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In this issue:
Mills Hall
Tickets: $32/22, UW-Madison students free
Program Partner: Madison Area Piano Teachers Associated
How did the Russian Revolution affect Russian composers and the music they
wrote?
Rachmaninoff's stormy and nostalgic Etudes Tableaux, Prokofieff's hair-raising Suggestion Diabolique and humorous March, and the satirical, dreamy,
and fiery Preludes of Shostakovich offer clues.
In this program, Siegel will perform the Canon of Rachmaninoff, a work which
has only
recently been found and published by a small firm. When Rachmaninoff fled Russia in 1917 he left a few manuscripts of youthful compositions locked in
his desk drawer. He never returned to his home country and only lately was that drawer opened. It contained, amongst other early pieces, this
absolutely beautiful, poignant Canon.
Siegel believes with a "certain certainty" that the Canon will be receiving
its Madison
premiere during this show. Don't miss this exciting concert!
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She has won an Oscar for her work in the film "Moonstruck" and impressed the
world in "Steel
Magnolias." A long-time Broadway actress, she has played in over 100 stage productions and over 85 films and television shows, and worked with Julia
Roberts, Shirley Maclaine, Richard Dreyfuss, William H. Macy, and many others. But some think that Olympia Dukakis shines brightest in her solo stage
work.
She certainly shines in the original one-woman play "Rose," written by Martin
Sherman, who
also wrote "Bent." In "Rose," Sherman has created a haunting portrait of an 80-year old Jewish woman who experienced first-hand many of the 20th
Century's seminal events. As she sits in mourning for a seven-year-old girl, Rose takes us through her life story. We journey with her to the Warsaw
Ghetto, where she lost her first family during World War II, to pre-Israel Palestine, post-war Atlantic City, present-day Miami Beach, and
contemporary Israel and its extremist settlers.
The play, directed by Nancy Meckler, is a moving experience on its own, but
Dukakis takes it
a step further, immersing herself in the story and delivering a moving performance. "Rose has been given one of those productions where the whole is
a great deal more than the sum of its parts....Bring a handkerchief. You will be sobbing before the evening is over, just as surely as you will jump
to your feet cheering and applauding wildly at its triumphant end," promises Talking Broadway. Don't miss this once in a lifetime
opportunity!
Tickets available here
Emily Semmelman
with Richard Egarr
Friday, February 8, 8:00pm
Tickets: $38/32/18, UW-Madison students $10
Program Partners: Madison Early Music Festival & Early Music Now
Purchase tickets here
A Trip Back to London, 1726
The Academy of Ancient Music's Time Machine
Let's pretend for a moment that the Wisconsin Union Theater has created a
time machine, and
you, the lucky reader, have been given the opportunity to take a ride. We're traveling all the way back to London, England, and the year is 1726. In
this year, the book "Gulliver's Travels," by Jonathan Swift is published, Isaac Newton first explains to someone his theories on Gravity, and Mary
Tofts, a servant in Godalming, England allegedly gives birth to 16 rabbits. But none of these events, as interesting and exciting as they are,
interest us much. We are here to see the founding of the Academy of Ancient Music.
The original Academy of Ancient Music was started in London in 1726. Its
purpose was to study
and perform "old music." It focused on compositions produced at least 100 years earlier and wanted to ensure that these pieces attained their place
in
history.
Unfortunately a time machine is the only way to see the original Academy of
Ancient music,
but the idea has not been lost. The orchestra was revived in 1973 by the British conductor and harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood. Now under the
direction of Richard Egarr, the Academy has become the first orchestra to record all of Mozart's symphonies on period instruments.
Alas, the Union Theater has not invented a time machine just yet, but by
hosting this
performance of The Academy of Ancient Music with Richard Egarr on Friday, February 8th at 8 pm, you might just be transported back those hundreds of
years ago, to a time when some men got together and decided to play "old music." The programs includes Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major
BWV1050 and Concerto No.7 in G minor for harpsichord BWV1058J; Handel's Concerto
Grosso in A minor Op.6 No.4 and Sonata à 5 in B flat major HWV288; and
Telemann's Concerto in D major for flute TWV 51:D2 and Concerto in A major for flute, violin & obbligato cello. Buy your tickets here.
Shelly Van Buren
Shoghaken Folk Ensemble
Wednesday, February 20, 8:00pm
Great Hall
Tickets: General tickets $13, Discount Groups and non-UW-Madison students
$10. UW-Madison
students $5
Purchase tickets here
Shoghaken: They're Show-Stoppin'
You don't have to travel all the way to Europe to hear traditional Armenian
music--the
Shoghaken Folk Ensemble, with its traditional Armenian instruments, is coming to town!
Formed in 1991, the ensemble's music was featured in 2001 in the soundtrack
of Atom Egoyan's
much celebrated film Ararat. Egoyan said he selected the Shoghaken Folk Ensemble because they truly capture the spirit of
Armenia.
Following its work on that film, Shoghaken became Armenia's premier folk
music ensemble. It
was invited to the United States by cellist Yo Yo Ma to perform at the 200d Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C. The group's musicians
have spent the past five years recording Armenian Lullabies and Traditional Dances of Armenia (click here to listen), representing diverse aspects of
Armenian culture. In addition to recording, Shoghaken has been performing all over the world: Estonia, Canada, United Arab Emirates, France, Russia,
and everywhere in between. They will be performing in Great Hall on February 20th. Buy tickets here.
Emily Semmelman
above: DJ Trini spins the globe, photo by Brent Bollenbach
Meet Our Friends: DJ Trini
We know you as DJ Trini. What's your real name? What is your
abbreviated life
story?
My given name is Algernon Arthur David Felice. I was born on the twin-island
Republic of
Trinidad & Tobago fifty years ago to Charles and Barbara Felice.
I am the fifth child of eight - both my elder and younger brothers are four
years removed. I
was a K-12 Physical Education teacher but was always involved in music both as a performer and an arranger. I came to the States in 1983, majored in
Physical Education, minored in Music (voice). Went on to Purdue where I mastered in Exercise Physiology specializing in Cardiac Rehabilitation, then
New York for a brief period, and back to the Midwest. Three years of Doctoral work in Sport Psychology, a Master's and a Doctorate in Counseling
Psychology and here I am. I specialize in ethno- and socio-cultural psychology and assessment.
You host WORT's PanAfrica, and are an award-winning DJ. How did you
happen on
these gigs?
I have been doing the radio show for about 11 years. The deejaying, for about
15. I would
still do it if I could capture a Thursday night gig. I've stopped the weddings because my life-partner works out of town and I only see her on the
weekends.
I absolutely love cultures. This is how I grew up. I find comfort in
difference. I love the
music, the food, the people. Bhangra, Celtic, Country, Zouk, R&B, Punta, Soca, Rai, Norteno - those are my people.
You attend (and sometimes introduce) many of our shows. Please share
a
memorable moment or
two.
I am honored every time I step on that stage to introduce a show and say my
name and people
applaud. I never take that for granted. The moment is about the marriage between the audience and the performer. That unique dance that occurs...and
none so powerful and spiritually uplifting as the most recent Youssou N'Dour concert. There were equal complements of Whites and Blacks present and
we swayed as one. I was transfixed. It was the best church service I had ever been to...and I don't go to church.
What shows are you looking forward to? Why?
Hugh Masekela on January 31st. As a child, every television show was of
America and every
patriotic song we sang or book we read was of good old England. But for me there were Olatunji and his drums of passion, Haile Selassie, Miriam
Makeba, Nelson Mandela, and Hugh Masekela. Even as a sapling, those were my heroes. So to be honored with the opportunity to see and welcome Mr. Hugh
Masekela to the Wisconsin Union stage is huge for me.
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Tango Fire
Tuesday, January 29, 8:00pm
Tickets: $32/24/18, UW-Madison students $10
Program Partner: Madison Tango Society
Purchase tickets here
Learn to Tango!
Tango Workshop and Dance
Thrusday, January 24, 2008 - FREE!
6 PM Beginners Workshop
7 PM Advanced Beginner Workshop
8 PM Dance
Tango Fire: Giving Everyone Something to Dance About
Wisconsin Union Theater is kicking off 2008 with a bang, dancing our way into
the new year.
Our first performance this year is a rousing dance show by ten amazing Argentinean tango dancers, all of them regular performers in Buenos Aires'
premier tango houses. They form Tango Fire together with the equally accomplished live band Quatrotango and singer Javier de Ciriaco. The group has
been electrifying audiences world-wide with their astounding interpretations of traditional Argentinean tango as well as modern tango.
Tango is exciting to watch - and enjoyable to dance. Free and open to the
public, the theater
and Madison Tango Society offer an evening of tango on January 24 at the
Memorial Union's Great Hall. Instructors will teach a beginners class at
6:00
pm and an advanced beginner class at 7:00pm; dancing will start at 8:00pm. Everyone is encouraged to attend!
Any questions about the workshop or dance? Email Emily Semmelman.
Emily Semmelman
The Amazing Hugh Masekela
Dig your dancing shoes out of your closets, because it's going to be
impossible to sit
still when Hugh Masekela's Chissa All-Stars take the stage. (Only, don't dance in front of the stage and in the center aisles, please, so that all
may enjoy the powerful presence of Hugh Masekela.) I've been watching YouTube videos of Masekela live in concert, and his performances have only
gotten more amazing over the years. I started out watching his 1987 concert with Paul Simon and eventually watched his concert this past
November--and I'm exceedingly impressed with the consistent energy and exuberance that he brings to every performance. He's also been getting great
reviews for his most recent tour, such as this and
this one if you don't feel like taking my word for it.
Jenn Dunigan
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The ever-eloquent words of the 80's hit band The Bangles urge the casual
listener to "Walk
Like An Egyptian" and in a slightly more scholarly sense, so does Dennis Burkhart, with his film "Egypt: in the Footsteps of Moses" - though I think
their paths diverge somewhere in the midst of the Bangles' "oh whey oh's."
Burkhart promises an exciting journey, with a focus on the ancient history of
Egypt,
including the cities of Alexandria, Giza and Cairo. He also features a cruise down the Nile, highlighting the monumental Valley of the Kings. (And
perhaps those gold crocodiles snapping at cigarettes the Bangles sang about).
His film also guides the viewer through many of the wonders of religion
within Ancient Egypt
(a topic the Bangles utterly fail to draw upon, oh whey oh, indeed!). Burkhart explores Islamic mosques, Christian churches, the Jewish Moses, and
the pyramids and temples of great importance to the ancient pharaohs.
And if you're feeling particularly inclined to "Walk Like an Egyptian," or
eat like one, as
the case may be, check out the Pre-Film dinner, featuring an Egyptian themed buffet! Oh Whey oh! See you there!
Courtney Byelich
above: Esperanza Spalding
Friday, February 15, 8:00pm
Parlato and Spalding jazz up Isthmus series
Here's your opportunity to hear two amazing new jazz musicians. Vocalist Parlato and bassist Spalding graduated from two of the most prestigious
music schools in the country, have performed with the likes of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Lovano, and Pat Metheny, and were awarded
prestigious awards and critical acclaim. Not bad for two women in their early twenties. At 8 pm on February 15 th, 2008, Parlato and Spalding pair up
to bring their youthful but soulful sound to the Wisconsin Union Theater.
Home-schooled as a child, Spalding was accepted to a prestigious arts high school. At the age of 15, she picked up a bass and managed to get a gig
though, as she says, "I could play only the blues in F." Over the course of the year, her skill and reputation grew, and soon she was doing gigs with
several groups in the Portland area. After dropping out of high school Spalding earned her GED and started attending a local university. When that
didn't work out, she applied to the renowned Berklee College of Music, where she went on to earn a Bachelor's of Music and become the youngest
faculty member in the school's history.
In 2001, Gretchen Parlato auditioned at Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, after graduating from the Los Angeles County High School for
the Arts and earning a B.A. in jazz studies from UCLA. She was accepted as the institute's first vocalist by judges Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock,
and Terence Blanchard. She later studied under Hancock and Shorter before moving to New York City in 2003 to perform. In addition to live
performances, Parlato also takes the time to run clinics with singers and record music for films. "I really just want to make beautiful music --
music that people will listen to and feel something," she said.
Don't miss this opportunity to hear some beautiful music and meet the next generation of great jazz musicians! Tickets are still available at our
website and
by calling the box office.
Sarah Smogoleski
above: Gretchen Parlato
THEATER GALLERY REUNION:
Artist Residencies at the Union Theater, 1973-1981
Ralph E. Sandler
Former Union Theater Director Ralph E. Sandler returns to the Theater Gallery to share his memories and images of artist residencies in an exhibition
scheduled for February and March 2008. The concept of the "artist in residence" was a new one in 1973 when Sandler, following in the footsteps of his
predecessor and mentor Bill Dawson, expanded the Union's presenting repertoire to include a number of pioneering and important artist residencies.
During his tenure at the Union Theater, Sandler was privileged to work with many talented musicians, actors and dancers who came to Madison to
perform and participate in community residencies. He also used the opportunity to photograph them informally and record their work with school
children, residents of retirement homes and other community members.
The residency was an innovative, interactive experience for all involved. The period between 1973 and 1980, depicted in this exhibition, was the
beginning and flourishing of the residency idea. While it continues today, funding and enthusiasm for artist's residencies in the community setting
have dwindled. REUNION offers our community an opportunity to relive those magic moments when artist and audience came together to create works that
drew on the energy, ideas and enthusiasm of each to create a richer and more intimate shared experience.
Note: A full artist biography on Ralph E. Sandler can be found here.
From the Archives
In 1991 the Academy of Ancient Music transported the audience to the
era of Mozart and Haydn. The Wisconsin State Journal had this to say about the performance: "...there is no question of this group's abilities; it
performs brilliantly on some tricky early versions of string and wind instruments..." Be transported again on February 8th.
Newsletter staff:
Editor: Esty Dinur
Layout Designer: Claire Weissenfluh
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