Calling all WYSO Alums! Join us on Saturday, December 21th at the WYSO Center for Music for the 2024 WYSO Alumni Morning Reading Orchestra & Evening Recital. Perform with and hear performances by distinguished WYSO alumni.

WYSO Alumni Reunion Morning Reading Orchestra & Evening Recital

WYSO Center for Music

This film was produced in Iowa with Iowa filmmakers.  The project started as a short film, with same name, that screened at the Snake Alley Festival of Film in 2019.   This is the feature length that developed from that short film.

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Knee High

Overture Center for the Arts

Jun and Sandy Lee are generously sponsoring an evening of masterful musicianship to Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO). Throughout the years, the WCO has continued to enrich the lives of the Madison community with a wide array of diverse programming–from performances in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center to the outdoor beauty of Concerts on the Square. This evening’s program features works by Brahms, Beethoven, and Dvorak, showcasing the tremendous talents of the orchestra and the evening’s guest soloists: Jessica & Michael Shinn, piano and Mark Kosower, cello.

Winter Celebration

Hamel Music Center

Welcome to musical comedy heaven! Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott and direction from Michael Mayer, this love letter to the theater has the whole shebang!

Funny Girl

For three decades, America's Favorite Dragapella® Beautyshop Quartet has delighted audiences worldwide with their award-winning cappella singing, sharp satire and flamboyant drag. With an impressive record spanning Off-Broadway, Vegas, films, albums and global tours, they've earned a devoted following for their unforgettable blend of music and comedy.

The Kinsey Sicks

Get ready to laugh until your sides hurt with Baby Wants Candy, hailed by The Huffington Post as "pretty damn brilliant" and "pretty damn hilarious"! This acclaimed comedy troupe has wowed audiences worldwide with over 3,000 completely improvised musicals. With audience suggestions as their guide and a full band backing them up, each show is a whirlwind of spontaneous dance numbers, clever rhymes and jaw-dropping comedy.

Baby Wants Candy

"Shamilton" is a hilarious twist on "Hamilton," hailed by The New York Times as “one of the top 5 comedy shows to catch.” This hip-hop improv musical promises incredible songs, moving storytelling, stunning choreography and powerhouse singing... all made up on the spot! Join the “Shamilton” cast as they improvise an epic musical based on an historical figure of your choosing— from Genghis Khan to Dolly Parton to Air Bud. It's the show The Guardian calls "Brilliant 4 stars," The New York Times calls “One of the top 5 comedy shows to catch” and Lin-Manuel Miranda calls "cease and desist!"

Shamilton

Immerse yourself in an enchanting circus adventure within a cozy tent. Witness a world of wonder unfold from a simple fabric puddle as an all-female troupe of bold acrobats captivates you with mesmerizing juggling, Cyr wheel spins, breathtaking duo trapeze acts, unique rope performances, and awe-inspiring feats of balance and strength. Trust is key in this limited 100-person experience as audience and performers co-create the show. Be prepared to sit, stand and roam in this interactive spectacle, where community and wonder merge for a fleeting, magical moment.

Brave Space

America’s 88th-most beloved Chinese actor, Chris Grace celebrates the life of actor Scarlett Johansson through stand-up comedy, stage combat and the songs of Tom Waits. This show reimagines what is and isn’t possible… or appropriate… in the life of an artist. Conceived and written by Grace, who you may recognize as Jerry from NBC’s “Superstore.” 

Chris Grace as Scarlett Johansson

Embark on a riveting journey through time with paleontologist Dr. Lindsay Zanno as she unveils the secrets behind T. rex's rise to dominance amidst a climate crisis 66 million years ago. Join her expedition through the North America’s badlands as she searches for clues in the evolutionary mystery of this iconic apex predator, discovering many new species along the way—including some of the earliest predecessors of T. rex.

Rise of T. rex with Paleontologist Lindsay Zanno

Great things come in threes, and this performance is no exception, showcasing three of Beethoven’s masterworks, all composed within about three years of each other. We begin with the dramatic Leonore Overture No. 3. Next, we bring an exquisite trio of soloists together: violinist Gil Shaham, his sister, pianist Orli Shaham, and exceptional cellist Sterling Elliott. Together, they play Beethoven’s all-too-infrequently-performed “Triple Concerto.” Beethoven’s miraculous Symphony No. 2, an early but groundbreaking work written at the dawning of his realization that he was going deaf, takes this concert to an emotional close.

Beethoven x3

A convergence of Baroque elegance, vibrant contemporary rhythms and romanticism is the focus for the second concert of our Masterworks season. Showcasing eighteenth-century Baroque Italian elegance, Alessandro Scarlatti’s Sinfonie di concerto grosso No. 2 in D opens the concert. Next up is the riotously colorful concerto for violin and orchestra by Arturo Márquez, Fandango based on Mariachi music. The orchestra will be joined by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who will bring Marquez's composition to life, infusing it with passion and rhythmic energy. Concluding the evening is a rarely performed early work by Camille Saint-Saëns, his Symphony in A major.

Masterworks II - Márquez & Meyers

Experience the world's premier big band, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra directed by Wynton Marsalis. Marsalis, hailed as the "Pied Piper" and "Doctor of Swing,” is a trumpeter, composer and advocate of American culture. The group performs a vast repertoire of music, from historic and rare compositions, including works by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams and Charles Mingus, to new music from the group’s unrivalled collection of world-renowned composers and arrangers. This is your invitation to enjoy an unforgettable evening with the best jazz performers in the country.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Born in the slums of Buenos Aires “one day when God was drunk,” María turns to the city in a desperate quest for freedom, falling in love with its tango rhythms. A dark, surreal story told in song and dance, this “tango opera” by the legendary Argentine composer Ástor Piazzolla has been widely acclaimed since its 1968 premiere.

María de Buenos Aires

The second Madison Symphony Orchestra MSO at the Movies of the season presents Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert featuring the complete film with composer John Williams’ iconic Oscar®-winning score performed live to the film. Since the release of this first Star Wars movie over 45 years ago, the Star Wars saga has had a seismic impact on both cinema and culture, inspiring audiences around the world with its mythic storytelling, captivating characters, groundbreaking special effects and iconic musical scores composed by Williams. Fans will experience the scope and grandeur of this beloved film in a live symphonic concert experience.

Star Wars: A New Hope

The Peking Acrobats® redefine Chinese acrobatics, dazzling audiences with daring chair stacks, trick-cycling, tumbling, juggling and gymnastics. Pushing human limits, they defy gravity through contortion, flexibility and control. Rooted in centuries of Chinese history and folk art, their performance is an opportunity to experience this rich tradition with the modern wonders of the 21st century. Accompanied by live musicians, traditional Chinese sounds blend with high-tech effects, creating a festive entertainment event.

The Peking Acrobats

An enchanting collaboration with Madison Ballet takes the stage for our third Masterworks concert of the season. Opening with the music of British composer Oliver Davis, the orchestra will perform nine movements of the Liberty suite as the stage comes alive with original choreography by Madison Ballet's Artistic Director and Choreographer, Ja' Malik. Witness the seamless integration of movement and sound with this pairing, a follow-up from a previous collaboration at Concerts on the Square with another work by Oliver Davis. The second half of the evening features Dvořák's timeless Serenade for Strings, a challenging work full of lush melodies and rich harmonies.

Masterworks III - Davis & Dvořák with Madison Ballet

A new first-ever Fraggle Rock stage show is set to tour from The Jim Henson Company and the Brad Simon Organization, featuring the characters of the beloved original Jim Henson series—currently celebrating its 40th anniversary—and starring in the hit Emmy Award-winning Apple TV+ reboot. Fraggle Rock LIVE will feature everyone’s favorites—Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs—on a brand-new, exciting, interactive, live musical adventure, perfect for all ages!

Fraggle Rock Live!

The lasting impact of two composers, Richard Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is explored through their final works in this concert. After opening with one of Strauss’ great tone poems Don Juan, soprano Amanda Majeski takes the stage with the orchestra for what Strauss himself called his Four Last Songs. Majeski, mezzo-soprano Kirsten Lippart, tenor Martin Luther Clark, bass Matt Boehler, and the Madison Symphony Chorus come together for Mozart’s Requiem, the work he wrote from his death bed and left unfinished. When he passed, his associate Franz Xaver Süssmayr completed the composition. It lives on as one of the most profoundly beautiful works ever created.

Legacy

Celebrate an early St. Patrick’s Day and the magic of Ireland with Danú, one of today’s premier traditional Irish ensembles. Delight in flute, fiddle, accordion and vocals as they blend ancient Irish music and vibrant new repertoire in high-energy performances.

Events in Madison, WI

WYSO Alumni Reunion Morni...

Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras

Knee High

The Capitol Theater

Winter Celebration

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

Funny Girl

Overture Center for the Arts

The Kinsey Sicks

Overture Center for the Arts

Baby Wants Candy

Overture Center for the Arts

Shamilton

Overture Center for the Arts

Brave Space

Overture Center for the Arts

Chris Grace as Scarlett J...

Overture Center for the Arts

Rise of T. rex with Paleo...

Overture Center for the Arts

Beethoven x3

Madison Symphony Orchestra

Masterworks II - Márquez ...

Overture Center for the Arts

Jazz at Lincoln Center Or...

Overture Center for the Arts

María de Buenos Aires

Madison Opera

Star Wars: A New Hope

Madison Symphony Orchestra

The Peking Acrobats

Overture Center for the Arts

Masterworks III - Davis &...

Overture Center for the Arts

Fraggle Rock Live!

Overture Center for the Arts

Legacy

Madison Symphony Orchestra

Danú

Overture Center for the Arts