Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

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Julien Faugère/ATMA Classique

A close-up of Janina Fialkowska.

Janina Fialkowska

media release: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) opens the 2024/25 Masterworks Season with “Fialkowska on Fire”, featuring guest pianist Janina Fialkowska. The concert will take place on Friday, November 8 at 7:30 PM in Capitol Theater at the Overture Center for the Arts. Subscriptions can be purchased online at wcoconcerts.org/subscribe or by phone at 608.257.0638. Single Tickets can be purchased online at overture.org/wco or by calling the Overture box office at 608.258.4141.

The Masterworks Season kicks off with a fiery display of musicianship from Canadian pianist Janina Fialkowska. Her career was launched after the legendary Arthur Rubinstein called her a “Born Chopin interpreter” and became her mentor following his inaugural Master Piano Competition. With her playing described as “vibrant, daring, and intellectually curious” by the Ottawa Citizen, she joins the orchestra for Beethoven’s iconic “Piano Concerto No. 4”. The concert opens with “Symphony in C Major”, a work by Mozart Contemporary Carl P. Stamitz and a gem from the classical era, and concludes with “Symphony No. 3” by Louise Farrenc, whose musical language is steeped in Romantic French tradition.

About Janina Fialkowska

Concert pianist Janina Fialkowska has enchanted audiences and critics around the world. She has been praised for her musical integrity, her refreshing natural approach and her unique piano sound thus becoming “one of the Grandes Dames of piano playing” (Frankfurter Allgemeine). Born in Canada, she began her piano studies with her mother at age 4 continuing on in her native Montréal with Yvonne Hubert. In Paris she studied with Yvonne Lefébure and in New York at the Juilliard School with Sascha Gorodnitzki, experiencing the best of both French and Russian piano traditions. Her career was launched in 1974, when the legendary Arthur Rubinstein became her mentor after her prize-winning performance at his inaugural Master Piano Competition, calling her a “born Chopin interpreter” laying the foundation for her lifelong identification with this composer.

Since then, she has performed with the foremost orchestras worldwide under the baton of such conductors as Zubin Mehta, Bernard Haitink, Lorin Maazel, Sir Georg Solti, Sir Roger Norrington, Klaus Mäkelä and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She makes frequent appearances as a juror of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions such as this year in Munich at the ARD Competition, Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv, the Liszt Utrecht Competition and she was President of the venerable Geneva Competition. She also gave several sought-after master classes around the world, contributing to the success of a whole new generation of talented pianists.

Recent highlights included her return to the Berlin Piano Festival, three tours in North America and numerous concerts in Germany, Austria and Croatia. To learn more, visit fialkowska.com.

“Fialkowska on Fire” will take place on Friday, November 8 at 7:30 PM in Capitol Theater at the Overture Center for the Arts. Subscriptions can be purchased online at wcoconcerts.org/subscribe or by phone at 608.257.0638. Single Tickets can be purchased online at overture.org/wco or by calling the Overture box office at 608.258.4141.

About the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

No other arts organization in Wisconsin performs free for more people each year. Founded in 1960, the orchestra is built on a foundation of quality musicianship with top-tier musicians. As a smaller ensemble, we’re able to showcase music at an intimate level, providing attendees with a unique experience. Under the direction of Maestro Andrew Sewell, we make classical music accessible to our community from concert halls to Madison’s Capitol Square, reaching over 250,000 music lovers annually.

We are driven in our mission to strengthen communities through innovative, high-quality artistic experiences that entertain, inspire, and unite diverse audiences. And we’re passionate about creating a sustainable future through our strategic plan.

Our core artistic programs include the four-decade tradition of Concerts on the Square®, the

Masterworks series at the Overture Center for the Arts, annual performances of Handel’s Messiah, educational programming and concerts for families and children that serve over 2000 youth each year and performing with local arts groups like Madison Ballet. In 2023, the WCO launched the Composer Collective series with a five-year, five-album project titled Musical Landscapes in Color with the goal of expanding the orchestral canon to include new works by living composers of color. We strive to create a vibrant and inclusive space where music creates a sense of togetherness and connection, and that’s why we’re relentless about finding new ways to collaborate and partner with local groups in our community.

As a member of the League of American Orchestras, we take our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion seriously. Working with Nehemiah, Inc. through the Catalyst Incubator Grant, our goal is to become a cultural ambassador to Madison while creating relationships that allow for authentic conversation, partnerships, and accessibility to musical experiences. While headquartered in Madison, we believe in extending our mission to communities across Wisconsin when there are opportunities to do so. To learn more visit wcoconcerts.org.