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Amit Peled and cello in an archway.

Amit Peled

Da-da-da-DAH! — four notes that shook the world. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 isn’t just music; it’s a force of nature, a work that has thundered through history. This Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra program builds to that moment, beginning with the vibrant, genre-defying soundscape of Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Abels’ More Seasons before flowing into the rich Romantic lyricism of Victor Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2, performed by internationally acclaimed cellist Amit Peled. And then — inevitably, irresistibly — Beethoven’s Fifth arrives, still electrifying, still relentless, still impossible to ignore.

media release: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) is thrilled to announce the release of additional seats on the main floor of Capitol Theater for the fourth Masterworks concert of the season, “Beethoven’s Fifth” on Friday, March 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM. A pre-concert talk will be held in Promenade Hall at 6:30 PM for ticket holders, doors open at 6:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased online at overture.org/wco or by calling the Overture box office at 608.258.4141.

The concert is titled after Beethoven’s iconic masterpiece “Symphony No. 5” which concludes the concert, but it opens with “More Seasons” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Michael Abels. Abels recently visited Madison in October 2024 as one of the composers on WCO’s “Convergence” live performance album recording that will release this summer. Abels is known for his ability to seamlessly blend genres, and this work sets the stage for “Cello Concerto No. 2” by Victor Herbert. The orchestra will be joined by internationally acclaimed cellist Amit Peled to perform this piece from the late Romantic era, bringing forth the soulful richness of the cello in a dialogue with the orchestra.

“The response to our programming under Andrew’s tenure has been truly inspiring,” said WCO CEO Joe Loehnis. “Audiences are feeling the connection, and we’re feeling the true sense of community on concert nights. It’s like having all your friends together to share and take part in what you love. We’re also finding that over 50% of our audience members meet someone new at our concerts or post-concert events, which is incredible. Music is always better with friends, and we’re thrilled to be welcoming so many new faces into our space.”

REPERTOIRE

ABELS | “More Seasons”

VICTOR HERBERT | “Cello Concerto No. 2 in E minor, Op. 30”

BEETHOVEN | “Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67" 

ABOUT AMIT PELED

Praised by “The Strad” magazine and “The New York Times”, internationally renowned cellist Amit Peled is acclaimed as one of the most exciting and virtuosic instrumentalists on the concert stage today. Having performed in many of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., Salle Gaveau in Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, and the Konzerthaus Berlin, Peled has released over a dozen recordings on the Naxos, Centaur, Delos, and CTM Classics labels. Read his full biography here.

“Beethoven’s Fifth” will take place on Friday, March 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM in Capitol Theater at the Overture Center for the Arts. Single Tickets can be purchased online at overture.org/wco or by calling the Overture box office at 608.258.4141.

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.

About the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra: Maestro Andrew Sewell and the musicians of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) bring national caliber music to more than 250,000 music lovers annually. No other arts organization in Wisconsin performs free for more people each year. Founded in 1960, the WCO is one of Madison’s gems, a national caliber chamber orchestra behind the now four-decade summer tradition of Concerts on the Square. The WCO also presents the classical Masterworks series at the Overture Center, the annually sold-old Messiah, and education concerts for families and children. In 2021, the WCO launched its first Composer in Residence program, bringing in acclaimed composer, author, musician, and professor Dr. Bill Banfield to write major works while in residence. While headquartered in Madison, the orchestra has played around the state. To learn more about the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra visit wcoconcerts.org.