ONLINE: Ansel Norris & Greg Zelek

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courtesy Madison Symphony Orchestra

Greg Zelek (left) and Ansel Norris close the MSO Concert Organ Series with a duo performance.

Trumpet and organ make a magical pairing in this closing of the Madison Symphony Orchestra's virtual season that makes good use of the big Klais concert organ in Overture Hall. Madison native and 2009 Bolz Young Artist Competition finalist Ansel Norris is the featured guest on trumpet. Greg Zelek has been the MSO's principal organist since 2017. Free; register here for the livestream (available to watch through May 31).

press release: To close out this unconventional and exciting virtual season, it gives me great joy to bring back Madison native and 2009 Bolz Young Artist Competition finalist Ansel Norris for a concert with me of trumpet and organ. Concerti of Bach and Haydn will bookend this program filled with music that is both written and arranged for this electrifying pairing of instruments. Mr. Norris’s remarkable technique and singing lyricism will be on full display, while our Mighty Klais both supports and shimmers in this exhilarating performance you won’t want to miss! – Greg Zelek

View this performance recorded LIVE from Overture Hall — streamed FREE to your home! Register here.

Trumpeter Ansel Norris has distinguished himself as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician of enthusiasm and diverse taste. He currently resides in Naples, Florida, where he enjoys an eclectic musical career with the Naples Philharmonic. Ansel comes to Naples via Rice University, the New World Symphony, and Northwestern University, from which he received a Bachelor’s degree in Music in 2016. He is a Madison native and a winner of our 2009 Bolz Young Artist Competition.

Ansel finds additional inspiration as a soloist, and in 2019 he was the first ever American prizewinner in the International Tchaikovsky Competition’s Brass division. Prior to this he was twice the first-prize winner at the National Trumpet Competition, a YoungARTS Gold Award recipient and a winner of the New World Symphony’s Concerto Competition, among others. Playing as soloist with orchestras is a special pleasure for Ansel, and he has enjoyed performances in front of the Mariinsky Orchestra, New World Symphony and his hometown Madison Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. Also a chamber musician, Ansel won a Bronze Medal at the Fischoff International Competition with his friends from the Lincoln Chamber Brass.

“Norris’ rounded tone and beauty of timbre immediately commanded attention . . . His absolute security and flawless technique were totally bereft of harshness.” – South Florida Classical Review

Praised as “extraordinary in the classical music world” (Jon Hornbacher, PBS Wisconsin Life), Greg Zelek has been the Principal Organist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Curator of the Overture Concert Organ Series since September 2017. In addition to concertizing throughout the United States, Greg regularly performs with orchestras as both a soloist and professional ensemble member, including the Florida Orchestra, Ridgewood Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, MET Orchestra, and Miami Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, Greg was chosen by The Diapason magazine as one of the top “20 Under 30” organists, a feature which selects the most successful young artists in the field. He was the First Prize winner in the 2012 Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competition, the 2012 West Chester University Organ Competition, and the 2010 East Carolina University Organ Competition. A recipient of the inaugural Kovner Fellowship, Greg received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, as well as an Artist Diploma, from the Juilliard School as a student of Paul Jacobs.

Greg is amazing — his playing touches our hearts. – MSO Patron

Zelek is quite extraordinary in the classical music world. – Jon Hornbacher, PBS Wisconsin Life