Concerts on the Square
Capitol Square 2 E. Main St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
courtesy Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
Classical bassist and composer Xavier Foley.
Not to inspire fear that summer is slipping away but...the last Concerts on the Square for 2022 is already nigh. By now you probably remember the drill: picnic blankets can hit the lawn starting at 3 p.m., and the performers are stationed at the King Street side. Aug. 3, Finale with Foley, will feature concertos for the double bass, ably performed by guest artist Xavier Foley. “When Xavier was here [in 2021], he knocked everybody’s socks off,” says WCO music director Andrew Sewell. “So we invited him back again this year.” Find program details and any weather-related updates at wcoconcerts.org.
Aug. 3 update: We've consulted with local meteorologists and hoped for the best, but unfortunately, due to an increased chance of rain tonight, we need to postpone Concerts on the Square. The good news - we'll be back on the Capitol Square Thursday at 7pm for the rescheduled event.
press release: Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s famous Concerts on the Square is headed back to the square this summer, returning with a six concert series, no restrictions and all the fun the community has come to expect when the weather turns warm.
The first concert is scheduled for June 29. This marks the return of the WCO’s 38-year tradition, kicking off Concerts on the Square on the last Wednesday of June. The remaining five shows will run throughout July, with the final performance scheduled for August 3.
Aug. 3 guest:
Xavier Foley is known for communicating his virtuosity and passion for music on the double bass, which is rarely presented as a solo instrument. Winner of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, he has been recognized on New York WQXR’s "19 for 19" Artists to Watch list, and featured on PBS Thirteen’s NYC-ARTs.
Also a composer, Xavier was co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and the Sphinx Organization for a new work entitled “For Justice and Peace” for Violin, Bass, and String Orchestra, which was recently performed at venues including Carnegie Hall as part of a program designed to promote social justice.
As concerto soloist with orchestra, he has performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Brevard Concert Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Sphinx Symphony and Sphinx Virtuosi at Carnegie Hall.
Xavier won the 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions along with four performance prizes and a Paiko Foundation Fellowship, and First Prizes at Astral’s 2014 National Auditions, Sphinx’s 2014 Competition, and the 2011 International Society of Bassists Competition.
In 2018, he made his acclaimed New York recital debut at Merkin Concert Hall and his Washington, DC debut at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. The program included two of his own compositions. He has also performed at Carnegie Hall as a Laureate of the Sphinx Competition, at the Young Concert Artists Series at Alice Tully Hall and the Morgan Library, and for Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Harriman-Jewell Series, and Buffalo Chamber Music Society. This season, Xavier will perform as soloist with the Dallas Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Stamford Symphony, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He will also perform recitals at Ithaca College, Mesa Arts Center, Chamber Music Charleston, University of Southern Mississippi, and will appear with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and La Jolla Music Society.
An active chamber musician, Xavier has appeared at the Marlboro Music Festival, Tippet Rise Music Festival in Fishtail, MT, Bridgehampton and Skaneateles (NY) Festivals, New Asia Chamber Music Society in Philadelphia, South Mountain Concerts, Wolf Trap, and with New York’s Jupiter Chamber Players.
A native of Marietta, GA, Xavier is an alumnus of the Perlman Music Program, and earned his Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music working with Edgar Meyer and Hal Robinson. His double bass was crafted by Rumano Solano.
Program
TCHAIKOVSKY | Eugene Onegin Waltz
BOTTESINI | Bass Concerto No. 2 in B minor
FOLEY | Bass Concerto, Xavier Foley, double bass
TCHAIKOVSKY | Swan Lake Suite Op. 20 I. Scene, III. Swan Dance, V. Czardas
DVORAK | Symphony No. 9, New World Symphony, IV. Finale
TCHAIKOVSKY | 1812 Overture
SOUSA | Washington Post March
*Program subject to change
The full schedule for the summer:
- June 29 – Motown with Spectrum
- July 6 – Summer Celebration
- July 13 – Reflections on Liberty
- July 20 – The Planets & Ho-Chunk
- July 27 – Rachmaninov’s Third
- Aug. 3 – Finale with Foley
Visit https://wcoconcerts.org/
Each concert will include the full orchestra, made up of world-class musicians from around the U.S. along with special guests. They’ll feature an array of genres and diverse, cross-cultural programming meant to entertain and introduce the community to music they may not otherwise hear.
To keep up-to-date with performance schedules, community members can sign up for email updates on the WCO website or follow the orchestra on Facebook and Instagram. To donate, visit wcoconcerts.org/donate.