WHERE WILL THE MUSIC TAKE YOU?
I am excited to introduce you to our 2011-2012 season, one filled with extraordinary works and internationally acclaimed guest artists. We anchor the season with two giants of the repertoire, opening in October with Russian pianist, Ilya Yakushev performing both Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and concluding in April with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The newly established WCO chorus will combine with the Festival Choir of Madison and a quartet of stunning vocal soloists to end the season with Beethoven’s great masterpiece.
Celebrated cellist, Amit Peled returns to our stage in January to perform Boccherini’s Cello Concerto in B-flat Major. If you experienced his exhilarating Masterworks performance in 2009, you won’t want to miss this concert. In February, Beethoven takes center stage for our third Masterworks concert featuring London-based virtuoso Alexander Sitkovetsky performing his Violin Concerto in D along with Symphony No. 6, ‘The Pastoral,’ and also APT actor James Ridge narrating Britten’s Night Mail.
Internationally-acclaimed pianist and UW professor, Christopher Taylor, joins us for a program featuring Irish composer John Field’s rarely heard Piano Concerto No. 4 in E-flat. Continuing the Celtic theme, we will also perform Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Bantock’s Celtic Symphony for string orchestra and six harps – a concert not to be missed! We look forward to seeing you for this outstanding season!
~ Maestro Andrew Sewell
