Plenty of Bang for the Buck…and More

Sewell and WCO end the indoor season with a triple helping of Beethoven Rarely have I been more torn about which event to attend than last Friday night—and they both took place in the same building! While the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra was concluding its Masterworks Series in the Capitol Theater, organist Greg Zelek was giving…

Staying “Home,” Stylistically Speaking

Sewell and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Illuminate True Classicism   In a city happily rife with creative programming among its many fine ensembles and companies, Andrew Sewell and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra frequently garner the most attention for performing works typically outside the chamber orchestra box. It is noteworthy, therefore, that last Friday night in the…

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Stronger Than Ever

Sewell’s group tackles the usual varied program   Between the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra changing their five-concert Masterworks series to a January-May schedule, and my own conflicts earlier this year, attending Friday night’s concert at the Capitol Theater meant that I had not heard Andrew Sewell and his wonderful chamber orchestra for nearly a year. The…

Yakushev Delivers the Whole Package

Salon Piano Series remains a Madison treasure   Wonderful things always happen at the Salon Piano Series, but it was particularly gratifying to see what appeared to be a couple of extra rows of chairs squeezed in at Farley’s House of Pianos last Sunday. The occasion was the second of this year’s Salon Piano Series…

Closing the Season with a World Premiere

Sewell, WCO and soloists end indoor season with Cabaniss’s Double Rainbow   We are happily accustomed to the stimulating programming of Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra music director Andrew Sewell, but the occasion of a world premiere is always an added treat. In the case of Friday night’s final Masterworks concert in the Capitol Theater, the new…

New Year—But “Old” Tricks from Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

Sewell, Vidovic, WCO instruct and delight all night long If Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra music director Andrew Sewell adopted any New Year’s resolutions, it had to be simply “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The ensemble’s first program of 2017, last Friday night at the Capitol Theater, gave ample evidence that both Sewell’s programming, and…

A Perfectly Timed Homecoming

Madison Symphony welcomes the Naughton twins back to town   It’s not unusual for Madison Symphony music director John DeMain to bring back guest soloists over the years, but when Christina and Michelle Naughton (pictured above, courtesy Madison Symphony) return to Overture Hall, it’s a treat on several levels. It’s tempting to say “we knew…

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Season Opens with Balancing Act

Maestro Sewell does his usual thing; Ilya Kaler does some extraordinary things The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra returned to their beautiful “winter” home last Friday night at the Capitol Theater, and for a couple of hours everything seemed right with the world. Music director Andrew Sewell did his usual spot-on job of programming, sandwiching Tchaikovsky’s Violin…

Concerts on the Square Announces That Summer Is Here

WCO’s 33rd season of COS delights most of the 20,000 Since most of my bills get paid by driving school buses, the end of school still feels like the beginning of summer to me. The return of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society lends that same feeling to the music fan in me…but when the…

No, I Really Was There!

The “missing link” to the final WCO Masterworks concert, and what to see here next (and onstage)   It’s been too long since I managed to attend all five of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s concerts in their Masterworks series, and I wasn’t about to miss last Friday’s closing event. So where’s the review? It’s here.…