What to do in Madison this week: Bright Eyes, 'So You Want to be a Writer' and more Isthmus Picks

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The Art of Negotiation, Tuesday, April 1, Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7 p.m.: With more than 40 years in the U.S. Foreign Service and deep experience at the highest levels of diplomacy, former Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield knows negotiation is about more than leverage — it’s about listening. In this public conversation moderated by La Follette School Director Susan Webb Yackee, Thomas-Greenfield will share insights from a career that’s spanned continents, crises and administrations. From Liberia to the United Nations, her approach has been rooted in pragmatism, respect, and the belief that dialogue still matters. This event is part of the La Follette School’s Policymaker in Residence speaker series and reflects the Wisconsin Idea at work — ideas made public, and policy made human. Registration required at lafollette.wisc.edu.

ganavya, Tuesday, April 1, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: If you’re looking for something otherworldly, rooted, and utterly unlike anything else on the calendar — this is it. Vocalist and transdisciplinary artist ganavya brings her singular voice to the Auricle New Music Series, fresh off the release of Daughter of a Temple, a deeply devotional, sonically expansive album inspired by Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda and the South Indian storytelling tradition of harikathā. Raised on pilgrimage trails and trained across disciplines, ganavya doesn’t just perform — she channels. Expect spiritual jazz, sacred texts, ancestral memory, and an unforgettable voice that moves like smoke. Tickets at ganavya.bpt.me.

The Roast of Will Santino, Tuesday, April 1, The Rigby, 8 p.m.: Join in the farewell wishes and/or sick burns for soon-to-be-former Madison stand-up Will Santino, who is moving his base of operations to New York…highly appropriate, as Santino has been contributing clever wordplay via hilarious cartoon panels to the New Yorker since 2020. On hand to roast Santino on his way out of town will be Owen Joyner, Charlie Kojis, Ben O'Connell, Sasha Rosser, Breanne Wilhite and Eli Wilz. Find tickets for this Cheshire Cat Comedy event at eventbrite.com.

Christie Tirado, through April 4, Tandem Press: In the exhibition “Grabando Historias,” UW-Madison master of fine arts candidate Christie Tirado focuses on the stories of immigrant families. The history captured in her prints is both personal (her parents immigrated from Mexico) and drawn from the Mexican diaspora. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday-Friday.

So You Want to Be a Writer, Wednesday, April 2, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Four local authors — Laura Bird, Maggie Ginsberg, Sean Patrick Little and Cayce Osborne — will discuss the writing experience in the bookstore’s first-ever panel discussion. Bird is a YA writer; Ginsberg and Osborne are novelists; and Little is a “general literary dude” — if that’s too vague, know that he writes mysteries, among other things. Questions about writing and publishing are welcome. We will be surprised if the words “writer’s block” don’t crop up at least once. How do you break through? We’ll take our answer off the air.

Middleton Community Orchestra, Wednesday, April 2, Middleton Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.: In the midst of its 15th season, the Middleton Community Orchestra continues to illuminate Dane County's classical music scene. This concert features Ravel's enchanting Mother Goose Suite, Falla's evocative Nights in the Gardens of Spain with pianist Thomas Kasdorf, and Elgar's profound Enigma Variations under the baton of Oriol Sans. Advance tickets at Willy Street Co-op West.

Dean Spade, Thursday, April 3, Central Library, 7 p.m.: As part of the Wisconsin Book Festival, activist and author Dean Spade comes to Madison to discuss his new book, Love in a F*cked-Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell Together, a blueprint for living with more honesty, more connection, and a lot less fear. In a conversation with Madison writer Fawzy Taylor, Spade will bring humor, clarity and radical tenderness to questions about intimacy, resistance and care in chaotic times.

Gil Shaham + Orli Shaham, Thursday, April 3, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Grammy Award-winning violinist Gil Shaham and his sister, the critically acclaimed pianist Orli Shaham, share an electric musical bond. Their program spans the Romantic era, weaving the voices of underappreciated virtuoso composers Amanda Röntgen-Maier and Clara Schumann alongside the towering legacies of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. It’s a conversation across time that will reveal both intimacy and grandeur. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

A Case for the Existence of God, through April 1, Overture Center-Playhouse: Is A Case for the Existence of God a sister play of sorts to Forward’s last production, Summer, 1976? In that play, two moms meet on the playground; here, in Samuel D. Hunter's 2022 play, two dads meet at a loan office; their kids attend the same daycare, and the themes of parenthood, and male friendship, emerge. But from there, things diverge. Hunter’s play is about the complexities in the relationship between two people, gay and straight, Black and white. There are problems here, but the play argues for hope. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sundays, plus 2 p.m. performances on April 5 and 12. Tickets at overture.org.

Empire Brass with Greg Zelek, Thursday, April 3, Overture Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Madison Symphony Orchestra pulled out all the stops for the 20th anniversary of the Overture concert organ; for this concert its power, versatility and dynamic range is showcased by a collaboration between principal organist Greg Zelek and Empire Brass. Spanning centuries and styles, the program features works from Bach, Gabrieli, Prokofiev and Holst, alongside Kenneth Amis’ “Bell-Tone’s Ring” and a world-premiere composition by Mark Hetzler (trombonist, composer, and professor at UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music). Topping it all off is the swing of Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” the smoky allure of Gershwin’s “Summertime,” and a Bernstein medley from West Side Story, in an evening that’s both a tribute to the organ’s legacy and a thrilling look at what’s ahead. Tickets at overture.org.

Becky’s New Car, through April 12, Bartell Theatre: What would you do if offered a new life? That question is pondered in Becky’s New Car, a comedy by prolific American playwright Steven Dietz, in which a middle-aged woman gets a surprising offer after being mistaken for someone else. This Mercury Players Theatre production will be followed by an improvisation on the play’s themes by cast members and Monkey Business Institute players. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays (except 2 p.m. on April 12), and 2 p.m. on April 6. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Bright Eyes, Thursday, April 3, The Sylvee, 7:45 p.m.: Conor Oberst (leader of Bright Eyes) canceled most of his dates last year due to a voice condition. He's recuperated and back in a big way, which is good because it’s his voice that makes him so popular. It sounds like the cries of a high teenager who’s locked out of the house, but somehow it works, in part because it matches the moods of the misfit characters in his songs. The latest Bright Eyes record, Five Dice, All Threes, continues documenting the musical fever dreams that Oberst started conjuring decades ago in his Omaha bedroom. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Adem Tesfaye Band album release, Thursday, April 3, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Along with building a following in Madison (including as a co-founder of Black Poets Society) Adem Tesfaye has had success as an emcee and hip-hop guitarist on both coasts, including a 15-year stretch in New York. He’s a muscular singer-songwriter, which will be showcased on the Adem Tesfaye Band’s new album being feted at this release show. Expect funk, hip-hop, rock and soul powered by Tesfaye’s band, nominated for WAMI’s Band of the Year in 2024 and 2025. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.