Patrons invited to last Wisconsin performance ever for acclaimed string quartet and world-renowned chamber ensemble performance in September at Memorial Union
Posted: 08/30/22
The timeless beauty of music by Beethoven, Mozart, Robert Schumann, and Andrea Casarrubios will usher in the Wisconsin Union Theater’s renowned annual Concert Series in Shannon Hall at Memorial Union with performances by the Emerson String Quartet on Sept. 24 and the Manhattan Chamber Players on Sept. 29.
The official start of the 2022-2023 season is bittersweet as the event will be the only Wisconsin stop on a farewell tour wrapping up the Emerson String Quartet’s 47-year career. The musicians have been honored with nine GRAMMYs, three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year Award over nearly five decades.
The ensemble includes cellist Paul Watkins, violinist Eugene Drucker, violinist Philip Setzer, and violist Lawrence Dutton.
The Emerson String Quartet will perform the following compositions by Ludvig Van Beethoven:
- String Quartet in E minor, Op. 59 No. 2
- String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130
- Grosse Fuge in B-flat Major, Op. 133
Patrons only have to wait five days after the Quartet’s performance to enjoy a performance by the Manhattan Chamber Players at Shannon Hall on Sept. 29. The dynamic program spans centuries and will include:
- Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- “La Libertad Se Levantó Llorando” (“Liberty Rose Weeping”) by Andrea Casarrubios
- Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 by Robert Schumann
With its exuberant performance and instrumental prowess in the viola, violin, cello, piano, clarinet, flute, oboe, and harp, the Manhattan Chamber Players promises audience members not just a performance, but an experience.
The Wisconsin Union Theater’s chamber music series, the Concert Series, will continue through April 2023 with the following additional performances:
- Sō Percussion with Caroline Shaw, Nov. 5
- Geneva Lewis with Evren Ozel, Jan. 27, 2023
- Imani Winds, Feb. 5, 2023
- Anthony McGill with the UW–Madison Symphony Orchestra, April 4, 2023
- Danish String Quartet, April 18, 2023
The team offers virtual and in-person attendance options for all Concert Series shows.
Patrons can purchase an in-person ticket subscription to all Concert Series events at a 20% discount through Sept. 23 or until sold out. Patrons can also purchase single tickets to these performances. Wisconsin Union members, patrons under the age of 18, and University of Wisconsin–Madison students are eligible for discounted single tickets.
Patrons can purchase tickets online, by phone at (608) 265-2787 or in-person at the Memorial Union Box Office.
“The Emerson String Quartet and Manhattan Chamber Players performances at Shannon Hall are opportunities to experience technically challenging, beautiful compositions performed by some of the most talented artists in the world,” Wisconsin Union Theater Director Elizabeth Snodgrass said. “Shannon Hall is designed to provide exquisite, world-class performing arts experiences, from its acoustic design to its technology, and is the perfect opportunity to experience the full beauty of live music.”
Accomplished and renowned musicians have performed in Madison as part of the Wisconsin Union Theater’s more than century-long chamber music series, the Concert Series. Some Series artists, such as violinist Itzhak Perlman, were already world-renowned when they performed as part of a Wisconsin Union Theater season. Others rose further to fame after their Wisconsin Union Theater performance, such as mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett.
The Wisconsin Union Theater team presents the Concert Series in collaboration with UW-Madison students of the Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Performing Arts Committee. WUD, the programming board of the non-profit organization the Wisconsin Union, includes 11 committees and six clubs. Wisconsin Union Theater ticket purchases and purchases at the Union’s building Memorial Union, in part, support the hands-on professional and leadership development experiences offered through WUD.
Patrons can click here to learn more about the Concert Series performances.