Concerts & Cuisine

media release: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra would be honored by your presence at Concerts & Cuisine, a gala celebrating 40 years of Concerts on the Square. Sunday, March 19, 2023 – Concourse Hotel, Madison. For more information, including table sponsorships, contact Elliott Valentine at 608.257.0638.

The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra is excited to announce a fundraising gala event titled Concerts & Cuisine in celebration of the 40th Anniversary Season of Concerts on the Square. The event will take place on March 19 at 5:00 PM at the Madison Concourse Hotel. Table sponsorships and single tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.wcoconcerts.org/WCOGala2023. Individual tickets: $125.

More than 20 Madison-area chefs and restaurateurs will compete for the “Silver Tray Award” at the event, each showing off a signature dish or drink. Competitors will put forward their best to be enjoyed by 300 event attendees—and scrutinized by expert judges. Representing some of the best-known chefs, brewers, vintners, and distillers in the Madison area, a full list of participants is below.

Highlights include Heritage Tavern’s Dan Fox, Tory Miller from L’Etoile and Graze, and Wollersheim Winery’s Philippe Coquard.

An iconic Madison tradition, Concerts on the Square has grown from an idea by American Girl Founder Pleasant Rowland into a world-class concert series attracting 250,000 people annually for free concerts on the steps of the Wisconsin state Capitol.

“Concerts & Cuisine will offer attendees a ‘full’ evening of everything they love about Concerts on the Square,” says WCO Music Director Andrew Sewell. “We are truly grateful for all the support the community has given these concerts over the years.”

Concerts & Cuisine will be held at the Madison Concourse Hotel on March 19, 2023 at 5:00 PM. Table sponsorships and single tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.wcoconcerts.org/WCOGala2023.

Participants

Cadre, Executive Chef Evan Dannells

Caracas Arepas & Caracas Empanadas, Owner Luis Dompablo

DelecTable, Executive Chef Benjamin Serum

Driftless Café, Executive Chef Mary Kastman

Heritage Tavern, Executive Chef Dan Fox

Imperial Garden, Executive Chef Ken Yang

J. Henry & Sons, Distillers Joe and Liz Henry

Jardin, Executive Chef Juan Umana

Double Cut Steak House, Executive Chef Roberto Negron

L'Etoile & Graze, Executive Chef Tory Miller

Le Personal Chef, Executive Chef Sami Fgaier

Little John's & Ollie's, Executive Chef Dave Heide

Marigold Kitchen, Chef and Owner Kristy Heine

TBA, Merchant & Lucille

Nani, Executive Chef Justin Jiang

RARE Steakhouse, Executive Chef Scott Harrell

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Executive Chef Juan Montes

SASS, Master Chef Joe Perkins + Executive Chef Lauren Cahillane

State Line Distillery, John Mleziva, Founder & Distiller + Michael McDonald, Bar Manager & Spirits

Ambassador

Tavernakaya, Executive Chef Kevin Kuo

Wisconsin Brewing Company, Brewmaster Kirby Nelson

Wollersheim Winery & Distillery, Vintner Philippe Coquard

Wollersheim Bistro, Executive Chef Romain Coquard

About the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

Maestro Andrew Sewell and the musicians of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra bring world-class music to more than 250,000 music lovers annually. No other arts organization in Wisconsin performs free for more people each year. Founded in 1960, the WCO is one of Madison’s gems, a national-caliber chamber orchestra behind the now four-decade summer tradition of Concerts on the Square.

The WCO also presents the classical Masterworks series at the Overture Center, the annually-sold-old Messiah, and education concerts for families and children. In 2021, the WCO launched its first Composer in Residence program, bringing in acclaimed composer, author, musician, and professor Dr. Bill Banfield to write major works while in residence. While headquartered in Madison, the orchestra has played around the state. To learn more about the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, visit wcoconcerts.org.