A Mighty
Return…
2021–2022 Overture Concert Organ Season
A MIGHTY RETURN!
“It gives me great pleasure to return to the live stage with concerts of the highest quality and caliber for the upcoming 2021-22 season. After I kick off the season with Widor’s monumental Sixth Organ Symphony, Isabelle Demers will amaze you with a program of organ transcriptions and Reginald Mobley’s voice will overwhelm you with beauty. With a thrilling program of Brass, Organ and Timpani to close out the season, I am sure that these blockbuster concerts will amaze the audience with our Mighty Klais and the great performers that bring this music to life!” – Greg Zelek, Principal Organist and Elaine and Nicholas Mischler Curator of the Overture Concert Organ
SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Organ single tickets are on sale now — all tickets are just $20 each! Purchase through the Overture Center Box Office.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE
We guarantee a refund for tickets to any concert that cannot be performed for any reason. We will adhere to all public health guidelines and cooperate with Overture Center for the Arts to assure your safety. Programs, dates, and artists subject to change.
We understand you may have questions about safety protocols and what to expect this fall when we resume presenting live concerts. We’ve created a Frequently Asked Questions page to provide answers. If you have any further questions about subscriptions, single tickets, or our 21/22 season plans, please call (608) 257-3734, or email us at info@madisonsymphony.org.
Explore the Season…
TUESDAY, OCT. 19, 2021
GREG ZELEK, ORGAN
Charles-Marie Widor’s Sixth Organ Symphony is one of his most famous, and for good reason! This five-movement masterpiece consists of two of his most performed movements of all of his symphonies (other than his often played Toccata) and is a work of such grand symphonic proportion. Before diving into this tour de force, I open this first live concert in over a year with a transcription of Elgar’s Nimrod from his Enigma Variations in reflection of the challenging past year. – Greg Zelek
Greg Zelek, Organ
TUESDAY, FEB. 15, 2022
REGINALD MOBLEY & GREG ZELEK
Highly sought after for baroque, classical, and modern repertoire, Countertenor Reginald Mobley’s voice will soar through Overture Hall with our program ranging from baroque works to gospel spirituals. In a concert that includes Florence Price’s jazzy Suite for Organ, as well as a variety of gospel arrangements, Mr. Mobley and I will explore the limitless possibilities of pairing the organ and voice. This unique program requires creativity beyond our standard scope to weave together different musical genres, demonstrating striking similarities and beautiful contrasts. – Greg Zelek
Greg Zelek, Organ
Reginald Mobley, Countertenor
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022
ISABELLE DEMERS
Known as the ‘diminutive dynamo’, Isabelle Demers will wow our audience with a program that will use just about every sound on our Mighty Klais. This concert of challenging transcriptions, beginning with Mendelssohn’s Overture to St. Paul and closing with movements of her own transcription of Stravinsky’s Petrushka, will demonstrate the versatility of our great instrument. Ms. Demers’ incredible virtuosity and nuanced interpretations will be on full display in this can’t-miss event!– Greg Zelek
Isabelle Demers, Organ
FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2022
GREG ZELEK WITH THE DIAPASON BRASS & TIMPANI
In my first of many collaborations with fellow Madison musicians, I am excited to perform alongside The Diapason Brass quintet and timpani in a concert that will pair our Mighty Klais with some of the loudest instruments in the orchestra. This program of music written for a variety of pairings will include Gigout’s Grand Choeur Dialogue, a transcription of Rachmaninoff’s famous Vocalise, and an arrangement of Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor for organ and timpani. Audiences will enjoy the expressive and fluid partnership of MSO’s Principal Trumpet, John Aley, and the newly appointed trumpet professor at UW LaCrosse, Matthew Onstad; the warm sounds of MSO’s Principal Horn, Linda Kimball; the creative flair of UW Madison’s trombone professor, Mark Hetzler; the thrilling facility of MSO’s Principal Tuba, Josh Biere; and the thunderous rhythm of MSO’s Principal Timpani, John Jutsum. The event will have me pulling out all the stops on our Overture Concert Organ to match the excitement and volume of my colleagues on stage! – Greg Zelek
Greg Zelek, Organ
John Aley, Trumpet
Matthew Onstad, Trumpet
Mark Hetzler, Trombone
Linda Kimball, Horn
Joshua Biere, Tuba
John Jutsum, Timpani
Greg Zelek is the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Organist and the Elaine and Nicholas Mischler Curator of the Overture Concert Organ.