Plenty of music on every stage

Music

Joyce Yang returns to the MSO for another year of Rachmaninoff. Photo credit Oh Seuk Hoon.

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra complete its All-Rachmaninoff cycle of concerts at Uihlein Hall this weekend. Edo de Waart will conduct. Joyce Yang, the pianist throughout the series, will return to play the rarely heard Concerto No. 1. Prior to the performance, local music scholars and MSO musicians will lead a discussion (Behind the Notes) about the music in the Anello Atrium for ticketholders. Those attending the first performance have the option to stay for the Friday Talkbacks forum immediately following the performance. Tickets are $22-$102 for performances on March 1-3 and are available on the MSO website, by phone (414-291-7605) or at the box office.

The Woman’s Club of Wisconsin (813 E. Kilbourn Ave.) will host an exclusive performance of The Best of the Milwaukee Choral Artists on Friday, March 1st at 7:30 p.m. to honor the company’s resident composer Paula Foley Tillen. The retrospective of her arrangements and compositions performed by choral groups throughout the U.S., Canada, and worldwide. Tickets are $15-25 and are available through MCA’s website or by phone at 414-376-5878.

Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson will be at Turner Hall Ballroom Wednesday. The legendary guitar virtuoso has been performing for decades, and has recently gained attention from younger listeners due to his song, “Cliffs of Dover” being the final challenge in the video game Guitar Hero III. Young or old, this Milwaukee visit is one of your last chances to see him before he heads to Europe for the month of April. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $29.50 and are available online or by calling the Pabst box office at 414-286-3205.

The Eastside Music Tour, a one-day only event, will be hosted by several Brady Street businesses to benefit the Cass Street School. The lineup includes several new and established local bands and DJs and begins at 4 p.m. on March 2. Tickets can be purchased for $15 or $25 at Club Brady (1339 E. Brady St.) on the day of the event between 2-4 p.m., or on ART Milwaukee’s website.

Singer, songwriter and pianist Ted Ganger is in residence at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee this week. His visit will culminate in a concert of his songs, performed by the composer and by students from UWM’s music department at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 3, at the UWM Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall.

Ganger mixes pop, musical and classical genres. The lyrics relate personal experiences but strive to evoke feelings that are at the same time familiar to all of us. They range from witty to melancholy, malicious to tender, cheerful, provocative or conciliatory. Tickets are $12, $10 seniors, UWM faculty, staff, alumni and other university students, $9 UWM students,$5 ages 13-18; free for PSOA students and under 12. Call the UWM Peck School box office, 414 229-4308.

Ted Ganger, apparently playing one of his more uplifting songs. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash begins at the Milwaukee Rep’s Stackner Cabaret. The acclaimed cast pays homage to the legendary country star in the musical theater performance based on his life. Eddie Clendening, who previously toured with Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet as Elvis Presley, plays the title role. Opening weekend is sold out, but the show runs from March 1st- May 5th. Tickets are $20-45 and are available online or by calling the box office at 414-224-9490.

The Rep’s Stiemke Studio also opens a new show this week: their third annual Rep Lab. The short play festival features emerging professional actors currently interning at the theater. It features eight short performances that run the gamut from comedy to romance to drama, as well as one musical. This unique performance runs from March 1st-4th with an additional matinee on Saturday, and all tickets are $10. Tickets are available online or by calling 414-224-9490.

In Tandem Theatre begins performances of Beast on the Moon beginning March 1st. It’s a compassionate play revolving around two survivors of the Armenian genocide. Of note: the production’s director, Mary MacDonald Kerr, first stepped onto a Milwaukee stage playing one of the romantic leads, almost 20 years ago, so it’s safe to say she knows the play fairly well. Tickets are $22-26 and are available online or by phone at 414-271-1371. The show runs through March 24th at Tenth Street Gallery (628 N. 10th St.).

Bram Stoker’s Dracula opens this week at the Alchemist Theatre. Directed by the theater’s own Aaron Kopec, this version takes a slightly humorous vantage of the story’s stereotypically dark and dramatic characters. Rated PG-13 for obvious reasons, expect a surround-sound multimedia experience, complete with fog and strobe lights. The show runs from Feb. 28th-March 16th. Tickets are $17-30 and can be purchased at the door or online. For more information, e-mail The Alchemist Theatre.

The Milwaukee Theatre presents Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance for one day only on March 1st at 7:30 p.m. The traditionally-influenced Celtic song and dance performance is based on Irish folklore and comes complete with battle scenes and a love story. Tickets are $38-68 and are available online. For more information call 1-800-745-3000.

Special Events

RAW: natural born artists, a growing national art organization, presents its first monthly collaboration event, Discovery, from 7:30-11:00 p.m. on February 28th at The Rave. The multimedia evening features live music, DJs, a fashion show, performance art, film, and 2-D visual showcases from hand-selected local artists. Tickets are $10 and are available online. For more information or to participate in a future event, visit their website.

The Milwaukee Public Museum hosts the Milwaukee Archaeology Fair this weekend on March 1st and 2nd. There will be hands-on activities and presentations hosted by archaeologists and historians from Wisconsin historical societies, museums, and universities. For a complete listing of events or more information, visit MPM’s website. Admission to presentations is free with museum ticket purchase ($11-14; children under 13 are free) and reservations aren’t needed.

Ongoing

Milwaukee Art Museum: Color Rush: 75 Years of Color Photography in America, through May 19

The Marcus Center: Pinkalicious, through March 24

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre: Underneath The Lintel, through March 17

Last Chance

Alchemist Theatre: The Canonical Five of Jack the Ripper, through Feb. 29

The Quasimondo: Robot Cabaret, through March 2

Windfall Theatre: A Time To Live, through March 2

Carte Blanche: Fawlty Towers, through March 3

Boulevard Theatre: The Last Romance, through March 3