Beau Meyer
Matthew Jordan, left, as as Frid, Jessica Kasinski as Madame Armfeldt and Haley Street as Fredrika in UW Opera's production of 'A Little Night Music.'
Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music tells a story of love, jealousy, betrayal, chaos and surprise. The University Opera will portray all of these emotional states in its production of this 1973 Broadway musical in the Wisconsin Union Theater on March 14, 15 and 16.
Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 comic film, Smiles of a Summer Night, was Sondheim’s source for Night Music. Before this film, Bergman’s work was known mostly in his native Sweden, but Smiles gave him international recognition.
Set in 1900s Sweden on the longest night of the year, the action centers around the actress Desirée Armfeldt, the catalyst for much of the chaos. It all begins when Fredrik and Anne Egerman, and Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm and his wife, Charlotte, are invited to the country estate of Madame Armfeldt, Desirée’s mother. Desirée is Fredrik’s ex-lover and the Count’s current crush, so things get complicated fast. But a quintet of singers, called the Liebeslieders, comment on the action like a Greek chorus to keep the audience in the loop.
The show will be directed by David Ronis, director of the opera. Oriol Sans, director of orchestral activities, will conduct, and the UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra will accompany student performers ranging from freshmen to doctoral students.
Ronis says that Night Music is a perfect choice for the Opera’s spring production. “It presents the right challenges for our students — vocally and dramatically — and will bring them to the next level of performance as they develop their skills.”
It’s also suited to classically trained voices, Ronis notes. Some of the songs, like “A Weekend in the Country” are fast and frenetic with multiple singers singing at different times, so good diction is essential.
Sondheim liked classical music, especially Ravel’s darkly romantic waltzes, so the audience will hear several Sondheim waltzes in the music.
Over the years, productions of Night Music have included seasoned actors like Angela Lansbury as Madame Armfeldt, and Elizabeth Taylor as Desirée in the 1977 film version. Iconic singers Sarah Vaughan and Judy Collins have sung the musical’s famous song, “Send in the Clowns.” But the young actors in the University Opera’s production will give a fresh, contemporary perspective on this 52 year-old classic.
Ticket information can be found here.
Sondheim’s Night Music is just one music event that the Mead Witter School of Music provides to the community. Another is an innovative initiative called the Changemaker Series.
Dan Cavanagh, director of the School of Music, as well as professor of jazz studies and composition, started the Changemaker Series when he arrived in Madison in fall 2023.
The series is made possible through funding from Pamela O. Hamel and the School of Music’s Board of Advisors.
The purpose of the series is “to bring individuals at the cutting edge of music, broadly defined, who might not otherwise show up in the orbit of our students and community,” says Cavanagh.
In 2024, the series brought Jamar Jones, Angela Brown, Curtis Stewart and Patrice Rushen, outstanding composers and performers, to the School of Music to perform, teach studio classes, and speak with students and community members about their journeys in the competitive and ever changing world of contemporary music.
Cavanagh also says that the series has allowed the School of Music to partner with other music groups in the city, like the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, to leverage its resources to bring extraordinary musicians to Madison. In 2024, the same year that Patrice Rushen spoke on campus, she also worked with the WCO and its composer-in-residence, Dr. William Banfield, on the orchestra’s "Musical Landscapes in Color" project that showcases works of living composers of color.
“These musicians have grown our students’ and community members’ understandings of the vast potential of music to help us understand all of the varied facets of what it means to be human,” says Cavanagh.
The series continues with cellist/composer Andrew Yee on April 5 in Hamel Music Center. Yee is a Grammy award-winning cellist and a founding member of the Attacca Quartet that has released several award-winning albums. In all likelihood, Yee will play a J.S. Bach selection for the audience. Their interpretations of his music are both insightful and joyous, a rare combination.
Cavanagh says that the School of Music is “excited to continue the series into the next year so that Madison can continue to benefit from these amazing human beings, sharing their wisdom, creativity and insights with us.”
Ticket information can be found here.
