Wisconsin Art Song Project

Let Us Know!!!

2009-03-08T17:34:00.001-05:00

Hi Friends! Let us know you've visited the site and write a comment!!! Feel free to also leave comments and suggestions on what YOU'D like to see in meetings or on the blog!!! Also, share this with your friends! The more the merrier!

Congratulations to Kristin Schwecke!!!

2009-02-18T14:23:00.002-06:00

Congrats to Kristin Schwecke who won the first round of the Bel Canto competition! She now moves on to the preliminaries at the end of the month! For more information on this competition, you can visit their website at http://www.belcantofoundation.org/index.htm

Kathy Otterson & Susan Goeres Recital

2009-02-06T10:59:00.001-06:00

Sunday, February 15 at 2:30 pm Edgewood College St. Joseph Chapel

Mezzo Soprano Kathleen Otterson and pianist Susan Goeres present an afternoon of music by Johannes Brahms, including the “Liebeslieder” waltzes, Op. 52, for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, and piano-four-hands. They will be joined by Rebekah and Robert Demaree (UW Platteville); Tom Weis (Carroll University); and Edgewood’s Julie Page. Also on the program will be solo songs and selected duets by the inimitable Mr. Brahms.

There is a $7 admission charge which benefits the Music Scholarship Fund at Edgewood. The the St. Joseph Chapel is handicapped-accessible. Parking on campus is free and requires no permit on Sundays. Please come!

“New Music Collaboration Between Singer and Composer”

2009-01-28T13:02:00.001-06:00

“New Music Collaboration Between Singer and Composer”

This semester, members of WASP and the composition studio (and perhaps other singers and composers who are interested, depending on the balance between performers and composers) will be working on a collaborative project, the goal being to produce a new art song that has been written with special concern for the performer's unique abilities while also honoring the composer’s voice.

Ideally, one singer will be paired with one composer. In the event that there are more singers than composers (which is the more likely scenario), one composer might work with two or more singers to produce an ensemble piece. After the pairings have been decided, it is up to the composer and performer to discuss what sort of piece should be created, what sort of text should be used, what instrument or instruments might be employed if any at all, and so forth. I encourage performers to embrace so-called extended techniques that the composer might employ. At the same time, the composer must honor the performer’s concerns such as problems with range, awkward settings of vowels, or whatever performance issues that might develop. This project should help the composer learn how to improve their voice writing, while the performer at the same time expands their musical experience with new ways of singing.

Above all, this should be an invaluable learning experience for both performer and composer. Performers should not be afraid to ask how composers work or to tell them how the piece could be improved. Likewise, composers should not hesitate to stretch the performer's ear and get them to try “new” ways of singing. After all, this is “new music.” Most importantly, however, the composer and performer should nurture a healthy working relationship to produce some wonderful art song.

The composer-performer pairing should meet at least once every other week for at least an hour so that the performer can try out what the composer has written while the work is being written. This should equate to about four meetings total before the score is due. The score must be completed, proofread, camera-ready, and bound by 28 March, and it should be no more than five minutes long. Should parts need to be prepared, they also must be ready by the same date. The performer must then be prepared to perform the piece for a recital at the end of April or early May, a date and at a venue yet to be decided. As the semester progresses, the performer-composer duo should expect to be asked to present their piece (whether complete or not) at a WASP meeting.

More details to follow as the project takes a firmer shape, and I look forward to the new music that develops this semester. Please contact me with questions: tclang@wisc.edu

James Kryshak lecturing on his findings in the library!

2009-01-27T08:41:00.001-06:00

Jim talked about the composer Mompou and then sang for us! Jeff Gibbens played piano.

Message from Justin Smith about the UW-Madison Arts Enterprise Symposium

2009-01-19T22:38:00.002-06:00

Hello Friends,

I hope you all are well. I believe I mentioned the UW–Madison Arts Enterprise Symposium in one of our meetings, but haven't followed up with you about it. Here is a link for more information and registration: http://www.artsenterprise.wisc.edu/symposium.html. I can't begin to tell you how exited I am that this is happening. As artists we sometimes forget that we are also business people and this type of thing can really give us a new perspective on life as a musician. If you have any questions, I am available. In addition, I am really looking forward to another exiting semester of sharing the gift of song with one another.

Justin

Animal Outreach!

2009-01-19T11:37:00.003-06:00

At our first meeting of the month, Jennifer Sams hopes to present an outreach she's been working on for the elementary school level! We're still looking for people to perform in collaboration with Jenn's powerpoint! We would love to get your opinions on the presentation before we try to present it in schools. Also, we would love YOU to be a part of it! Let Jennifer know you are interested! Performing in outreach looks GREAT on your resume and is helpful for those of you wanting to be educators!

Songs included in this outreach are 'I bought me a cat' -by Aaron Copland, 'The Cat Duet' -by Gioacchino Rossini, 'Die Forelle' -by Franz Schubert, 'The Ape, the Monkey and Baboon' -by Thomas Morley and 'The Farewell song of the Birds of Passage' -by Felix Mendelssohn.

Welcome!

2009-01-08T13:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the first posting of the Wisconsin Art Song Project!

Our first meeting will be Monday, January 26th in room 1351 of the Humanities building on the UW campus.

If anybody is interested in performing, please email wiscwasp@gmail.com.

Remember, even if you aren't interested in performing, we urge you to come and support your colleagues!

We can't wait to see you there!!!

WASP