UW Alumni in Concert at UW!

Greetings from the Concert Office!

Three concerts are coming up that feature School of Music alumni. All should be awesome! And all are free :)

This Sunday, February 26 at 12:30 pm in the Chazen Museum: Kangwon Lee Kim, violin (DMA 05) and Eli Kalman (MM 03, DMA 06), in Sonata for piano and violin in D major, Op. 12, No. 1 by Beethoven; Sonata for violin and piano by Ravel; and Piano Quintet in C minor, Op. 1 by Dohnanyi, with violinist David Rubin, violist Matthew Michelic and cellist Janet Anthony.

Saturday, March 10 at 3 pm in Morphy Hall: Hein Jung, soprano (MM 03, DMA 07) and Grigorios Zamparas, piano, in works by Handel, Liszt, Chopin and Mozart.

Monday, April 9 at 7:30 pm in Morphy Hall: Mark Carlson, euphonium (MM 05, DMA 08) and Kirstin Ihde, piano; program TBA.

For More information please go to the UW School of Music Website:
www.music.wisc.edu

2010 Alum Jennifer Sims writes for Opera Pulse

A native of Lockport, NY, Jennifer Sams recently received her DMA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Voice Performance and a minor in Opera Production. She completed her Master’s Degree as a member of the Knoxville Opera Studio with the University of Tennessee and her Bachelor’s Degree from Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music. Equally at home in opera and musical theater, Jennifer has performed a wide variety of roles - 'Mrs. Lovett' in Sweeney Todd to directing and starring in the role of ‘Ethyl Wormvarnish’ in the world premiere of Jerry Hui’s opera Wired for Love. Last summer, Mrs. Sams studied baroque gesture and performance as a participant in Early Music Vancouver’s Compleat Singer Baroque Vocal Programme. She has been a participant, soloist and teacher with the Madison Early Music Festival for the past 3 consecutive years, and as a soloist with the Madison Early Music Festival’s performance of Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610. Mrs. Sams teaches privately in Madison, Wisconsin and at Beloit College.

Jennifer wrote an article "Grammy Worthy: Why We Love Joyce DiDonato" for the online opera magazine, Opera Pulse. To view the article, please click here:

Grammy Worthy: Why We Love Joyce DiDonato

St. Norbert's Faculty Focus - Dr. Yi-Lan (Elaine) Niu

Dr. Yi-Lan (Elaine) Niu completed her master's degree in voice at the Eastman School of Music and her doctoral degree in vocal performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Throughout her academic career, Dr. Niu has been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships including the Joyce and William Wartmann Scholarship, UW-Madison Opera Props Award, and scholarships to the Hot Springs Music Festival, the Madison Early Music Festival, and the Vancouver Early Music Festival.

Dr. Niu joined the music faculty at SNC in 2007. During the past five years, she has taught applied voice, vocal diction and pedagogy, vocal literature and the general education class Introduction to Opera. Dr. Niu is a passionate educator and enjoys preparing courses and helping students. In addition to teaching, Dr. Niu performs both nationally and internationally; her performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio in both the United States and Taiwan. She actively premieres new works written for her and regularly collaborates with professionals in different artistic fields to create unique performance experiences.

Dr. Niu just recently completed her faculty collaborative project "The Shape of Words" with Professor April Beiswenger from Theater Studies in which they combined the art of vocal music and costume design. Past projects have included "Image & Sound: A Reproduction" (2011) in which Dr. Niu and Professor Brian Pirman explored the possibilities of using photography to add meaning to musical text, and "Turning Old Pages, Singing New Notes" (2009) in which Dr. Niu collaborated with Norbertine priest Father James Neilson in the presentation of new music and book art.

As an advocate of new music, Dr. Niu has premiered the epic "Requiem" for solo voice and orchestra and "A Star" for voice and guitar by Alexander Nohai-Seaman and the Chinese "Yuan Songs" for soprano and guitar by Jerry (Chi-Wei) Hui. As an early music enthusiast, Niu has performed masterworks by J.S. Bach, J. Dowland, H. Schütz, C. Monterverdi, B. Strozzi, and A. Scarlatti. Her numerous operatic roles have included Clorinda in "Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda," Costanza in "La Griselda," Serpina in "La Serva Padrona," and Papagena in "The Magic Flute."

Dr. Niu is very happy to be part of the SNC family, a place she calls "her second home." In addition to her busy teaching schedule, Dr. Niu's scholarship activities and projects include two recitals in Iowa and South Dakota this spring, an early music concert in the fall, and a New York concert series during the spring of 2013.

To view original story:

http://www.snctimes.com/features/faculty-in-focus-dr-yi-lan-elaine-niu-1.2791209#.T1OFLZi4LzI

SCHOOL OF MUSIC ALUMNA TO PLAY GALILEO’S DAUGHTER IN PHILIP GLASS’S ‘GALILEO GALILEI’ --- JAMIE-ROSE GUARRINE REFLECTS ON CAREER SINCE GRADUATION

When the Madison Opera http://www.madisonopera.org/ presents Philip Glass’s “Galileo Galilei” in four performances, January 26-29, the role of Galileo’s daughter will be performed by soprano Jamie-Rose Guarrine. Guarrine received both the M.M. and D.M.A. degrees in voice performance from the UW-Madison School of Music, where she was one of the first group of six graduate students honored with the Paul Collins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. Her teacher was James Doing, professor of voice.
Since graduating with her doctoral degree in 2005, Guarrine has appeared on the stages of Santa Fe Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Utah Opera, Kentucky Opera and the Chicago Opera Theater. She has been a guest soloist with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Madison Symphony, where she appeared last month in the “Christmas Spectacular” program. She was a first-place winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2005 (Wisconsin district) and 2007 (Minnesota District).
The Concert Office at the School of Music asked Guarrine about her role in “Galileo,” highlights of her career to date and a few words of advice for current music students.

Q: Your thoughts (so far) about the character you play in “Galileo” or about the opera in general.
A: I have enjoyed preparing the role of Galileo’s daughter Maria Celeste very much. She is a kind and loving character to play and I’m moved each time I sing her beautiful soaring lines.
I’ve enjoyed researching her short but meaningful life that is well presented in Glass’s score. From the convent in which she lived Maria Celeste wrote many letters of support and encouragement to her father (which still exist in the Vatican Library today) throughout his trial and imprisonment.

Q: The musical activities you’ve done since leaving UW that you’ve particularly enjoyed or felt were highlights/challenges that were particularly fulfilling.
A: The first engagement after leaving UW I particularly enjoyed was my Santa Fe Opera debut. My first contract was singing Barbarina in “Le nozze di Figaro.” The opera house’s location is wrapped in natural beauty. Each night as I waited to make my first entrance, with the sunset, mountains and stars at my back, I had a sense of awe and appreciation that we were participating in something truly greater than ourselves.
The gig that was the greatest challenge was my Opera Company of Philadelphia debut. Halfway through my performance run as Susanna (also “Le nozze di Figaro”) at Utah Opera I got a call from my manager that the artist singing the soprano roles in “L’enfant et les sortilèges” as well as Nella in “Gianni Schicchi” had to pull out due to health troubles. Could I learn and memorize both operas in two weeks? Well, I said yes, and it was a very intense time accompanied by sleeping with scores under my pillow, but I showed up at the first rehearsal totally prepared. I learned that I am capable of learning music quickly under pressure and this has opened many doors.

Q: A couple of upcoming engagements that you’re looking forward to.
A: I’m very fortunate that I have a great season in spite of the economic difficulty the arts are facing in this country. After singing with Madison Opera I head straight to
L. A. for my Los Angeles Opera debut in “Albert Herring” as well as a recital at USC; sing my first Brahms “Requiem” with the Santa Fe Symphony; and then am off to Fort Worth for Mark Adamo’s “Lysistrata.” Then I’ll be ready for a break back in Fairbanks!

Q: Handling the demands of career and family, with a professional musician-spouse.
A: While making the aforementioned debut at Santa Fe, my husband [cellist Karl Knapp] called me from Minneapolis where we were living as starving artists, saying that he had won a tenure-track job at the University of Alaska Fairbanks! We made the difficult decision to uproot from the lower 48 (as we’ve come to call the contiguous U. S.) and move to Alaska. This has presented its own challenges, since coming home in between engagements is now a luxury. But as my job takes me out of state, this gives my husband a chance to visit me in warmer places!

Q: Advice for current students at the School of Music.
A: Practice. Have faith in yourself and your abilities. Know that if you want to be an opera singer in America, you’re going to be away from home a lot. Learn to love auditioning because you’re going to do it A LOT. Everyone has their own career path, and some singers rise faster than others, so surround yourself with people who believe in you and give you the best advice to hone your craft.

Two UW-Madison Grads at Lyric Opera of Chicago share recital

Two singers have gone from performing in drafty Mills Hall on the UW-Madison campus to singing for a world class opera company in the windy city.

At noon this Saturday, Jan. 7, soprano Emily Birsan and tenor James Kryshak performed a recital under the auspices of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (The full name is the Ryan Opera Center Recital Series at Merit School of Music, part of The Lyric Opera of Chicago's Renée Fleming Initiative.)

Birsan and Kryshak both earned masters degrees in music (opera performance) at the UW-Madison School of Music.

Birsan and Kryshak performed at Anne and Howard Gottlieb Hall with pianist Yasuko Oura. Both are ensemble members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

According to a press release from the Lyric, the hour-long recital was part of Merit's ongoing Live from Gottlieb Performance Series and is presented exclusively to the Merit community.

In November, Birsan performed at the Lyric in Mussoursky’s "Boris Godunov;" this month, Kryshak plays a priest in Mozart's "The Magic Flute," running through Jan. 22. And Maestro John DeMain of the Madison Symphony Orchestra conducts "Showboat" for the Lyric opening on Feb. 12.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/entertainment/arts_and_theatre/blog/on-the-aisle-two-uw-madison-grads-at-lyric-opera/article_fee4f7ce-37e0-11e1-b971-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1jVBX8c4F

UW-Madison Music Alumni: keep in touch with class notes & WAA

The College of Letters & Science has launched a new website. Some great features for alumni include:

CLASS NOTES
Send in news about your career

EASY UPDATE
Let us know how to reach you & keep your contact information up to date

SOMAA
All music majors and degree recipients are automatically enrolled as SOMAA members, with the first year of dues waived. Visit uwsomaa.org to learn more or contact the Board to get involved!

The Weather Duo update the chamber ensemble (Isthmus)

The Weather Duo update the chamber ensemble
Alt-classical
Rich Albertoni on Thursday 05/12/2011 

The Weather Duo are actually a trio, and they take an experimental approach to chamber music. The group's live performances feature sonic and visual elements, and they blend improvisation with contemporary classical music. The 10 compositions on their forthcoming album range in length from less than two minutes to more than 11.

All three members are 23. Double bass player Ben Willis and cellist Pat Reinholz are roommates who spent four years studying together at the UW-Madison School of Music. "We both kind of geek out over string music," says Reinholz. "We actually have conversations about things like subharmonizing." The group's sound brings together influences of jazz, classical, electronic and folk music.

Musical improvisation isn't the only thing that's spontaneous about their performances. The video components added by Anna Weisling are also improvised, based on the way the music sounds as it unfolds. "I've got a bank of hundreds of videos that I can pull from," says Weisling. "I'll have to be ready to go someplace I've never heard them go before, so I use a program called MAX/MSP/Jitter that allows me to combine any kind of footage that I have with live footage of them."

Continued on The Daily Page >>