Gil Shaham Plays the Beethoven Violin Concerto
March 11, 12, and 13
The first piece of this varied program, Rachmaninoff’s evocative and powerful score depicts Arnold Bocklin’s famous painting of an oarsman rowing a white-clad figure across a dark expanse of water to the mysterious Isle of the Dead. The mood lightens when the Háry János Suite from Kodály’s comic Hungarian folk opera radiates exotic exuberance. Then the renowned Gil Shaham gives the crowning performance of the program when he breathes life and love into the Beethoven Violin Concerto.
Isabelle Demers, Organ
Tuesday, March 15, 7:30 p.m.
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, Principal Organist and Curator of the Overture Concert Organ
We’re Hiring!
We’re hiring an Audience Experience Manager and Music Librarian! Join our close-knit team of dedicated and passionate staff members in downtown Madison.
As part of the MSO marketing team, our Audience Experience Manager is responsible for managing all ticketing and customer service procedures to create the best possible patron experiences. Our Music Librarian plans and implements all functions relating to the purchase, rental, cataloging, preparation, and distribution of orchestral parts to musicians.
Learn more about both positions, and application instructions, on our website.
Other Recent News & Stories
Register to attend The Final Forte 2022
Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte is a free concert that will be broadcast live on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio on Wednesday, April 13. This free event, which is the final round of our Bolz Young Artist Competition, features four outstanding young artists accompanied by the Madison Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kyle Knox, MSO Associate Conductor.
Learn more about our final four competitors, and register to attend
2022-2023 Symphony Season
Imagine being together with us for an exciting new season of live music! Concerts dates have been announced and subscriptions will be available soon. Your Symphony’s 2022–2023 season begins in September!
Learn more & mark your calendar
Symphony Moments: Beyond the Score®, February 13
Those who attended our performance of Beyond the Score®: Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring enjoyed an amazing multi-media performance together in Overture Hall starring American Players Theatre actors and the Madison Symphony Orchestra. The first half featured actors from American Players Theatre, visual projections, and live musical examples. Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was played in its entirety in the second half.
Read the Reviews & View Photos from the Performance
We’ve Partnered with Target Circle!
Vote now through March 31
We are honored and excited to announce that we have been chosen to participate in a special charitable giving campaign, sponsored and funded by Target. And you have the chance to help direct a portion of Target’s donation to us! Now through March 31, vote for us through the Target Circle program to help determine how Target’s donation will be divvied up. Make sure to set your preferred store as one of the nine stores located in the Madison area or Southern Wisconsin to be able to cast your vote for the MSO!
Upcoming Community Events and Resources
The Mytilenean Debate
Forward Theater
Overture Center for the Arts
Now — March 13
Latimer is a successful heart surgeon. When his much younger girlfriend, Nina, unexpectedly gets pregnant, Latimer must break the news to his grown daughter, who is struggling to start a family of her own. Written by poet, award-winning author, and Forward Theater Writer in Residence Quan Barry, The Mytilenean Debate raises questions about race, legacy, and the issues couples face as they navigate the world, both together and as individuals. Learn more and buy tickets.
Calabasas Street
Children’s Theater of Madison
Saturday, March 12 — Sunday, March 27
All the neighborhood children think La Viuda Martinez is strange – she collects garbage and takes it home. Young Domingo Sanchez is curious: why does she do this? When he accidentally hits his baseball into La Viuda’s yard, Domingo discovers that sometimes things are not always what they seem. Join us for this story in English and Spanish of unlikely friends, second chances and the transformative power of art. Learn more and buy tickets.
Just Bach Monthly Concert
Luther Memorial Church, Madison
Wednesday, March 16
Just Bach is a monthly concert series in Madison, celebrating the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Founded to share the immense range of Bach’s vocal and instrumental repertoire with the Madison community at large, Just Bach features musicians — including several MSO musicians — who play on period instruments using historically-informed performance practice, bringing the music to life in the manner and style that Bach intended. Concerts will be in-person and recorded but not live-streamed; the recorded concert video will be posted on the Just Bach YouTube channel on the Sunday afternoon following the concert. Learn more and attend or tune in at https://justbach.org/
Turning Pointe
Madison Ballet
March 25 — April 3
Madison Ballet closes its Ruby Anniversary Season with Turning Pointe, a program which embraces ballet in all its facets: from classical repertoire to new works that redefine the art form.
Turning Pointe will feature a restaging of works the company’s popular “Lift Every Voice” film series, and Gerald Arpino’s 1986 Birthday Variations will be a fitting celebration to honor outgoing Artistic Director Sara Stewart Schumann. As the title implies, Turning Pointe celebrates the company’s past, while it steps into a brilliant future. Learn more and buy tickets.
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