Madison Choral Project Presents a Gift of Hope for the Season—and Beyond

The exquisite vocal ensemble offers a broader perspective on the season   The Madison Choral Project has become one of the special treasures of the Madison musical scene (does our artistic cup ever stop running over?!). Under the direction of Albert Pinsonneault, this group of 26 singers (as configured last Saturday night at Christ Presbyterian…

Bach Dancing and Dynamite: The Devil Is in the Details

BDDS offers strong performances, but falls prey to temptation in Stravinsky   Now in its 27th memorable season, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society has never played it safe; if anything, co-founders Stephanie Jutt and Jeffrey Sykes have thrived on adding all sorts of twists to their programs. Not every dart thrown hits the bullseye…but…

The Hits Keep on Coming for Bach Dancing and Dynamite

(But there are a few quibbles…)   I can’t shake the feeling that even if I attended all six of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society programs some year, I’d still feel like it all went too quickly. Worst still, I only made two of them again this year, but at least they were the…

Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society Still Explosive

26th season continues to impress   Some things never change…when I first covered the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society in 2011, I managed to attend five of their six programs—and still regretted missing the sixth. Last Friday (June 16) I attended the first of their second weekend of concerts, and was not surprised to hear…

Madison Symphony Closes Its Season on Very Human Notes

Long-awaited hearings and a farewell mark the final weekend Madison Symphony Orchestra music director John DeMain has made it (or continued?) a tradition of closing each season with a major work for chorus and orchestra. He has said on occasion in recent years that he has long wanted to program Brahms’ A German Requiem—but waited…

Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society: Sizzle, Fizzle, Roar

Penultimate program of BDDS 25th anniversary ultimately soars The fifth of sixth programs of the silver anniversary season of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society last Friday night at Overture Center’s Playhouse was titled “Quicksilver.” The more standard than usual program (but full of promise) of Bach, Mozart and Mendelssohn was indeed mercurial at times,…

Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society: 25-Carat Gold

BDDS celebrates silver anniversary, but give them a gold medal The Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, that impish and excellent music festival created by Stephanie Jutt and Jeffrey Sykes, has now been spoiling us every June for a quarter-century. They have long proven that they bear comparison with many a better-known summer festival in our…

A New CD Gets Us Ready for the Bach Dancing and Dynamite’s 25th Season

Stephanie Jutt’s new recording delivers a whole lot more than “just” flute and piano   Stephanie Jutt, artistic director and co-founder of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, recently released a new cd on the Albany label, “Latin American & Spanish Masterpieces for Flute and Piano.” Like yours truly, most of the repertoire will be…

Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society Shows Off Its Age

25th anniversary season of BDDS features a world premiere by Kevin Puts   The Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society is showing its age; despite more than two decades of golden memories from the fluid forces marshaled by co-founders Stephanie Jutt and Jeffrey Sykes, some silver has crept in. And that’s something to celebrate. Even if…