MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – Get your lawn chairs and blankets ready, because the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra has announced their lineup for their Concerts on the Square 2024 season. The free events will take place every Wednesday night, starting on June 26 through the end of July at the King Street corner of the Capitol Square.
This year is maestro Andrew Sewell’s 25th year leading Concerts on the Square. Concerts on the Square brings around 250,000 people to the Capitol Square every year, and this year they plan to be no different.
The first concert on June 26 is titled “Tiempo Libre 2.0.” Featuring three-time Grammy-nominated Afro-Caribbean group Tiempo Libre, the program includes classics like a medley from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” and Aaron Copland’s “Latin American Sketches,” as well as new arrangements of Bach and traditional pieces. The program will feature a mix of jazz harmonies, contemporary sonorities, and Latin rhythms.
The concert on July 3 will be the orchestra’s annual celebration of Independence Day, titled “Fanfare on the Square.” In addition to classics like the “Armed Forces Salute” and Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” the program also features the Middleton High School Choir as they perform selections from the film soundtrack “Nope,” composed by Michael Abels.
The July 10 concert is titled “In Nature’s Realm,” and features a performance from the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s Young Artist Concerto Competition winner Jane Story. The program will feature a piece by award-winning Native American recording artists, performer, and flutist Bill Miller, as they perform his piece, “The Last Stand.” The program will also feature Eduard Strauss’ “Polka with Steam, Op. 70,” Glazunov’s “The Seasons, Mvt. 3 ‘Summer,’” and Sousa’s “Wisconsin Forward Forever.”
The July 17 concert is titled “Trumpet Squared,” and spotlights WCO’s principal trumpet Matthew Onstad and Madison native and internationally-recognized trumpeter Andrew Balio. The program features Haydn’s “Trumpet Concerto in E flat,” Vivaldi’s “Concerto for Two Trumpets in C,” and Mozart’s “Symphony No. 38, ‘Prague.’”
The July 24 concert is titled “On the Town,” and features Suzanne Beia on violin, and a collaboration with the Kanopy Dance Company. Kanopy will perform two works alongside performances of Bernstein’s “Three Dance Episodes from On the Town,” Mozart’s “Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major,” and Madison-based composer Michael Bell’s “Regeneration: A Pentology, Mvts. IV & V.”
The final concert on July 31 celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” featuring Grammy-nominated pianist John Novacek. In addition to “Rhapsody in Blue,” WCO will also perform Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm Variations,” Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances, Mvt IV. Holy Dance,” and Duke Ellington’s “Nutcracker Suite.”
All concerts will start at 7PM, and you can begin to put out blankets to reserve spots around the capitol at 3PM. If the concert is canceled due to weather, it will be held the following day.
Pike Lake Annual Fun Day
9/6/2024 | Austin Brumet
The Pike Lake Volunteer Fire Department hosted their annual Fun Day, bringing in crowds of attendees in support of the department.
Lugerville Church Set to Close
9/6/2024 | Austin Brumet
Park Falls, Wis. (WCQM/WPFP) – Our Savior’s Episcopal Church in Lugerville, will be closing. They were the first established church in Lugerville when they were first founded in 1938 and moved locations several times until 1949 when the church acquired the former South Fork School. The building was then moved ten miles to Lugerville, where […]
Governor Tim Walz Discusses Rural America and the 2024 Election on The Chad Holmes Show
9/6/2024 | Teri Barr
The Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee talks about his rural roots, bipartisanship, and what he orders at Culver’s on WXCO Radio.
Wisconsin’s long-term care crisis: Staffing troubles, low Medicaid rates prompt closures
9/6/2024 | Addie Costello / Wisconsin Watch and WPR
Low state reimbursement rates through Medicaid have depressed provider revenue and worker pay at assisted living facilities.
Madison Police Chief Calls for Police Officers to Return to MMSD Schools
9/6/2024 | Savanna Tomei-Olson
MADISON, Wis. – Madison’s police chief has called for resource officers to return to the city’s schools. On Wednesday, a 14-year-old boy shot and killed four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Nine more were hurt. School resource officers were able to find the shooter within minutes, and he surrendered. Madison Police Chief […]