Coppia Chamber Music

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courtesy Coppia Chamber Music

Dawn Wohn and violin.

Dawn Wohn

Coppia Chamber Music launches its first concert series with “Café Music: American Wines and American Composers.” It’s a new concept in these parts — pairing fine wines and chamber music. Dawn Dongeun Wohn, of UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, and Jay Hutchinson, a sommelier, have joined forces with the perfect backdrop for their festivities, Four Winds Farm’s restored 90-year-old barn. The inaugural evening features composers Paul Schoenfeld, Jennifer Higdon, Florence Price, William Grant Still, and others. Hutchinson picks the wines to accompany each section of the program. This concert features wines from small, sustainability-focused producers in Napa and Sonoma, California.

media release: Four Winds Farm presents the inaugural season of Coppia Chamber Music with a series of three upcoming concerts scheduled for the winter of 2024. Coppia Chamber Music was founded with the mission of bringing together world-class artists and exceptional wines to create a unique, fun, and casual performance experience - ideal for both new and seasoned concertgoers.

The first concert of the season will feature artistic director Dawn Wohn (violin faculty, UW Madison), James Waldo (cello faculty, UW Madison), and Alyona Waldo (piano). The musicians will present a rich and varied program of works from American composers Paul Schoenfeld, Jennifer Higdon, and others. Jay Hutchinson, executive director and sommelier, will carefully select wine pairings to accompany each section of the program, all included in the ticket price. The January concert will highlight wines from Napa and Sonoma, California, from small, sustainability-focused producers.

The concert will be held in the Loft of Four Winds Farm’s 90-year-old barn which was restored from the ground up in 2020 and now serves the Madison area as an agricultural education and event center.

About Coppia Chamber Music: 

Dawn Wohn, artistic director

Praised as having “a joyful sense of freedom, and a pure, unencumbered tone” by BBC Music Magazine, Korean American violinist Dawn Dongeun Wohn has performed in concert halls in North and South America, Asia, and Europe, including Carnegie Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, and the National Theater in Taiwan. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras such as the Korean Broadcasting Symphony and the Aspen Conducting Orchestra, and she has toured internationally as a chamber musician.

Her debut album, Perspectives, features diverse works by female composers. Her recent release, Unbounded, on the Delos Music label explores music by American women. Both albums have been featured on radio programs all over the world and have been noted for “enlightened advocacy” (Gramophone), “elegant and impassioned playing” (Fanfare), and “warm, crystal-clear tone” (Whole Note).

A dedicated teacher, she is on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music. Previously, she was Associate Professor of Violin at Ohio University. As a guest clinician and recitalist, she has presented and performed at schools across the United States and has been on the faculty of numerous festivals.

Dawn began her musical studies at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division as a student of Dorothy DeLay. Further studies include an undergraduate degree at Juilliard, Master of Music and Artist Diploma from Yale University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University. Dawn lives in Middleton with her husband and 3-year-old son and performs on a 1732 Nicolo Gagliano violin.

Jay Hutchinson, executive director and sommelier

Jay’s work in the hospitality and wine industries has taken him from California to the East Coast, and now to the Midwest. He holds the Advanced Sommelier certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and he has attempted Master Sommelier examination. His work as sommelier at Michelin-starred Ai Fiori in New York City was recognized by Wine Spectator with a Grand Award for the restaurant, and Vogue magazine named the event series he founded in Boston a “culinary disruptor.” Additionally, he holds the title of Italian Wine Ambassador from VinItaly International Academy, and served for several years as the marketing director for the nation’s top wine auction house, Hart Davis Hart. 

Throughout his time in the wine industry, Jay developed a deep interest in sustainability and agriculture. After moving to the Madison area, he accepted the position of Director of Sales & Marketing for Four Winds Farm, an 80+ acre farm with a focus on permaculture and regenerative agriculture. 

Jay holds an undergraduate degree in Clarinet Performance from New England Conservatory and an MBA from Ohio University.