I ♥ the Archives

Hello out there & happy Friday to you all!

I found this photo in our archives and wanted to share it with you. I'm hoping it will make you smile as much as it makes me smile.

Sammy Davis Jr. performed at the Union Theater on September 25, 1970.

Have a great weekend and peace out!

First-Time Isthmus Jazz Fest Performers

by Ben Ferris
Isthmus jazz Series Coordinator

This year's Isthmus Jazz Festival, June 3-4 on the Memorial Union Terrace, will feature many artists never seen before on the Isthmus Jazz Festival stage.

New to the Festival this year is Grupo Candela, a twelve member Latin super-group that will be sure to get you dancing. In addition to Salsa music, the band also plays Merengue, Bachata and Cumbia. The group recently performed for the grand opening of Union South, in conjunction with Latin Dance classes.

Right before the Grupo Candela set will be another very exciting ensemble, The Mike Frost Project. Based in Chicago, this ensemble is based around the saxophone playing of Mr. Frost and B3 Organ playing of Demos Petropoulos. The group also features Mr. Frost's brother, Steve Frost, on trumpet, as well as guitar, drums and vibes. Although new to the Terrace, the group played a very successful concert in the Jazz at 5 series a few years ago. They have released three fantastic CDs since 2004, which are available on iTunes. The group is very active in Chicago, playing regularly at the famous Andy's Jazz Club, and it will be a real treat to hear them out on the Terrace.

Also new to the festival, but not to Madison, is Trumpeter Marlin McKay. Based in Indiana, Mr. McKay lists Nicholas Payton and Tom Harrell as his main influences, which have drawn him to perform hard bop music. The quintet will be in the classic hard-bop line up reminiscent of the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers, with Trumpet, Tenor Sax, Piano, Bass, and Drums. Mr. McKay is a recent graduate of Indiana University's prestigious Jacob's School of Music, where he studied with Dr. David Baker and played in the Baker Band. He has also learned from Curtis Fuller, Dr. Nathan Davis, George Cables, Carmen Lundy, Rufus Reid and James Moody. This is not Mr. McKay's first performance in Madison, as he played with great success at the Inn on the Park a few years back.

This year's festival will also feature the largest jazz band I have ever heard to perform on the terrace, the 24-piece Madison Mellophonium Jazz Orchestra. The massive size of this band can be attributed to the addition of four mellophoniums (which is essentially a french horn played like a trumpet), and a bass saxophone, to the standard big band ensemble. The group is directed by a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra and student of Johnny Richards, Joel Kaye.

Many other bands will perform in addition to these wonderful artists, including last year's hit, The Tony Castaneda Latin Jazz Super Group, back with their full, all star ensemble. We will hear also hear from the "cafe-jazz" of The Stellanovas, local vocal favorites Jan Wheaton, and Michelle DuVall, as well as Madison area students in The UW Madison Jazz Orchestra, Madison High School All-Stars and the Edgewood College Jazz Ensemble. I hope that you can make it to this free event!

What is it Like to Be a Neale-Silva Compeitition Winner?

Erin Bannen
Marketing Intern

So you may have heard about the Neale-Silva Young Artists Competition Recital, which we at Wisconsin Union Theater are incredibly excited to host! Perhaps you attended the recital on Sunday, April 17.

Our previous blog article talked all about the inception of the contest, how Wisconsin Public Radio established it (with a donation from the late UW Professor Neale Silva) to recognize young Wisconsin performers who demonstrate an "exceptionally high level of artistry" with regards to classical music. This blog article is about the winners themselves! 

This contest is an incredible opportunity for young Wisconsin students, and this year's winners are a fantastic mix of talent from around the state. We asked two of them, Daniel Kim (a Violist from UW-Madison) and Sumner Truax (a Saxophonist and member of the winning saxophone quartet from Lawrence University in Appleton), about the experience.

What was it like to play for the competition?

D: It's always a pleasant experience when you get to share great music with others. Of course I had the pre-performance jitters but thankfully that all went away when I began to play.

S: Playing for the competition was, as all competitions are, very exciting, and a little nerve wracking.

What did it feel like to win?

D: I was honored and excited to play live on the radio for the first time.

S: It was a pleasant surprise!  We were all very excited when we found out the results.

Tell us about your musical experience

D: I started the violin at age 5 and continued studying it until I was about 16. Then I switched to studying the viola. I also studied piano for several years and baritone sax for a semester in high school.

S: The quartet has been around for about a year.  This fall we were winners of the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra Concerto competition and will be playing Philip Glass' Concerto for Saxophone Quartet with the orchestra next month.  It's a really fun group to play with and we're all committed to performing really interesting music.

What is your favorite piece to play?

D: Whatever piece I'm learning at the time:)

S: Of the two that we will be performing for the recital, I think my favorite is probably the
Quartuor pour Saxophones by Jun Nagao.  It's a very fast and exciting work!

Changes Announced for 2011-2012 Concert Series

The Wisconsin Union Theater recently learned that the 2011-2012 tour of Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and New Century Chamber Orchestra was canceled. Unfortunately they won’t be performing on the Concert Series next season as announced earlier.

However, the theater has arranged for an excellent replacement who will offer two different concerts. Caroline Goulding, the winner of the 2011 Avery Fisher Career Grant, has already performed as a soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Cincinnati Pops, Cleveland Pops and the Aspen Concert Orchestra. Only 19, she was also a First Prize winner in the 2009 Young Concert Artists International.

Ms. Goulding received a Grammy nomination for her 2009 debut recording on the Telarc label and rave reviews from venerable names in the classical music industry. According to violinist Jaime Laredo, “This is an amazing CD! …Caroline Goulding is one of the most gifted and musically interesting violinists I have heard in a long time; her playing is heartfelt and dazzling throughout.”

A past recipient of the Stradivari Society, she currently plays the General Kyd Stradivarius (c 1720), courtesy of Jonathan Moulds.

Throughout its history, the Concert Series has proudly presented many musicians early in their career – before they were recognized stars.  This tradition continues with Caroline Goulding: a young, outstanding violinist on her way to stardom.  Subscribers will receive tickets for both concerts. They are:


Caroline Goulding
Recital (program to be announced)
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011, 7:30 pm
&
Mendelssohn Concerto w/ the University of Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, 7:30 pm

Wisconsin Union members and UW-Madison faculty and staff receive reduced ticket price and UW-Madison students will continue paying only $10 for any Concert Series events.


The Entire 2011-2012 Concert Series is as Follows:

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble
Friday, September 30, 2011, 7:30 pm

Caroline Goulding
Subscription includes both concerts
Recital (program to be announced)
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011, 7:30 pm
&
Mendelssohn Concerto w/ the University of Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, 7:30 pm


David Finckel, Wu Han, Philip Setzer
Friday, February 24, 2012, 7:30

Peter Serkin, Piano
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 7:30 pm

The Concert Series is sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Performing Arts Committee.

Jeremy Denk Residency Covers Blogging, Pedaling and a Master Class

Jeremy Denk, who on Thursday, April 21, at 7:30 pm will play Bach’s entire Goldberg Variations and Ives Sonata No. 1 at the Wisconsin Union Theater, will also participate in several additional events, all free and open to the public. They include:

Madison Area Piano Teachers Association Master Class with Jeremy Denk 
Wednesday: April 20, 2011
12:00pm-2:00pm
Location: Wisconsin Union Theater
 Traditional individual master class sessions with five students from the Madison Area Piano Teachers Association.
 
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Guest Lecture: Jeremy Denk
Not Just Anything: Pedaling and Meaning with Chopin
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
3:30pm-4:30pm
Location: University of WI-Madison School of Music; Morphy Hall, Humanities Building
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Blogging and Classical Music
A Panel Discussion with Jeremy Denk and Jacob Stockinger
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
5:30pm-6:30pm
Location: Wisconsin Memorial Union- Check TITU for Room

Panelists:
Jeremy Denk:
One of the nation's most compelling concert pianists, Denk is also the writer of the blog Think Denk which chronicles the life of a traveling concert musician.

Jacob Stockinger
Stockinger, former arts editor for The Capital Times, writes the blog The Well-Tempered Ear, documenting the classical music scene in and around Madison.

Backstage Diaries: Mmmmm, he's cute.

We've been having a debate in the office: myself and our communications intern Erin think that Neil Patrick Harris, former star of Doogie Houser and current star of How I Met Your Mother is fiercly good looking (see below).

We both say that we would marry him if he wasn't gay. I mean, look at those beautiful eyes and baby blonde hair. Gorgeous. But Esty, our Marketing Director, disagrees. She doesn't see it at all. Do you? Which side are you on? And why?

Erin and Claire also think that Jeremy Denk (see below), the pianist coming to the theater on 4/21, has eyes to kill.

Somebody passing by clearly agrees. Our poster of Jeremy was torn down from the bulletin board outside our door. It must have been taken by someone who just couldn't bear to leave those piercing blue eyes behind. (Don't worry, you can still stop by and look into those eyes: another poster has been hung up.)

What do you think? Cute, or not?

I ♥ the Archives: Vote for.......?

Dizzy Gillespie for President!

In spirit of the election yesterday, I thought it would be fun to share this gem.

OK, so Dizzie Gillespie wasn't campaigning for President when he came to the Union Theater on April 2, 1967, but he was tooting his own horn, of course!