Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

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J. Henry Fair

A close-up of Elissa Lee Koljonen.

Elissa Lee Koljonen

The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra starts its 2022-23 Masterworks series with the program “Two American Masters” — the masters in this case being guest violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen and 20th century African American composer Florence Price. Koljonen has played around the world with symphonies and in chamber music settings, and makes her Madison debut at this concert with a performance of Scottish Fantasy by Max Bruch. Price's Symphony No. 1 in E Minor closes the concert, which also includes the overture from The Hebrides by Felix Mendelssohn. A lecture (at 6:30 p.m.) and post-show talk back, both hosted by WCO music director Andrew Sewell, bookend the concert.

press release: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra returns to the Capitol Theater on Friday November 18 for the first of five concerts in our Masterworks series. 

Two women lead our opening concert of the season. Violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen makes her WCO debut with Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, and Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1 in E minor closes the concert. An early nineteenth century work by Felix Mendelssohn titled The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave) Overture, Op.26 sets the stage.

Standard tickets start at $34.50 and are available at the Overture Center box office. Student rush tickets are available for just $15, day of show only. The concert begins at 7:30 pm. 

Join us before the concert for a discussion with Maestro Sewell and our guest artist from 6:30 to 7:00 pm. Doors open at 6:00 pm. Admission is free with your ticket. 

The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra has a new subscription offer available to college students for the upcoming Masterworks Concert season. College students, with valid student ID, can see all five concerts for only $50 or three concerts for $42.

“We’re striving to bring people closer to classical music, showcasing the breadth and depth of composers and artists creating absolutely remarkable work,” said Andrew Sewell, Music Director. “Masterworks is a musical experience unlike any other, and we can’t wait to kick things off in November.”

Artist bio:

Recognized as one of the most celebrated violinists of her generation, Elissa Lee Koljonen has thrilled audiences and critics in over one hundred cities throughout the world. Ms. Koljonen initially received international acclaim when she became the first recipient of the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Award and silver medalist of the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition. Her playing has been hailed by the Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki) as "sparkling, sensual and personal." Dan Tucker of the Chicago Tribune has written that "she displayed boundless technique and musicianship.”

Ms. Koljonen's engagements have included a return to the Philadelphia Orchestra to perform the Shostakovich Violin Concerto #1, her debut in Spain with James Judd and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, performances with José-Luis Novo and the orchestras in Annapolis and Binghamton, the Delaware Symphony, Reading Symphony, the Kimmel Center's Summer Solstice and the Philadelphia premiere of Behzad Ranjbaran's Violin Concerto with JoAnn Falletta. She has also made appearances with the Boston Pops, Minnesota Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic and the symphonies of Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Helsinki and Seoul. Ms. Koljonen has collaborated with such noted conductors as Mattias Bamert, James DePriest, Lawrence Foster, Richard Hickox, Neeme Järvi, Louis Lane, Andrew Litton, Eiji Oue and the late Bryden Thompson.

She has performed in some of the world's most important venues, including the Musikverein in Vienna, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Barbican Centre in London, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Seoul Arts Center, the Symphony Hall in Boston, and the Academy of Music and Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Also an avid chamber musician, Ms. Koljonen appears regularly at festivals throughout North America, Europe and Asia. She garnered critical acclaim for her debut at the Queen Elisabeth Hall in London and her appearances with the London Mozart Players and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo in a special concert celebrating the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi Dynasty.

Ms. Koljonen is a protégée of the great Aaron Rosand at the Curtis Institute of Music. Incorporating his influence, she carries on the legacy and tradition of Leopold Auer and his legendary school of violin playing.

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.