Score Newsletter, Spring 2023

BLAKE POULIOT

Saint-Saëns

Violin Concerto

Britten & Brahms

April 14–16

SEASON FINALES

Greg Zelek, Organ & Thomas Mesa, Cello, April 18

Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 & Orff’s Carmina Burana, May 5–7

PREVIEWS

Rhapsodie Quartet, May 18

MSO/WYSO Side-by-Side, May 20

Concert on theGreen, June 19

Penn Park Community Concert, June 24

14 FRI. 7:30 PM

15 SAT. 8:00 PM

16 SUN. 2:30 PM

dazzling violin & spring

Canadian virtuoso Blake Pouliot, who dazzled our audience with the Mendelssohn violin concerto, turns his musical acumen to Saint-Saëns’ third violin concerto. Britten’s mesmerizing sea interludes from his operatic masterpiece Peter Grimes opens the program, and another personal favorite of mine, and I hope yours, the second symphony of Brahms, will help usher in the spring. — John DeMain

John DeMain, Conducting

Blake Pouliot, Violin

PROGRAM

Benjamin Britten, Four Sea Interludes

Camille Saint-Saëns, Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D major

SINGLE TICKETS $20– $98

MAJOR SPONSORS

Scott and Janet Cabot

Kay Schwichtenberg and Herman Baumann

Fred Wileman

ADDITIONAL SPONSORS

The Burish Group at UBS

Rodney Schreiner and Mark Blank

Wisconsin Arts Board

[ Blake Pouliot ] was incredible . . . so young and so very talented . . . a joy to watch and listen to the amazing sounds coming from his instrument. — MSO subscriber

britten

saint-saëns

brahms

Blake Pouliot

Welcome to the Spring 2023 online edition! From memories of recent concerts to insights about your Madison Symphony from our talented team — we invite you to explore stories that help bring to life our passion for live music.

Your Symphony communications team,

CONCERTS

January 20-22, 2023

February 17-19, 2023 Greg

FEATURES

Reflections

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Madison Symphony Orchestra is seeking an experienced Data and Analytics Manager to join our administrative team. This new, fulltime position will increase the capacity of our development and marketing departments by leading, implementing and overseeing all aspects of the MSO’s CRM systems, and being responsible for the organization’s overall data health and security. For best consideration, apply by May 19, 2023.

View the full position and application instructions at madisonsymphony.org/employment

Madison Symphony Orchestra believes that diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinions enrich our organization. We are committed to increasing our efforts to diversify our administrative and board leadership, orchestral music and performers. Madison Symphony Orchestra Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

12 5 19 34 26 31

MSO/WYSO

Side-by SIde Concert Saturday, May 20

MSOL Concert on the Green

Monday, June 19

FREE Penn Park Community Concert

Saturday, June 24

the Dove Family Chair: Assistant Principal

Let Freedom Ring! Concert on the Green — Monday, June 19, 2023

THE SCORE is published two to three times per concert season for members and friends of the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Subscribe to the print and/or the online edition at: madisonsymphony.org/score

Editor: Amanda Dill

Creative Direction & Design: Peter Rodgers

Contributing writers include: John DeMain, Robert A. Reed, Greg Zelek, Casey Oelkers, Peter Rodgers, Amanda Dill, Lisa Kjentvet, Aleeh Schwoerer, Leah Schultz, Michael P. Richman and Claire Ann Richman, Beth Rhako, Jonathan Gramling, and J. Michael Allsen.

MADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Administrative Office 222 W. Washington Ave. Suite 460 Madison, WI 53703

Phone: (608) 257-3734

Fax: (608) 280-6192 info@madisonsymphony.org madisonsymphony.org

© 2023 Madison Symphony Orchestra Inc.

Artistic Staff

John DeMain, Music Director

Kyle Knox, Associate Conductor

Greg Zelek, Principal Organist and Elaine and Nicholas Mischler Curator of the Overture Concert Organ

Beverly Taylor, Madison Symphony Chorus Director

Administrative Staff

Robert A. Reed, Executive Director

Ann Bowen, General Manager

Casey Oelkers, Director of Development

Peter Rodgers, Director of Marketing

Lisa Kjentvet, Director of Education & Community Engagement

Alexis Carreon, Office & Personnel Manager

Jennifer S. Goldberg, Music Librarian

Dan Lyons, Madison Symphony Chorus Manager & Librarian

Leah Schultz, Manager of Individual Giving

Aleeh Schwoerer, Manager of Grants & Sponsorships

Amanda Dill, Marketing Communications Manager

Lindsey Meekhof, Audience Experience Manager

Katelyn Hanvey, Education & Community Engagement Manager

Allison Secord, Bolz Marketing Associate PRINT

My heart is always lifted when attending Madison Symphony Orchestra performances.

MSO subscriber

renaissance & passion

Enjoy an all-out thrilling climax to our season with audience favorite Carmina Burana with its highly rhythmic and primitive score performed by Beverly Taylor’s MSO Chorus and three dynamic soloists (whom many of you will know from their recent work with Madison Opera). And MSO audiences will get to know Florence Price, a highly popular composer from the 1930s, who is having a major renaissance in the symphonic world. — John DeMain

John DeMain, Conducting

Jeni Houser, Soprano

Justin Kroll, Tenor

Ben Edquist, Baritone

Madison West HS Choirs, Anthony Cao, Director

Madison Youth Choirs, Michael Ross, Artistic Director

Madison Symphony Chorus, Beverly Taylor, Director

SINGLE TICKETS $20– $98

5 FRI. 7:30 PM

6 SAT. 8:00 PM

7 SUN. 2:30 PM

PROGRAM

Florence Price, Symphony No. 3 in C minor

Carl Orff, Carmina Burana

Our Symphony is first rate and we are so lucky to have John DeMain! — MSO subscriber

MAJOR SPONSORS

Diane Ballweg

Carla and Fernando Alvarado

Janet Hyde

ADDITIONAL SPONSORS

Robert Benjamin and John Fields

Ann Lindsey and Charles Snowdon

Stafford Rosenbaum LLP

Wisconsin Arts Board

price orff

Jeni Houser

Justin Kroll

Ben Edquist

/moments

towering piano & virtuosity

Memories and reviews by people who experienced our January 20-22, 2023 Symphony concerts with Yefim Bronfman performing Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto and Maestro John DeMain leading the orchestra presenting Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 and Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin . View more photos and reflections: madisonsymphony.org/moments

To take on what Maestro John DeMain called the “Mount Everest of concertos,” the MSO invited renowned and remarkable pianist Yefim Bronfman. Rachmaninoff had said that “Music must come from the heart and go to the heart,” and Bronfman’s performance rang true to the composer’s sentiment. Displaying unmatched skill, the soloist tackled one demanding passage after another, and though much of the piece went by quickly, every moment was charged with Bronfman’s expressive energy.

— Matt Ambrosio, Cap Times

His [ Bronfman’s ] fingers were rarely more than a couple inches above the keyboard but they moved as a blur, varying intensity and tone while maintaining an almost breakneck speed.

— Bill Wineke, Channel 3000

Bartók was a revelation… a splendid, exciting, deviation from the norm. MUCH appreciated. — MSO patron

All three pieces were performed superbly, and the crafting of the offerings was genius.

—

MSO patron

Kudos to John DeMain for his leadership and brilliance in guiding the orchestra to such an extraordinarily high level of excellence. — MSO patron

Both my husband and I thought the Rachmaninoff was absolutely gorgeous: world class quality, jaw dropping. — MSO patron

Yefim Bronfman is a wizard, and his performance was outstanding. — MSO patron

Dear Patrons,

I’m thrilled at the wonderful outpouring of applause and enthusiasm for our 22/23 Symphony Season performances through March. Thanks to our amazing guest artists, community of musicians and especially all of you, who have enjoyed the concerts and supported us.

In January we presented for the first time Schubert’s uplifting Symphony No. 3 to open the program. Next, our orchestra masterfully performed Béla Bartók’s concert suite from The Miraculous Mandarin . Finally, we experienced the triumphant return of Yefim Brofman performing Rachmininoff’s third piano concerto. He and the orchestra shined brilliantly together, receiving standing ovations following every performance.

Our February concert saw the first performance by the Madison Symphony of Jessie Montgomery’s Coincident Dances , composed in 2017. I first learned

about Ms. Montgomery from her work with the Sphinx organization, dedicated to promoting African American and Latinx musicians. I also learned of her appointment as composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony. Reading Montgomery’s own notes about Coincident Dances being inspired by her walking through streets of New York and hearing eclectic musical styles emerging from apartment windows reminded me of my own experience, when I would walk home from Juilliard or work when I was a student in that noisy but wonderful city. Benjamin Grosvenor’s debut with us playing the great C minor concerto of Beethoven was spectacular. The young British pianist is quite the superstar among pianists in Europe, and it’s a real coup to have been able to engage him for our Madison concerts. Finally, it’s been 10 years since we have programmed Dvořák’s wonderful sixth symphony, a work that firmly established him as a composer on the world stage. I’ve grown more and

more fond of Dvořák over the years, as his total musical output is nothing short of amazing. Using his Bohemian heritage as a source for his musical ideas, he uniquely weaves these ideas into a great symphonic masterwork. This piece was a fitting close to a very rewarding series of concerts.

March brought us another installment of the Beyond the Score® series, this time devoted to Gustav Mahler’s joyful fourth symphony. It was again an insightful multimedia presentation featuring actors from the American Players Theatre, our own pianist Dan Lyons, and the lovely soprano Emily Secor. Associate Conductor Kyle Knox again led this program of both discovery and performance — an ideal introduction; Mahler’s fourth symphony is tuneful, pastoral-like, devilish at one turn, and childlike and heavenly in the end.

April features the return of Canadian violinist Blake Pouliot, who scored a hit with our audiences playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto a few years ago. This time he plays Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 , a work that combines great substance with great virtuosity. This is our first performance of this work in over twenty-five years, so it is quite an occasion.

The concert opens with the Four Sea Interludes from Benjamin Britten’s opera, Peter Grimes . These interludes are a masterpiece on their own, and are wonderfully descriptive listening. I first presented these colorful pieces when I first arrived in Madison and I so look forward to presenting them again as they are beloved by both myself and the musicians of our orchestra. The first Brahms symphony I learned was his second symphony. It continues to be a personal favorite of mine as it is joyous and nature-infused, and represents Brahms at a happy time in his life. Brahms only gave us four symphonies, but each one is uniquely different and brilliantly composed.

Finally, May closes our season with our first presentation of a work by African American composer Florence Price and the great popular favorite Carmina Burana featuring our MSO Chorus, soloists, and youth choirs. Florence Price’s third symphony, first performed in her lifetime and then sidelined for decades, I hope will be a very pleasant surprise for our audience. It has wonderful African American influences, including an exhilarating “Juba” movement, and is a wellwritten composition throughout. Of her symphonies, this one is my favorite, and I so look forward to sharing this gem with you. This time around performing Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana ,

“I’m sure you’re discovering that the Madison Symphony is playing better than ever, and the live collective experience is soul-stirring as well as viscerally exciting.”

– John DeMain

I‘ve asked members of the Madison Youth Choirs (both young members as well as high schoolers) and West High School choristers to join our wonderful Madison Symphony Chorus for this ribald and vigorous work depicting life in the Middle Ages. Jeni Houser, Ben Edquist, and Justin Kroll, all Madison Opera favorites, are our spectacular soloists for this cantata. The orchestration is so colorful and the vocal writing, both lyrical and wildly passionate, provides a truly rousing climax to our 22/23 season.

As so many of you are making your way back to the concert hall after a long period of relative isolation, I’m sure you’re discovering that the Madison Symphony is playing better than ever, and the live collective experience is soul-stirring as well as viscerally exciting. I hope you will continue to be a part of our Madison Symphony family as we continue to broaden our musical experience in the coming seasons. Thank you all for your loyal support over these years.

– John DeMain Music Director

“Thanks to our amazing guest artists, community of musicians and especially all of you, who have enjoyed the concerts and supported us.”

– John DeMain

/moments

heroic piano & premiere

Memories and reviews by people who experienced our February 17-19, 2023 Symphony concerts with Benjamin Grosvenor performing Beethoven’s third piano concerto and Music Director John DeMain leading the orchestra presenting Jessie Montgomery’s Coincident Danes and Dvořák’s sixth symphony. View more photos and notes: madisonsymphony.org/moments

The Steinway piano in Overture Hall never sounded better than on Friday night when Benjamin Grosvenor took to the bench for the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor. The notes may have been written by Beethoven, but the style was uniquely Grosvenor’s.

— Matt Ambrosio, Cap Times

The entire concert was uplifting, inspiring, perfection. Superb artists.

— MSO patron

Mr. Grosvenor was fabulous. His playing is technically exquisite and incredibly emotional. Went home and started going through his catalog on Spotify.

— MSO patron

Grosvenor’s playing was transporting – his technical brilliance combined with his great musicality made for an uplifting performance that I won’t soon forget.

— MSO patron

The pianist was out of this world.

— MSO patron

This was a PERFECTLY balanced program. The opening work, in addition to helping with the new set of programming expectations, was a delightful piece of music. For me the star of the concert was the soloist. I’ve known his CDs for several years, but to hear him in person was draw dropping. He had heart and hands. — MSO patron

Spring is Here!

by Robert A. Reed

I am now ten months into my job as Executive Director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and I am even more excited than ever about the future of the MSO. A Madison Symphony Christmas on December 2–4, 2022 broke attendance records and we were virtually sold out for all three performances. It is not only the Holiday concerts that have gone well. Our September opening concerts featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 exceeded its goals, and we are experiencing wonderful growth in our organ concerts. It has been a successful seven months of the 22/23 season.

Our January subscription concert featured superstar pianist Yefim Bronfman and the Madison premiere of Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin Suite . The February and April subscription concerts feature young prodigy musicians who are making a wave in the classical music industry. I’m sure we’ll hear great things about the careers of pianist Benjamin Grosvenor and violinist Blake Pouliot in the coming years. We close our subscription season with widely popular Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and

Symphony No. 3 by African American composer Florence Price. I hope you join me for the remainder of our subscription concerts and remaining organ concert. Greg Zelek provides details of recent and final performances in his article in this issue of THE SCORE

One of the new initiatives this season will be our MSO Community Concerts. The majority of our full orchestra programs are performed at the Overture Center for the Arts, in Overture Hall. The Overture Center is an amazing venue and we are so glad to call it home, but the MSO also needs to go to the people. On May 20, 2023, the Madison Symphony Orchestra will partner with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras to present a side-by-side concert at the Hamel Music Center on the University of Wisconsin campus. On June 24, 2023, the MSO will present a free concert to the public at Penn Park in South Madison. The Mt. Zion Gospel Choir will join the Madison Symphony for this concert. The program will celebrate America, diversity, and freedom. You don’t need to live on the south side to be able to attend the concert. It is open to all. More details of both concerts to come.

There are plenty of things that I can share about the current state of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, but I want to look ahead to share some things we are really excited about. The 2023–2024 season will be the 30th Anniversary Season of Music Director John DeMain. Considering that John was Music Director of the Houston Grand Opera prior to Madison, John is proof that people from Texas can move to Madison, love it, and make Madison their long-term home. I get to follow in John’s footsteps. Whether you are a current subscriber or not at this time, I would recommend you subscribe to John’s 30th Anniversary Season. Each subscription concert will feature something that is important to John, whether that is repertoire in different musical styles or artists that he loves working with. Whatever your favorite period of music is, we will have something for you. Stay tuned for announcements about the launch of our 2023–2024 Symphony Season.

The Madison Symphony Orchestra will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in the 2025-2026 season. Woohoo!!! One hundred years of serving Madison and its many residents and visitors. We are planning a special season and aim to

Executive Director Robert Reed welcomed the audience to each of the September 2022 MSO concerts.

“I am now ten months into my job as Executive Director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and I am even more excited than ever about the future of the MSO.”

– Robert A.

have everyone in the Madison region experience the Madison Symphony. I can’t spill the beans quite yet, but I look forward to unveiling more plans in due time.

My email address is rreed@madisonsymphony.org

If you have any questions or comments, you are welcome to drop me a line. I am also a very approachable person. You will find me in the lobby of the Overture before our concerts and at the intermission. Feel free to come up to me and strike a conversation. You are the reason I came to Madison. Your voice is important.

Charting the Course for the Symphony (part 1)

By Jonathan Gramling

Excerpts from stories featuring Robert A. Reed that appeared in recent Black History Month issues of THE CAPITAL CITY HUES . Read the full stories on our website. madisonsymphony.org/news-stories

Reed grew up in Louisville and became smitten with classical music as a fourth grader on a trip to hear the Louisville Orchestra in a large arena.

“It was the exploration of something new,” Reed said. “I didn’t know what to expect. But I was there and the orchestra was performing. It just totally captivated me as a fourth grader. There were two visiting soloists. And they were young artists, people who were similar in age to myself. And I thought, ‘If these young kids can do it, why can’t I do it?’ I had that moment where I knew as a fourth grader that my career was going to be in the arts.”

Not only is Reed responsible for the “present and here and now” of MSO, but he must also help guide it to a solid and relevant future.

(part 2)

As Reed helps chart the course of the symphony for the next 100 years, he will help MSO delve further in diversity, in all of spheres of the organization and make it relevant for a new generation of audiences — and musicians — coming up. One of the first things is to help people move beyond the stereotype of what a symphony is.

“The one thing that symphonies probably suffer with is they are viewed as people who wear formal clothes,” Reed said with a smile. “They are on stage and they are elitist. And they make ugly faces when they are playing their instruments. They feel like someone is asking them to pass Grey Poupon to each other. And the people in the audience wear long dresses and have opera glasses looking in.”

But Reed emphasizes that the music is part of our everyday lives, from movies and TV shows to mall music to sports team themes. And it plays a big part in our lives.

– Robert A. Reed Executive Director

“I am strongly involved in charting the course of the organization,” Reed said. “We are celebrating our 97th season now and we will be coming up to 100 in three years. Someone has to chart the course of what the next 100 years is going to look like. As with anything in life, you have to constantly evolve. I have to be a person who can see into the future and go, ‘Okay, we’re doing so well right now, but we can’t continue this always. So we have to start thinking about the other things that we need to do to prepare ourselves for our future.’ I’m the one who takes the lead in that, to make sure that the organization is ready for the next 100 years and make sure that we celebrate the first 100 years.”

“When people allow music to touch their lives, it really affects a person,” Reed said. “I always love music because it makes you feel. It can make you feel great. It can make you feel sad. It can make you feel other things. And that’s a great thing about it. Sometimes when I am alone and I want to clean, I can crank up certain music and it can make cleaning a lot easier. And if I am sad, there is music that I can play that helps give me solace and makes me feel better. Music is a part of all of our lives.”

Music is something that heals us, that helps us learn and that elevates us to our highest potential as people. It is something that plays an intricate, almost unnoticeable, role in our daily lives. And Robert A. Reed is working — and planning — to ensure that the Madison Symphony Orchestra plays that role in all of our lives.

Read the full stories online at: madisonsymphony.org/news-stories

Reed

Mr. Mesa’s playing had a musical intensity that was commanding in every detail.

— New York Concert Review

greg zelek & thomas mesa

After our first performance together back in 2019 and a solo performance of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the MSO, Thomas Mesa returns as we collaborate once again in a program of organ and cello music. Mr. Mesa and I will both perform works by women composers, such as Nadia Boulanger’s gorgeous Trois Pièces , as well as a solo cello work written for him by Spanish composer Andrea Casarrubios. We will close this exciting evening with a commissioned work written for the two of us, Daniel Ficarri’s Sonata in C minor for Organ and Cello , which was inspired by our first performance at Overture Hall. You won’t want to miss the world premiere of this incredible piece! — Greg Zelek

Greg Zelek, Organ

Thomas Mesa, Cello PROGRAM

PRESENTING SPONSOR

William Steffenhagen

MAJOR SPONSOR

Jane Hamblen and Robert F. Lemanske

ALL TICKETS $25

Jules Massenet, Méditation from Thaïs

J.S. Bach, Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007

J.S. Bach, Fugue in D major, BWV 532

Nadia Boulanger, Trois Pièces

Alfred Lefébure-Wély, Boléro de Concert, Op. 166

Andrea Casarrubios, Seven

Daniel Ficarri, Sonata for Organ and Cello (world premiere)

massenet boulanger casarrubios bach ficarri

Curator Notes

Thank you to everyone who has joined us throughout the 2022–2023 Overture Concert Organ season! It was exciting to release my debut MSO CD at the opening concert of the season, and Christopher Houlihan delighted our audience with his personable stage presence and command of the instrument. It has been wonderful to share these experiences with you.

As always, the Carol Sing in December was a joyous morning with a large attendance of our very own Madison audience members as our chorus. My mom would have been very impressed by how many clapped at just the right time during the “whip-crack” sound of the organ arrangement of Sleigh Ride

There was a change in program and artist for our February concert. Alcée Chriss, who was originally scheduled to appear, was unable to join us. We’re looking ahead to a future date when he can showcase our Klais with his incredible technique and artistry.

The concert that many of you experienced on the same date featured a new guest artist and an entirely different kind of program. I had the pleasure of playing alongside the great trombonist, Mark Hetzler, who last performed with me in the successful Organ and Diapason Brass concert that closed our last season. A former member of the Empire Brass, and now professor at UW–Madison, Mark has toured the world as both a soloist and ensemble member, playing a wide range of repertoire. The program featured a New Orleans-style version of When the Saints Go Marching In , classical arrangements of Bach and Mendelssohn, and original compositions by Mark himself.

I was able to catch up with my friend and cellist Thomas Mesa in December while staying in NYC for performances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and we talked about our excitement to perform again together at Overture in April. I am just trying to figure out a way I can play one of Tommy’s cello strings like I did at our last performance in Madison!

As part of our concert in April, the MSO and I have commissioned Daniel Ficarri to write an organ and cello sonata specifically for us and our incredible Overture Concert Organ. We are grateful for a generous gift from Fernando and Carla Alvarado which made this commission possible! When Tommy and I last performed together here in 2019, I had to re-arrange works for cello and either orchestra or piano simply because there are so few pieces written for both of our instruments. Dan, a former classmate of mine in Juilliard’s organ program, is one of the organists at St. John the Divine in NYC and is also a very talented composer. Having grown up as a violinist before switching over to the

organ, Dan understands the complexities and nuances of writing for both the pipe organ and stringed instruments. I wanted to make sure that the work showcased both instruments equally, and his piece strikes this challenging balance perfectly. There is even a virtuosic section in the last movement where the cello and organ are in conversation with one another, with Tommy playing one measure and me playing in response with only my feet. We are thrilled to finally premiere the work in April and we are even more excited for you all to hear it!

I look forward to seeing you at our final performance of the season, and I know that we are going to have a great time together, as always!

– Greg Zelek Principal Organist and Elaine and Nicholas Mischler Curator of the Overture Concert Organ

Greg Zelek at Overture Hall CDs available for purchase during all MSO concert events in Overture Hall.

/moments

Greg Zelek & Mark Hetzler

Memories of people who experienced our February 28, 2023 Overture Concert Organ performance. Read more notes and view photos: madisonsymphony.org/moments

We’ve heard fantastic music over the years, but I think this concert was the most FUN we’ve ever had at one. The program, the music and the chemistry between the performers made this an extremely enjoyable experience. — MSO patron

Absolutely loved this concert!! Never thought the combination of organ, drums and trombone would be such a great concert! It was the best concert, ever! — MSO patron

Oh my god, this one was transcendent. It was one of the most creative shows I’ve ever seen at the Overture. I love hearing the classics, but also love when more avant garde approaches are mixed in.

— MSO patron

Wow. Innovative. loved the compositions by Hetzler. Loved Zelek. Just loved everything about it. Surprising and fun. — MSO patron

It was wild. It put me in a musical place that I would have never sought out or even know where to look for... — MSO patron

In what was certainly the most unique organ concert I’ve ever been a part of, Mark Hetzler (trombone), special guest Mike Koszewski (percussion), and I had a blast performing in the third organ concert of the Overture Concert Organ series. After opening with a rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In , Mark and I curated a program that then followed with some classical arrangements for organ and trombone. We then took the audience on a special journey of music by Mark himself, featuring Mike on percussion and Mark playing both acoustic and electric trombone. Our Overture Concert Organ demonstrated its remarkable versatility, performing alongside these two instruments in an unexpected and original program. After closing with Mark’s incredibly powerful work, Infiniti (where I felt as much a classical organist as a musician in a jazz band), we played an arrangement of Seventy-Six Trombones as an encore to our wonderfully appreciative audience. It was a thrilling night from beginning to end, and we’re grateful to have shared this experience with those in attendance! – Greg Zelek

Education Highlights

by Lisa Kjentvet, Director of Education and Community Engagement

The 2022–2023 season has welcomed a return to even more of our Education and Community Engagement Programs as we continue to return to live performances. From students in kindergarten to residents in senior living, our programming sends MSO musicians into our local community and invites them to our home at the Overture Center.

For the first time since the 2019–2020 season, the Hunt Quartet returned to present Up Close & Musical® to students in grades K-3 at five local schools: Deerfield Elementary School, Huegel Elementary School, Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Madison Country Day School, and Stoner Prairie Elementary School. This wonderful and engaging program is offered to the schools at no charge thanks to generous donor support. MSO musicians and Hunt Quartet members Paran Amirinazari (violin), Hillary Hempel (violin), Jennifer Paulson (viola), and Derek Handley (cello) visited schools in October, November, March, and April to prepare students to “hunt” for the melody,

rhythm, expression, and form, skills they will use when they attend Symphony Soup in May.

The Hunt Quartet performed a free public recital at Oakwood Village University Woods on Wednesday, December 21. The program included Haydn’s “The Emperor Quartet” and Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, “Death and the Maiden.”

HeartStrings®, the MSO’s music therapyinformed program, started sessions with our ten 2022–2023 season partners in September.

Between September and May, the Rhapsodie Quartet is visiting our partners Agrace (Fitchburg), Attic Angel (Middleton), Brookdale (Middleton),

Brookdale (Sun Prairie), Capitol Lakes (Madison), Central Wisconsin Center, Four Winds Manor (Verona), Heritage Senior Living (Middleton), Oakwood Village University Woods (Madison), and Oregon Middle School each month. Programming was designed over the summer in close partnership with the Quartet, music therapist Laurie Farnan, and myself to prepare monthly, themed sessions focused on the concepts of rhythm, active music-making, movement, singing, and purposeful listening. Co-Concertmaster Suzanne Beia, Principal Violist Christopher Dozoryst, Principal Cellist Karl Lavine, and violinist Laura Burns, all long time members of the Rhapsodie Quartet, expertly execute these sessions, leaving participants eagerly anticipating the next month’s session.

“I remember as a student going to see the MSO during the school day when they presented concerts to schools and that was a huge motivator for me to dive deeper into music. It gave me so much passion for the arts and really motivated me to get home and practice my instrument and improve my abilities. It was something so special to see people in my own hometown that are capable of such impressive performances and there could be a possibility that I could achieve the same. Now, as a teacher, I see the same effect on my students.” – Middle School Orchestra Director

Rhapsodie Quartet performing at Capitol Lakes, March 2023.

Education (continued)

On Saturday, September 17, several young artists in grades 3-8 competed in our 2022 Fall Youth Concerto Competition, and cellist Katarina Kenney was selected as the winner. An 8th grader at Madison Country Day School, she played the first and third movements of Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor . At the age of three, Katarina began the cello with Flora Van Wormer through the Suzuki Method and currently studies with Cornelia Watkins. Katarina is in her fourth season with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras and her sixth season with the Madison Youth Choirs. One honorable mention was awarded to violinist Lorenz FradkinAnnen. Lorenz is a seventh grader at Oregon Middle School and played Zigeunerweisen by Pablo Sarasate.

Over 2,000 4th-8th graders and chaperones were invited to Overture Hall on Tuesday, November 22 for the Fall

Youth Concerts. Under the direction of Associate Conductor Kyle Knox, students gathered to watch the MSO perform Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 1 , Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances , Mores’ El Firulete , the third movement of Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor , and Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra . These concerts also featured eighth grade cellist and winner of the 2022 Fall Youth Concerto Competition, Katarina Kenney, and Deputy Mayor of the City of Madison Linda Vakunta as the narrator for The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra . For many students, this was their first time attending a classical music concert and first time visiting the Overture Center. One teacher expressed,

“This experience is one-of-a-kind for our students, both those who are already musicians and those who are not currently studying an instrument. For students to be able to see both professional musicians of this caliber and the concerto competition winner is incredibly inspiring. This performance makes classical music accessible to middle school students, both in terms of affordability, but also educationally.” –

Teacher

Katerina Kenney, Kyle Knox

Deputy Mayor of the City of Madison Linda Vakunta was the narrator for The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra at the Fall Youth Concerts, November 2022.

The Bolz Young Artist Competition preliminary round took place on Saturday, January 7 with 30 students in grades 9–12 competing for eight semi-finalist spots. We welcomed back Anais Griffith Oh (marimba), Ava Kenney (violin), Indre Raghavan (violin), Arisa Okamoto (violin), Lucy Wu (cello), Amelia Zitoun (cello), Selina Wen (piano), and Sophia Jiang (piano), on Friday, January 13 to select the four finalists who would perform at The Final Forte. More information about the four finalists can be found on our website.

Broadcast on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio, The Final Forte took place on Wednesday, March 8 at Overture Hall. Our four finalists performed as soloists with the MSO, under the direction of Associate Conductor Kyle Knox, to compete for the Marian Bolz Prize for Distinguished Musical Achievement or Steenbock Youth Music Award, both award winners receiving a $2,000 scholarship. Congratulations to our 2023 winner of The Final Forte, Amelia Zitoun! All four competitors gave outstanding performances. The final results are:

First Place: Amelia Zitoun (cello)

Second Place: Arisa Okamoto (violin)

Honorable Mentions: Sophia Jiang (piano) and Lucy Wu (cello).

Lucy Wu, Arisa Okamoto, Amelia Zitoun, Sophia Jiang, and Kyle Knox at The Final Forte, March 2023

Amelia Zitoun performed the Barber Cello Concerto, Op. 22, 1st movement

Sophia Jiang performed the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, 2nd & 3rd movements

Lucy Wu performed the Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85, 4th movement

Arisa Okamoto performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, 1st movement

EDUCATION Education (continued)

On Tuesday, March 7, we welcomed more than 700 middle and high school students to Overture Hall for the Spring Young People’s Concert. Kyle Knox led the MSO through an arrangement of Abreu’s Tico Tico , Gershwin’s Cuban Overture , and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (orchestrated by Ravel). Four local schools submitted artwork in response to a musical movement from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition since the original piano pieces by Mussorgsky were inspired by an art exhibition of his good friend Viktor Hartmann. Submissions were projected behind the orchestra during the concert.

Serving as the foundation of the MSO’s Young People’s Concerts, Symphony Soup will take place on Tuesday, May 16 bringing students in grades K-3 out of the classroom and into Capitol Theater, introducing them to the full instrumentation of the symphony orchestra. The name Symphony Soup comes from an analogy that compares soup to music. Soup is a complex combination of ingredients that create a delicious tasting whole. Similarly, music is created through a process of combining several different “ingredients” to create a beautiful sounding whole. Featuring the Hunt Quartet, this program is the culminating concert experience of the Up Close & Musical program.

MSO Associate Conductor Kyle Knox leads the orchestra at the Spring Young People’s Concert, March 2023

Student art shown at the Spring Young People’s Concert, March 2023

“This was a perfect first concert experience for my students. They were engaged and excited about the whole experience and have been talking about it to friends and classroom teachers ever since we got back! Thank you!” – Teacher

Teachers participating in the Link Up program this season gathered at Heid Music Madison on Thursday, November 3 for a Professional Development meeting with Randy Swiggum. This was a great opportunity for teachers to review the Link Up curriculum together in preparation for the concerts on Thursday, May 18. Link Up, created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, gives students in grades 3-5 the opportunity to explore music through a yearlong curriculum of classroom activities during which they learn to play the soprano recorder. Students develop skills in listening, note-reading, rhythm, and more through the exploration of popular orchestra repertoire. The May concert, conducted by Randy Swiggum, includes high school student leaders who help guide the audience through singing and playing along with the MSO.

Thousands of people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities participate in educational and engaging MSO programs with live classical music at the center. We are thankful to our musicians, donors, volunteers, partners, and staff who make this all possible!

Thursday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m.

Learn more: madisonsymphony.org/rhapsodie

Rhapsodie Quartet performance in Promenade Hall, Overture Center for the Arts, Spring 2022.

Spring Young People’s Concert, March 2023

Announcing the Dove Family Chair: Assistant Principal Viola

by Casey Oelkers, Director of Development

We are pleased to announce a wonderful gift from William (Bill) and Alexandra Dove and their family to endow and name MSO’s Assistant Principal Viola Chair: The Dove Family Chair!

Together, Bill and Alexandra were longtime subscribers and annual donors to the Symphony, and longtime residents of Capitol Lakes Retirement Community. Sadly, Alexandra passed away in January, two months before her 90th birthday.

“Our family endowment gift holds deep meaning for us and reflects our family’s connections with the Madison community.” says Bill. “With this gift, we also celebrate the 90th anniversary of Alexandra’s birth.”

“In recognition of the Dove Family’s gift, in addition to naming the Assistant Principal Viola Chair in their honor, the MSO welcomes the Dove Family to our Century Society which recognizes all donors who have made endowment commitments of $100,000 or more.”

– Casey Oelkers

The Dove Family’s history in Madison goes back about 100 years, as does the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s. MSO will celebrate its Centennial season in 2025-2026. A century ago, Bill’s father, Franklin Dove, came from a farm in Iowa to earn his doctorate in genetics at UW–Madison. Franklin was also an amateur violin carver, using instruments and tools that have been passed down in the Dove family. Bill and Alexandra (Shedlovsky) Dove joined the faculty and staff of UW–Madison in the 1960s. In retirement, Bill has maintained a professional connection with UW’s McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research.

Bill and Alexandra’s enthusiasm for this endowed chair is further fueled by two important connections with traditions of Madison’s musical community. Bill was a longtime colleague and friend of geneticist James F. Crow (former MSO violist and namesake of MSO’s Principal Viola Chair). Additionally, Bill and Alexandra enjoyed hearing the Karp Family Concerts featuring pianists Howard and Frances Karp, their son cellist Parry Karp, and Parry’s wife, violist Katrin Talbot — the very person who now holds the Dove Family Chair in the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

William (Bill) and Alexandra Dove

Violist Katrin Talbot says, “I am so honored by this generous naming from the Dove family whom I have known since the early 80’s in my science years at McArdle Cancer Research Center. Alex and Bill were always bright lights, scientifically and socially, in my time there and I have loved to smile out at them from the concert stage all these years later. I am full of gratitude to the family for their investment in the Madison Symphony’s future.”

In recognition of the Dove Family’s gift, in addition to naming the Assistant Principal Viola Chair in their honor, the MSO welcomes the Dove Family to our Century Society which recognizes all donors who have made endowment commitments of $100,000 or more. MSO hopes to recognize at least 100 donors in our Century Society by our 100th Anniversary Season. For more information, contact Casey Oelkers at (608) 257-3734

Please join us in thanking the Dove Family for this community-minded endowment gift which honors their special connections in Madison and will support the MSO in its second century.

Endowment Naming Opportunities

by Casey Oelkers, Director of Development

Endowment naming opportunities offer a way for donors to provide permanent support of—and be recognized in connection with—a chair, program, or position at the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Endowment gifts provide ongoing funding to underwrite key Madison Symphony Orchestra activities and retain outstanding talent. Naming opportunities are available at gift levels that have been approved by the MSO Board of Directors. Because endowed chairs and programs are named in perpetuity, they offer a special opportunity to create your own legacy or memorialize a loved one.

The following positions, programs and chairs are available for naming as of December 1, 2022:

Music Director

HeartStrings®

Link Up

Fall Youth Concerts

Spring Young People’s Concert

Symphony Soup

Chorus Director

Associate Concertmaster

Chorus Accompanist

Principal Chairs: Bassoon, Bass, Tuba

Assistant Principal Bass

Fall Youth Concerto Competition

Section Chairs

Naming opportunities begin at $75,000 for Section Chairs. Several prominent positions in the orchestra are available for naming, as well as numerous section chairs.

Additionally, parts of the Overture Concert Organ can be named through the Adopt-a-Stop program, detailed at madisonsymphony.org/adoptastop .

To learn more about endowment naming opportunities and requirements, visit madisonsymphony.org/endowment or contact Director of Development, Casey Oelkers, at coelkers@madisonsymphony.org or (608) 260-8680 x228 All inquiries will be handled confidentially. madisonsymphony.org/ support

Music Beyond Your Lifetime: The Stradivarius Society

by Casey Oelkers, Director of Development

Under the 29-year direction of John DeMain, and with our move into Overture Hall in 2004, the Madison Symphony Orchestra has grown from a small community ensemble to one of the most highly-regarded regional orchestras in the nation. MSO’s artistic growth and community reach have been bolstered and sustained by you — our strong base of annual patrons and donors — and by our ever-growing endowment, approximately three-quarters of which is held by the Madison Symphony Orchestra Foundation and one-quarter by the Madison Community Foundation.

When compared with other orchestras in our industry peer group, the MSO is the most well-endowed orchestra in relation to our operating budget. As of January 1, 2023, MSO’s combined endowment was $28,803,938, more than five times our annual operating budget. The

endowment provides a steady, reliable source of income for the Symphony and helps us plan for the future.

In the past 10 years, the Symphony has received over $3.9 million in bequests from donors who decided to leave a final gift to the Symphony in their estate plan. Currently, the Symphony anticipates at least $9 million in legacy gifts from 62 households who have informed us of their planned giving intent. Most of these individuals have given the Symphony permission to name them in our Stradivarius Society legacy giving group, and that list appears in every MSO concert program book. The MSO recognizes and celebrates Stradivarius Society members’ generous planned giving intent with an annual lunch and program, a unique lapel pin, an open invitation to our donor lounge at concerts, and recognition in concert program books.

Does the Symphony play a special role in your life? Do you share the Symphony’s commitment to ensuring the future of live classical music in our community? As you make plans to bequeath your assets to your family members and causes

you care about the most, the Madison Symphony Orchestra would be honored and humbled to be considered among the possible beneficiaries of your estate. Directing a portion of your estate to nonprofit organizations can be a smart move tax-wise, and it can put aspirational giving within reach that may not be possible during your lifetime.

Unless otherwise specified, all bequests and other estate gifts to the Symphony become part of the Madison Symphony Orchestra Foundation’s permanent endowment and will support the Symphony in perpetuity. Contact Casey Oelkers, Director of Development , at 608-260-8680 x228 to begin a confidential conversation about how your legacy gift to the Symphony could provide general support, or support for a specific aspect of our mission, for generations to come. General information is available at madisonsymphony.org/plannedgiving

“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime isn’t enough for music.”

— Sergei Rachmaninoff

Derrick and Carrie Smith enjoy the view from the Donor Lounge during intermission at an MSO Christmas concert.

Concert sponsors Audrey Dybdahl, Margaret Murphy, Howard Kidd, Leslie France and Thomas France with guest artists Christina and Michelle Naughton.

Stradivarius Society Luncheon

by Casey Oelkers, Director of

Development

On October 11, 2022, members of Madison Symphony Orchestra’s planned giving circle, the Stradivarius Society, celebrated together at their annual luncheon. The MSO hosts the annual Stradivarius Society luncheon to celebrate those who have informed us that they have included future gifts for the MSO in their wills, trusts or other estate planning documents. This year’s luncheon took place at the Madison

Club in the beautiful Terrace Room overlooking Lake Monona.

Director of Development Casey Oelkers opened the program by recognizing 10 new Stradivarius Society members who have joined since our last in-person lunch in 2019. She also named nine Stradivarius Society members who have passed away since that time, and whose final gifts have now become part of the Symphony’s endowment.

Executive Director Robert A. Reed provided an update on the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s financial position, including an update on ticket sales

trends, annual contributions, and investment income. He also discussed his vision for expanding the Symphony’s reach to new and diverse audiences through having the Symphony perform community concerts outside of downtown Madison, in venues other than Overture Hall.

Music Director John DeMain shared some anecdotes from his early years at the MSO and provided a glimpse into his plans for his 30th Anniversary Season next year. He also mused on some highlevel ideas for how the Symphony may celebrate our 100th Anniversary in the 2025–2026 Season.

Finally, award-winning Hardanger fiddle maker, Karen Rebholz, who lives here in Madison and is a Madison Symphony Orchestra subscriber and donor, treated guests to a special presentation presentation about the Norwegian folk instrument. Karen showed several of her beautiful Hardanger fiddles, demonstrated the traditional styles of music usually played on this unique instrument, and answered audience questions.

A pleasant time was had by all who attended. For more information about the Stradivarius Society and planned giving, see the article on the facing page and visit madisonsymphony.org/plannedgiving

Executive Director Robert Reed speaks to Stradivarius Society members at the Madison Club

(From left) Dorothy Brown, MSO Board President Ellsworth Brown, Martha Casey, and MSO Director of Development Casey Oelkers at a recent post-concert reception.

Leadership Donors Enjoy Hospitality and Parking

by Leah Schultz, Manager of Individual Giving

Perhaps you’ve emerged from Overture Hall after the conclusion of a Madison Symphony Orchestra concert and wondered about the celebration you see happening in the second floor lobby. Or maybe you’ve noticed the sign in the lobby prior to an MSO concert directing donors to the pre-concert Donor Lounge and wondered what that’s all about. These benefits, and more, are extended to Leadership Donors who support the mission of the MSO by contributing $1,500 or more to the Madison Symphony Orchestra Annual Fund. As a group, Leadership Donors provide over 50% of the MSO’s contributed revenue each season. Leadership Donors receive invitations to receptions following each concert where they enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres, a hosted bar, and an opportunity to meet and mingle with our world-class soloists, talented MSO musicians, and Music Director John DeMain.

Leadership Donors also have an open invitation, along with our Encore level ($750) donors and Stradivarius Society members (planned legacy gifts), to the pre-concert and intermission Donor Lounge in the Overture Center’s Audubon Room which features a private cash bar, complimentary sweets and coffee, and informative remarks by MSO Music Director John DeMain a half hour before each concert.

Often cited by donors as their favorite benefit, Leadership Donors also are eligible to receive private heated parking one block from the Overture Center! You can find out more about these and the other benefits of becoming a Leadership Donor by visiting madisonsymphony. org/individual or contacting Manager of Individual Giving Leah Schultz at lschultz@madisonsymphony.org .

Please join us in welcoming our new Leadership Donors for the 2022-2023 Season, as of January 1, 2023.

Janneke and Richard Baske

Karl Bethke

Doug and Sherry Caves

Patricia Kokotailo and R. Lawrence DeRoo

Marilyn Hahn

John Hands and Karen Kendrick-Hands

Melinda and Mark Heinritz

Charles and Tammy Hodulik

Robert and Judy Knapp

John and Barbara Komoroske

Richard and Joan Leffler

Margarety Luby

Wendy McCurdy

Charles McLimans and Dr. Richard Merrion

Lorrie and Kevin Meyer

Jon and Fung Wai D. Parker

Dr. Evan and Jane Pizer

Robert A. Reed

Barbara and Richard Schnell

Robert Shumaker and Janet Kilde Shumaker

Reeves Smith and Glenna Carter

Eric and Sandra Statz

James J. Uppena

2023-2024 INDIVIDUAL GIVING BENEFITS

Benefits are available throughout the concert season your gift supports.

$50 $300

Name listed in concert program books

Early access to single tickets

Invitation to one reception after a concert

Open invitation to the MSO Donor Lounge

Private, reserved parking for concerts

Open invitation to all receptions after the concerts

Invitation to “An Evening of Gratitude”

Special behind-the-scenes opportunities

Two tickets to an Overture Concert Organ performance

Additional benefits are available to donors of $5,000 or more. Visit madisonsymphony.org/individualgiving for complete benefits.

Sixteen Seasons of Partnership: University Research Park

by Aleeh Schwoerer, Manager of Grants and

Sponsorships

This season we celebrate our sixteenyear partnership with University Research Park (URP). Since the 2007–2008 season, their concert sponsorships have supported concerts featuring talented artists like pianists Emanuel Ax, André Watts, and Ingrid Fliter, and cellist Alban Gerhardt. We thank University Research Park for their 2022–2023 major sponsorship of our January concert weekend Towering Piano & Virtuosity featuring pianist Yefim Bronfman performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor .

University Research Park, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Founded in 1984, University Research Park’s mission is to help UW–Madison develop real estate to foster an innovation ecosystem conducive to translating science and research to solutions to global problems. University Research Park is the Wisconsin Idea at work. Today, the park is home to 125 companies that employ more than 4,000 workers working on global challenges such as COVID, cancer, influenza, hepatitis, alternative energy, water quality, artificial intelligence, and more.

Music played a special role in the life of University Research Park’s founding Chancellor, Irving “Irv” Shain. As a young man, Shain played the flute, including as a member of the Seattle Symphony for a brief period prior to his service in World War II. Later, he endowed music competitions on the UW–Madison campus. Chancellor Shain and the URP Board of Trustees shared a vision that University Research Park could advance engineering and sciences through their day-to-day work as well as the arts and humanities through philanthropic contributions in the Madison community.

In addition to the Madison Symphony Orchestra, University Research Park supports a modest number of other organizations dedicated to music, the arts, culture, and education as well as organizations working to grow the economy and ensure prosperity is broadly shared and inclusive. These efforts include groups like the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Madison Public Library Foundation & Wisconsin Book Festival, Madison Opera, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, and the Madison Regional Economic Partnership.

In considering the importance of giving back to the community, Aaron Olver, Managing Director and former MSO Board Director, stated, “Madison is an incredible area to build a business, raise a family, or just visit. To keep it vibrant and attractive to workers and visitors, we all have to pitch in to patronize the local businesses that make our community special and support our world-class assets like the Madison Symphony Orchestra.”

Please join us in thanking University Research Park for their longstanding partnership! For information about how your company can become a concert sponsor, visit madisonsymphony.org/corporate .

Irving Shain (1926–2018)

“Madison is an incredible area to build a business, raise a family, or just visit. To keep [Madison] vibrant and attractive to workers and visitors, we all have to pitch in to patronize the local businesses that make our community special and support our world-class assets like the Madison Symphony Orchestra”

– Aaron Olver, Managing Director and former MSO Board Director

Let Freedom Ring!

Concert on the Green — Monday, June 19, 2023

By Michael P. Richman and Claire Ann Richman, Concert on the Green Co-Chairs

The Madison Symphony Orchestra League (MSOL) and the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) are pleased to announce the return in 2023 of Concert on the Green, a celebratory concert and dinner by the shore of Lake Mendota at Bishops Bay Country Club.

The event, the net proceeds of which benefit the MSO’s Education and Community Engagement Programs, includes a pre-dinner cocktail party on the club lawn, and a golf tournament for those who wish to play the beautiful course at Bishops Bay, and to enjoy the company of Madison treasure, University of Wisconsin band director emeritus and special celebrity guest Mike Leckrone. Professor Leckrone will cruise the golf course by cart, inviting all golfers to take photographs with him, and he will continue to celebrate with us at the concert and dinner.

The theme for this year’s event is “Let Freedom Ring!,” held on Juneteenth (June 19), a national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. In keeping with this historic occasion, the MSO will perform a special one-hour program of relevant joyous and inspirational music conducted by MSO’s Associate Conductor Kyle Knox. Professor Leckrone will also conduct one piece on the program. Guests will then enjoy a plated dinner under the huge tent while enjoying an early summer evening.

The cost per person is $225 (price includes cocktail party, concert & dinner) or $395 per person for the golf package (includes golf, box lunch, cocktail party, concert & dinner). More information can be found at madisonsymphony.org/cog , and registration is open!

If you represent a company and/or if you will have multiple participants, consider a sponsorship! Most sponsorship levels include 4 or 8 seats for the concert & dinner, plus special recognition in event publicity, programs, and/or signage. But most importantly, your sponsorship contribution will directly benefit the MSO’s Education and Community Engagement Programs, which support

and enhance music education in the greater Madison area, an essential step in the long-term nurturing of youth, new musicians and music lovers in our community.

For further information on sponsorship levels and benefits, contact MSO’s Director of Development, Casey Oelkers (coelkers@madisonsymphony.org or 608-260-8680 x228) or either of the event co-chairs Michael P. Richman (mrichman@steinhilberswanson.com or 608-709-5998) and Claire Ann Richman (crichman@steinhilberswanson.com or 608-630-8992)

View photos, learn more and register: madisonsymphony.org/cog

Associate Conductor Kyle Knox leads the orchestra at the 2022 Concert on the Green on the shore of Lake Mendota at Bishops Bay Country Club.

MSOL Connect

By Beth Rahko

MSOL Connect is changing with the times!

MSOL Connect was created in June of 2020 when we were not able to meet in person for MSOL activities during the pandemic. This new Zoom-centered series of events was well received and won a national award from the League of American Orchestras.

To respond to the relaxation of COVID restrictions and the return of in-person meetings and concerts, MSOL is excited to bring you the next generation of MSOL Connect events for 2023.

Steve Kurr, our MSOL musicologist, presented the idea of creating prerecorded “shorts.” These videos will highlight upcoming MSO concerts with easily understandable information, suitable for quick views on the website or social media. These will be posted on our MSOL website before the MSO concert in place of the previous MSOL Connect Zoom events.

Watch for MSOL Connect emails to our members, and appearances in MSO E-news. You’ll find links to view new and previous MSOL Connect programs.

Beth Rahko, Chair of MSOL Connect Committee

Fall Luncheon – Jessica Morrison

It was a beautiful day at Blackhawk Country Club for our annual Fall Luncheon for members, held on Friday, October 7th, 2022. Close to 50 attendees enjoyed a delicious seasonal lunch while honoring Kathy Taylor, the MSO’s Music Librarian of 27 years, upon her retirement. It was a fun and informative event with Kathy sharing her stories and perspectives as a long-standing member of MSO. While retiring from her administrative role, we look forward to continuing to see Kathy perform with the orchestra.

BRIDGE –

Marilyn Ebben and Jim Patch

MSOL sponsors three bridge groups, a Ladies Bridge, Men’s Bridge, and a Couples Bridge group. These groups provide MSOL members with an opportunity to meet other members in a social setting and enjoy a game of bridge. The Ladies Bridge and Men’s Bridge meet once a month at a local country club for lunch and bridge. New members are welcome to join at any time. The Couples Bridge players meet six times a year in their homes and have a season ending dinner and bridge event. The Couples Bridge group will be welcoming new members for next season in August. For more information, please contact Marilyn Ebben (608-833-4683 or mvebben@gmail. com) for Ladies and Couples Bridge, or Jim Patch (608-284-9393 or jimpatch@hotmail.com).

Parties of Note – Jessica Morrison

The 2022 Parties of Note were a welcome reprieve from the depths of the pandemic. Fifteen successful parties were developed for 2022 and most were fully subscribed, many with wait lists. New guests were added to parties when original subscribers could not attend. 2023 Parties of Note PASSPORTS were mailed in January. Registration is open to MSOL members and people interested in expanding their relationship with the Symphony! To become an MSOL member or learn more about Parties of Note, visit madisonsymphony.org/msol . Find the latest details about party availability, register to attend parties that are available, or be added to a waitlist for parties that are sold out.

PARTIES WITH LIMITED AVAILABILITY (tickets available at this time)

A Musical Offering from MSO Staff (3) 05/24/23, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. On this special evening, the MSO staff members will present several musical offerings featuring their individual and ensemble talents. Tickets: $80 ea.

Symphony Rocks! (5) 09/27/23, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Enjoy Rock Music played on classical instruments while enjoying light appetizers and beverages surrounded by nature. Tickets: $80 ea.

Adventure in Jewelry Creation (3)

11/05/23 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Jewelry artist Jennifer Knollenberg is presenting a hands-on workshop using silver-embedded clay. Tickets: $80 ea.

The Stanleys’ Gospel Carols (4)

11/28/23 6:15 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Listen to the sounds of the season then mingle with the the Mt. Zion Gospel Choir while enjoying festive treats.

Tickets: $70 ea.

EVENTS

SPRING LUNCHEON & ANNUAL MEETING

Save the date: May 25, 2023

Location: Maple Bluff Country Club

NEW MEMBERS

The Madison Symphony Orchestra League welcomes these new members (as of 12/31/22):

Gary Ernst

Mary Gentry

Marci L. Henderson

Michael David Hobbs

Jennifer Ann Knolleberg and Kastl

Grayson Myers

Phyllis Lorenz

Leigh Richardson

Shirley Robinson

Love the Symphony? Join the League!

Not a member?

Membership is open to all and new members are welcome at any time. Enjoy a community of friends who share your passion for music. Join online at madisonsymphony.org

Individual Membership: $35.00

Household Membership: $50.00

Lifetime Membership: $350.00

Love Notes from the Klais — A Sweet Success

by Casey Oelkers, Director of Development

J.S. Bach Society, Curator Circle, and Honorary Lifetime Members of Friends of the Overture Concert Organ were treated to a special donor appreciation event on February 14.

“Valentine’s Day is when you express your most intimate thoughts to the person who means the most to you, right? So today, I am going to tell all of you what is going through my brain when I register and perform Bach’s Fugue in D major,” explained Greg Zelek from the organ bench. He then proceeded to play the entire work while providing running verbal commentary, explaining which stops and settings he had chosen, and which pistons and pedals he uses to control the sounds and dynamics throughout the work. Finally, he played the work all the way through without commentary, giving listeners a new appreciation for what it takes to play the organ.

Before the Bach, Greg offered two other musical delights, his own arrangements of the hit love song “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” and Liszt’s “Liebestraum.” Greg shared these “Love Notes from the Klais” as his way of saying thank you to the donors who so generously support our organ program.

Prior to the musical portion of the event, guests enjoyed a reception in Overture Center’s Promenade Lounge hosted by members of the MSO Development Team. Director of Development, Casey Oelkers, welcomed everyone and thanked them for their contributions to a successful annual membership and fundraising campaign, and also to the organ endowment as part of the Adopta-Stop naming program.

Through their annual membership contributions and sponsorship gifts, Friends of the Overture Concert Organ play an important role in supporting organ programming and maintenance of our “Mighty Klais.” To learn how you can support our organ program through Friends of the Overture Concert Organ and receive annual membership benefits, visit madisonsymphony.org/foco

Greg Zelek speaks with FOCO members.

Myrna Larson, Martha Casey, Mary Lang Solinger, Greg Zelek

Norm & Barbara Berven, Ann Lindsey, Judy Kalan, Janet Cabot

Diane Ballweg, Bruce Marion, Ruth Norman, Tom Popp, Dierdre Garton, Bill White

John DeMain Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from National Opera Association

At the National Opera Association’s 2023 Conference in Houston, Music Director John DeMain led a masterclass for five opera students and was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award — the NOA’s highest honor! He joins a list of highly-esteemed award recipients, including Marilyn Horne, Beverly Sills, and Dominick Argento.

In his acceptance speech at the conference’s closing banquet on January 7, John said, “For me, opera is the Olympics of singing, and the pursuit and discovery of great voices, technically secure with personalities that make the music jump off the page, is my passion. I also am committed to being involved with productions where the stage direction is not at odds with what’s coming out of the pit, but rather deeply integrated so that the musical and dramatic arc soars, and the audience is the winner. I have been blessed to work with great opera orchestras including the Madison Symphony, who realize the special nature of playing opera. And

I am deeply grateful to the great and knowledgeable coaches who have made me look good all these years. Opera is a collaborative art form, and I think of myself as a collaborative artist. When I’m in a rehearsal room, I’m home. But most importantly, I have had, for over 50 years, the best seat in the house on the conductor’s podium where I could relish in the glories of the human voice, working with countless artists, some of whom are in the room tonight. That one should have such access to great singing has truly been one of my life’s greatest joys.”

Please join us in extending our gratitude to the NOA and celebrating this huge honor for John! Discover more about the award, view more photos, and read the full text of his speech on our website: madisonsymphony.org/demain-noa

John DeMain speaks at the awards ceremony

/moments

Beyond the Score®

Madison independent arts reviewer Bill Wineke experienced our March 19, 2023 Symphony concert. View more photos and of people who experienced the concert: madisonsymphony.org/moments

The Madison Symphony Orchestra Sunday did something I never expected it to do: It convinced me to enjoy Mahler. The MSO’s annual “Beyond the Score” concert featured Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 4 in G major.” The entire first half of the concert was a multi-media explanation of the symphony, featuring Madison Soprano Emily Secor and American Players Theatre actors James Ridge, Colleen Madden and Gavin Lawrence. Secor, who has been a frequent artist in Madison Opera productions, was in her element. I truly think her voice might have been what Mahler had in mind when he wrote the movement. He might have had Kyle Knox, the MSO associate director who conducts many of the “Beyond the Score” concerts, in mind, too. Still, I’ve seen most of the “Beyond the Score” presentations and this, to me, was by far the best.

— Bill Wineke

James Ridge, Colleen Madden and Gavin Lawrence.

James Ridge, Actor

James Ridge, Narrator

Colleen Madden, Actor Emily Secor, Soprano

Beyond the Score® is a production of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Gerard McBurney Creative Director for Beyond the Score®

In Memoriam: Marika Fischer Hoyt

“As I continue to play in Marika’s absence, I find an emerging legacy — her sheer joy in playing music with others stays with me.”

– Robin Ryan, violinist in

the MSO

Marika Fischer Hoyt was a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra viola section for over 20 years until her passing in February 2023 following a courageous battle with cancer. She co-founded the Ancora String Quartet and the “Just Bach” series, and was a founding member of Madison Bach Musicians and Sonata à Quattro. She revived and led Madison’s Bach Around the Clock community music festival. She also performed with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and hosted classical music programming on WPR.

“Marika was a vibrant member of our viola section. Her love of music and her entrepreneurial skills inspired all of us,” says Music Director John DeMain. “She had such wonderful plans with her Bach group and, tragically, was prevented from seeing those plans fulfilled. We have and will continue to miss her greatly in the orchestra.”

Robin Ryan, violinist in the MSO, cofounder of the Ancora String Quartet, and longtime friend and musical colleague of Marika’s, shared these personal memories of Marika:

“It was a joy to play chamber music with Marika. As a viola and second violin pair, we often served together to

provide harmony and accompaniment or set tempos. She found great delight in accentuating a striking harmony or highlighting an interesting rhythm. She took just as much care to match bow strokes, vibrato, and intonation as she did to refine her viola solos. She loved blending the viola sound into the rich tones of the cello and creating the underpinning for soaring violin melodies. When it was the viola’s turn for a solo, she played with great expressiveness and a gorgeous, rich tone. This combination of beautiful solo playing, care for detail, and ability and willingness to blend made her such a wonderful chamber musician.

“Part of what made Marika a wonderful musical collaborator was her complete support of fellow musicians. In a profession where musicians compete for seats in orchestra or solo opportunities, Marika didn’t dwell on comparisons. She exalted in fine performances by others. Marika was game for playing most anything, as long as it was interesting. But she was not shy to share that her greatest passion was for Bach and Beethoven.

“As I continue to play in Marika’s absence, I find an emerging legacy — her sheer joy in playing music with others

stays with me. As the MSO played an excerpt from Beethoven’s Fidelio in our recent Beyond the Score® performance — a cello melody accompanied by viola — I couldn’t help but experience Marika’s joy.”

If you are reading this article, you have benefitted in one way or another from Marika’s outstanding contributions to Madison’s musical community. Many other articles and tributes highlighting aspects of Marika’s entrepreneurial endeavors can be found by searching for her name online.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, April 8th at Unitarian Meeting House in Madison, preceded by a musical prelude.

Madison Symphony Orchestra members will perform a musical tribute to Marika at our April 14, 15, 16 “Dazzling Violin & Spring” concerts in the Overture Lobby.

The musicians, board and staff of the Madison Symphony Orchestra extend our sincere sympathy to Marika Fischer Hoyt’s family.

View this story online at: madisonsymphony.org/marika

Civic Music Festivals of the 1930s

by J. Michael Allsen

The largest, most extravagant concerts staged by the Madison Civic Symphony and Civic Chorus, predecessors of today’s MSO and Madison Symphony Chorus in the early years was a series of “Civic Music Festivals” held throughout the 1930s. The first of these, staged on May 28, 1930 in the newly-constructed Eastwood Theater (now the Barrymore), was fairly modest by later standards: Sigfrid Prager led 170 performers, including the Symphony and Chorus, together with the Grace Presbyterian

Boys Choir and several local soloists. In May 1931, a much larger festival concert was held in the huge University Stock Pavilion, the first of many programs by the orchestra staged there into the 1970s. Here 300 musicians, including four additional choirs, performed a program including new works by local composers Alexius Baas and Sybil Hanks for an enthusiastic audience of 3000. In the May 1932 festival pictured here, also in the Stock Pavilion, Prager led the Symphony and Chorus, who were joined by the Madison Civic Band, and four local choirs—the Madison Maennerchor, the Grieg Chorus, the Mozart Club, and the East Side Civic Chorus—and several local soloists. The massed choirs opened with another new work by Baas, and

the finale was the Polovtsian Dances from Borodin’s Prince Igor , with a staged ballet choreographed by local dancer Leonore Johnson. Later concerts were even bigger: in May 1933, the festival featured a massed choir of 600 voices, and the concert was performed to audience estimated at 7,000, in the recently-completed University Fieldhouse. The tradition of Civic Music Festivals faded away after 1939, and they were not renewed during the austere war years. But while they lasted, it is clear from the large audiences, and from the reactions of reviewers and local citizens that they were sources of great civic pride in Madison.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST STAFF MEMBER!

Katelyn Hanvey

Education & Community Engagement Manager

“Music has been one of the most important aspects of my life since I was very young, so it is an incredible privilege to have a part to play in an organization like the MSO. Taking on the role of Education and Community Engagement Manager has felt like a dream come true. I love coming in each day and doing meaningful work with colleagues who are so passionate about music and dedicated to upholding the mission of the Madison Symphony Orchestra.”

Connect with Katelyn!

(608) 257-3734 x234 • khanvey@madisonsymphony.org

MSO/WYSO Sideby-Side Concert

At the Hamel Music Center on the UW–Madison campus. Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Learn more: madisonsymphony.org/msowyso

Penn Park Community Concert

Mark your calendar for an exciting FREE outdoor concert on Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. Details at: madisonsymphony.org/pennpark .

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22 | 23 SEASON SYMPHONY & ORGAN SINGLE TICKETS

By phone: (608) 258-4141

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In-person at Overture Center: 201 State Street Madison, WI 53703

Please note that additional Overture Center fees apply to online and phone orders (no fee for in-person purchases at the Overture Box Office). Programs, dates, and artists subject to change.

23 | 24 SEASON SYMPHONY SUBSCRIPTION TICKETS

Subscriptions for the new 23/24 Symphony season available in Spring 2023: Discover more: madisonsymphony.org/23-24

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Find the Madison Symphony on Spotify!

Tune up for our concerts by listening to our curated playlists on Spotify! Each of our MSO concerts have their own dedicated playlists. Not only does each playlist feature recordings of the works you’ll hear at the concerts, but they’ve been enhanced with listening guides for respective composers or pieces! Visit madisonsymphony.org/spotify to find our profile and give us a follow. Stay tuned as we have plans to release playlists curated by MSO staff, musicians, and so much more!

towering piano & virtuosity

Group tickets...

Bring a group to the Symphony and save! Orders of 10 or more tickets receive a 25% discount for Symphony concerts and a 10% discount for Organ performances. To place your order, call the MSO Office at (608) 257-3734 and ask for our Audience Experience Manager, Lindsey Meekhof. We’ll reserve the best available seats for your group and take care of the rest of the details for you! Learn more at madisonsymphony.org/group

Health & safety

Visit our FAQ page for more info: madisonsymphony.org/health

MSO’s 23/24 Overture Concert Organ season

Dates are set! Mark your calander. Renewals and new suscriptions available soon. Discover the latest details at: madisonsymphony.org/23-24organ

Friday, October 6, 2023: Greg Zelek, Organ , with a Latin American quartet in a bilingual concert of Hispanic music

Saturday, November 11, 2023: Ken Cowan, Organ

Tuesday, February 20, 2024: Chelsea Chen, Organ

Friday, April 19, 2024: Greg Zelek, Organ, with the UW–Madison Band (Wind Ensemble), Scott Teeple, Director

Saturday, May 18, 2024: Voices of Spring

PHOTOS: (Pouliot) cover, p2, p3, p8: Lauren Hurt; (MSO Chorus) cover, p5, (DeMain, Reed) p3, (Zelek) p4, (Bronfman/orchestra) p6, (DeMain) p7, (DeMain/Grosvenor) p9, (Reed/orchestra) p10, (Zelek/Mesa) p12, (Żelek) p11, (Rhapsodie) p15, (orchestra/Kenney/Knox) p16, (Final Forte) p17, (orchestra/Knox) p18/19, (Rhapsodie) p19, (orchestra) p26, (Zelek/event) p19, (Beyond the Score®) p31, (Hanvey) p33, (DeMain) p35, (orchestra) p36: Peter Rodgers; (Ficarri) p12: AJ Stetson; (Zelek/ Hetzler/Koszewski) p14: Amanda Dill; (post-concert reception): Lloyd Schultz; (Concert on the Green) p26/27: Anya Kubilus; (DeMain) p4, p30: Kirk Severtson; (Fisher-Hoyt) p32: Katrin Talbot

celebrate with us

John DeMain’s 30th anniversary season begins in September 2023! Our 2023–2024 Symphony season will surprise and delight you.

Subscriptions available in April!

2023

SEPT. 22, 23 & 24

Copland, Gershwin, Adams & Hanson

John DeMain , Conducting

Terrence Wilson , Piano

OCT. 20, 21 & 22

Bernstein, Shostakovich & Brahms

Kyle Knox , Associate Conductor

Naha Greenholtz , Violin

NOV. 17, 18 & 19

Mozart, Schumann & Dawson

John DeMain , Conducting

Jonathan Biss , Piano

DEC. 1, 2 & 3

A Madison Symphony Christmas

John DeMain , Conducting

Evelyn Saavedra , Soprano

Limmie Pulliam , Tenor

Madison Symphony Chorus , Beverly Taylor, Director

Madison Youth Choirs , Michael Ross, Artistic Director

Mount Zion Gospel Choir ,

Tamera and Leotha

Stanley, Directors

2024

JAN. 19, 20 & 21

Mozart & Mahler

John DeMain , Conducting

Joyce Yang , Piano

FEB. 24 ( SINGLE CONCERT )

NEW — MSO at the Movies

Kyle Knox , Associate Conductor

MAR. 15, 16 & 17

Higdon, Kabalevsky, and new audience choice

(Beethoven, Dvořák, Rimsky-Korsakov plus your write in selection)

John DeMain , Conducting

Steven Isserlis , Cello

APR. 12, 13 & 14

Verdi

John DeMain , Conducting

Alexandra LoBianco , Soprano

Margaret Gawrysiak , Mezzo-soprano

Jon Burton , Tenor

Kyle Ketelsen , Baritone

Madison Symphony Chorus , Beverly Taylor, Director

MAY 3, 4 & 5

Moncayo, de Falla & Revueltas

John DeMain , Conducting

Rachid Bernal , Piano

Mariachi Los Camperos

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