Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates 100 years with Max Ink Radio

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For 100 years, the Madison Symphony Orchestra has been at the heart of Wisconsin's cultural landscape, bringing world-class music and unforgettable performances to generations of listeners.

Founded in 1925, the orchestra has grown from a small community ensemble into one of America's leading regional orchestras, performing at Madison's Overture Center and serving audiences throughout South Central Wisconsin.

This season marks the symphony's centennial celebration and featuring special concerts, guest artists, community events, and a year-long tribute to a century of making music.

Joining us today to talk about this historic milestone in the future of Madison Symphony Orchestra is Derek Smith and Emma Potter.

And Emma is the French horn player from the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

Emma Derek, welcome to Max Inc Radio.

Thank

you.

Thank

you.

Before we hear about the Madison Symphony Orchestra, tell us a little about yourselves.

I mean, how are you involved with MSO?

Well, I am on the board, have been on the board for several years.

I started to get a little bit diversity into the board and just to bring a little different thought process of what type of music other than just classical to the orchestra.

And John Domain, who was the last year of his

Bino Maestro was open to that, and he has brought new thoughts and ideas to the orchestra here in Madison.

So that's how I initially got started.

Now, what's your bag?

You were telling me off air.

You've been in Chicago, you've been in Memphis, and you've been here for at least three decades now.

Are you a musician as well?

I am.

I play the cello.

I play guitars

in the bass.

Oh, nice.

Are you a member of any local groups?

Yes, my own.

Along with my five and a half year old granddaughter and my two and a half year old grandson who thinks he is Clyde Stumpersfield.

Oh, that is awesome.

We love to give the drummer some.

And that's awesome.

Well, you know, that's really how it starts, right?

With parents and get their kids involved in music and getting them

Involved younger the better that's right as far as I see it.

Well, uh, Emma You're here.

You're the French player a French horn player from the Madison Symphony Orchestra But tell us a little about about yourself and how you got started in music.

Oh my gosh.

Um, so I moved to Madison about

two years ago and I started on violin in third grade and then in fourth grade I wanted to play in the band because we didn't have an orchestra and I was like I'm gonna play flu because it's really light and it was very girly and I was like that that's what I'm gonna do and I practiced all summer and we got to the end of the summer and I was ready to go and my mom was like

You suck.

You cannot get a sound out of this.

It's hard.

I know.

She loved my mom, but she tells me the truth no matter what.

I'm like fourth grade.

And so she sat me down and made me listen to a bunch of different things on YouTube.

And I was like, oh yeah, I guess French horn school.

And she was like, let's make a Venn diagram of.

flute versus French horn, and I just wanted her to stop talking.

I wanted to get out of there, so

I said I'd

play French horn, and 16 years later, here we are.

Wow, that's pretty cool.

Yeah.

Well, yeah, it's amazing how your parents get involved, and that's the most original way I've heard yet, a Venn diagram.

Oh,

yeah.

Oh, wow.

Derek, tell us about the Madison Symphony Orchestra and tell us about their 100-year history.

I mean, what do we need to know?

100 years and like two minutes.

All right, we can do that really fast.

It's been a, for the city of Madison, a long look at what music is about, right?

And classical music particularly.

And I think over the last probably 50 years, it's changed.

We've had

the same.

As a matter of fact, we've only had three maestros over the last hundred years.

Wow.

That's pretty incredible.

So there's been some continuity in that.

And I just think that the classical

climate here in Madison is pretty good, right?

You know, people have either played, have heard it, or as part of the university's music scene with some of the classes they do there.

So it's a very long classical thought process here in Madison.

And I think when we were looking at this several years ago, almost 10 years ago, about how we're going to celebrate

the music of the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

We wanted to make sure that we kept our base of classic, but also influence other types of music into it.

a variety of different things, right?

And even if you listen to classic, you know, you might hear different things from Bach or Rachmaninoff or, you know, Kali or any of them, right?

And it might bring a different thought process of what you're looking for and think, right?

Yes.

And so I'm also one of how do you take different artists and integrate them into the music and make them soul and make them, you know, jive and how you do different things.

And classic is kind of a little bit of everything.

Wow, that's pretty incredible.

How significant is this for an orchestra of this size?

Oh, it's very significant.

I mean, most...

Cities don't have a world-class orchestra like we do here.

I mean, these musicians are just phenomenal under the direction of John Domain, right?

So, you know, living in Chicago, I've gone to Chicago Symphony, you know, there's people like in Dubuque has one, you know, I'm from Long Beach, California originally, so they have one, but it's not on the scale of this one here with the repertoire that they use and they bring on.

So I think it's very, very unique for a city

of this, 250,000 people to have a, not only a orchestra like this, but also a venue like the Overture.

I mean,

it's just unique.

Wow.

How many people are in the Madison Symphony Orchestra?

Oh, like 90, 92 maybe?

Yeah.

We're a very, very large

building.

All playing at the same time.

For the most part,

yeah.

And in tune.

Yes.

Except for when there's a rest.

You know, that's the most surprising part of the musician.

That's it.

Keep it in tune.

Yes, you're right.

Wow, that's incredible.

Well, the person keeping all those people in tune is John Domain.

Yes.

And what does he mean to the Madison Symphony Orchestra?

Continuity.

I think excellence.

He

is now changed, since he's been here the last few years, is how do we change our music a little bit, right?

Not to get away from classic, but to bring a little bit of a spark to what

the orchestra was doing before.

When you say that you're kind of bringing in new spark and bringing in new music, what do you mean by that?

Just, I think what he chooses, how he programs the people he brings in to solo with us, there's just,

a connection he makes sure that Madison feels not only to the orchestra and to himself but also the soloist.

I think a lot of the time people can look at classical music in the orchestra and think it's them and then us and there's no mixing between the two and I think

Domain does a really, really good job at being very personable.

Yeah,

he brought in groups like the four guitars and Mariachi players to play with the orchestra.

Oh, wow.

Yeah, and he also uses Madison's church, African American church, Mount Sinai, Bractress church to use their gospel choir to work with them and play with them.

It's pretty

unique.

I was going to say, you know, you think of the maestro and you think of

You know.

waving around his hand in time, but you know, you said he's personal.

Can you, you know, do you really talk to him?

Does out of 90 people, that's a lot like a university professor.

Sometimes, you know, you take the class, but you never talk to the guy.

Oh yeah, no, he loved talking to him.

We had a conversation.

You

can't shut him up.

Oh yeah, we had a conversation about a couple hours ago about the show, the pit, the like doctor show.

We talked like half an

hour

just about

that type of show and what he's cooking tonight.

And just things like that.

Wow, that's incredible.

But he's not sticking around.

He's been around for a long time.

He's been around.

This isn't his 32nd year.

Wow.

And this tomorrow night at seven o'clock is, or six o'clock, is his final official concert as the maestro for the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

Wow.

That's a reason to go tomorrow night

for sure.

That's historic.

Do you guys have a replacement?

We're working on that.

OK.

We should have something to say in a couple of months.

But right now, I really can't sit.

Wow.

Well, that's incredible.

John DeMine, tomorrow night, his final performance, 7.00, 6.00 PM at the Overture Center.

Yeah, you still have time to kind of scoot over there now if you want to.

Yeah.

Well, I know Linda's playing over there.

Oh, yeah.

And I'm sorry, it's 4.30 is the start of the concert.

430 430 for John DeMane.

Yes.

OK.

Tonight, starting at 7 p.m.

in the lobby of the Overture Center, Linda the zero is playing till nine.

But there's still events all day tomorrow, including one of our local rockers, Travis Agnew.

Tell us about Sunday's lineup.

Well, I heard Travis, a friend of mine has a family home series of concerts.

Oh, yeah.

Travis came and sang and he's great, right?

Was that Ann Katz?

No, it's Anthony Brown at his home.

But yeah, but I heard Ann Kidd's too.

Exactly.

Exactly.

But tomorrow we have everything from the automatic lover that's going to be on tomorrow.

Oh, sure.

They're going to be there.

The Hmong Institute Heritage Club is going to have their dancing, the Hmong.

There's a variety of different things, cultures and different things that are happening going on.

Yeah, we'll have yoga and family like hands-on art activities and food trucks.

And so

music, food.

And they have things for kids.

My grandkids were here.

My five-year-old granddaughter had her glitter tattoos.

Oh, yeah.

Just as long as it's glitter.

It's all good.

Oh, that's awesome.

Well, let's see.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us tonight on Maxink Radio tonight.

Derek, Emma, we really appreciate it.

How can we find out more about Sunday's events at the Overture Center for the Madison Symphony Orchestra Centennial Celebration?

Is there a website?

Yes, you can go on to MadisonSymphony.org and go to festival.

And it has the whole lineup for that.

Yeah,

you can also follow us and find us on Instagram, Facebook.

I manage all the social media for them.

And so if you're interested, we have all the groups, you know, what people are seeing.

And so you can take a look on there as well.

Yes.

Wow, that's incredible.

And you know, we remember automatic lover Matt Reif hit their keyboard player just actually passed away this week.

So go out and support them tomorrow.

Well, we have Travis Agnew.

He's been here before we've interviewed him.

He's played in here.

He plays the lobby of the overture tomorrow afternoon.

Let's check a little bit of Travis Agnew right now.

This is Vanity.

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