Tafelmusik
Thursday, February 16 2006 • 8 pm
Tickets: $36/30/18 • UW Madison Students $10
Go to box office
Ovid's Metamorphoses, narrated by one of Canada's greatest actors, R.H. Thomson, to music by Rameau, Purcell, Lully, Vivaldi and Marini. Playing on period instruments are the accomplished members of Canada's famed Tafelmusik. Stay after the concert to meet the artists and discuss the wonderful event you've experienced.
Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson
Saturday, February 18 • 8 pm
Tickets: $30/24/18 • UW Madison Students $10
Go to box office
Take traditional Klezmer music and give it a wild, danceable bent. Add stirring Gospel music in English and Hebrew and you get "Brother Moses Smote the Water," a most unique performance revolving around the mythical exodus of the Hebrew slaves from Pharaoh's Egypt and its modern-day parallels in the American Civil Rights movement. Dance in the aisles, then join us and Yid Vicious for a dance party at the Rathskeller! Who knows, the artists may show up for a dance too.
See the breathtaking scenery of today's Turkey while meeting some 30 past civilizations! Highlighting New Testament stories, talented filmmaker (not the actor!) Robin Williams scours Turkey high and low, uncovering its rich heritage before your eyes.
The journey begins in exotic Istanbul (ancient Constantinople) where we learn about the conquest of the city by the Turkish Sultan Mohomet. Step into breathtaking churches and be bedazzled by some of the world's greatest Byzantine mosaics. Jump back in time with Williams as he tramples through ancient ruins of Rome and follows the footsteps of St. Paul, St. John, and the Virgin Mary.
From beginning to end, this film is truly a visual feast. Williams covers just about every corner of Turkey and allows the audience to see places that have never been filmed before. Williams will be available after the film as well to discuss this exciting journey through Christian and pre-Christian history.
As always, a pre-film candle-lit white-linen buffet dinner (Turkish style) is available both days, starting at 5:30pm. Reserve through the box office. back to top
WUFIP. That's the new code word in the Wisconsin Union. Short for Wisconsin Union Facilities Improvement Planning, it is being led by some amazing students on the Wisconsin Union Directorate & Union council.
The project involves two parts. One is replacing the current Union South with a more functional, warm, student-magnet type of building. It will be a cutting-edge, "Green," sustainable building, possibly the first LEED-certified campus Union building in the country! The students want a timeless, enduring style and lots of natural materials.
The second part of the project involves historically restoring, while technically modernizing, Memorial Union. This well-loved old building needs major repairs and to be made wheelchair accessible!
The acoustics of the Union Theater have always been wonderful, but the accessibility has been dismal. An unprecedented window of opportunity is opening - if the students pass the referendum to fund this project, we can make our remarkable, historic theater a truly accessible home for the arts! While students are not being asked to fund the entire project, their vote of financial support will be a crucial springboard for private fundraising. The vote will be held at the end of March.
Visit http://www.union.wisc.edu/fip/ for more details, to give input, and to check out the drawings so far! Here's an extremely important point: the actual design work has not been done yet, and student input will be key all throughout the entire project!
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Friday, March 3, 2006 • 8:00pm
Tickets: $30/24/18 • UW Madison Students $10
Go to box office
Portuguese Enchantress Brings Fado to the Theater
Suffering, melancholy and powerlessness in the face of fate are the tragic emotions that people expect when listening to traditional fado, Portugal's Blues. Indeed, Cristina Branco's latest album is titled "Ulisses," a name that evokes voyages, adventure, wandering, love, leaving, returning... The myth of Ulysses could have been the origin of the Portuguese Saudade, fatalistic nostalgia marked by waiting and linked with the sea and the uncertainties it generates.
But while preserving the best of this tradition, Cristina Branco, who found her calling when her grandfather gave her the album "Rara e Inédita" by Amália Rodrigues for her 18th birthday, has chosen to breathe new life into this music. With her beautiful voice and sensitive rendition, she merges the lyrics with the music to create something new and fresh, yet full of longing and beauty.
Her music is at times sad and fatalistic, but it can also be happy and light-hearted. She is accompanied by a traditional group (voice, Portuguese guitar, guitar and bass guitar) and offers concurrently a light, warm and experienced voice; she mixes traditional fado with folk songs, always choosing the words of the best Portuguese poets.
"An enchantress, she drew listeners into her world with the sheer beauty of her remarkable voice, a musical instrument that cuts to the heart, pours salt on the wound and then soothes like a healing balm," says the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
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Saturday, March 4, 2006 • 8:00 pm
Tickets: $ 28/22/18 • UW Madison Students $10
Free to Concert Series Subscribers!
Life is a full of unlimited possibilities. First you learn the rules, then, if you have any brains, you break them. This is exactly what four Juilliard-trained musicians did when they formed Ethel. This string quartet brings an exciting and eclectic combination of tastes and talents.
Influenced by Bang on a Can, Kronos, Laurie Anderson, and Peter Gabriel, Ethel is a power-force not to be ignored. They play their instruments as if they are in an improvisational rock band, and they do it with verve and vibrancy.
"We want people to hear Ethel with fresh ears and an open mind... and we don't want to get bored" says band member, Mary Rowell. Sounds like a perfect symbiosis of listener and performer. Come and allow your auditory senses be stretched by this unique ensemble.
Meet Our Staff:
Megan Fork
(pictured above with Brazilian star Seu Jorge at the 2005 Madison World Music Festival)
Some of the most important members of the theater team aren't staff members at all, but students. They review artists, make programming decisions, attend meetings and conferences, work the lobby during intermission-and bring an invaluable student perspective to the daily workings of the theater. They are the Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Theater Committee. Their director this season is Megan Fork, a junior majoring in Theater.
"The first thing I remember seeing in the theater was the spring of my freshman year: Oliver Mtukudzi. I had such an amazing time and fell in love with the theater. I haven't left since!"
"I joined the WUD Theater Committee right away, in the fall of my freshman year. Later, I took on the role of World Stage Series coordinator. Under the guidance of former committee directors and the amazing theater staff, I learned how things work "behind the scenes." I learned a great deal about world music, including the fact that I LOVE IT! Now, I direct the committee and sit on WUD, which is a huge, but incredibly rewarding job.
"Working with the committee is incredibly cool. It's a great feeling to know that we are playing a very significant role in determining what will be offered in terms of the arts. It's wonderful to know that we have such an opportunity as students on this campus, and that our decisions really matter. It's a feeling that I can't really get anywhere else."
"One of the most satisfying things is telling someone about an upcoming program, and then attending with them. It's such a great feeling when someone tells you that they are glad you brought a performer to this stage, or how much they enjoyed a performance you recommended."
"I'd send people to La Guitara on March 24 if they were able to see only one show this spring. It's three amazing women guitarists: Kaki King, Patty Larkin, and Sharon Isbin. In addition to great musicianship, this show is empowering to any woman musician." back to top
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Newsletter staff
Editor: Esty Dinur
Concept Designer: Heather Good
Layout Designer: Claire Weissenfluh
Writers: Esty Dinur, Gwen Drury, Heather Good, and Claire Weissenfluh
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