For the Greater Groove

The WCO and Tracy Silverman will perform live at Breese Stevens Field, which will be simulcasted over the internet and to a drive-in format at the Mallards Duck Pond. Additionally, we are proud to partner with 89.9 WORT to air this upcoming live performance over the radio. For more details and our complete health and safety plan, click here.

Featuring Tracy Silverman, electric violin

Our finale of the summer features Tracy Silverman, electric violin. Tracy is the music director for the popular recording artist and pianist Jim Brickman. Tracy now lives in Nashville but grew up in Beloit. He left Wisconsin for Juilliard and was a member of the Turtle Island String Quartet before branching out on his own with the construction of his custom made electric 6-string violin.

A pioneer in the field, he has performed major commissions for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and American composer, John Adams in the Dharma at Big Sur.

We have commissioned four pieces from Tracy over the past 20 years, and he’s coming back to Madison to perform not only a couple of his previously commissioned works, Anthem 25 and Matisse: La Danse, but this will be his world premiere of For the Greater Groove.

We are also performing works by Offenbach, his overture for a grand orchestra, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz, and Duke Ellington’s arrangement of the Nutcracker Suite. Duke and Billy Strayhorn arranged this suite based upon famous movements from the Nutcracker for jazz ensemble. It features alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, and a jazz bass.

If you’ve ever been around Concerts on the Square, you’ll know that at the end of every concert we play this song, Home to Madison. Tracy Silverman composed that for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra back in 2006 when the WCO held a competition for the 150^th anniversary of the founding of Madison.

This song has come to be a hallmark of Concerts on the Square, and Tracy will perform it 'live' for us at the end of this season’s final concert.

PURCHASE TICKETS

*Program subject to change

2020 PROGRAM

Peruse this summer's Concerts on the Square guide, here.