Series begins with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

The Concert Series on campus is one of the oldest uninterrupted recital series in the United States; 2009 sees its 90th anniversary.

The Concert Series had already been bringing classical programming to campus for 20 years when the brand-spanking-new Union Theater opened to great celebration in 1939. Ezio Pinza, an Italian bass with the Metropolitan Opera, began the new season in its new home. Ten years later, Pinza had America humming “Some Enchanted Evening” from “South Pacific.”

The careers of many young professional artists were launched with the Concert Series and some have gone on to become household names: Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern, Yo Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax to name a few.

The performers may have changed but what has stayed constant is the star power and quality programming of the Concert Series. This programming is responsible for a loyal and devoted fan base of concert goers who have been attending performances for decades.

Another constant is the student programmers who are responsible for planning and implementing the series. Their involvement gives them learning and leadership opportunities; audiences can enjoy stellar performances.

This year’s Concert Series gets under way with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Friday, Oct. 9. The MSO is in its 51st season and is now under the direction of world-renowned conductor Edo de Waart. The orchestra has toured in Europe and Japan and performed in Carnegie Hall and other venues around the United States. The MSO made a minor media splash when it toured Cuba in 1999, the first American symphony orchestra to do so since the U.S. embargo against Cuba was implemented in 1962. The program includes works by Beethoven and Brahms.

The Concert Series continues with:

• Simone Dinnerstein, Friday, Dec. 4. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein received international acclaim when her 2007 solo album featuring Bach’s Goldberg Variations appeared on numerous best-of lists, including those of the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, iTunes and Amazon.com. The program includes works by Webern, Copland and Schubert.
• Emerson String Quartet, Friday, Jan. 22. The Emerson String Quartet was named “America’s greatest quartet” by Time Magazine. The group has snagged eight Grammy Awards (including two for Best Classical Album, an unprecedented honor for a chamber music group), three Gramophone Awards, the coveted Avery Fisher Prize, and various other honors. After more than 30 years of performing, these musicians retain the intensity and vigor held at their first performance in 1976. Says Gramophone: “The Emerson gives us playing of exceptional technical accomplishment and an unusually wide expressive range. They continually offer new insights into some endlessly enthralling music. Do hear them.”
• Eroica Trio, recital, Thursday, March 11; March 13, concert with UW–Madison Chamber Orchestra. Proclaimed as the most “sought-after trio in the world,” this all-female group’s sound encompasses a wide repertoire, with specialties in Beethoven concertos and transcriptions of American classics such as Gershwin and Bernstein. “The women of the Eroica Trio play nothing halfway. Hair flying, bodies heaving, bows shedding hairs left and right… the Eroica achieved gestures of orchestral powers and sweep,” says the Washington Post.

  Those purchasing a ticket for the March 11 recital will receive a free ticket to the concert on March 13 with the UW Chamber Orchestra.

• Chanticleer, Thursday, May 6. Chanticleer has been called the world’s reigning male chorus and was named 2008 Ensemble of the Year by Musical America. The group interprets vocal literature from Renaissance and jazz to gospel and new compositions. The group takes its name from the clear-singing rooster in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” Says the Boston Globe: “The singing of Chanticleer is breathtaking in its accuracy of intonation, purity of blend, variety of color and swagger of style.”

For more information, visit the Wisconsin Union Theater.