Mead Witter School of Music

Colette Mouton - Senior Recital
2026-03-22 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live
Colette Mouton Senior Double Bass Recital
Colette Mouton, double bass
Braedon Krisko, double bass
Laura Perry, double bass
Thomas Holten, double bass
Catherine Briddell, viola
Amy Hartsough, piano
……
Program
Ascension of a Forgotten Battle Wendell Rosa
Catherine Briddell, viola
A Carmen Fantasy Frank Proto (b. 1941)
1. Prelude
2. Aragonaise
3. Nocturne – Michaela’s Aria
4. Toreador Song
5. Bohemian Dance
Amy Hartsough, piano
Intermission
Grande Allegro Di Concerto “alla Mendelssohn” Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889)
Amy Hartsough, piano
Symphony No. 5 Op. 47 Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)/arr. Carolyn White
II. Allegretto (Scherzo)
Thomas Holten, double bass
Braedon Krisko, double bass
Laura Perry, double bass

University Opera presents: Our Town
2026-03-22 14:00 | Music Hall, 925 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI, United States
Purchase tickets
General Public: $32
Senior: $27
Student (UW–Madison and all other): $10
Friday, March 20, 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 21, 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 22, 2 pm
Tuesday, March 24, 7:30 pm
Ned Rorem beautifully captures the atmosphere of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire at the turn of the 20th century in his operatic treatment of Thornton Wilder’s seminal play. His harmonic language juxtaposes an open feeling of Americana with dissonance, an apt setting for this tale. The Stage Manager character narrates the familiar story following young George Gibbs and Emily Webb and their parents as they fall in love and get married. And the last act’s poignant denouement occurs in the same way as it does in the play, as the dead remind us that life is short and we need to cherish it.
Panel Discussion
Free | No ticket required
Open to the public
March 22, 2026 at 12:30 pm
Music Hall
Panelists: Professor Mary Trotter (Department of Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies, UW–Madison), Professor Oriol Sans (Director of Orchestral Activities, UW–Madison), Chip Kidd (VP Art Director, Knopf Imprint Group, Penguin Random House Publishing), Ruby Dudasik (Ph.D. Candidate in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies, UW-Madison, Production Dramaturg)
Moderator: David Ronis

CANCELED Eleni Katz - Faculty Artist Series
2026-03-21 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
3/18/26 update: This recital has been canceled.
Mead Witter School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Eleni Katz, bassoon
Christopher Taylor, piano
Gabrielle Herbst, composer
Richard Brasseale, composer & saxophone
Marc Vallon, composer
Alicia Lee, clarinet
Jean Laurenz, trumpet
Dawn Wohn, violin
Matthew Zalkind, cello
……
Program

……
Hailed for her virtuosity and vibrant musical spirit, bassoonist Eleni Katz has established herself as a prominent soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Her “thoughtful and expressive” approach to music making has led her to performances by the bright blue waters of Bermuda to the lights of Carnegie Hall (San Diego Union Tribune). Eleni is a winner of the 2022 Concert Artist Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and has performed with the likes of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Currently, Eleni is bassoon teaching faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music.
As a classically trained singer from Iowa City, Katz has always believed that the bassoon should emulate the organic nature of the human voice and her approach to playing the bassoon has been described as “uncannily human” (The Royal Gazette). In 2021, she commissioned and premiered “Sea Glass Partita for Singing Bassoonist” with composer Lila Meretzky. Drawing its lyrics from a poem that Eleni composed, the piece intersperses bassoon performance with singing and visual projections. Since the performance of this work, Eleni has commissioned several other works for bassoon that are multidisciplinary experiences by Tanner Porter, Harry Castle, and Richard Brasseale. In May 2024, Eleni Katz co-released an album featuring Richard Brasseale’s composition Enlaced Friendship, a work based on her original poetry that premiered at the New World Symphony in April 2023.
A few of Eleni’s 25-26 season highlights include performances with Camerata Pacifica, Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, and a return to Phoenix Chamber Music Society. Other recent appearances include Tallgrass Chamber Music Festival, Highlands Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, Newport Classical, Ibagué Festival in Colombia, a California tour with the Concert Truck, Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, and the Lake George Music Festival. As an orchestral performer, Eleni has appeared with several groups across the country, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestra San Antonio, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Nu Deco Ensemble, and as a member of the New World Symphony.
Eleni received her B.M. at the University of Wisconsin’s Mead Witter School of Music under Marc Vallon. She earned her M.M and M.M.A degrees at the Yale School of Music, studying with Frank Morelli.

University Opera presents: Our Town
2026-03-21 19:30, 2026-03-20 19:30 | Music Hall, 925 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI, United States
Purchase tickets
General Public: $32
Senior: $27
Student (UW–Madison and all other): $10
Friday, March 20, 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 21, 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 22, 2 pm
Tuesday, March 24, 7:30 pm
Ned Rorem beautifully captures the atmosphere of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire at the turn of the 20th century in his operatic treatment of Thornton Wilder’s seminal play. His harmonic language juxtaposes an open feeling of Americana with dissonance, an apt setting for this tale. The Stage Manager character narrates the familiar story following young George Gibbs and Emily Webb and their parents as they fall in love and get married. And the last act’s poignant denouement occurs in the same way as it does in the play, as the dead remind us that life is short and we need to cherish it.

Timothy Sachtleben - Senior Recital
2026-03-21 17:00 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live
Timothy Sachtleben Senior Cello Recital
Timothy Sachtleben, cello
Julia Johnson, cello
Kate Zhu, piano
……
Program
Cello Sonata in C Major, G. 17 Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
I. Allegro
II. Largo assai
III. Rondo allegro
Sonata for Cello Solo (1948/53) György Ligeti (1923-2006)
I. Dialogo
II. Capriccio
Trois Strophes sur le nom de Sacher (1976/82) Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013)
I. Un poco indeciso
II. Andante sostenuto
III. Vivace
Sonata for Piano and Cello in A Major, Op. 69 (1808) Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
I. Allegro ma non tanto
II. Scherzo – Allegro molto
III. Adagio cantabile – Allegro vivace

Alex Fiedler - Master's Recital
2026-03-21 14:00 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Alex Fiedler Master’s Trombone Recital
Alex Fiedler, trombone
Vincent Fuh, piano
……
Program
Concerto Leopold Mozart (1719-1787)
Ballade Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Intermission
Sonata (Vox Gabrieli) Stjephan Sulek (1914-1986)
Transmission from Proxima B Spiros Mazis (b. 1957)
Piece in Eb minor Guy Ropartz (1864-1955)
……
Alex Fiedler is a trombonist who has performed in many different musical settings including orchestras, wind ensembles, big bands, jazz combos, rock bands, and brass quintets. Currently, Alex serves as a member of the 132D Army Band of the Wisconsin National Guard. Alex has also performed with the Tommy Dorsey Jazz Orchestra and the Joel Baer Bigband.

Hyeyeon Seok - DMA Lecture Recital
2026-03-21 11:00 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Hyeyeon Seok DMA Piano Lecture Recital
……
Program
Huit Préludes pour le piano Frank Martin (1890–1974)
Prelude No. 1: Grave
Prelude No. 2: Allegretto tranquillo
Prelude No. 3: Tranquillo ma con moto
Prelude No. 4: Allegro
Prelude No. 5: Vivace
Prelude No. 6: Andantino Grazioso
Prelude No. 7: Lento
Prelude No. 8: Vivace

William Preston - DMA Lecture Recital
2026-03-20 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
William Preston DMA Piano Lecture Recital
William Preston, piano
Deirdre Brenner, piano
Carolyn Van de Velde, violin
Zou Zou Robidoux, cello
……
Program
The County Mayo: The County Mayo, Peggy Mitchell, Inis Fal, In the Poppy Field
Phantasy Trio
Excerpts from Blind Raftery

Tom Lacy - DMA Recital
2026-03-20 16:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live
Tom Lacy DMA Oboe Recital
Tom Lacy, oboe
Wade Troyer, piano
……
Program
Three Piece Suite (1984) Madeline Dring (1923-1977)
Sonata in C Major, Op. 100 (1958) Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986)
Elegy (2020) and Mountain Song (2022) Chen Yi (b. 1953)
Serenade for Oboe and Piano (1945) Andres Jolivet (1905-1974)

Klez Fest - Laura Elkeslassy
2026-03-19 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Laura Elkeslassy – Ya Ghorbati: Divas in Exile
Music Direction: Ira Khonen Temple
Featuring Eylem Basaldi, Rachid Halihal, Ran Livneh, and Nizar Dahmani
In Ya Ghorbati: Divas in Exile, singer Laura Elkeslassy unearths the music and stories of Judeo-Arab divas from midcentury North Africa, weaving North African folk and sacred music, spanning from traditional Andalusi style, to popular Chaabi, to Francarabe cabaret. A retro-futurist musical experience, Ya Ghorbati: Divas in Exile summons the Arab Jewish cultures of a lost millennial world, offering a living testimony of what once was and of what could be.
……
Program

Thomas Holten - Elective Recital
2026-03-18 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Thomas Holten Elective Classical Guitar Recital
……
Program
Fugue, BWV 1000 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Intermezzo No. 1 Manuel Ponce (1882–1948)
(transcribed for two guitars by Jorge Martínez Zárate)
Felicidade Roland Dyens (1955–2016)
Intermission
Romance Amy Beach (1867–1944)/arr. Verster
Sonata No. 2 Adolf Míšek (1875–1955)
I. Con fuoco
II. Andante cantabile
III. Furiant
IV. Finale
Postlude (2015) Sam Suggs

Thomas Wieland - Master's Recital
2026-03-17 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Thomas Wieland Master’s Saxophone Recital
Thomas Wieland, tenor saxophone
Dan VanZeeland, piano
Alex Feucht, bass
Noah Brooks, drums
……
Program
Delta City Blues Michael Brecker (1949-2007
Timeline Pat Metheny (b. 1954)
I Hear A Rhapsody Baker/Fragos/Gasparre
Teru Wayne Shorter (1933-2023)
Bereft Thomas Wieland (b. 2002
The World Is On Fire Isaiah Collier (b. 1998)

Alexander Ferkey - DMA Recital
2026-03-16 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live
Alexander Ferkey DMA Double Bass Recital
Alexander Ferkey, double bass
Matthew Driver, piano
……
Program
Cello Sonata in A minor Edvard Grieg
Sonata for Solo Double Bass Pēteris Vasks
Sonata in E minor Vilmos Montag

Wind Ensemble - Student Ensemble Series
2026-03-16 19:30 | Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Purchase tickets
$20 general admission
Students free (ticket required)
Also streaming live
Scott Teeple, conductor
Herb Payung, R. Louis Vajda, and Ben Grochowsky, guest conductors
……
Program

Zachary George - Junior Recital
2026-03-15 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live
Zachary George Junior Clarinet Recital
Zachary George, clarinet
Eric Tran, piano
Michael Yu, piano
Kate Zhu, piano
Eva Perez, voice
Marissa Stolt, dance
……
Program
Introduction, Theme, and Variations for Clarinet and Orchestra Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)/arr. Ralph Herman
Time Pieces for Clarinet and Piano Robert Muczynski (1929-2010)
I. Allegro risoluto
II. Andante espressivo
III. Allegro moderato
IV. Introduction. Andante molto — Allegro energico
The Shepherd on the Rock Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Clarinet Sonata Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
I. Allegretto
II. Allegro animato
III. Lento
IV. Molto allegro
Bedtime Story Susanne Sundfør (b. 1986)
……
Zachary George is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, studying music with a focus in clarinet performance and mathematics. Growing up in the northwest Chicago suburbs, he spent 5 years as a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and was a four-time selectee of the Illinois Music Educators Association District 7 band.
He has worked in masterclasses with clarinetists such as Boris Allakhverdyan and Ayako Oshima, and is now going into his final year of his undergrad as a student under Alicia Lee. He is looking forward to continuing his studies in music in graduate school.

Skyla Coogan, Ronan Eichten, & Hailey Kjersten - Elective Recital
2026-03-15 17:00 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Skyla Coogan, Ronan Eichten, & Hailey Kjersten Elective Piano Recital

Tanner Day - Master's Recital
2026-03-15 14:00 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Tanner Day Master’s Percussion Recital

Kevin Friermood - DMA Recital
2026-03-15 11:00 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Kevin Friermood DMA Euphonium Lecture Recital
……
Program
Violin Sonata no. 1 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)/trans. Friermood
I. Adagio
II. Fuga
Cadenza for Solo Viola Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)/trans. Friermood
Cello Suite no. 1 Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)/trans. Friermood
I. Fugue
II. Lamento
III. Serenata
IV. Canzona
V. Interludio
VI. Allegro
Twelve Waltzes for Solo Bass Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846)/trans. Friermood
I. Vivace
III. Vivace
IV. Allegro
V. Vivace

Pro Arte Quartet - Faculty Ensemble Series
2026-03-14 19:30 | Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Purchase tickets
$20 general admission
Students free (ticket required)
Also streaming live
Mead Witter School of Music Faculty Ensemble Series
David Perry, violin
Suzanne Beia, violin
Sally Chisholm, viola
Parry Karp, violoncello
With special guest
Conor Nelson, flute
……
Program

Emma Hatch - Senior Recital
2026-03-14 17:00 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Emma Hatch Senior Voice Recital
Emma Hatch, voice
Wade Troyer, piano
……
Program
Cowboy Songs Libby Larsen
I. Bucking Bronco
II. Lift me into Heaven Slowly
III. Billy the Kid
Fiançailles pour rire Francis Poulenc
I. Dans l’herbe
II. Violon
III. Fleurs
Intermission
Songs of fields and prairies Jocelyn Hagen
I. Silent Noon
II. Lullaby
Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß (“Giuditta”) Franz Lehár
I Remember (“Evening Primrose”) Stephen Sondheim
Till there was you (“The Music Man”) Meredith Willson

Cadie Strahota and Ravlin Frantz - Elective Recital
2026-03-14 14:00 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live
Cadie Strahota and Ravlin Frantz Elective Percussion Recital
……
Program
Face 2 Face Heng Liu
Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum Claude Debussy (1862-1918)/trans. by L. H. Stevens
New Year’s Day Elliot Cole (b.1984)
Knock on Wood Joshua Webster (b.1998)
Watching Fall Rusty Burge (b.1964)
Subscribe, Like, Cringe, Follow Casey Cangelosi (b.1982)
Carousel David Friedman (b.1958) and Dave Samuels (1948-2019)

Josh Dieter - Senior Recital
2026-03-14 11:00 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Josh Dieter Senior Percussion Recital
Josh Dieter
Aaron Dieter
Dylan Chapman
Nick Ruplinger
Marley Van Domelen
Ryan Gomez
Van Maxwell
……
Program
Rust Caleb Pickering
Tap Oratory Casey Cangelosi
The Process of Invention Christopher Deane
Spiel Andy Akiho
One Study One Summary John Psathas
I. Etude
Khamsin Emmanuel Séjourné
Standing on The Shoulders of Giants Sebastian Havner
……
Josh Dieter is a senior at UW–Madison studying Music Performance, Actuarial Science, and Risk Management and Insurance. He has been part of UW-Madison’s Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, World Percussion Ensemble, and Chamber Percussion Ensemble. He has also previously performed with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps and competed in the 2025 PASIC Marimba Competition.

Jazz Standards Ensemble & UW Jazz Orchestra with Dennis Mackrel - Guest Artist Series
2026-03-13 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Purchase tickets
$20 general admission
Students free (ticket required)
Also streaming live
Mead Witter School of Music Guest Artist Series
Dennis Mackrel, drums
With Jazz Standards Ensemble & UW Jazz Orchestra
Aruṇ Lūthrā and Mitchell Shiner, directors
……
Program

……
Jazz drummer Dennis Mackrel is the Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Chair of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in Flushing, NY. He is a former member of the Count Basie Orchestra from 1983-1987, as the last drummer to be hired by Count Basie himself, and later as the orchestra’s leader from 2010-2013, and of leading big bands such as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the American Jazz Orchestra, the Carla Bley Big Band, Buck Clayton’s Swing Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, as well as small groups, including the George Shearing Quintet and the Hank Jones Trio. He has also recorded with Maria Schneider, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Scott Robinson, Frank Wess, Bill Charlap, Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Williams, and many others.
Mackrel has also served as conductor and/or arranger for the McCoy Tyner Big Band (including two GRAMMY-winning album releases, The Turning Point and Journey), the Danish Radio Big Band (Copenhagen, DK), the WDR Big Band (Cologne, DE), and the Kluvers Big Band (Aarhus, DK). He served as chief conductor of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, NL), which in 2019 was awarded the prestigious Edison Award for their double- CD Crossroads, and toured extensively in Europe, China, Russia, Indonesia, and the United States until the global pandemic of 2020. His compositions and arrangements have also been recorded by the United States Military Academy at West Point’s Jazz Knights Big Band, the Temple University Jazz Ensemble, the RIAS Big Band (Berlin, DE), the University of North Texas “One O’clock” Big Band, and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.
Mackrel is an experienced jazz educator who conducts master classes, seminars, and workshops internationally. He has taught as guest professor at the Royal Conservatory in Aarhus (DK), as Visiting Artist in Jazz Studies at the Eastman School of Music and serves on the jazz faculties at the Birch Creek Summer Music Academy in Egg Harbor, WI and the Skidmore Jazz Institute in Saratoga Springs, NY. He has performed with the jazz ensembles of numerous colleges and high schools including the Eastman School of Music, Slippery Rock University, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Northern Illinois University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the University of Minnesota-Morris, New Trier High School, Sun Prairie High School, Western Illinois University, Southern Utah University, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Aarhus (DK), the University of Florida, Miami, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Elmhurst College, Michigan State University and many others.

Christopher Taylor - Faculty Artist Series
2026-03-13 19:30 | Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Purchase tickets
$20 general admission
Students free (ticket required)
Mead Witter School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Christopher Taylor, piano
……
Program

……
Hailed by critics as “frighteningly talented” (The New York Times) and “a great pianist” (The Los Angeles Times), Christopher Taylor has distinguished himself throughout his career as an innovative musician with a diverse array of talents and interests. He is known for a passionate advocacy of music written in the past 100 years — Messiaen, Ligeti, and Bolcom figure prominently in his performances — but his repertoire spans four centuries and includes the complete Beethoven sonatas, the Liszt Transcendental Etudes, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and a multitude of other familiar masterworks. Whatever the genre or era of the composition, Mr. Taylor brings to it an active imagination and intellect coupled with heartfelt intensity and grace.
Mr. Taylor has concertized around the globe, with international tours taking him to Russia, Western Europe, East Asia, and the Carribean. At home in the U.S. he has appeared with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, and the Milwaukee Symphony. As a soloist he has performed in New York’s Carnegie and Alice Tully Halls, in Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Ravinia and Aspen festivals, and dozens of other venues. In chamber settings, he has collaborated with many eminent musicians, including Robert McDuffie and the Borromeo, Shanghai, Pro Arte, and Ying Quartets. His recordings have featured works by Liszt, Messiaen, and present-day Americans William Bolcom and Derek Bermel. Throughout his career Mr. Taylor has become known for undertaking memorable and unusual projects. Examples include: an upcoming tour in which he will perform, from memory, the complete transcriptions of Beethoven symphonies by Liszt; performances and lectures on the complete etudes of György Ligeti; and a series of performances of the Goldberg Variations on the unique double-manual Steinway piano in the collection of the University of Wisconsin. He has actively promoted the rediscovery and refurbishment of the latter instrument; in recent years he has also been building a reinvented and modernized version of it, a project that relies on his computer and engineering skills and was unveiled in a demonstration recital in 2016.
Numerous awards have confirmed Mr. Taylor’s high standing in the musical world. He was named an American Pianists’ Association Fellow for 2000, before which he received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1996 and the Bronze Medal in the 1993 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In 1990 he took first prize in the William Kapell International Piano Competition, and also became one of the first recipients of the Irving Gilmore Young Artists’ Award.
Mr. Taylor owes much of his success to several outstanding teachers, including Russell Sherman, Maria Curcio-Diamand, Francisco Aybar, and Julie Bees. In addition to his busy concert schedule, he currently serves as Paul Collins Associate Professor of Piano Performance at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He pursues a variety of other interests, including: mathematics (he received a summa cum laude degree from Harvard University in this field in 1992); philosophy (an article he coauthored with the leading scholar Daniel Dennett appears in the Oxford Free Will Handbook); computing; linguistics; and biking, which is his primary means of commuting. Mr. Taylor lives in Middleton, Wisconsin, with his wife and two daughters. Christopher Taylor is a Steinway artist.

Jazz Badgers & Jazz Faculty Group with Dennis Mackrel - Guest Artist Series
2026-03-12 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Purchase tickets
$20 general admission
Students free (ticket required)
Also streaming live
Mead Witter School of Music Guest Artist Series
Dennis Mackrel, drums
With Jazz Badgers &
Jazz Faculty Group
Dennis Mackrel, drum set
Arun Lūthrā, tenor & soprano saxophone
Dan VanZeeland, piano
Peter Dominguez, contrabass
……
Program

……
Jazz drummer Dennis Mackrel is the Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Chair of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in Flushing, NY. He is a former member of the Count Basie Orchestra from 1983-1987, as the last drummer to be hired by Count Basie himself, and later as the orchestra’s leader from 2010-2013, and of leading big bands such as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the American Jazz Orchestra, the Carla Bley Big Band, Buck Clayton’s Swing Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, as well as small groups, including the George Shearing Quintet and the Hank Jones Trio. He has also recorded with Maria Schneider, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Scott Robinson, Frank Wess, Bill Charlap, Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Williams, and many others.
Mackrel has also served as conductor and/or arranger for the McCoy Tyner Big Band (including two GRAMMY-winning album releases, The Turning Point and Journey), the Danish Radio Big Band (Copenhagen, DK), the WDR Big Band (Cologne, DE), and the Kluvers Big Band (Aarhus, DK). He served as chief conductor of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, NL), which in 2019 was awarded the prestigious Edison Award for their double- CD Crossroads, and toured extensively in Europe, China, Russia, Indonesia, and the United States until the global pandemic of 2020. His compositions and arrangements have also been recorded by the United States Military Academy at West Point’s Jazz Knights Big Band, the Temple University Jazz Ensemble, the RIAS Big Band (Berlin, DE), the University of North Texas “One O’clock” Big Band, and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.
Mackrel is an experienced jazz educator who conducts master classes, seminars, and workshops internationally. He has taught as guest professor at the Royal Conservatory in Aarhus (DK), as Visiting Artist in Jazz Studies at the Eastman School of Music and serves on the jazz faculties at the Birch Creek Summer Music Academy in Egg Harbor, WI and the Skidmore Jazz Institute in Saratoga Springs, NY. He has performed with the jazz ensembles of numerous colleges and high schools including the Eastman School of Music, Slippery Rock University, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Northern Illinois University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the University of Minnesota-Morris, New Trier High School, Sun Prairie High School, Western Illinois University, Southern Utah University, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Aarhus (DK), the University of Florida, Miami, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Elmhurst College, Michigan State University and many others.

Janet Lyu - DMA Recital
2026-03-11 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live
Janet Lyu DMA Violin Recital
Janet Lyu, violin
Eunsu Kim, piano
Hyeyeon Seok, piano
Frankie Bones, piano
……
Program
Sonata no. 10 in G major, op. 96 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
I. Allegro moderato
II. Adagio espressivo
III. Scherzo: Allegro – Trio
IV. Poco Allegretto
Lightness (2008) Seunghye Bae (b. 1987)
I. The Unbearable Lightness of Being
II. Light
III. Flight
Intermission
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major César Franck (1822-1890)
I. Allegretto moderato
II. Allegro
III. Recitativo – Fantasia
IV. Allegretto poco mosso
……
This recital is Janet Lyu’s third DMA recital and showcases a wide array of duo/sonata repertoire written for violin and piano, all tied together with underlying themes of newness, fervor, and love. The program begins with Beethoven’s tenth and final violin sonata, nicknamed “Cockrow,” presumably for the morning bird call in the very opening motive.
The following piece, titled “Lightness,” is a work inspired by Milan Kundera’s philosophical novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.” Composed by Korean composer Seunghye Bae in 2008, “Lightness” is comprised of three movements and features moments of prepared piano in the first movement, references to an allelujah by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina in the second movement, and some Györy Ligeti influence in the third movement. The performance of this piece is very likely a UW premiere.
The final piece on the program is quintessential to both violinists and collaborative pianists. A major staple in our repertoire, César Franck’s sonata was originally a wedding gift to Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, who premiered the work at his ceremony to his new bride. Gentlemen, premiere works as colossal as the Franck sonata on your wedding day at your own risk.

Darryl Taylor - Performance Class
2026-03-11 16:45 | Morphy Recital Hall, 455 N. Park St., Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Darryl Taylor, countertenor, leads a performance class with School of Music students Winter White, Rach Misner, Kaitlin Case, Lana Fabish, Jayquan Jaeger, and Jackson Vangoethem.
……
Darryl Taylor’s distinguished international career as performer, researcher, and recording artist includes opera, oratorio, and art song. As founder of the African American Art Song Alliance and in demand as a lecturer and clinician, Darryl Taylor has enlightened students and faculty of Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Michigan, among many others. Professor Taylor is Director of Voice Studies on the music faculty of the University of California, Irvine.

Saxophone Studio Recital
2026-03-10 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live
Featuring performances by School of Music saxophone students

Jazz Composers' Group & Creative Music Collective - Student Ensemble Series
2026-03-09 19:30 | Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live
Aruṇ Lūthrā and Anders Svanoe, directors
……
Program
