All concerts are held in the Helen Bader Recital Hall at 1584 North Prospect Avenue
unless otherwise noted.

 

Conservatory Concerts: A Rich Musical History

For the 112 years, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music’s resident ensembles and faculty artists have presented thousands of concerts to thousands of grateful music lovers.

Throughout the 1920s and 30s, Raymond Wiegers directed the Conservatory Orchestra. Gloria Rodriguez Kappel directed the Romany Singers in the 40s and 50s. In the 1960s and 70s, Pro Musica Nova, a group of faculty, students and members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, performed contemporary compositions in experimental settings such as the East Gallery of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The 70s brought the start of many other performing ensembles including the Milwaukee Classical Guitar Society and the New Arts Trio with founding members Piotr Janowski, Steven Doane and Rebecca Pennys. This acclaimed group was twice the recipient of the prestigious Naumberg Award for Chamber Music.

In 1974, the Children’s Chorus was established and, in 1976, Margaret Hawkins founded the 200-voice Conservatory Symphony Chorus, later becoming the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus.  

Throughout the 80s, we were entertained by the New Horizons choral ensemble, the Collegium Musicum, Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, Vocal Arts Consort, Conservatory Singers, Conservatory Symphony Chorus, a jazz band and the Sylvan Winds Woodwind Quintet.

Conservatory concerts are presented in Bader Hall, an intimate jewel box with exquisite 19th-century architectural details throughout the space. 
           


Our present day resident ensemble concert series feature Prometheus Trio (Timothy Klabunde, violin; Scott Tisdel, cello; Stefanie Jacob, piano), Philomusica Quartet (Jeanyi Kim and Alexander “Sascha” Mandl, violins; Nathan Hackett, viola; Adrien Zitoun, cello), and We Six (Eric Jacobson, trumpet; Eric Schoor, tenor saxophone; Paul Silbergleit, guitar; Mark Davis, piano; Jeff Hamann, bass; Dave Bayles, drums).

Everyone can enjoy concerts at the Conservatory with affordable prices for the Conservatory Sundays series featuring our performing faculty. Anyone can attend student recitals free. Take in a Conservatory concert this year and celebrate the history.