Attendees of the AIDS Quilt Songbook Concert are in for more than a standard concert. Originally debuted in June 1992 at New York's Lincoln Center, the series of 18 songs and poems of rage, anger, humor and hope are being presented for the first time in Wisconsin this Sunday.
'Rarely has [the Songbook] been performed in the original format, with four singers and the complete collection of songs,' said Scott Foss, music director of the First United Methodist Church.
According to Foss, the performance offers audience members a chance to have a great music experience, take part in something powerful by their contribution to the AIDS Network and experience what the quilt was designed for'remembrance and healing.
Where to get ticketsWisconsin Union Theater, 800 Langdon St., 262-2201 Community Pharmacy, 341 State St. First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave. Studio Jewelers, 1306 Regent St. |
The concert is set to coincide with the display of four 12' by 12' blocks, each with eight separate panels, of the AIDS Quilt. The four blocks of the quilt were chosen and shipped here from Atlanta because of their special significance to the Madison area. Each block on display features panels that were made by or pay tribute to Madison residents.
'You may not think it's you, but [AIDS] is everybody's problem,' said Michael Goldberg, director of the Wisconsin Union Theater.
Last year, 3,557 adults in Wisconsin were living with AIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/. The number of people with AIDS rises every day throughout the United States and the world. The event's planners said Sunday's concert is just one way that students can help make a difference.
'[This] is a chance to experience a concert that is powerful, moving and very beautiful,' Goldberg said.
Among four featured singers is Kurt Ollmann, who, aside from being an international opera star, is on the original recording
of Leonard Bernstein's 'West Side Story' and is one of the original performers of the AIDS
Quilt Songbook and subsequent CD re-
lease. Another of the many noteworthy
participants in the Songbook concert is John Harbison, the Pulitzer-Prize winning composer of 'The Flight Into Egypt' and 'The Great Gatsby.'
Songbook will be performed at the Wisconsin Union Theater Sept. 9, at 4 p.m. It is being presented in conjunction with the display of four panels of the AIDS Quilt at the First United Methodist Church of Madison.
The panels are on display Aug. 27 through Sept. 23, noon to 1 p.m. weekends, and 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays. Admission is free.
Tickets for the AIDS Quilt Songbook are available now. General admission tickets are $10 with an additional $5 service charge on phone orders. The concert is sponsored by The AIDS Network, Madison Civic Center, First United Methodist Church, Wisconsin Union Directorate, Home Health United and Heartland Litho.
