Madison Symphony Orchestra

Dario Acosta
A close-up of Joseph Young.
Joseph Young
ig emotions, bold storytelling, and music that stays with you long after the final note — this program, titled “Yearning,” will deliver. Barber’s Second Essay for Orchestra sets the tone with taut, expressive drama before the genre-bending string trio Time for Three joins the MSO for Kevin Puts’ Contact, a Grammy-winning work that turned into an unexpected anthem of longing during the pandemic. Then comes Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, with guest conductor Joseph Young leading selections from one of the most cinematic, searingly beautiful ballet scores ever written. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on April 11-12 and 2:30 p.m. on April 13.
media release: The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) presents “Yearnings”, the April concerts featuring the third and final Guest Conductor of the season, Joseph Young, and genre-bending string trio Time for Three. Young gives us an idea of what to anticipate in this exciting concert – “This program is an aural invitation into the ideals of peace, love, and connection that carries forward long after the final notes.” The concert begins with Samuel Barber’s concise and dramatic Second Essay for Orchestra. Next, violinists Nicolas Kendall and Charles Yang, along with double bassist Ranaan Meyer, otherwise known as Time for Three, join the Symphony performing Kevin Puts’ Contact, a Grammy-winning piece written specifically for the group. Intended to premiere in the summer of 2020, Contact took on new meaning as an expression of yearning for human contact during the peak of the pandemic. Maestro Young’s selection of movements from one of the greatest ballet scores of the 20th century, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, will leave us longing for more.
“Yearnings” performances will take place on Friday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 13 at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.