Willy Street Chamber Players
Immanuel Lutheran Church 1021 Spaight St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
How great is it that Madison’s east side has its very own neighborhood chamber orchestra with world-class players? This six-piece ensemble kicks off its summer concert series with a voice and strings program featuring mezzo-soprano Jazimina MacNeil. Repertoire includes works from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, violinist Colin Jacobsen of the Brooklyn Rider quartet, violist-turned-DJ Michael Kelley, and some guy named Johannes Brahms. Stay after the show for a meet-and-greet reception with food provided by Willy Street businesses.
press release: The Willy Street Chamber Players (WSCP) start their annual July Summer Series of classical music concerts Friday, July 6, at 6 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church (1021 Spaight St). Concerts include: Voice and Strings July 6; Gershwin and Glazunov July 20; and Worldwide Winds July 27. Each concert lasts 60-90 minutes and combines standard classical favorites with new and adventurous works. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door or at www.
Following the music, guests are welcome to enjoy a meet-and-greet reception featuring fare provided by local Willy Street neighborhood businesses. Established in 2015, WSCP has already become a fixture of the Willy Street neighborhood's vibrant cultural scene.
This season kicks off Fri., July 6, at 6 p.m. with “Voice and Strings,” featuring critically acclaimed mezzo-soprano Jazimina MacNeil. Accompanied by the group’s six core members, MacNeil will open the program with a trio of new works: “Cant voi l’aube” (2015) by Pulitzer Prize winner and Kanye West collaborator Caroline Shaw, “For Sixty Cents” (2015) by Colin Jacobsen of the popular string quartet Brooklyn Rider, and “Five Animal Stories” (2018) by violist turned DJ Michael Kelley. The program ends with the inspiring and lush String Quintet No. 2 of Johannes Brahms.
For the remaining two concerts, WSCP will welcome guest artists Les Thimmig (soprano saxophone, July 20), Timothy Hagen (flute, July 27), and Alicia Lee (clarinet, July 27), all on the faculty of the Mead-Witter School of Music at the UW- Madison. Program highlights include Thimmig’s own arrangement of six arias from George Gershwin’s jazz-inspired Porgy and Bess, Luigi Boccherini’s evocative Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid, and Andrew Norman’s lively and colorful “Light Screens” (2002).