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In this issue:
Saturday, January 28, 2006 • 8:00 pm
Tickets: $30/24/18 • UW Madison Students $10
Oh, the challenges life provides!
Challenge number 1: they’re named Daara J but the correct pronunciation is Daara
G. In Wolof, a native Senegalese language, that translates to “School of Life.”
Challenge number 2: imagine rap and hip hop that is not offensive, misogynist
and/or gangsta but instead tackles social, political, religious, and spiritual
issues in a positive way.
Challenge number 3: that’s the challenge Daara J posed to Senegal’s corrupt regime
during the 2000 presidential election, when they were hired to edit speeches and
promote the anti-corruption political campaigns. Successfully bringing new voters
to the polls, they were able to share in the defeat of that administration.
The same power can be found within the rhymes and rhythms of their performance.
Stirring the senses with raga, jazz, and Cuban and Caribbean sounds, they discuss
the ills of globalism, the perils of a traditional society, the threatened environment,
and spirituality. “To the end of our pains we will always build. My generation
wants to come up for air,” say the lyrics of one of their songs, “Esperanza.”
Daara J’s latest album, Boomerang, spent months on top of the European world music charts and last year the BBC
World Music Awards honored them as Best African Act.
The performance is preceded by the Youth Speaks Wisconsin Teen Spoken Word Finals
at 7 PM, also in the theater. Come in from the cold and listen to high school
students compete for the grand prize—a trip to New York City to compete in the
national Youth Speaks contest. Warm up with Daara J’s passionate beats, then get
really hot at our dance party. All three are included in your ticket. For this
performance, students of all ages and schools may buy tickets for only $10. Please
bring a valid school i.d.
Klezmatics
Fantastic Shows Coming Up
After the Holidays, the Wisconsin Union Theater season hits full swing, offering
up award winning musicians from all genres of music, hailing from all over the
globe.
During the chilly winter warm your ears with the sound of Canada's period orchestra
Tafelmusik as they perform music inspired by Ovid’s mythical stories. In April, Star violinist
Midori returns to the Theater, this time with pianist Robert McDonald. Stop by later
that month to hear the Tokyo String Quartet, an “impeccable ensemble” according to the New York Times.
Can’t get enough of classical music? There are still two more chances to see
a Keyboard Conversation. Catch Jeffrey Siegel’s lecture-and-concert about Mozart and Chopin or see him conduct from the piano at the Gala Finale with the UW-Madison Chamber Orchestra.
Don’t miss the chance to be the first to hear Ethel, the contemporary string Quartet with the heart of a rock band. Then keep on
grooving at La Guitara, a performance by the queens of guitar, Patty Larkin, Kaki King and Sharon Isbin.
The Travel Adventure Series isn’t done yet. Enjoy new films illuminating the
treasures of Turkey, the Italian island paradise Sardinia, and a rare chance to explore modern questions with the Dalai Lama while viewing the rugged beauty of India.
Ready for some of the hottest World Stage acts? Senegalese superstars Daara J hit the stage in January, offering socially-conscious hip-hop. Then the Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson will make you dance in the aisles when they deliver Black Gospel energy and
Jewish Klezmer Soul. The stunning Portuguese fado singer Cristina Branco graces the stage in March, closing out the series with her beautiful voice and
fatalistic songs.
Meet Our Staff:
Jen Ahlstrom, Lead Stage Hand
Do you ever wonder about the people running around the theater, dressed all in
black?
No, they’re not spies… they are our stagehands! Often working on taking shows
down into the wee hours of the morning, Jen, the Lead Stage Hand, helps with behind-the-scenes
stuff that we as viewers often take for granted. Jen started working for the theater
in June 2000 while a student, graduated, worked on cruise ships, and now is happy
to have landed back here.
She enjoys the variety of shows, the interesting artists and tech people, and
seeing “how-they-do-that tricks.”
What was the oddest things she has witnessed as a stage hand? Watching the cast
of American Players Theater “vodka-ing” their costumes. “They spray their costumes
with vodka, then febreeze them when they can’t clean them between shows,” says
Jen.
Jen’s funny encounter with an artist: “Being asked out by a choreographer/director
of a dance troupe, during the show, over the headset.”
The neatest set design she has worked on in this theater: “The Christmas Carol
last year. It was fun to see it come together. Jason Whittle, who also works here,
designed it, and watching it evolve was interesting.”
When Jen is not working at the theater, she is playing with her puppy, canoeing,
kayaking or sledding on one of our lakes. She adds, “Feel free to say ‘hi’ if
you see me behind the lighting or sound board.”
Want to contact Jen or another member of the Wisconsin Union Theater staff? Visit
the staff directory on our website.
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Friday, January 27. 2006 • 8:00 pm
Tickets: $38/32/18, UW-Madison Students $10
How to better start a new year of superb performing arts than with one of the
world’s best tenors? Dubbed a "Tristan for the new millennium" by international
reviewers, Grammy-winning Ben Heppner is recognized worldwide as a very fine dramatic
tenor.
Heppner has splendidly performed the most challenging roles, from Wagner's Tristan
and Lohengrin to Verdi's Othello and Berlioz's Aeneas. He is acclaimed for his
beautiful voice, intelligent musicianship, and sparkling dramatic sense.
“Good voices can, of course, readily be found throughout the world. Great voices,
though infinitely less common, also exist with some regularity,” says the Naples Daily News. “Then there are a tiny handful of vocalists whose voices are so extraordinary
it is difficult to believe they are from the same planet. Ben Heppner is one of
those creatures.”
Heppner’s performances on the opera stage and on recordings have set new standards
for opera singers worldwide.
The Cincinnati Enquirer says about his performance, “It was one of those rare moments of music making
that one feels lucky to witness, and the hall erupted in cheers for nearly 10
minutes at its conclusion.”
Over the past 20 years Heppner's career has taken him regularly to the Metropolitan
Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, Opéra National de Paris,
and Lyric Opera of Chicago. After two decades of singing Heppner appreciates
how experience has refined his voice.
“Voices change during the course of a career," he said. "One matures. You gain
strength and power and colors that simply a younger voice can't do naturally.
It's actually a wonderful thing to get older."
An Emotional Language
The Joy of Understanding Classical Music
What’s wrong with the following statements?
Perry Allaire, who delivers half the lectures, refutes both assertions. “In this
country there’s an inferiority complex that says that only those who know can
understand classical music. That’s not true. It’s an emotional language, written
by human beings for other human beings. It’s not rocket science, not a mystery.
When I talk about it, I talk to music lovers who want to understand better.” Who
might benefit? Says Allaire, “When I prepare a lecture I think of Leonard Bernstein
who was an absolute master of saying something meaningful to those who know a
lot as well as those who know very little.”
Besides writing notes for the theater’s Concert Series program books, Allaire
has written notes for the Minnesota Orchestra and for professor Javier Calderon
of the School of Music. He hosts Fantasia, WORT, 89.9 FM’s Friday morning classical
music show, and holds an undergraduate degree in music history and theory from
UW-Madison and a Master’s in voice and musicology from the University of Michigan.
He teaches voice and is the Choir Director at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.
John W. Barker, a retired professor of medieval history, delivers the other half.
He started collecting recordings of classical music in 1949 and has been a reviewer
for the internationally acclaimed American Record Guide since 1957. He has also written for Opera News and Isthmus, presented a classical music review on WERN, 88.7 FM, for 31 years, and now
hosts Musica Antiqua every third Sunday on WORT.
In his lectures, Barker points out to “certain features and aspects so the [audience]
can be a little more focused and appreciative and able to hear the music better.”
He points out elements, familiar or unusual, and samples some of the music that
will be heard in the concert “so they come out with some bearings.”
For those who know, and for those who want to understand better, pre-concert
lectures are offered at 7 pm before each Concert Series performance. Check the
TITU for room location.
World Stage Patrons, help us program next season!
Newsletter staff
Editor: Esty Dinur
Concept Designer: Heather Good
Layout Designer: Claire Weissenfluh
Writers: Megan Detrie, Esty Dinur, Claire Weissenfluh
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