“Epic Romance” concerts feature two special guests on October 19th, 20th and 21st
Madison, Wis. – Experience award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey’s Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) debut. Renowned guest conductor Tania Miller leads the MSO while Maestro John DeMain makes his debut at the Teatre Liceu in Barcelona, conducting Candide in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth. Michael Oesterle’s Home opens each concert, followed by Edward Elgar’s solo Cello Concerto performed by Bailey, and Pytor Illyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in the second half of the program.
Performances will be held on Friday, October 19th at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October 20th at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, October 21st at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, located at 201 State Street.
Michael Oesterle’s Home had its world premiere in 2017 with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra and conductor Tania Miller. The piece is a homage to the great geographical ebb and flow of humanity, also known as the immigrant experience. Oesterle notes, “I wrote it through the filter of my personal impressions as an immigrant, and with the realization that this subject is humbling in its breadth.”
Cello Concerto was Edward Elgar’s last notable work, composed in 1919 in the aftermath of WWI. Upon regaining consciousness following a 1918 tonsillectomy, Elgar immediately asked for pencil and paper and wrote down the melody that would become the first theme in this concerto. Despite today’s renown as a crowd favorite, the piece did not achieve wide popularity until the 1960s, when a recording by Jacqueline du Pré caught the public’s attention, and it became a classical favorite.
Composed between May and August 1888, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 was first performed in St. Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theatre with Tchaikovsky conducting. Unlike its two predecessors, there is no known program for the Fifth Symphony, save for a recurring main theme heard throughout all four movements. Over the years this theme has become known as the “fate” motive; its original ominous character undergoes various metamorphoses, emerging triumphant in the score’s concluding pages.
About Zuill Bailey
Zuill Bailey, endowed by Classical Net as “easily one of the finest cellists today,” has been featured with symphony orchestras worldwide, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Israel, Cape Town, and the Bruchner Orchestra in Linz, Austria. Mr. Bailey has appeared at Disney Hall, the Kennedy Center, the United Nations, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, where he made his concerto debut performing the U.S. premiere of Miklos Theodorakis’ “Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra.” In 2017, Mr. Bailey won a best solo performance Grammy Award for his Live Recording of “Tales of Hemingway,” by composer Michael Daugherty. His celebrated “Bach Cello Suites” and recently released Britten Cello Symphony/Sonata CD with pianist Natasha Paremski immediately rose to the number one spot on the Classical Billboard Charts.
About Tania Miller
Canadian Conductor Tania Miller has distinguished herself as a dynamic interpreter, musician and innovator, on the podium and off. Jacques Leclerc commends Miller’s “energy, grace, precision and restraint.” Ms. Miller has appeared as a guest conductor in Canada, the United States and Europe with such orchestras as the Bern Symphony Orchestra, NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Oregon Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony, among others. Over a 14-year tenure as the Music Director of the Victoria Symphony in Canada, Ms. Miller gained national acclaim for her passion and commitment to the orchestra and community. Recipient of the 2017 Friends of Canadian Music award from the Canadian League of Composers for her acclaimed commitment to contemporary music in Canada, Ms. Miller has been an example about the impact of commitment and dedication to an orchestra and to the future of orchestral music through creative innovation and vision.
The lobby opens 90 minutes prior to each concert. One hour before each performance, Madison Symphony Chorus Director Beverly Taylor will lead a 30-minute Prelude Discussion in Overture Hall to enhance concertgoers’ understanding and listening experience. It is free to ticketholders. The Symphony recommends concert attendees arrive early for each performance to make sure they have time to pass through Overture Center’s security stations, and so they can experience the Prelude Discussion. Program notes for the concerts are available online: http://bitly.com/oct2018programnotes
Tickets may be purchased in the following ways:
- Single Tickets are $18-$93 each and are on sale now at: https://madisonsymphony.org/epicromance through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141. Fees apply to online/phone sales.
- Groups of 10 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information, visit, https://www.madisonsymphony.org/groups.
- Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $15 or $20 tickets. More information is at: https://www.madisonsymphony.org/studentrush
- Seniors age 62 and up receive 20% savings on advance and day-of-concert ticket purchases in select areas of the hall.
Subscribers to 5 or more symphony subscription concerts can save up to 50% off single ticket prices. More information is available about the season at: https://madisonsymphony.org/18-19 - Flex-ticket booklets of 10 vouchers for 18-19 symphony subscription concerts are available. Learn more at: https://madisonsymphony.org/flex
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
ABOUT THE MADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 93rd season in 2018–2019 and its 25th season under the leadership of Music Director John DeMain. 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 masterworks and top-tier guest artists from around the world. Find more information at madisonsymphony.org
Major funding for the October concert is provided by: Mirror 34 Productions and National Guardian Life Insurance Company. Additional funding is provided by John A. Johnson Foundation, a component fund of the Madison Community Foundation, Barbara J. Merz, Selma Van Eyck, and the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Contact:
Peter Rodgers, Director of Marketing
Phone: (608) 257-3734 x226
Email: prodgers@madisonsymphony.org
Web: madisonsymphony.org
Photos: http://bitly.com/msooct18
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