The Legacy of Emily Dickinson

The Legacy of Emily Dickinson:
A POETIC SOUNDSCAPE

THU, DEC 14 & FRI, DEC 15 @ 7 PM CT

LunART presents a two-day celebration of Emily Dickinson's birthday and enduring legacy on December 14-15 at Madison's Arts and Literature Laboratory.

CONCERT & POETRY READING - Thursday, December 14 at 7 PM

Immerse yourself in the world of Emily Dickinson where her timeless poetry meets mesmerizing music. Experience an evocative musical soundscape with Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson by Aaron Copland, The Gorgeous Nothings by Ingrid Stozel, and Emily's Images by Vivian Fine. In addition, savor the essence of Emily's own words through poetry readings. Join us for a celebration that weaves together art and verse, honoring the enduring legacy of this iconic poet.

Performers: Sarah Brailey (voice), Iva Ugrcic (flute), Heather Huckleberry (oboe),Satoko Hayami (piano)

MC & story-teller: Jackie Chalghin

PANEL DISCUSSION - Friday, December 15 at 7 PM

How has a woman who was an unpublished poet and a recluse become a central figure not only in American poetry but in American culture? She has been the subject of two major biopics, a miniseries, and countless books. Join us for a second day of celebrating Dickinson with this discussion about the life and work that has inspired generations of writers, musicians, and artists. In this discussion, poets will delve into the profound impact of Dickinson's literary legacy, highlighting particular poems and biographical details to explore why her timeless poetry continues to resonate with readers and artists across generations.

Panelists: Marilyn Annucci, Jackie Chalghin, Chessy Normile, Alison Townsend

Moderator: Rita Mae Reese

SHOW DETAILS

Where:
Arts + Literature Laboratory
(111 S. Livingston St, Madison)

When/Admission:
CONCERT & POETRY READING
Thursday, December 14
Doors at 6:30 PM / Concert at 7 PM

$30 General In-Person/Livestream
$15 Students/ALL Members

PANEL DISCUSSION
Friday, December 15
Doors at 6:30 PM / Panel at 7 PM

Free to public, please RSVP

Beyond her poetic persona, we will explore Dickinson as on a personal level; her life, her relationships, and her interests that formed the complex and fascinating individual that was to become one of the most celebrated literary figures of all time. An accomplished baker, Dickinson’s decadent desserts were notorious (and devoured) among her family and friends.

Commemorating the month of the poet’s birth, both events present the chance to win Dickinson’s famous “Black Cake,” her confectionery pride and joy, and Christmas time favorite. This rich recipe with Caribbean roots is abundant with dried fruits, spices, candied citron, and molasses.

< DOWNLOAD FULL PROGRAM >

< DOWNLOAD LYRICS >

Meet Featured Composers

Aaron Copland

Ingrid Stolzel

Vivian Fine

Meet Featured Musicians

Iva Ugrcic, flute

An award-winning Serbian flutist Dr. Iva Ugrčić is one of the most exciting and adventurous flutists in the international pantheon. Described as “a natural star on her instrument,” known for her technical brilliance, expressive musicianship, and remarkable versatility, she has garnered international acclaim. Her performances, both as a soloist and a collaborator in chamber and orchestral settings, have graced renowned music festivals and venues across the world.

Named the "Musician of the Year for 2018" by the Well Tempered Ear and “Woman to Watch 2022” in BRAVA Magazine, Dr. Ugrčić enjoys unique and versatile career as a performer, educator, entrepreneur, and music advocate. A versatile and adventurous artist, Iva has resided in Serbia, Germany, and France prior to her relocation to the United States.

As an avid supporter of new music, Dr. Ugrcic frequently collaborates with composers on the creation of new works to expand the flute repertoire. She is especially passionate about embracing diversity in her performances by elevating music featuring underrepresented perspectives and lived experiences, with a special focus on collaborating with women composers.

Dr. Ugrcic currently serves as the Artist in Residence at the StartingBlock Madison, is the Artistic Director of the Rural Musicians Forum, a member of the Career & Artistic Development Committee of the National Flute Association and holds the position of Board Liaison & Strategy Manger at Overture Center for the Arts. As an entrepreneur, Dr. Ugrčić is the Founder & CEO/Artistic Director of LunART, an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to support, inspire, promote, and celebrate women in the arts.

Under her leadership in 2022 alone, LunART received a Silver Lining Award for the outstanding contribution to the art community, and a Programming Award from the International Alliance for Women in Music.

Dr. Ugrcic can often be heard performing with the LunART Chamber Music Collective, Trio Collage (flute, cello and piano), and the Madison Symphony Orchestra, as well as giving recitals and touring with her long-time collaborator, pianist Dr. Satoko Hayami.

In September of 2023, Dr. Ugrcic received a national acclaim winning The American Prize in solo performance.

"... an absolute whiz of a player. Iva plays with super precision and confidence, giving her instrument great personality."

Sarah Brailey, voice

GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Sarah Brailey enjoys a versatile career that defies categorization. Praised by The New York Times for her “radiant, liquid tone,” and by Opera UK for “a sound of remarkable purity,” she is a prolific vocalist, cellist, recording artist, and educator.

Sarah’s numerous career highlights include performing Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato with the Mark Morris Dance Group, serenading the Mona Lisa with John Zorn’s Madrigals at the Louvre in Paris, and recording the role of The Soul on the world premiere album of Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison, for which she received the 2020 GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Other notable recent and upcoming projects include the role of the Angel in Handel's La Resurrezione with Haymarket Opera; Julia Wolfe’s Her Story with the Lorelei Ensemble and the Boston, Chicago, Nashville, National, and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras; and David Lang’s Song of Songs at the Barbican Centre.

Sarah is a member of Beyond Artists, a coalition of artists that donates a percentage of their concert fees to non-profit organizations. Through Beyond Artists, she supports the Natural Resources Defense Council, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, and the Animal Welfare Institute. Sarah is the Director of Vocal Studies at the University of Chicago, the Artistic Director of the Handel Aria Competition, and serves on the voice faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Satoko Hayami, piano

An award-winning pianist, Dr. Satoko Hayami (she/her), performs and teaches solo, duo, and chamber music worldwide, most notably in Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Canada, and throughout the United States. Her adventurous programming and virtuosic playing brought her to prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in D.C.; Millers Outdoor Theater in Houston, TX; Harris Hall in Aspen, CO; Memorial Union Shannon Hall in Madison, WI. A passionate performer of new music, Satoko co-founded Sound Out Loud Ensemble, a contemporary chamber ensemble, which received national acclaim in 2018, winning first prize in Chamber Music Performance of The American Prize.
A versatile artist and acclaimed collaborative pianist, she is in constant demand for collaborations with today's leading musicians, including Grammy winners and artists from prominent ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Lyric Orchestra, Decoda Ensemble of Carnegie Hall, and Madison Symphony Orchestra. Based in Madison, WI, Satoko frequently performs with the world-class faculty members of the Mead Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a pianist of the flute-piano duo with Dr. Iva Ugrcic, touring around the US.

Besides continually performing in numerous recitals and festivals, Satoko's most recent positions included a lecturer in collaborative piano at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a piano instructor at Beloit College.

Heather Huckleberry, oboe

Heather Huckleberry is on faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in Platteville, Wisconsin. Past positions include acting principal oboe of orchestras in Grand Forks, ND, Duluth-Superior, MN, and spent 10 years as the Principal Oboist of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra.

A devoted teacher, Heather’s oboe students have gone on to study music at the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, University of Indiana, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Roosevelt University, University of Washington, University of North Texas, Case-Western Reserve University, and the New England Conservatory.

Heather Huckleberry graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1998 where she studied with the renowned oboists, Kathryn Greenbank (now retired from the SPCO & Minnesota Orchestra) and Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia (english horn, Philadelphia Orchestra). Most recently, Heather has furthered her studies with Marc Schachman at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute.

Meet Featured Panelists

Jackie Chalghin

Jackie (she/her) is a second-year fiction MFA student at UW-Madison, where she also teaches writing. She has been a Dickinson enthusiast since high school and looks forward to dressing up as her every Halloween.

Alison Townsend

Alison Townsend is the author of two books of poetry, The Blue Dress, selected for the Marie Alexander Prose Poem series at White Pine Press, and Persephone in America, which won the Crab Orchard Open Poetry Competition. A collection of short prose, The Persistence of Rivers: An Essay on Moving Water, won the Jeanne Lieby Nonfiction Prize. Her poetry and essays appear widely, in journals such as The Kenyon Review, Parabola, The Southern Review, and Under the Sun, and have been recognized in Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prize, and Best American Essays 2020. Her awards include a Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor’s Regional Literary Award (for contributions to the literature of the Upper Midwest), and the 2020 Rattle Poetry Prize. She’s had residencies at Hedgebrook, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Spring Creek Project, and Write On, Door County. She is Professor Emerita of English at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she taught creative nonfiction. She and her climate-activist husband live on four acres of prairie and oak savanna in the Wisconsin farm country, the inspiration for her memoir-in-essays, The Green Hour: A Natural History of Home, published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 2022.

Chessy Normile

Chessy Normile is the author of Great Exodus, Great Wall, Great Party, selected by Li-Young Lee for the 2020 American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize. She received an MFA from the Michener Center for Writers and was most recently the 2022-2023 Ronald Wallace Poetry Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing. She edits a zine series called Girl Blood Info.

Marilyn Annucci

Marilyn Annucci is the author of The Arrows That Choose Us, winner of the 2018 Press 53 Award for Poetry, and two chapbooks: Luck (Parallel Press, 2000) and Waiting Room (winner of the 2012 Sunken Garden Chapbook Poetry Prize (Hill-Stead Museum). She is a professor in the Department of Literature, Writing and Film at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Illustration of Emily Dickinson courtesy of John Morse - stardogstudio.com

This event is supported by