PUBLIQuartet
Lelanie Foster
PUBLIQuartet on a bridge.
PUBLIQuartet
This string quartet tackles new works and marginalized composers, celebrating American music today. The night’s program, called “Rhythm Nation,” features nine pieces, the oldest of which, Daniel Bernard Roumain’s Selections from Hip Hop Etudes, dates from 2006; five are from 2024. One of those is a new arrangement by PUBLIQuartet of Janet Jackson’s 1989 “Rhythm Nation,” from which the show borrows its name.
media release: This event is part of the annual Classical Series.
Grammy-nominated string quartet PUBLIQuartet will perform its latest program “Rhythm Nation” on Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Union as part of the Wisconsin Union Theater (WUT) Classical Series, preceded by a free, open-to-the-public studio class on Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. (also at Shannon Hall).
PUBLIQuartet describes the program as featuring works that draw inspiration from a wide range of American rhythmic traditions as expressions of bodily autonomy and tacit history keeping.
“Rhythm Nation” will include: “Voodoo Dolls” and “Break Away” by Jessie Montgomery, the brand-new “Blues for Buddy” by Jeff Scott, “At the Purchaser's Option” by Rhiannon Giddens, excerpts from “Hip-Hop Studies and Etudes, Book I” by Daniel Bernard Roumain, the brand-new “Cachumbandeando En Clave” by Eddie Venegas, the brand-new “Baobab” by Jlin, Prelude for Piano arranged by Hamilton Berry and composed by Julia Perry, “Come Sunday” from “Black, Brown, and Beige” by Duke Ellington, and “Dig the Say” for string quartet by Vijay Iyer.
The group strives to explore new works and compositions by composers from marginalized identity groups, centers improvisation and reinterpretation, and invites audiences into music by connecting to personal experience. Since its founding in 2010, PUBLIQuartet has challenged the traditional boundaries of chamber music while also working to celebrate the diverse and rhythmic foundations of American music.
“PUBLIQuartet exemplifies contemporary classical music with its commitment to technical excellence while embracing multi-genre influences and the curation of contemporary programs,” WUT Director Elizabeth Snodgrass said. “PUBLIQuartet isn’t afraid to push at the boundaries of chamber music. It is, in many ways, returning to the roots of classical music, which has, from the start, included improvisation and cross-genre influences.”
Patrons can purchase tickets to the PUBLIQuartet performance and other WUT events online, in person at the Memorial Union Box Office, or by phone at (608) 265-2787. Seating for the free Nov. 22 studio class is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Each WUT season is presented by WUT in collaboration with the student-led Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee. The 2024-2025 season of what’s next now continues WUT’s decades-long history of bringing internationally known artists and artists on the rise to Madison.
For more information about the Nov. 22 PUBLIQuartet studio class and performance, visit union.wisc.edu/events-and-
Single ticket pricing:
- UW-Madison Student (1 per ID, must show ID): $12 / $10 / $8
- General Public: $66 / $51 / $30
- Wisconsin Union Members: $60 / $47 / $33
- Student (any): $60 / $47 / $33
- Youth (17 and under): $15
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