Seven (more) things Strini’s been meaning to tell you

1. The process of making music has never been portrayed more richly or realistically than in Treme, the fascinating HBO series about post-Katrina New Orleans.  The show (pronounced tre-MAY) brilliantly parses out the spectrum of styles, from the highest-brow modern jazz to scruffy traditional to low-down rap in the boiling musical stew of that city. And god bless HBO for employing legions of real musicians to play characters very much  — but not exactly — like themselves. Treme is hard-hitting adult drama, too, with interwoven tales about corruption and valor and perseverance and breakdown, and music is in the middle of all of it. Music has never been shown as more urgent and essential than it is in Treme.

2. Congratulations to George Batayias, just named technical director of the Marcus Center. Batayias, who joined the Marcus Center 1998, was interim director for some time. He earned wide respect and praise last spring, for his hard work and quick thinking in devising a temporary fix when the Milwaukee Symphony’s acoustical shell was badly damaged due to equipment failure. Batayias improvised a plywood shell, which actually improved the acoustics of Uihlein Hall.

3. On the subject of Uihlein Hall, save this date: Aug. 27. That’s where and when Present Music and a host of collaborators will put on PM’s biggest concert ever. Founder and music director Kevin Stalheim wants to fill all 2,331 seats for this concert, which would more than double Present Music’s previous record. How does he intend to do that? How about free tickets, in addition to involving a lot of people and offering a big premiere by Kamran Ince. I understand that tickets are moving fast, so it’s a good idea to claim yours now: Call 414 271-0711. (Paying subscribers, naturally, get preference.)

4. The Milwaukee Public Theatre has received a $10,000 Wisconsin Humanities Council grant to produce and tour From the Start Consider the Finish. The original play with songs addresses end-of- life care, through short vignettes about hospice and other choices open to us. It also shows the problems that arise when conversations about end-of-life care do not take place. The play is adapted from an award-winning book, The End of Life Advisor—Personal, Legal, and Medical Considerations for a Peaceful, Dignified Death, by Susan Dolan and Audrey Vizzard.

MPT is partnering with Voices Theater to tell real-life stories about planning and hospice decisions. They will tour 10 statewide venues in September and October. Two actors will play multiple roles in 20 sketches. Three songwriters wrote 22 original songs for the show, which runs 75 minutes. Discussions with the actors and with professionals in hospice and elder care will follow the performances.

5. Cristy Garcia-Thomas, president of the United Performing Arts Fund of Milwaukee since October 2007, is leaving UPAF to become president of the Aurora Health Care Foundation. The exit follows a successful 2011 UPAF campaign, as UPAF raised  by $9,743,651 for its 34 Member and Affiliate groups, surpassing a goal of $9,650,000.

6. The Milwaukee Ballet and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have been working together a lot, lately. Now, UWM will help provide university housing to  participants in Milwaukee Ballet’s Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II program. Ballet officials believe that safe, affordable housing will help in recruitment and retention of top international talent. In addition to living arrangements, the advanced ballet students will have convenient access to the university’s extensive resources and opportunity to expand their educations beyond dance.

7. The Milwaukee Choral Artists are finalists in the 2011 American Prize in Choral Performance. Each year, The American Prize rewards the best recorded performances of music by individuals and ensembles in the United States at the professional, community/amateur, college/university, church, and school levels. The American Prize in Choral Performance recognizes and rewards the best performances by choruses in America, based on submitted applications. Sharon Hansen is music director and founder of the Choral Artists.