FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 30, 2023
Madison Symphony Orchestra and John DeMain Present “Symphony Gems” on November 17, 18 & 19, in Overture Hall
World-renowned pianist Jonathan Biss performs Schmann’s Piano Concerto
Madison, Wis. – The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) continues its 2023-2024 season and Music Director John DeMain’s 30th anniversary with “Symphony Gems” in Overture Hall on November 17, 17 and 19, 2023. The program begins with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385 “Haffner” followed by Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 featuring pianist Jonathan Biss. After intermission the program continues with William Levi Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony.
“November brings two great staples of the symphonic repertoire, Mozart’s “Haffner” Symphony in our first performances in over twenty years, and another all-time favorite of mine, Schumann’s Piano Concerto,” Music Director John DeMain said. “I am so looking forward to welcoming back the brilliant pianist Jonathan Biss who has a special affinity for this concerto. It is also with great excitement that we will perform William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony for the first time. This work, which was greeted with great acclaim when it was premiered under the baton of Leopold Stokowski in 1934, was all but forgotten until recently, and has been heralded as a masterpiece. Using folk melodies and spirituals as its thematic source, the work is colorfully orchestrated and an absolute delight to listen to. I wanted to perform this work with the orchestra the minute I first heard it and so look forward to sharing it with you.”
Symphony Concert, Ticket and Event Details
Three performances of the “Symphony Gems” concerts will take place Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. More information is found at https://madisonsymphony.org/gems
Single tickets are on sale now through the Overture Center Box office ($15-$102). Tickets can be purchased online at overture.org, in-person or by phone by calling (608) 258-4141 during Box Office hours. $15 student rush tickets may be purchased beginning the Friday of the concert weekend through the performance time on each day at the Overture Box Office. Note that fees apply to online and phone orders. No fees for in-person purchase at the Overture Box Office, 201 State Street.
The lobby opens 90 minutes prior to each concert. The Symphony recommends concert attendees arrive early for each performance to make sure they have time to pass through Overture Center’s security stations. All ticket holders are welcome to attend a free half-hour pre-concert talk one hour before each performance by Randal Swiggum in Overture Hall.
Drinks are now allowed in Overture Hall
As of this season, drinks are allowed inside Overture Hall during all Madison Symphony Orchestra concerts and Overture Concert Organ performances. Refreshments may be purchased at bars and concession stands located around the Overture Hall lobby before each concert and during intermission. Please enjoy food in the lobby and unwrap any candy or cough drops before the performance begins.
Health & Safety Precautions
Masks and proof of COVID-19 vaccination are not currently required to enter Overture Center for the Arts. More information about the many safety protocols can be found at overture.org/health, and madisonsymphony.org/health.
About Jonathan Biss
Jonathan Biss is a world renowned pianist who channels his deep musical curiosity into performances and projects in the concert hall and beyond. In addition to performing with today’s leading orchestras, he continues to expand his reputation as a teacher, musical thinker, and one of the great Beethoven interpreters of our time. He is Co-Artistic Director alongside Mitsuko Uchida at the Marlboro Music Festival, where he has spent fifteen summers. He also recently led a massive open online course (MOOC) via Coursera, reaching an international audience of over 150,000. Biss writes extensively on his repertoire and has authored four audio- and e-books, including UNQUIET: My Life with Beethoven (2020), the first Audible Original by a classical musician and one of Audible’s top audiobooks of 2020.
Throughout his career, Biss has advocated for new music. This year he continues his ongoing Beethoven/5 commissioning project, in association with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, that pairs each Beethoven concerto with a new concerto composed in response. This season, he performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 paired with a piano concerto inspired by that work: Brett Dean’s Gneixendorfer Musik – Eine Winterreise in its U.S. premiere with the SPCO, as well as both concertos with the Melbourne Symphony. Biss has performed the Dean and fifth Beethoven concertos together in concerts with the Dresden Philharmonic, NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed the Dean concerto separately with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Among the earlier Beethoven/5 commissions are Caroline Shaw’s Watermark, inspired by Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3; Timo Andres’s The Blind Banister (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music) inspired by the second piano concerto; Sally Beamish’s City Stanzas paired with Beethoven’s first piano concerto, and Salvatore Sciarrino’s Il Sogno di Stradella paired with the fourth. Prior to the Beethoven/5, project Biss commissioned Lunaire Variations by David Ludwig, Interlude II by Leon Kirchner, Wonderer by Lewis Spratlan, and Three Pieces for Piano and a concerto by Bernard Rands, which he premiered with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has also premiered a piano quintet by William Bolcom.
Biss’s endeavors represent his complete approach to music-making, and desire to imbue audiences with his own passion for music. Previous projects included an exploration of composers’ “Late Style” in various concert programs at Carnegie Hall, the Barbican Centre, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and San Francisco Performances. He also gave master classes at Carnegie Hall and published the Kindle Single Coda on the topic. His previous Kindle Singles also include Beethoven’s Shadow, and A Pianist Under the Influence, the latter of which coincided with his project Schumann: Under the Influence, a 30-concert exploration of the composer’s role in musical history, and recording of Schumann and Dvořák piano quintets with the Elias String Quartet.
Biss has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Leonard Bernstein Award presented at the 2005 Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Wolf Trap’s Shouse Debut Artist Award, the Andrew Wolf Memorial Chamber Music Award, Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the 2003 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, and a 2002 Gilmore Young Artist Award. His albums for EMI won the Diapason d’Or de l’Année and Edison awards. He was an artist-in-residence on American Public Media’s Performance Today and was the first American chosen to participate in the BBC’s New Generation Artist program. He is also on the piano faculty of the New England Conservatory.
About the Madison Symphony Orchestra
The Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 98th season in 2023–2024. The MSO has grown to be one of America’s leading regional orchestras, providing Madison and south-central Wisconsin with cultural and educational opportunities to interact with great symphonic repertoire and top-tier guest artists from around the world. 2023–2024 is Music Director John DeMain’s 30th anniversary season. The MSO’s 100th anniversary season celebration will take place during the 2025–2026 season. Learn more at madisonsymphony.org
Presenting Sponsorship for “Symphony Gems” is provided by Myrna Larson, in memory of James F. Crow. Major Sponsorship provided by Madison Gas & Electric Foundation, Inc., and David and Kato Perlman. Additional funding is provided by Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., Ronald J. and Janet E. Johnson, Prairie Trust, Sharon Stark, in memory of Peter Livingston, and Wisconsin Arts Board.
Contact: Peter Rodgers, Director of Marketing
Phone: (608) 260-8680 x226
Mobile: (415) 713-0235
Email: prodgers@madisonsymphony.org
Web: madisonsymphony.org
Link to 23-24 symphony season photos: https://bit.ly/mso23-24symphonyphotos
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