oshkosh Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Jim was also instrumental in the creation of the Water City Chamber Orchestra which performs an annual concert for third graders in the Oshkosh School District.
The Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, located in Madison, Wisconsin, presents the Rabin Youth Arts Awards in honor of their founding conductor, Marvin Rabin (below), as a means to honor those who follow in his footsteps. The awards are a forum for promoting quality youth arts programs and honoring those who work diligently to provide arts opportunities for children throughout Wisconsin. They also serve as a means to elevate awareness in our community about the importance of arts education for all children.
Now celebrating its 49th season, WYSO membership has included more than 5,000 young musicians from more than 100 communities in southern Wisconsin. WYSO, currently under the artistic direction of James Smith, includes three full orchestras, a string orchestra, a chamber music program, a percussion ensemble, a harp ensemble and a brass choir program. For more information, visit www.wyso.music.wisc.edu
ALERT: Two days ago, I offered reviews by John W. Barker of last weekend’s concerts by the Isthmus Vocal Ensemble (below top) and pianist Frank Glazer (below bottom). Two more reviews, both by Greg Hettmansberger, have come to my attention. Hettmansberger writes his “Classically Speaking” blog for Madison Magazine. Here are links to his reviews:
Here is a press release about an upcoming unusual event tat mixes words and music from a low-profile group that deserves wider circulation:
“Wisconsin’s Poet Laureate, Max Garland (below), will visit the Wisconsin River Valley and Spring Green on Monday, August 12, as part of “Music for a Summer Evening,” the annual series of concerts sponsored by the Rural Musicians Forum. The concert of words and music, free with donations accepted, is at 7:30 p.m. in the hillside Theater of the historic Frank Lloyd Wright compound
“Garland has been called the “Johnny Appleseed of Wisconsin’s poetry landscape,” travelling the state for the next year, sowing seeds of knowledge and promoting the value of arts and culture. (You can hear him reading at the bottom in a YouTube video from the Wisconsin Book Festival in 2010. Garland read at Avol’s Bookstore in Madison.)
“The laureateship, announced in 2012 by the Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Science, is the latest addition to Garland’s long list of honors, which includes a National Endowment for the Arts poetry fellowship, a James Michener fiction fellowship and two Wisconsin Arts Board literary fellowships.
“Garland is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a post he has held since 1996. Before entering the academic world, he worked at many non-academic jobs in his native western Kentucky, including 10 years as a rural mail carrier on the route where he was born, a route formerly run by his grandfather.
“This experience was drawn upon in his first book of poems, “The Postal Confessions” (University of Massachusetts Press), winner of the 1994 Juniper Prize for Poetry. The poems brought to the fore the unknown residents of his rural hometown. For Garland, the book was a tribute to a particular time and place in his home state of Kentucky.
“When Garland (below, reading) visits the Wisconsin River Valley this month as part of RMF’s summer concert series, he will read his poetry to honor the countryside and ordinary people of Wisconsin.
“At the Hillside School Theater presentation Garland and noted Wisconsin pianist, Jeri-Mae Astolfi (below), will capture the spirit of the state’s people, places, events and culture, making the connection between music and poetry.
“Astolfi is the soloist for the Wisconsin Soundscapes project, which features new piano music inspired by the people and places of Wisconsin, commissioned by the Wisconsin Alliance for Composers and the Wisconsin Arts Board.
“Astolfi is a Canadian-born pianist whose repertoire, ranging from the Renaissance era through the present, expresses her keen interest in “new” music, which has led her to commission and premiere many new solo and collaborative works.
“Jeri-Mae Astolfi is currently a member of the music faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Her concert appearance in Spring Green with Poet Laureate Max Garland is an extension of a 2012 state-wide tour made possible through the Wisconsin Alliance for Composers (WAC) and the Wisconsin Arts Board.
“In Spring Green she will play original compositions by Wisconsin composers Geoffrey Gordon, UW-Madison composer Joseph Koykkar (below) and Donald Young. The compositions create musical maps of such places as Black Earth, Mineral Point and Spring Green (Geoffrey Gordon) for example, as well as streets and bridges (Joseph Koykkar) and scenes along the Root River (Donald Young).
“The composers themselves will be present for the concert.
“The August 12 concert goes to the heart of what Max Garland most wants to do in his term as Poet Laureate of Wisconsin, examining, as he says, “the life that quietly happens in our heads and hearts, and the connection of that life to places where we live, the roots of that life in the places we know and love.”
“Taliesin’s Hillside School Theater (below), part of the historic Frank Lloyd Wright compound, is located at 6604 State Hwy. 23 in Spring Green.
“There is no admission charge for the concert. However, a free-will offering assists in underwriting the concert series.
“The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited.
ALERT: It may not feel like it, but today — Wednesday, March 20, 2013 -– is the vernal equinox (from the Latin for “equal night”). It arrives in Wisconsin at 6:02 a.m. CDT. And boy, is it ever welcome this year after this on-and-off winter of warm and cold, snowfall and floods, sunshine and gray skies. But the first of spring is so cold!! So is spring a reality? Or just a dream or maybe illusion? Franz Schubert wondered the same thing in the YouTube video of his song “Spring Dream” (below) from “Winterreise” (Winter Journey), sung by the incomparable German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who died last year. (The mix of Schubert titles for the cycle and this specific song certainly applies to this winter and spring, no?). What piece would you like to hear to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of spring?
By Jacob Stockinger
Farley’s House of Pianos, 6522 Seybold Road, will present a concert by the internationally recognized Czech pianist Martin Kasik on this Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
The first half of the performance will feature all three movements of Claude Debussy’s “Estampes” (Prints) that include “Pagodas,” “Evening in Granada” and “Gardens in the Rain”; and Franz Liszt’s “Liebestraum” (Dream of Love) No. 3 and “Spanish Rhapsody.” After an intermission, Kasik will perform Modeste Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” (at bottom in a YouTube video) in its entirety. See the program details at www.farleyspianos.com
Tickets can be purchased in person at Farley’s House of Pianos and Orange Tree Imports on Monroe Street, or by calling (608) 271-2626 to reserve tickets by credit or debit card.
Tickets are $35 the day of the concert or $30 in advance. Located on Madison’s far west side near West Towne, Farley’s House of Pianos will have plenty of free parking available, and is easy to reach by bicycle or Madison Metro. A reception will follow the concert.
Kasik has been playing piano since the age of four and won many national and international awards before the age of 25, including the 1999 Young Concert Artists Competition and the 2000 Davidoff Prix. Other prizes include: the 1997 Chopin International Piano Competition, 1st prize; the 1998 Prague Spring International Competition, 1st prize; the 1998 Young Concert Artists Competition, European Round, Leipzig, 1st prize; and the 1999 Young Concert Artists Competition, World Round, New York, 1st prize.
Other 2013 concerts include UW-Madison cellist Parry Karp and UW-Oshkosh pianist Eli Kalman in the complete works for cello and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven on April 19 at 7:30 p.m. and April 21 at 4:30 p.m.
The two (below, with Parry Karp on the left and Eli Kalman on the right) often collaborate in performance and, in fact, will perform a two-concert complete cycle of Beethoven’s cello music in April at Farley’s House of Pianos in Madison.
But you can hear the two together in joint and solo pieces this coming Monday night, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in a FREE recital in Morphy Recital Hall on the UW campus.
The program is a rich and interesting and eclectic blend, united by tone and the rhythm of alternating between established composers and a contemporary one.
The program includes the Sonata in F Major for Cello and Piano that Beethoven himself (below) transcribed from his own Horn Sonata.
Then Lera Auerbach’s “Ten Dreams” (1999) will be performed. The composer (below), born in 1973, is a prodigy and polymath who performs virtuoso piano music and prolifically writes published poetry and prose as well as composes distinctive music that is also accessible and performed more often than a lot of new music.
Another work by Lera Auerbach punctuates the concert, this time the “12 Images From Childhood” (2000).
That is followed by another modern standard classic the wondrous Sonata in D Minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 40, by Dmitri Shostakovich (below).
In addition there will be the 12th Prelude from 24 Preludes(1999) for piano and cello by Lera Auerbach and some solo piano works that have not yet been announced.
Classical music: During the COVID-19 pandemic, hosts at Wisconsin Public Radio suggest music that expresses gratitude and hope
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By Jacob Stockinger
The various hosts of Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) — an indispensable companion during self-isolation at home — listen to a lot of music and think a lot about it, especially about its meaning and appeal to the public.
So it comes as no surprise that they have once again suggested music to listen to during the coronavirus pandemic and the mounting toll of COVID-19.
Almost two months ago, the same radio hosts suggested music that they find calming and inspiring. They did so on the WPR home page in an ongoing blog where they also included YouTube audiovisual performances.
Here is a link to that earlier posting, which is well worth reading and following: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/?s=Wisconsin+Public+Radio
This time, the various hosts – mostly of classical shows but also of folk music and world music – suggest music that inspires or expresses hope and gratitude. (Below is Ruthanne Bessman, the host of “Classics by Request,” which airs at 10 a.m. on Saturdays.)
Here is the genesis of the list and public service project:
“At a recent WPR music staff meeting, we talked about the many ways music can unite us and about how music can express the gratitude we feel for people and things that are important to us, often much better than words.
“That discussion led to this collection of music, which we wanted to share with you. It’s eclectic and interesting, just like our music staff.”
The composers cited include some familiar names such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten and John Williams.
But some new music, based on historical events and written by contemporary or modern composers, is also named. It includes works by the American composer Daniel Gawthrop (b. 1949, below top) and the Israeli composer David Zehavi (1910-1977, below bottom). Here are links to their biographies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_E._Gawthrop
https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/zehavi-david
Sound-wise, it is quite an eclectic list that runs from solo harpsichord music to orchestral and choral music as well as chamber music.
Many of the performers have played in Madison at the Overture Center, with Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, at the Wisconsin Union Theater, at the UW-Madison and on the Salon Piano Series at Farley’s House of Pianos.
They include: the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; cellist Amit Peled and pianist Eli Kalman, who received his doctorate from the UW-Madison and now teaches at the UW-Oshkosh; conductor-composer John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers; and superstars violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma along with Venezuelan pianist-improviser Gabriela Montero in a quartet that played at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Here is a link to the new WPR suggestions: https://www.wpr.org/wpr-hosts-share-music-gratitude-and-hope
Happy listening!
If you read the blog or listen to the music, let us know what you think in the Comment section.
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