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2020 2021 WELCOME TO

As we begin our 60th year and Andrew MASTERWORKS 20/21 Sewell’s 20th as our music director, we enter invigorated. This season is a celebration and a bit of a liberation. Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra is a rarity, an elite team of musicians nestled in one of As orchestras across the globe celebrate the the most creative, caring, and daring cities 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, we have in the country. We are delighted to perform his first and last concertos planned to open and this season’s Masterworks series in our close our Masterworks series. New and neglected hometown and now in Brookfield, too. works mix with familiar favorites – Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms – contributing to a stunning As a cellist for 25 years and as your new season. Often overlooked works by Cherubini, CEO, I know the impact that music can have Blake, Kabalevsky, and Stravinsky round out our Masterworks series at the Capitol Theater. on our lives. I am honored to be part of this extraordinary, musician-forward orchestra New soloist, virtuoso Spanish guitarist Mabel and invite you to come closer to the music Millán, makes her US debut in March performing of the WCO. Ponce’s Guitar Concerto. World-class soloists, pianist John O’Conor, cellist Amit Peled, violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, and pianist Michael Joe Loehnis Mizrahi, return to perform with the WCO.

CEO We are excited to take select Masterworks performances to Brookfield at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts. Concerts on the Square®, our signature summer concert series, kicks off on Tuesday, July 28, and will feature WE guests from the Ho-Chunk Nation and a return of Jeans ’n Classics.

Thank you for keeping the Wisconsin Chamber CREATE Orchestra close as your go-to classical music experience.

SOMETHING Andrew Sewell SPECIAL Music Director 3 MADISON, WI Capitol Theater 20/21 MADISON PRE-CONCERT DINNERS 7:30 PM

Enjoy a delightful evening at I: November 20, 2020 Madison’s Overture Center beginning John O’Conor with a delicious dinner served buffet- PIANO style and a lively discussion held in the Wisconsin Studio. Maestro II: January 15, 2021 Andrew Sewell, Wisconsin Public Amit Peled MASTERWORKS Radio’s Norman Gilliland, and the CELLO concert guest artist will enlighten you with insights into the evening’s III: February 19, 2021 Masterworks concert repertoire. Alexander Sitkovetsky SERIES VIOLIN Reservations for the intimate pre- concert dinners must be made at IV: March 19, 2021 least one week prior to the concerts. Mabel Millán GUITAR

V: April 9, 2021 Pre-Concert Dinners are offered Michael Mizrahi prior to Madison Masterworks PIANO performances only.

Dinners are $45. BROOKFIELD, WI Cash bar is available. Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts To reserve your spot, call 7:30 PM 608.257.0638. February 20, 2021 - Alexander Sitkovetsky VIOLIN Doors open at 5:30 PM Dinner is served at 6:00 PM April 10, 2021 Discussion begins at 6:30 PM Michael Mizrahi PIANO

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4 MASTERWORKS I MASTERWORKS II

November 20, 2020 - Madison January 15, 2021 – Madison

John O’Conor Amit Peled PIANO CELLO

REPERTOIRE REPERTOIRE

Igor Stravinsky | Septet Christopher Blake | Night Journey to Pawarenga

Luigi Cherubini | Symphony in D major Dmitry Kabalevsky | Cello Concerto No. 1

Ludwig van Beethoven | Piano Concerto Antonín Dvořák | Serenade in D minor No. 5, Emperor

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Symphony No. 34

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

John O’Conor’s gift for Beethoven never disappoints. I can’t think of anyone else in my acquaintance DIRECTOR’S NOTES with an instant rapport with the orchestra that makes the experience so musically rewarding and intimate. Loved by our orchestra and audience alike, O’Conor is a statesman and musical icon. Cellist Amit Peled is an audience favorite, proven to be a big player with a big sound and a big heart. He performs two works, the rarely performed concerto by Kabalevsky that requires some The Emperor Concerto is gargantuan, so named for its grandeur and highly sophisticated form. muscle, and Offenbach’s Andante. I heard Offenbach’s Andante on the radio, didn’t recognize it This is Beethoven at his most intense, personal, and sublime. So much so that in this capacity we are and was enthralled. It’s soulful and Romantic, showing a serious side to this composer otherwise treating it as the main course or the steak, putting it in the second half, more like a symphony, with known for writing the Can-Can. Stravinsky and Cherubini as appetizers and a salad. In Dvořák’s Serenade for winds and Christopher Blake’s Pawarenga for strings, we hear both Stravinsky’s Septet and Cherubini’s Symphony No. 1 open the concert. Stravinsky, an early twentieth- sections shine, concluding with Mozart’s Symphony No. 34 in C. century composer, is spicy and spiky; the dissonance and pared-down instrument combination adds curiosity and variety. While Cherubini, an early Classical composer, composed mainly operas in Dvořák’s Wind Serenade is a grand work without violins or violas, just cellos, basses, and the grand French tradition, but broke away to compose in other forms. Surprisingly, the Symphony woodwinds, and consequently unusual to program. Since the strings are engaged with the No. 1 is an excellent example of his symphonic literature, revealing much more about this often- Blake piece, it gives plenty for the winds to do, and as such, makes a great pairing. Finally, overlooked composer. Mozart’s Symphony No. 34 in C is a shorter symphony of only three movements, aligning this rather diverse repertoire combination onto familiar ground.

7 MASTERWORKS III MASTERWORKS IV

February 19, 2021 – Madison March 19, 2021 – Madison February 20, 2021 – Brookfield

Alexander Sitkovetsky Mabel Millán VIOLIN GUITAR

REPERTOIRE REPERTOIRE

Leoš Janáček | Suite for Strings Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga | Los Esclavos Felices Overture Astor Piazzolla | The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires Manuel Ponce | Concierto del Sur

Antonio Vivaldi | The Four Seasons Ernesto Halffter | Sinfonietta in D major

DIRECTOR’S NOTES DIRECTOR’S NOTES

We cannot wait to hear the Vivaldi Four Seasons performed by London-based virtuoso Alexander Spanish guitarist and rising star, Mabel Millán makes her US debut performing Manuel Ponce’s (Sasha) Sitkovetsky, paired with Astor Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires in this all- Guitar Concerto along with an all-Spanish program of early classical composer Arriaga’s Los strings program. Janáček’s Suite for strings, just as soulful as compatriot Antonin Dvořák, is rarely Esclavos Felices Overture and Halffter’s Sinfonietta for chamber orchestra, a vibrant work akin heard outside the Czech Republic and deserves a wider audience. to Stravinsky’s Pulcinella.

Sasha Sitkovetsky and I first worked together in Monterey in 2009 performing Paganini Violin As fortune would have it, I was originally scheduled to conduct this in Hong Kong in November Concerto No. 1, then performed Beethoven together in 2012 and Barber in 2015 with the WCO. 2019, along with the Halffter Sinfonietta. However, the concerto was changed. The idea of an When invited to play Vivaldi this season, Sasha, known for his gusto and stamina, immediately all-Spanish program intrigued me, especially with a Spanish guitarist. The Halffter was an suggested the pairing with Piazzolla’s iconic The Four Seasons. incredible find. It has a Stravinskian influence yet is entirely unique. Halffter was Manuel de Falla’s protégé and catalogued all his works posthumously.

9 MASTERWORKS V April 9, 2021 – Madison April 10, 2021 ­– Brookfield

Michael Mizrahi SPECIAL PIANO

REPERTOIRE PERFOMANCES

Ludwig van Beethoven | Piano Concerto No. 1 FAMILY SERIES THE NUTCRACKER Johannes Brahms | Serenade No. 1 October 10, 2020 at 9:30 AM WITH MADISON BALLET Goodman Center-Ironworks, Madison December 17-27, 2020 Overture Hall, Madison March 27, 2021 at 9:30 AM Goodman Center-Brassworks, Madison MASTERWORKS VI VERONA AREA May 14, 2021 at 7:30 PM PERFORMING ARTS Capitol Theater, Madison SOCIETY Yolanda Kondonassis | HARP DIRECTOR’S NOTES November 7, 2020 at 7:30 PM Verona Area Performing Arts Center Prokofiev | Sinfonietta Michael Mizrahi teaches at Lawrence Conservatory and has appeared twice with us on Ginastera | Harp Concerto the Square. We wanted to introduce him to our Masterworks audience and asked which Haydn | Symphony No. 88 Beethoven Concerto he would enjoy – the No. 1. With the variety of repertoire and composers in Masterworks II, III, and IV, we want to close the 20/21 Masterworks series by reintroducing HANDEL’S MESSIAH December 9, 2020 at 7 PM lesser-known masterpieces truly written for chamber orchestra. Blackhawk Church, Middleton WYSO SIDE BY SIDE In Brahms’ case we see his development and transition to the eventual symphonic form. His PROJECT PERFORMANCE two serenades were indeed orchestral studies. As a serenade, it was customary to vary the December 12, 2020 at 2 PM May 22, 2021 performance and orders of movements. In keeping with tradition we will open with the fifth Hamel Music Center, Madison Hamel Music Center, Madison movement Scherzo, treating it like an overture, then complete the serenade following the Beethoven Concerto. Serenades were considered to be an entire evening entertainment with self-contained movements. It is a glorious indulgence, well-balanced.

11 Tuesday, July 28 TCHAIKOVSKY ROCKS Maxim Lando, piano, 2020 Gilmore Young Artist Award

Mussorgsky | Night on Bald Mountain Tchaikovsky | Piano Concerto No. 1 Rimsky-Korsakov | Scheherazade

Tuesday, August 4 GOSPEL AND SYMPHONY Leotha Stanley & Friends RESERVE YOUR TABLE Middleton High School Choir, dir. Jamie Pitt Mechem | Blow Ye the Trumpet from Songs of the Slave suite Contact: Elliott Valentine O’Landa Draper | Praise the Lord Everybody New Schedule for 2020 at 608.257.0638 or Borodin | Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor [email protected] NOW TUESDAYS AT 6 PM Tuesday, August 11 King Street Corner of the Capitol Square HO-CHUNK NATION AND THE PLANETS Elliott Funmaker and Wisconsin Dells Singers and Dancers

Holst | Mars, the Bringer of War Traditional, arr. Funmaker | Flag Song, Dejope Song Holst | Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

Tuesday, August 18 LIBERTY Antonio Wu, piano, 2020 Young Artist Concerto Competition Winner

Gershwin | Girl Crazy Overture Lowden | Armed Forces Salute Tchaikovsky | 1812 Overture

Tuesday, August 25 THAT’S MY JAM 2020 Jeans ‘n Classics

Faith Evans | Love Like This Gotye | Somebody that I Used to Know Pharrell Williams | Happy

Tuesday, September 1 FOR THE GREATER GROOVE Tracy Silverman, electric violin

Tchaikovsky | Sleeping Beauty Waltz Silverman | For the Greater Groove (world premiere) Ellington | Nutcracker Suite

*Programs subject to change 12 YOUNG ARTIST CONCERTO COMPETITION The Young Artist Concerto Competition is a highly YOUTH & regarded competition in which Wisconsin’s young musicians in piano, string, woodwind, brass, and percussion, grades 9-12, compete for scholarships and the opportunity to perform as a soloist with EDUCATION the WCO at Concerts on the Square. Auditions are adjudicated by a small panel composed of the WCO FAMILY SERIES Music Director and musicians, providing valuable professional development for aspiring musicians. The WCO’s Family Series is a free program that offers an engaging exploration of music for families with children of all ages. The format is purposefully different from typical concert settings, so moving around or making noise during the show is welcomed and encouraged!

Beethoven Lives Next Door follows the story of the famous classical composer, Beethoven, who is struggling with his loss of hearing, love of music, and acceptance of his fate as he writes his Fifth Symphony. Excerpts from the symphony highlight the strong emotions Beethoven is feeling while he writes. The program teaches children about the orchestra and the musical concepts of melody and dynamics, all 2020 YACC Winner, Antonio Wu, pianist, while exposing them to the sounds of live orchestral music and Runner-up, Ally Hansen, tubist and connecting music to their emotions.

WYSO SIDE BY SIDE PROJECT SUPER STRINGS

Since 2006, the WCO has collaborated with Wisconsin Developed by Maestro Sewell in 2016, the Super Strings Youth Symphony Orchestra’s (WYSO) musicians in the Program connects early-elementary school children at Side by Side Project. The Side by Side Project launches Madison’s Lussier Community Education Center with a with a day of rehearsals and mentoring activities. WCO musician who provides the students with a music Musicians from WCO and WYSO participate in two education curriculum and violin lessons. full orchestra rehearsals with Maestro Andrew Sewell and hold instrument-based sectional work with WCO The curriculum includes basic violin techniques, including musicians. The project culminates with an afternoon care for the instrument and bow, learning how to hold the dress rehearsal, mentor dinner, and free admission bow, practicing rhythm, and bow arm exercises. performance in Overture Hall for the community.

15 SUPPORT THE WISCONSIN SUBSCRIBE TO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 20/21

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