LunART Chamber Music Collective with Eleni Katz

This woman-centric, eclectic, forward-looking chamber music collective opens its season with guest bassoonist Eleni Katz, joined by flutist Iva Ugrcic and pianist Alyona Waldo. The program starts with the whimsical and surprising Trio Op. 45 by Louise Farrenc; the stirring, spiritual-influenced Afro-American Suite by Undine Smith Moore; and the meditative Sonatina for Flute and Piano by Grace Williams. It then sweeps into the 21st century with the experimental Sea Glass Partita for voice and bassoon by Lila Meretzky and the Middle-Eastern-influenced Nadiya by Reena Esmail. Concerts take place at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 at Arts + Literature Laboratory and 2 p.m. on Nov. 10 at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin in Spring Green.

media release: LunART Chamber Music Collective continues to celebrate women in the arts in its 2024/25 concert season, kicking off with “Winds of Change,” featuring guest bassoonist Eleni Katz for a first-time collaboration with flutist Iva Ugrcic and pianist Alyona Waldo. The opening concert will take place at the Arts + Literature Laboratory (111 S. Livingston St, Madison) on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., followed by the ensemble’s debut appearance at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hillside Theater at Taliesin (6604 Hwy 23, Spring Green) on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 for general admission and $15 for students. Visit www.lunartfestival.org for advance purchases.

In LunART’s signature style, audiences will experience a diverse spectrum of music by women composers, past and present. Featuring rarely-heard gems spanning the past 150 years, this program will fuse influences of African-American spirituals, Welsh folk music, and Eastern music traditions. Expect to be inspired by the organic art of nature at Taliesin’s newly-renovated, historic Hillside Theater, a true Wisconsin icon, and immersed in a contemporary world of imagination at Arts + Literature Laboratory.

“Trio Op. 45” by Louise Farrenc (1804-1875), “Afro-American Suite” by Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989), and “Sonatina for Flute and Piano” by Grace Williams (1906-1977) will represent musical trailblazers of the 19th and 20th century. “Sea Glass Partita for Singing Bassoonist” by Lila Meretzky (b. 1998) and “Nadiya for Flute and Bassoon” by Reena Esmail (b. 1983) will transport this one-of-a-kind program to the 21st century.

A question-and-answer session with the artists will follow each concert.

This project is sponsored by Microtone Media, Bolz Center, and Marriott Daughters Foundation.

LUNART’S MISSION is to support, inspire, promote, and celebrate ALL women in the arts through public performances, exhibitions, workshops, and interdisciplinary collaboration, thus enriching our community and creating a welcoming space for learning and experimentation.