The Midday

Norman talks to Brandi Berry Benson, artistic director of the Bach & Beethoven Ensemble and who performed in the Madison Early Music Festival in Madison. The Bach & Beethoven Experience has two CDs coming out; " A Gaelic Summer " and " An Appalachian Summer ."

Peter Bryant talks to Tina Chancey and Priscilla Herreid about the upcoming Madison Early Music Festival from July 6 to July 13 entitled "The Grand Tour: A 20th Anniversary Celebration." All of the concerts in this series take place at Mills Concert Hall in the Mosse Humanities Building at 455 N. Park Street in Madison.

Norman chats with pianist Jeffrey Sykes, co-founder the renowned Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society , about the upcoming 2019 season including this week's concerts in Madison and Spring Green.

Ruthanne Bessman talks to pianists Thomas Kasdorf and Satoko Hayami who will be performing in Middleton Community Orchestra's Spring Concert on May 30 at the Middleton Performing Arts Center. Included in the program is Saint-Saëns' "Carnival of the Animals", Mozart's "Piano Concerto for Two Pianos" followed by Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony).

Norman Gilliland interviews Iva Ugrčić and Laura Medisky, founders of the LunArt Festival, which celebrates women in the arts. This year's festival runs from June 5 to June 9 at various venues in Madison, Wisconsin. This year's composer-in-residence is flutist Valerie Coleman, founding member of Imani Winds.

Stephanie Elkins talks to soprano Sarah Brailey, Artistic Director of the Handel Aria Competition, about the final round of the 7th Annual Competition on Friday June 7, 2019 at 7:30 in Mills Concert Hall of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music. Ms. Brailey is a soprano performing throughout the United States and United Kingdom. While in Madison, she'll be performing in the Just Bach series on May 29 at Luther Memorial Church in Madison.

Norman talks to Andrew Abrams, founder and artistic director of the Capital City Theatre about their 2019 season.

Norman talks with soprano Mary Mackenzie about the upcoming Masterworks performance of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra on May 10 in the Overture Center's Capitol Theater in Madison. She will be performing in the Shostakovich "Symphony No. 14." Also on the bill is Bizet's "Jeux d'Enfants Op. 22" and Debussy's "Petite Suite." Mackenzie lives in Boston but is originally from Madison and made her professional opera debut as Despina in Così fan tutte with Madison Opera.

Peter Bryant talks to Victor Gorodinsky, Music Director and Founder of the 40-piece UW Russian Folk Orchestra . They are celebrating their 22nd anniversary with a concert on Saturday, May 4 at 7pm at the First Unitarian Society in Madison.

Peter Bryant talks to Madison Symphony Orchestra conductor John DeMain about the upcoming season as well as this weekend's performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" on May 3, 4 and 5 in Overture Hall in Madison. The epic performance will include almost five hundred artists including sopranos Alexandra LoBianco, Emily Birsan, Emily Pogorelc, Mezzo-Sopranos Milena Kitic and Julie Miller, Tenor Clay Hilley, Baritone Michael Redding, Bass-Baritone Morris Robinson, Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Youth Choirs, and UW Choral Union.