Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
courtesy Gold Sound Media
A close-up of Stewart Goodyear.
Stewart Goodyear
media release: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) presents “Transcendence” on Friday, October 9, at 7:30 PM in Capitol Theater at Overture Center for the Arts. The fourth concert and live performance recording in the WCO’s five-year, five-album Musical Landscapes in Color project, “Transcendence” features five living Black American composers whose music explores spiritual, emotional, and artistic boundaries. Sponsors include lead sponsor American Family Insurance, and sponsors Madison Community Foundation, Endres Manufacturing, and Deirdre Garton.
Subscriptions and flex passes are on sale and can be purchased online at wcoconcerts.org/subscribe or by phone at 608.257.0638 x109. Packages including “Transcendence” start at 3 concerts for as little as $32/concert. Single ticket prices start at just $15 and can be purchased online at wcoconcerts.org/transcendence or by calling 608.258.4141. Save on fees by visiting the Overture Center Box Office in person during hours at 201 State Street.
Playful, resilient, and contemporary, “Transcendence” explores music that reaches beyond boundaries. Quenton Blache’s “Habari Gani” opens the program with a title drawn from the Swahili greeting heard during Kwanzaa, setting a tone of reflection and community. Pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear takes the stage for his own “Piano Concerto”, a virtuosic work blending classical form with a contemporary voice. Our program continues with Brittany J. Green’s electrifying “TESTIFY!” and Carlos Simon’s “Movements for Flute”, featuring WCO principal flute Brandon LePage, a work that merges expressive lyricism with modern rhythmic drive. We close with Anthony Kelley’s “Spirituals of Liberation”, drawing on the enduring power of spiritual traditions and their message of hope.
Spearheaded by the WCO in collaboration with Composer in Residence Dr. William Banfield, Musical Landscapes in Color was created to expand the orchestral canon by performing, recording live, and elevating the work of composers of color. Each program is performed and recorded live, creating albums that can introduce this music to the classical music industry and encourage orchestras and ensembles around the country and internationally to program these works more widely.
“For us, Musical Landscapes in Color is about making sure the music we perform reflects the community we serve” says Joe Loehnis, CEO. “There are so many incredible Black American composers whose music deserves to be heard more often, and we have an opportunity to help change that. Through this project, we’re not only bringing these voices to our Madison audiences but also creating a lasting record of their work and helping open the door for these pieces to be performed by orchestras around the country and around the world.”
“One of the really special things about this project is getting to work directly with the composers in the rehearsal room” Music Director Andrew Sewell says. “We can ask what they were hearing when they wrote a particular passage, what they want us to emphasize, and why they made certain choices. You don’t always get that opportunity, most times you’re interpreting the score and relying on what’s been passed down. It makes the whole process incredibly rewarding when it comes alive and gives us a deeper connection to the music.”
“Transcendence” brings together Quenton Blache’s “Habari Gani for Orchestra,” Stewart Goodyear’s “Piano Concerto,” Brittany J. Green’s “TESTIFY!,” Carlos Simon’s “Movements for Flute” and Anthony Kelley’s “Spirituals of Liberation.” Together, the works create a musical journey through reflection, celebration and resilience.
Internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear returns to the WCO as both soloist and composer. Goodyear has performed with the WCO multiple times throughout his career, including performances that helped open the Capitol Theater in 2005 and a 2024 appearance in which he performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27. He returns to Madison following a summer that included performances with the Grant Park Music Festival and Peninsula Music Festival, among other international and U.S. engagements.
WCO Principal Flute Brandon LePage is featured in Carlos Simon’s “Movements for Flute.” LePage was one of the musicians involved in commissioning the work, making his performance with the WCO a continuation of a project he helped bring to life. The piece combines expressive lyricism with modern rhythmic drive.
Brittany J. Green’s “TESTIFY!” brings another important connection to the broader orchestral field. The work was commissioned through the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program, an initiative of the League of American Orchestras in partnership with the American Composers Orchestra. The program is designed to create opportunities for composers and increase the presence of new works on orchestra stages. “TESTIFY!” has since received performances by orchestras around the country, including the Oregon Symphony in 2026.
“Transcendence” will be performed and recorded live, continuing the WCO’s commitment to creating recordings that can carry these composers’ music beyond a single performance or a single community. The entire Musical Landscapes in Color project was made possible by lead sponsor American Family Insurance. The first three Musical Landscapes in Color recordings — “Harmony in Black,” “Convergence” and “Endeavor” — have established a growing body of recorded work by living composers of color. Those recordings can be found anywhere you stream music including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
“Transcendence” is part of WCO’s 26/27 Subscription packages which are now on sale. Single tickets are available through the Overture Center Box Office at 608.258.4141 or online at wcoconcerts.org.
About the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions ProgramThe Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program is an initiative of the League of American Orchestras in partnership with the American Composers Orchestra and made possible by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Since its inception in 2014, the program has supported commissions and career development for women and nonbinary composers, with commissioned works receiving performances by orchestras across the country. The program also builds opportunities for composers and orchestras to collaborate through rehearsals, education and community engagement.
