READ MORE FROM OUR “2025 FALL ARTS” FEATURE HERE.
Final Bow
When Ken-David Masur first took the podium for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2018 as a guest conductor, he didn’t even know they were hiring a new director. However, he savored Lake Michigan, Milwaukee’s people and, importantly, the ensemble and its renowned chorus. When offered the top job for the 2019-20 season, he happily accepted.
In the six years since, Masur has led the MSO through dramatic changes. He knew signing up that he’d debut the new Bradley Symphony Center, akin to his maestro father Kurt opening a hall in Leipzig, Germany.
RELATED READS: KEN-DAVID MASUR IS LEAVING THE MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
He didn’t know a pandemic would upheave an entire season, forcing Masur to steer the ship through a reimagined virtual program. More recently, Masur created an annual celebration of Bach (a favorite composer of his), appointed a new concertmaster in Jinwoo Lee, and pushed for community outreach. “A concert hall needs to be an embassy of thought, creativity and imagination,” he says. “From there, you can take all of the inspiration out into the neighborhoods and work with all kinds of partners.”
After this season, Masur is stepping down, passing the baton and looking ahead. But he thinks his final season will be one of his biggest highlights, a program celebrating 50 years of the Symphony Chorus with a plethora of choral works.
The chorus kicks off with a bang from Oct. 3-5: Beethoven’s Ninth, with its exuberant “Ode to Joy,” joined by other, newer works.
“Music will always remind us that it’s worth it to build, to be inspired and to see the beauty in these things,” Masur says. “[‘Ode to Joy’] is still one of those great, powerful moments.”
Manty Ellis is the blueprint of Milwaukee jazz. The 92-year-old masterful musician has been a staple for decades, playing guitar with the greats whenever they rolled into town. In 1971, he and pianist Tony King founded the country’s first degree-granting jazz program at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music; subsequently, Ellis taught and influenced many of today’s local jazz stalwarts. That educational legacy lives on: A new partnership between WCM and the Manty Ellis Community Foundation brings a range of classes and quarterly concerts by prominent musicians to the city. The series kicked off in July with a performance by Jazz Messengers alum Benny Green and continues with a concert in October.
What’s Your Sound?
Billy Woods
NOV. 15 | VIVARIUM → RAP
Enigmatic, erudite and evocative – these traits, plus his technical precision, have given this underground rapper a fervent following.
Of Being Numerous
NOV. 23 | CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST → EXPERIMENTAL
Present Music’s Thanksgiving concert is always full of surprises. This year, it’s a new commissioned piece by tonally curious composer Christopher Cerrone.
Don Giovanni
OCT. 24-26 | MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER → CLASSICAL
Performed by the Florentine Opera, Mozart’s masterpiece opera still has something to say about the wicked eponymous villain.
Haim
SEPT. 13 | THE RAVE → ROCK
This indie rock trio of sisters can’t be pinned down, with their tight, shimmering style decorated in ’70s classic rock, contemporary R&B and many more sounds.
Herbie Hancock
OCT. 21 | PABST THEATER → JAZZ
At 85 years old, this jazz luminary is still a consummate performer, skillfully wringing incomparable joy from the piano, as well as jumping on stage and hyping the crowd.
Mumford & Sons
OCT. 11 | FISERV FORUM → FOLK/TWANG
The nostalgia of 2010s indie folk has arrived, and that includes this leader of the pack, banjo and all. Their latest album, Rushmere, is a return to stomp-clap form.
