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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 20, 2022

Madison Symphony Orchestra Takes the Stage with Violinist Gil Shaham in March

Gil Shaham returns to the MSO to perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, March 11-13
The third Overture Concert Organ performance features Isabelle Demers on March 15, 2022

Madison, Wis. – The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) with Music Director John DeMain perform music by Rachmaninoff, Kodály, and Beethoven — featuring the return of world-renowned violinist Gil Shaham.

The March concerts feature the second appearance of violinist Gil Shaham with the MSO as he gives the crowning performance of the program when he plays the Beethoven Violin Concerto. The program also features Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead, as well as Kodály’s Háry János Suite.

“All of us at the Madison Symphony are thrilled to welcome back the great violinist Gil Shaham,” Music Director John DeMain notes. “I can’t think of a more consummate musician to play the Beethoven Violin Concerto, a concerto that eschews showmanship for deep musicality. It was important for me to include this in our Beethoven celebration, as it stands alone among violin concertos. I can’t wait to hear what Gil brings to the piece.”

The MSO will perform with Gil Shaham on Friday, March 11 at 7:30 PM, Saturday, March 12 at 8:00 PM, and Sunday, March 13, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.

Organist Isabelle Dembers returns to Madison with a program of challenging transcriptions beginning with Mendelssohn’s Overture to St. Paul and closing with her own transcription of Stravinsky’s Petrushka. The concert will also feature works from Davies, Laurin, Alkan, and Bach.

“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,” Greg Zelek, Principal Organist and Curator of the MSO’s Overture Concert Organ expresses. “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!”

Isabelle Demers will perform on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, at 201 State Street.

Concert, Ticket and Event Details
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.

Single tickets for all Symphony and Organ concerts are on sale now through the Overture Center Box office. Tickets can be purchased online at overture.org, in-person or by phone by calling (608) 258-4141 during Box Office hours (visit overture.org for current schedule).

Three performances of the “Gil Shaham Plays the Beethoven Violin Concertoconcerts will take place March 11, 12, and 13 and ticket prices range from $20 to $98. More information about the March concerts is found at https://madisonsymphony.org/shaham.

Isabelle Demers will perform one concert and all tickets are $20. Learn more about the March 15 “Isabelle Demers” performance. Learn more at https://madisonsymphony.org/demers.

Health & Safety precautions
The Symphony has received overwhelming positive response to the comprehensive safety measures that Overture Center for the Arts, and Overture Resident Companies have put in place, that include proof of vaccination or negative test and wearing masks. More information about the many safety protocols can be found at overture.org/health, and madisonsymphony.org/faq.

Money Back Guarantee
The MSO will continue to offer a refund for tickets to any concert that cannot be performed for any reason. The MSO will adhere to all public health guidelines and cooperate with Overture Center for the Arts for the safety of its audiences, musicians and staff. Programs, dates, and artists subject to change.

About Gil Shaham
Declared “the outstanding American violinist of his generation” by Time Magazine, Gil Shaham is one of the foremost violinists of our time. His flawless technique combined with his unequalled warmth and generosity of spirit has cemented his renown as an American master. The Grammy Award-winner, also named Musical America’s “Instrumentalist of the Year,” is sought after through the world for musical appearances with leading conductors and orchestras, and regularly gives recitals with ensembles on the world’s great concert stages and most prestigious festivals. Mr. Shaham previously performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in 2018 playing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

About Isabelle Demers
Isabelle Demers is The Joyce Bowden Chair in Organ at Baylor University, where she teaches applied organ and other courses in the organ curriculum. Dr. Demers holds the BM in piano and organ from Le Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, as well as MM and DMA from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Paul Jacobs. Her doctoral work on Bach’s St. John’s Passion received the Richard French Prize for best dissertation at commencement. Professor Demers concertizes widely in North America and Europe; recent engagements include the cathedrals of Cologne and Regensburg in Germany, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Royal Opera House of Muscat (Oman), Auckland Town Hall (New Zealand), Melbourne Town Hall (Australia), as well as major universities and concert halls in the United States, among them Davies Hall (San Francisco), Disney Hall (Los Angeles), the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), the Wanamaker Organ (Philadelphia), Yale University, and the Eastman School of Music. She has recorded four CDs for the labels Pro Organo and Acis, with three more projects currently in production.

About the Madison Symphony Orchestra
The Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 96th season in 2021–2022. 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. Learn more at madisonsymphony.org

Major funding for the March symphony concert provided by The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club, Myrna Larson, The Burish Group, Audrey Dypdahl, Marilyn and Jim Ebben, and David and Kato Perlman. Additional funding provided by DeWitt LLP, Rodney Schreiner and Mark Blank, and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Funding for the March Overture Concert Organ concert is provided Walter & Karen Pridham Charitable Fund, Skofronick Family Charitable Trust, and Friends of the Overture Concert Organ.

Contact: Peter Rodgers, Director of Marketing
Phone: (608) 260-8680 x226
Mobile: (415) 713-0235
Email: prodgers@madisonsymphony.org
Web: madisonsymphony.org
Link to photos: https://madisonsymphony.org/press-room/

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