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Milwaukee Musaik is a chamber orchestra conducted by Sascha Mandl. On March 30 they will “journey through 250 years of American music” at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, celebrating the evolution of American music from Francis Hopkinson’s elegant colonial-era song “O’er the Hills” to Samuel Barber’s “Summer Music.” Also on the program are Aaron Copland’s “Two Pieces for String Quartet” and Philip Glass’ hypnotic minimalist String Quartet No. 2 “Company.”
You will also be treated to George Gershwin’s “Promenade ‘Walking the Dog’” and Rudi Heinrich’s playful Suburban Dances for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano with Jay Shankar (clarinet), Rudi Heinrich (bassoon) and Stefanie Jacob (piano). Amy Beach’s expressive Piano Trio, Op. 150 features Alex Ayers (violin), Lynn Kabat (cello) and Stefanie Jacob. Concluding the program, the members of the consortium will play Valerie Coleman’s “Red Clay and Mississippi Delta,” a modern classical woodwind quintet brimming with rhythm and energy.
Some program notes for the curious ear. Francis Hopkinson (1737–1791) was a jurist, author and composer who signed the Declaration of Independence for New Jersey. Amy Beach (1867–1944) was a concert pianist and composer. Her “Gaelic” Symphony was the first symphony composed and published by an American woman. It premiered in 1896.
How did the consortium sort through 250 years of music and chose the compositions on this program? Was there an underlying theme besides being American?
“Throughout the year, the artistic board compiles a brainstorming repertoire list that gets discussed from many perspectives such as ensemble size and instrumentation, which works are cannon and which are novelty,” Mandl says. “Of course, when addressing 250 years of American music, the options are vast and it became clear that we had to condense the representation to present a spectrum of music that is stylistically diverse, attractive to our audience and representative of the American music DNA.”
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Were there other pieces that he wished they had time to play?
“Oh, there are so many wonderful works by other influential American composers,” Mandl responds. “If concert length were not an issue, chamber works by Charles Ives, Roger Sessions, Elliot Carter, Lou Harrison, Florence Price, William Grant Still, Leonard Bernstein, John Corigliano, Jennifer Higdon and others could have been included.
From the earliest American melodies to today’s vibrant sounds, the concert will capture what Mandl calls “the spirit, diversity, and innovation that define the American classical music voice.”
Don’t miss this fun eclectic program performed by stellar musicians from the Milwaukee Symphony who are part of Milwaukee Musaik’s cheers to 250 years of American music,
7 p.m. Monday, March 30 at Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, 1584 N. Prospect Ave. For tickets, visit milwaukeemusaik.org
Milwaukee Musaik’s season finale, “Innocence and Wonder” with soprano Alisa Jordheim, will take place on May 18 at the Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church, 2366 N. 80th St.
