Tsunami relief for Japan is the goal of Milwaukee classical artists

One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck the island nation of Japan three and a half months ago. The 9.0 quake triggered devastating tsunamis and nuclear meltdowns, and the country is still recovering from the unprecedented disaster.

Milwaukee’s finest classical artists hope to bring Japan one step closer to recovery this weekend, at the Milwaukee Artists Unite for Japan benefit concert Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The benefit is the brainchild of violist Julie Bamberger Roubik, an instructor at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and coordinator of their Suzuki music program. The concert brings together a veritable who’s who of Milwaukee-area artists, including Frank Almond, of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Frankly Music; Jillian Bruss, from the Florentine Opera and Milwaukee Opera Theatre; the Fine Arts Quartet, with guest cellist Ronald Thomas; the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music’s Philomusica Quartet and Prometheus Trio; and various performers from UWM’s Peck School of the Arts.

News of the disaster hit Bamberger Roubik hard. She had spent time in Japan as an exchange student and remained close to her host family and Japanese friends. She was relieved to learn that they were safe, but she still wanted to do something to help.

Initially, Bamberger Roubik said, she considered crossing the Pacific to help on the ground, but realized she lacked the training and means to be effective. Instead, she started marshalling creative forces for the “next best thing,” a benefit concert.

“It really means a lot that the major music groups are here,” Bamberger Roubik said. “It carries a lot of weight.”

Some selections on the program relate to the benefit’s subject matter. On the explicit side is Almond’s piece, Birds in Warped Time, for violin, to be performed with pianist Stefanie Jacob. Somei Satoh composed the minimalist work. Satoh is from one of the provinces that suffered heavy damage in the tsunami.

Bamberger Roubik and Bruss will join in Brahms’ Zwei Gesänge (Two Songs), a pair of lullabies for mezzo-soprano and viola with piano. One is a song of longing for a return to the way things were. The other prays for the calming of both winds and troubles.

John Cage’s 4’33”, in which the performers are directed not to play any notes for the duration of the piece, will close the concert. At the benefit, the song will serve as a long moment of silence as a photo slideshow of images from the disaster runs in the background.

As I finish this story, another quake has occurred off the coast of Japan, and another great wave is possible. If that happens, the need for this benefit will be greater than ever.

The Milwaukee Artists for Japan benefit concert will be held on Saturday at 7: 30 p.m., at the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students with ID and children, and can be purchased in advance at the Peck School Box Office, (414) 229-4308, or at the door.