Powerful rhythms and timeless melodies coming to Shannon Hall with performances by Goldmund Quartet, taiko drumming group YAMATO
Posted: 02/18/25
Award-winning ensemble Goldmund Quartet will perform chamber music on Feb. 21, and YAMATO will perform Japanese taiko drumming on Feb. 22 at Shannon Hall at Memorial Union as part of the Wisconsin Union Theater (WUT) season.
On Feb. 21, the Goldmund Quartet will bring chamber music to the Shannon Hall stage as part of the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Classical Series. The ensemble has garnered a reputation of being one of the leading young string quartets worldwide, known for its detailed interpretations of compositions and its precise intonation.
The Goldmund Quartet will perform “Erlkönig” by Franz Schubert and arranged by Jakob Enke; Quartet in F Major, Op. 77, No. 2 by Joseph Haydn; and Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 27 by Edvard Grieg.
The quartet has garnered accolades around the world, including Second Prize and the Twentieth Century Prize for best performance of Wolfgang Rihm’s String Quartet No.4 at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition and the String Quartet Prize and Quartet Commission Prize at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition.
The WUT team will release details about a free, open-to-the-public studio class featuring the Goldmund Quartet here as they become available.
This performance is part of the David and Kato Perlman Chamber Music Series and made possible, in part, through support from the David and Kato Perlman Chamber Music Support Fund.
YAMATO will continue WUT’s season of what’s next now with a performance on Feb. 22. The group describes itself as bringing joy and energy to people around the world. The group’s performances include more than 30 drums, including the more than 6-foot wide, half-ton Odaiko drum produced from a large tree more than 400 years ago. The ensemble combines taiko drumming with theatrical choreography.
YAMATO’s musician-athletes make music a collaborative effort. They live in the same village in Japan where they create their show, from musical compositions to sets to costumes.
The troupe will perform its new program, “Hito no Chikara—The Power of Human Strength.” The program aims to examine humanity’s evolving relationship with technology and artificial intelligence through the sounds of more than 12,000-year-old taiko drumming artistry.
“YAMATO believes that the drumbeat, like the heartbeat, is the very pulse of life and the epitome of the Japanese spirit,” says YAMATO Founder and Artistic Director Masa Ogawa.
Tickets to all WUT performances are available online, in person at the Memorial Union Box Office or by phone at (608) 265-2787. Additional WUT 2024-25 season performances include August Wilson's "Two Trains Running" performed by the Acting Company on March 19, violinist Gil Shaham and pianist Orli Shaham on April 3, Roomful of Teeth on April 9 and the Branford Marsalis Quartet on May 1.