Spanish Brass @ UWP

The Center for the Arts Performing Arts Series at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville presents Spanish Brass October 8th at 7:30pm.

Since its founding in 1989, brass quintet Spanish Brass, has strived to give special emphasis to originality and innovation. Its schedule of many worldwide concert tours is complemented by chamber music courses for brass ensembles, concerts for brass quintet and orchestra and by CD recording sessions and radio broadcasts.

Members are constantly on the lookout for original new works written by dedicated contemporary composers and by highly talented young composers. They also have to their credit the regular commissioning of new works, which they premiere around the world. Their programs reflect their high artistic standards and their eclecticism, always taking advantage of their Latin temperament and elegance.

Famous throughout Spain, the five virtuosos were invited in 1995 to play for the awards ceremony of the prestigious annual Prize of Asturia, which was held at the Campoamor Grand Theater in Oviedo, Spain.

Since then, Spanish Brass has experienced a dazzling and spectacular international career. Each of their concerts, from Hong Kong to New York, Krakow to Verona, Gothenburg to Bonn, or Kiev to Lisbon confirms their special ability to delight their legion of fans and admirers, whose numbers are continually increasing.

Fred Mills, an ex-Canadian Brass member who lives in Athens, Ga., says, "Not only are the Spanish Brass virtuosi, I would say the musical result is sheer poetry. They have achieved a unique standing in today's music world developing their own individualistic quality. ... They have the ability, fantastic dynamic range and maintain a rhythmic intensity whether performing flamenco music or J.S. Bach."

Tickets for this event are $18 for General Admission $16 for Faculty and Senior Citizens $12 for Kids Under 18 and $6 for UWP Students (with current ID).

Tickets are available through the University Box Office in the Center for the Arts the University Box Office is open Monday through Friday 8am-5pm and can be reached by calling (608)-342-1298. The University Box Office is located in newly renovated Ullsvik Hall located at the intersection of Hickory and Main Streets in Platteville. Tickets are now available online 24/7 at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu. More information on the Performing Arts Series and other performance events can be found at http://uwplatt.edu/arts/cfa.

Cutting Edge

Touring company's razor, 'meat pies' and barbershop drop in at UW-P
By The Telegraph herald


The Demon Barber of Fleet Street -- bloody razor, suspicious "meat pies" and all -- will make a national touring company stop on the stage of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Center for the Arts, as part of the Performing Arts Series.

Tickets are on sale for a one-night performance of "Sweeney Todd," Sunday, Oct. 5.

The Stephen Sondheim musical -- made into a 2007 movie starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter -- is based on a 19th century legend about a London barber. After an evil judge takes his wife and child away from him, the barber plans his revenge with a businesswoman named Mrs. Lovett.

She has a meat pie establishment conveniently located near Todd's barbershop.

The national touring company includes a cast of 10 actor/musicians. It is produced by NETworks Presentations, whose production of "Rent" was part of UW-Platteville's 2005-06 art series.

The Wall Street Journal called it, "The greatest musical of the past half-century."

Director and designer John Doyle's Broadway production opened in 2005, winning Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for best revival of a music. The production also won a special citation by the New York Drama Critics Circle.

News You Can Use
What: "Sweeney Todd," a musical thriller
Who: The national touring company
When: 7 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 5
Where: Center for the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Cost: $32, general admission; $28 for children younger than 18; call the box office at 608-342-1298 or purchase tickets online at http://ticket.uwplatt.edu

Annual High School Choral Festival features UWP and area choirs

Approximately 200 area high school singers will have the opportunity to practice and perform with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's and women's choirs on Oct. 7 at the 2008 High School Choral Festival.

Groups of students representing area high schools have been invited to work with the UWP men's and women's choirs all day on Oct. 7 in preparation for a joint performance that evening. The UWP and area high school men's choir will be performing "Silent Noon" by Ralph Von Williams, "The Pasture" by Randall Thompson and two other pieces. The UWP and area high school women's choir will be performing a spiritual entitled "Jordan's Angles," and a Spanish piece called "No Puedo Apartarme," in addition to two other pieces.

Bob Demaree, UWP associate professor of music and director of choral activities, commented on the importance of this experience to participants. "This is a unique event because the students who come are spilt up according to gender," Demaree said. "The high school students get the opportunity to sing with more mature voices all day and this is often an inspiring experience for them."

The High School Choral Festival performance will be held at 7 p.m. in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall in the Center for the Arts on the UWP campus. Everyone is welcome to attend. Ticket prices are $5 for adults, UWP faculty and senior citizens and $3 for individuals under the age of 18 and UWP students with a valid ID. Tickets are available through the University Box Office at (608) 342-1298 or at tickets.uwplatt.edu. For more information, contact Demaree at (608) 342-1446 or demaree@uwplatt.edu.

Rountree Ensemble perform recital benefitting music scholarships

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Rountree Ensemble, UWP's chamber music ensemble-in-residence, will perform its first concert of the season on Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Featured in this concert will be pianist Eugene Alcalay, flutist Margaret Cornils, clarinetist John Marco and bassoonist Barry Ellis - all members of the ensemble and faculty members at UWP. The concert will include a varied program of music by Bach, Piazzolla, Stravinsky, Schumann and others.

Ticket sales for this concert will benefit the UWP music scholarship fund. Marco, clarinetist and artistic director of the Rountree Ensemble, said, "It's a pleasure to be able to help bring in more talented students to the excellent music program UWP has to offer."

The concert will be held in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall at the UWP Center for the Arts, located on the UWP campus. Tickets are available through the University Box Office located on the ground floor of Ullsvik Hall. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (608) 342-1298 or at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu. Tickets are also available from the CFA location beginning one hour before ticketed performances. General admission for the concert is $10. Admission for senior citizens and UWP students with a valid ID is $4.

In addition to the concert on Sept. 24, Rountree Ensemble concerts will also take place on Nov. 19, Feb. 18, 2009 and March 29, 2009. For more information, contact Marco at (608) 342-1123 or marcoj@uwplatt.edu.

Eugene Alcalay to perform at faculty piano recital

PLATTEVILLE- Eugene Alcalay, University of Wisconsin-Platteville associate professor of piano, will be performing a selection of classical piano pieces at a faculty recital on Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. The program includes a Bach Prelude and Fugue, the Brahms Waltzes, a Beethoven Sonata and a Chopin Sonata. Alcalay recently performed these pieces at a recital in St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, England. "I have a very special connection with the Bach piece and have played it for many years. It contains an amazing five-voice Fugue," Alcalay said.


The sonata that will be performed is one of Beethoven's two fantasy-sonatas. It is a four-movement piece, played without any pauses. According to Alcalay, the 30-minute, four-movement Chopin Sonata is one of the most important piano works of the Romantic era. The faculty recital performance is free of charge. It will take place in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall in the Center for the Arts on the UWP campus. For more information, contact Alcalay at (608) 342-1292 or alcalaye@uwplatt.edu.

On Sept. 14, Alcalay will be performing the Brahms, Beethoven and Chopin live on Wisconsin Public Radio. The concert can be heard at 12:30 p.m. on WPR, 88.7 FM or on the website at wpr.org.

Contact: Eugene Alcalay, associate professor of piano, department of performing and visual arts, (608) 342-1292, alcalaye@uwplatt.edu Written by: Anne Killian, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, killiana@uwplatt.edu

Project @ Noon

Sneak peek at the amazing group Project this noon (9/9/08) at the sculptures between the Student Center and Boebel Hall. Stop down for a little preview of the concert they will give tonight at 7:30pm. Info on PROJECT!

Sweeney Todd tour makes Platteville stop

PLATTEVILLE-The Center for the Arts Performing Arts Series at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville presents the national tour of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, October 5th at 7pm.

Sweeney Todd is based on the 19th century legend of a London barber driven to a life of crime after a malevolent judge takes his wife and child from him. Sweeney’s plan for revenge includes a cutthroat partnership with Mrs. Lovett, an enterprising businesswoman, who is soon producing the tastiest meat pies in London.

This exciting and innovative new production features a multi-talented ensemble of ten talented actor/musicians. The Wall Street Journal says, “The greatest musical of the past half-century has returned in a staging of the utmost force and originality!” and Time Out New York calls Doyle’s revival “the most addictively delicious dish on Broadway in years!”

Original direction and design by Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards winner John Doyle; recreated by Adam Hunter; Sweeney Todd features the music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler from an adaptation by Christopher Bond, with music supervision by David Loud. The creative team also includes Paul Miller for lighting design, based on original design by Richard Jones, and Shannon Slaton for sound design.

Doyle’s production of Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 2005 to universal critical acclaim where it won the Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Revival of a Musical, and was awarded a Special Citation by the New York Drama Critics Circle. The Sweeney Todd tour is produced by NETworks Presentations, LLC whose sell-out production of “Rent” was featured in the 2005-2006 Art Series season.

For more information on Sweeney Todd, please visit the tour website, www.sweeneyontour.com.

Tickets for this event are $32 for General Admission $30 for Faculty and Senior Citizens $28 for Kids Under 18 and $18 for UWP Students (with current ID).

Tickets are available through the University Box Office in the Center for the Arts the University Box Office is open Monday through Friday 8am-5pm and can be reached by calling (608)-342-1298. The University Box Office is located in newly renovated Ullsvik Hall located at the intersection of Hickory and Main Streets in Platteville. Tickets are now available online 24/7 at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu. More information on the Performing Arts Series and other performance events can be found at http://uwplatt.edu/arts/cfa.

Special Announcement - 'Wicked' / 'Rent' Star to visit Platteville

The Center for the Arts Performing Arts Series University of Wisconsin-Platteville has announced a special performance by Idina Menzel November 3rd at 7:30pm.

Idina Menzel who reached superstardom on Broadway in two career-defining roles, her Tony Award winning performance in the musical blockbuster "Wicked" and her tony nominated performance in "Rent", comes to Platteville for one unforgettable night.

Idina is touring in support of her self-written album “I Stand”. The performance will feature songs from this album as well as numbers from “Wicked” and “Rent.

Idina Menzel's Warner Bros. Records debut album, "I Stand" is a powerful collection of exquisite new songs written by the Tony Award winning actress/singer/songwriter. With Idina’s one-of-a-kind soaring voice and the talent of legendary Grammy winning producer Glen Ballard, the final outcome is an album filled with pop tunes and heartfelt ballads, intimate yet universal stories of life, its challenges, relationships and of course - the subject of love.

Inspired by artists like Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand - triple threats who have conquered stage, film and success as recording artists, Idina Menzel stands poised to embark on her ultimate challenge, a solo artist singing her very own songs.

Tickets for this event become available on September 16th, and are $25 for General Admission and $15 for UWP Students (with current ID).

Tickets are available through the University Box Office in the Center for the Arts the University Box Office is open Monday through Friday 9am-5pm and can be reached by calling (608)-342-1298. The University Box Office is located in newly renovated Ullsvik Hall located at the intersection of Hickory and Main Streets in Platteville. Tickets are now available online 24/7 at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu. More information on the Performing Arts Series and other performance events can be found at http://uwplatt.edu/arts/cfa.

Special Announcement Coming Tomorrow!!

Watch for an announcement about a special ADDED SHOW at the CFA. Mark your calendars and clear your schedule for November 3rd right now. You will want to be at the CFA that night. Trust me...do it now.

The announcement will be made tomorrow - look for it!