A SY M P H O N Y O F G R AT I T U D E
The Madison Symphony Orchestra
2023–2024 Reflections from the Podium by John DeMain, Music Director I was thrilled to celebrate my 30th Anniversary Season by including some programmatic elements that were very personal to me. Being an American conductor, I opened the 2023-2024 Season with an all-American program of works by Copland, Gershwin, John Adams, and Howard Hanson. Pianist Terrence Wilson made his Madison debut performing on our beautiful Hamburg Steinway piano. The October program featured the dynamic spousal duo of MSO concertmaster Naha Greenholtz and Associate Conductor Kyle Knox, in works by Bernstein, and Brahms/ Schoenberg, and a dazzling performance by Naha of the Shostakovich first violin concerto. In November, Jonathan Biss gave a passionate performance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor and we showcased the brilliant Negro Folk Symphony of American composer William Levi Dawson.
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madisonsymphony.org
“The January program was a dream for me to conduct.” Our annual Christmas concerts, featuring our joyous collaboration with the Madison Symphony Chorus, Mt. Zion Gospel Choir, Madison Youth Choirs and guest opera stars—this year Evelyn Saavedra and Limmie Pulliam— unofficially kicked off the Christmas season. The January program was a dream for me to conduct. The Mozart Piano Concertos are my desert island pieces, and I became an orchestral conductor because wanted to conduct the Mahler Symphonies! Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 performed by Joyce Yang was a highlight of the season, followed by the orchestra’s splendid playing of Mahler’s 5th symphony. Kyle Knox conducted the first installment of a new artistic venture for the Madison Symphony Orchestra: MSO at the Movies, with a sold-out performance of Disney’s Pixar in Concert.
The March program was partially determined by our subscribers, who voted for Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 as their “audience choice” selection. Steven Isserlis gave a virtuosic and animated performance of Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2 and we performed Jennifer Higdon’s fun work “Loco.” The April Verdi Requiem concert was also very personal for me. That is the piece I told my dear late wife I wanted to have played at my eventual funeral, but since that is highly unlikely, I went ahead and programmed it during my 30th anniversary season! To end my 30th anniversary season, I programmed an all-Mexican concert featuring music by Mexican composers, a Mexican piano soloist, and at the suggestion of Executive Director Robert Reed, the Grammy-winning Mariachi los Camperos. It was a roof-raising experience and it was wonderful to see so many new audience members in attendance.