Hi Everyone,
I have maintained this site solely for educational purposes and will continue to do so. However, I want to take this brief moment to use ATT as an advertising board for a very special concert I have coming up. Every couple of years a concert comes around that promises to be really special and one of those is right around the corner for me. On March 5th I’ll be involved in a production of Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale to be held in Madison, Wisconsin. I’ve attached the flier information and bios of the performers below.
Dear Friends,
You are invited to attend the chamber music event of the year!
Con vivo! musicians present Stravinsky’s masterpiece, “The Soldier’s Tale” with John DeMain conducting and American Player’s Theater actors James Ridge, David Daniel and Susan Sweeney narrating!
Discover what happens to a soldier who trades his beloved violin to the devil in exchange for an enchanted book that promises wealth untold! Hear Stravinsky’s evocative music with Lutheran chorales, a tango and jazz influences that perfectly reflect the story.
You won’t want to miss this rare opportunity to witness the collaboration of con vivo! musicians, APT actors and John DeMain in a performance of this rarely performed masterpiece!
The concert takes place on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 7:30 pm at First Congregational Church, 1609 University Ave. Tickets are just $12 or $10 for seniors and students and can be purchased at the door, or in advance at Orange Tree Imports, 1111 Monroe St.
We’ll see you on March 5!
JOHN DEMAIN (conductor) is noted for his dynamic performances on concert and opera stages throughout the world. Now in his 17th season as Music Director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, he has built the MSO into one of America’s leading regional orchestras.
DeMain’s active conducting schedule has taken him to the stages of the National Symphony, Seattle Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Boston Pops, Aspen Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of Seville, the Leipzig MDR Sinfonieorchester, and Mexico’s Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional.
DeMain also serves as Artistic Director for Madison Opera. He is a regular guest conductor with Washington National Opera, New York City Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre and Los Angeles Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, National Opera of Mexico, the Glimmerglass Festival and Seattle Opera.
During his distinguished 17-year tenure with Houston Grand Opera, DeMain led a history-making production of Porgy and Bess, winning a Grammy Award, Tony Award and France’s Grand Prix du Disque for the RCA recording. In all, he has conducted more than 350 performances of Porgy and Bess throughout the world, including performances at La Scala di Milano, Paris Opera (Bastille) and for Japan Arts in Tokyo.
DeMain has conducted many world premieres by composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Ned Rorem, William Bolcom, and Philip Glass. Many of his performances have appeared on national television.
DeMain began his career as a pianist and conductor in his native Youngstown, Ohio. After winning the Youngstown Symphony’s piano competition at age 18, he went on to earn his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Juilliard School in New York. He made a highly acclaimed debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and was the second recipient of the Julius Rudel Award at New York City Opera. He was also one of the first six conductors to receive the Exxon/National Endowment for the Arts Conductor Fellowship—for his work with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
OLGA POMOLOVA (violin) was born into a family of musicians in Abakan, Russia. She received a doctoral degree in music from the Ural State Conservatory. In Moscow, Olga played in many orchestras including the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Grand Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Symphony Orchestra, as Assistant Concertmaster of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, and Associate Concertmaster with the Moscow Stanislavsky Opera and Ballet Theatre. While touring with orchestras, Olga has played in many of the major concert halls in Europe, Asia and the U.S. She moved to Madison in 2002 and became a U.S. citizen in 2005. She is currently a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and has played with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Beloit-Janesville Symphony and the Dubuque Symphony.
CARL DAVICK (string bass) is a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and also the orchestra director for Monona Grove High School. He has played with renowned bassist Gary Karr; performed St. Matthew Passion under Robert Shaw; and performed with Oakwood Chamber Players for Kennedy Center’s 25th Anniversary. He has a Bachelor of Music degree from St. Olaf and Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.
ROBERT TAYLOR (clarinet) received his Master’s degree in music performance from Michigan State University and a Bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Wyoming. He has performed with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Children’s Theater of Madison, the Madison Savoyards, and in ensembles and as a soloist for the First Unitarian Society’s “Music for a Summer Evening” series. He has also performed with various orchestras in the Detroit and Chicago areas. Most recently Robert has been a performing participant for the Amici della Musica master class with Karl Leister in Florence, Italy.
CYNTHIA CAMERON-FIX (bassoon) began playing second bassoon with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in 1984, and after 20 years, began her second career as principal bassoon. Over the years, she has played in a wide variety of orchestras and chamber ensembles including Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic Orchestra, Present Music, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, The Music Fix, Wingra Woodwind Quintet, Whitewater Woodwind Quintet, Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, and Con Vivo. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the UW-Madison School of Music and a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music.
DAVID COOPER (trumpet) has performed with the New Breed Jazz Quintet, The Art Blakey Tribute Band, and The Tim Whalen Nonet as well as the Wisconsin Brass Quintet, the Milwaukee, Madison, Canton and La Crosse Symphony Orchestras, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, The Dallas Brass, Walt Disney World, and the Aspen Jazz Ensemble. As part of a trumpet festival he hosted in 2005, Dr. Cooper presented a recital with himself, Adolph Herseth, Doc Severinsen, Charles Lazarus and members of the Minnesota Orchestra trumpet section. Currently playing in the Madison Symphony, he is also professor of trumpet and jazz studies at the UW-Platteville. Dr. Cooper is in demand as a clinician, lecturer and performer as well as a composer and arranger with numerous jazz, rock and commercial ensembles large and small. Dr. Cooper received his Bachelor of Music from Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, WI, his Master of Music from the University of Akron in Ohio, and his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
DYLAN CHMURA-MOORE, (trombone) is a performer and advocate of music written today and has had a voice in the premiers of over thirty compositions. Dylan is a recent graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston where he received two master degrees, in conducting and trombone. Upon graduation, Dylan was awarded academic honors, a distinction in performance, and the Gunther Schuller Medal, the highest honor awarded by the conservatory. He can be heard on Mode, New World, EuroArts, and the TZADIK Record labels, among others.
Currently, Dylan is a doctoral candidate at UW-Madison. He is a Paul Collins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow at the university and is focusing his studies on the research and performance of newly composed music. He also holds the title Lecturer of Music at UW-Oshkosh, is a member of the brass ensemble Isthmus Brass, and is the trombonist in the brass quintet Ars Ventus.
ANTHONY DISANZA, (percussion) has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician for twenty years. He has appeared as a visiting artist at over 40 colleges, universities and conservatories and he can be heard on numerous CD recordings with various chamber ensembles including; Sole Nero-Piano and Percussion Duo, Linda Maxey and the Galaxy Percussion Group, and Keiko Abe and the Michigan Chamber Players. Anthony recently released his first solo CD (Equilibrium label), which features works for multiple percussion, marimba and the Middle Eastern darabukka. Anthony received his undergraduate degree from Youngstown State University (Ohio), and his graduate degrees from the University of Michigan. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Percussion at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Principal Percussion with the Madison Symphony Orchestra.
JAMES RIDGE (Narrator) has been with with American Players Theater for 13 summers. Past roles include Shylock, Tartuffe, Malvolio, Puck, Chorus, Lickcheese, Col. Pickering, Trophimov, and Bluntchli. James recently performed the role of Scrooge with Madison Children’s Theatre. He has also worked with the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Renaissance Theatreworks, Next Act Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Madison Repertory Theatre, and Utah Shakespearean Festival. He lives in Spring Green with his wife, Colleen Madden and their two sons. Thank you for supporting the theatre. Ps118:14.
DAVID DANIEL (Soldier) is in his twelfth season with APT. He has appeared as Leontes, Fluellen, Hotspur, and a bevy of other roles including the piece de résistance for many Wisconsin students- Indiana Jones in the Comedy of Errors! In addition to being an actor he also serves as APT’s Education Director teaching workshops on poetry and Shakespeare for students and teachers alike. He lives in Spring Green with his wife-partner-manager-nemesis-friend Paula and their three sons: Declan, Nicholas and Isaac. David holds an MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program and is a proud veteran of the United States Army.
SUSAN SWEENEY (Devil) is currently resident voice and text coach for American Players Theatre and professor of voice in the UW-Madison Department of Theater and Drama. Susan has been a trainer of MFA actors for nearly 30 years. Her areas of expertise include stage speech, verse speaking, dialects, vocal production, and singing. She has served as voice, text and dialects coach for the Sedona, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, and Oregon Shakespeare festivals, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Virginia Stage Company, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Skylight Opera, Delaware Theatre Company, David Mamet/Atlantic Theatre Company’s “Practical Aesthetics” summer training workshop, London’s Raymond Gubbay Productions at Royal Albert Hall, and Broadway’s Dodger Productions/Jujamcyn Theatres, among others. Susan has acted with such theatres as the Skylight Opera, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and Utah Shakespearean Festival, and she will be playing Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit at APT this summer. She is also a regular voice on WPR’s ‘Chapter a Day’.
KATHRYN TAYLOR (violin, producer) is a violinist and the music librarian for the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and is on the faculty of Suzuki Strings of Madison. She received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wyoming, a Master of Library Science degree from Western Michigan University, and did further graduate work in music at Michigan State University. Kathryn’s previous orchestra memberships have included the Kalamazoo Symphony, Lansing Symphony and Lake Forest Symphony. She derives her musical inspiration from hearing live performances of the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras.
