Concerts on the Square prepares for 2024 season

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.