Concerts on the Square

media release: June 25 - Dancing in the Street       Motown Hits with Radiance

Your favorite Madison tradition is back. Get ready to groove with Las Vegas-based Radiance as they bring Motown and R&B classics to life! Experience the timeless hits of legends like Martha & the Vandellas, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, and more alongside the performance of an original work by local composer, Autumn Maria Reed in an electrifying concert that’ll have you dancing in the street, but hopefully not in a heatwave.

more on the season:

The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra is excited to announce the lineup for the 42^nd season of the iconic Concerts on the Square Season. Concerts will take place on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM starting June 25, 2025, and ending on July 30, 2025 on the King Street corner of Capitol Square and are free and open to the public. Every performance of Concerts on the Square is free and open to the entire community. On each concert day, unattended blankets can be put down starting at 3 PM, the street is closed to traffic at 5 PM, and the performance begins at 7 PM. The WCO will have limited reserved seating available for those with accessibility needs located on the King Street corner of Capitol Square.

June 25 - Dancing in the Street       Motown Hits with Radiance

July 2 - Celebration of Liberty          Indre Raghavan, violin & André Previn Peck, piano

July 9 - American Song            Angela Brown, soprano

July 16 - Mozart & Mahler   Brandon LePage, flute & Johanna Wienholts, harp

July 23 - Dark Side of the Moon   Jeans ‘n Classics

July 30 - Shostakovich & Beethoven   Sylvia Jiang, piano

With 46 weeks between the first and last concert of the season, CEO Joe Loehnis shares what it’s like to return to Capitol Square for the first concert of the season. “There is a welcoming back feeling to the first concert, seeing familiar faces in their usual spot who attend our summer series and not our other offerings throughout the year. Seeing our friend Bob on his blanket just off the stage at noon is a weekly occurrence for us during the summer months. Additionally, there's nothing like saying hello to 50,000 people at the start of each concert! That first one is a big rush. It's interesting, as an orchestra who has activity 12 months out of the year, I haven't felt WCO was ever away, particularly in 2023 and 2024, our second and third Concerts on the Square at the Capital post-Covid. That said, in 2022, it was a very emotional first concert back to The Square for our community. That felt like coming home.”

Loehnis goes on to share “If someone asked me to pick three words that described the vibe of Concerts on the Square? Community. Friendship. Connection. To me, bringing people together through music and food is the ultimate way to build community. You not only can see it, but you can also feel it. The vibe on concert nights is positive, joyful. Couple that with the anticipation leading up to the concert downbeat, and you have a very special and unique community event for Madison.”

Music Director Andrew Sewell, in his 26^th season shares the recipe for his secret sauce to programming. “I think of what we have enjoyed in the past and what seems to pair well together and then balance that repertoire with something new or fresh that may pique the curiosity of our audience. It’s a journey through the six-week season.”

What’s he most looking forward to? “We just held our Young Artist Concerto Competition and this year there are two winners! The standard of playing is very high, with the level of maturity needed to play their selected concerto movements. I am also looking forward to welcoming back several soloists and groups, namely, star soprano, Angela Brown, two of our own musicians, Brandon LePage,

Principal flute and Johanna Wienholts, harp, and crowd-favorite Jeans ‘n Classics. Bookending the summer, we open with Las Vegas-based, Radiance - an all-female Motown group and our grand finale features outstanding pianist, Sylvia Jiang, performing the ‘Piano Concerto No. 2’ by Shostakovich, that was featured on ‘Fantasia 2000’. In addition to great soloists, we also feature standard repertoire favorites - Beethoven ‘Symphony No. 5’, Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812 Overture’, Mozart's 40th Symphony, Bernstein's ‘Fancy Free’, Gershwin's ‘Summertime’ - and an array of newer, contemporary American voices - Carlos Simon, Quenton Blache, Autumn Maria Reed, Regina Baiocchi, Eric Gould and James Lee III.”

Support Concerts on the Square

·         Table Reservations are available and tax-deductible contributions that go towards supporting the event series. Contribution levels and table sizes vary depending on their location. For more information visit wcoconcerts.org/tables

·         Sponsorships are available and more information can be found at wcoconcerts.org/sponsorship

·         Individual donations can be made at any time by visiting wcoconcerts.org/support

·         Become a Friend of the WCO for as little as $5 a month when you sign up for a recurring monthly donation to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Learn more at wcoconcerts.org/friends

Every performance of Concerts on the Square is free and open to the entire community. On each concert day, unattended blankets can be put down starting at 3 PM, the street is closed to traffic at 5 PM, and the performance begins at 7 PM. The WCO will have limited reserved seating available for those with accessibility needs located on the King Street corner of Capitol Square.

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.