The Odyssey Series Live

The Odyssey Series Live centers on “Sacred World Music” programs. Each one is open to the public is designed to explore pathways to increased understanding of varied cultural, spiritual, sacred and communal traditions with the mission to illumine the Wisconsin Idea, inclusion, and WPR’s commitment to edify and celebrate the state of Wisconsin’s culturally diverse groups.

TOS from Home - New Fall Season Coming

Friday, May 15, 2020, 3:00pm

On-line programs will feature interviews, discussions and performances expressed through the power of music and its potential to aid in the fostering of increased understanding of those who are different. The series aims to illumine the commonalities and unique human expressions of those whose sacred, spiritual, religious, and communal traditions hold many of humanities deeply held ideas about life.

"Each program in the series is designed to illumine the Wisconsin Idea, inclusion,
and WPR’s commitment to edify and celebrate Wisconsin’s culturally diverse groups."

Watch here for details!

The Odyssey Series Live - Featuring Sheila "Sile" Shigley

Friday, November 15, 2019, 3:00pm

For the second program in the TOS Live Series, Sheila "Síle" Shigley appears with guest artist, Amy Curl. Shigley was raised in Kowloon, Hong Kong where nestled beneath majestic High Junk Peak in jungled hills overlooking the South China Sea, a tightly-knit missionary community spent a good deal of time engaged in musical pursuits, including spirited hymn singing. Sheila’s family was particularly fond of early American hymns - many with deep roots in the old Celtic song traditions. Her interest in Celtic music was rekindled in the early 1980’s when she discovered WPR’s broadcasts of Simply Folk and The Thistle & Shamrock.

The Odyssey Series Live - New Season Coming This Fall

Friday, October 19, 2018, 3:00pm

The Odyssey Series Live - “Sacred World Music” Public Programs that are World Music Centered and Designed To Explore Pathways To Increased Understanding of Varied Cultural, Spiritual, Sacred and Communal Traditions.

"each program in the series is designed to illumine the Wisconsin Idea, inclusion,
and WPR’s commitment to edify and celebrate Wisconsin’s culturally diverse groups."

Programs will use the power of music and its potential to aid in the fostering of increased understanding of those who are different and, aims to illumine the commonalities and unique human expressions of those whose sacred, spiritual, religious, or communal traditions hold...

The Odyssey Series Live

Friday, October 19, 2018, 3:00pm

The Odyssey Series Live - “Sacred World Music” produced and hosted by Jonathan Øverby presenting Public Programs that are World Music Centered and Designed To Explore Pathways To Increased Understanding of Varied Cultural, Spiritual, Sacred and Communal Traditions.

Øverby says "each program in the series is designed to illumine the Wisconsin Idea, inclusion,
and WPR’s commitment to edify and celebrate Wisconsin’s culturally diverse groups."

Premier of The Odyssey Series Live

Saturday, August 4, 2018, 7:00pm

Thursday, October 4, 2018, at 12 Noon, WPR presents the premiere of The Odyssey Series Live - “Sacred World Music” produced and hosted by Jonathan Øverby. Each Public Program staged in Buck Studio is world-music-centered and designed To explore Pathways To Increased Understanding of Varied Cultural, Spiritual, Sacred and Communal Traditions.

Peruvian Music Comes To Madison

Thursday, July 26, 2018, 10:00am

Peruvian genre-bending musical force Novalima will be performing in Madison, WI on Wednesday, August 1st! From their humble start, file-sharing musical ideas and producing their first album in separate countries during the dawn of the internet, Novalima is now revered worldwide for breaking boundaries and uniting seemingly irreconcilable genres, communities, and generations. They have created an inspiring movement and revolutionized the music scene in their native Peru by bridging a longstanding divide between the mainstream and the minority Afro-Peruvian community, who have struggled against discrimination and cultural dissolution for generations.

Date: Wednesday, August 1st

Venue: Central Park

Address: 202 S...

Madison Celtic Festival 2018 - Weekend Of Celtic Culture

Friday, March 9, 2018, 10:00am

From Esty Dinur
Communications, Community Relations, and Publicity Director, Wisconsin Union TheaterChair for Artistic Selection, Madison World Music Festival

Experience a world of Celtic Culture at the Madison Celtic Festival during the weekend of March 9^th/10^th! Festival passes for the two headliners, Lúnasa and We Banjo 3, are priced as follows: UW-Madison students are $14.50, Union Members and Non-UW students are $39.50, UW-Madison Faculty and Staff are $42.50 and the General Public is $46.50. Please note that the full festival passes not only include a discount but also early admission to each show. Tickets may...

CITY OF CHICAGO 2018 MILLENNIUM PARK SUMMER SEASON

Friday, March 9, 2018, 10:00am

CITY OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCES THE 2018 MILLENNIUM PARK SUMMER SEASON

Millennium Park’s 2018 summer season which runs from May through September. Millennium Park will offer traditional favorites like the Chicago House Music Festival, Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Summer Music Series, Summer Film Series and SummerDance Celebration, in addition to dozens of free concerts, events, family activities, nature programs, work outs, public art and more. New this year, the Creative Youth Festival will take place on September 22, showcasing teen artists in dance, theatre, music, spoken word, the visual arts and more as part of the 2018...

Pankhurst Anthem and UK's Centenary of Women's Suffrage

Friday, February 16, 2018, 11:00am

Source: BBC Radio 3

6 February 1918 ground-breaking Act of Parliament allowed some women in the United Kingdom to vote for the first time.

Although it would be another ten years before all UK women could vote on the same terms as men, it was a momentous step on the road to voting equality. 100 years later to the day, BBC Radio 3 is marking this important centenary of women’s suffrage with a special commission. BBC Radio 3 joined forces with two descendants of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst to produce a

...

Hindustani Classical Music

Wednesday, February 14, 2018, 11:00am

North Indian or Hindustani art music has a wealth of vocal genres and instrumental styles, some of them rooted in the past and others of a more recent origin. Although Indian music is primarily an oral tradition, it has a long practice of written music theory.

Through dozens of musicological treatises and other historical documents we know that changes in patronage and musical taste have had a profound effect on ragas, talas, style and repertoire. This collection of twenty five essays by prominent scholars provides a major overview of the history of

...

La Banda Morisca In Concert

Thursday, November 16, 2017, 11:00am

La Banda Morisca brings together a mix of flamenco, Andalusian folk music and the musical traditions of the three monotheist religions to create a unique and exciting sound all its own. The group originates from the Spanish city Jerez in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cádiz Mountains. La Banda Morisca combines modern and ancient instruments and dazzling vocals to easily captivate the interests of a broad audience. Tickets: Adults $18, Seniors $17, Youth $9

Event Date: Fri, 2018-03-16

Event Start Time: 7:30 pm

Event Location (Venue): Chippewa...

Gospel Music Festival - Madison, Wisconsin

Friday, September 22, 2017, 12:00pm

Music from Russian to Manchurian to Han Chinese

Friday, September 22, 2017, 12:00pm

Daniel Ho, a native Hawaiian currently based in Los Angeles, plays piano, ukulele and slack key guitar. He has received six Grammies as a producer and his album Polani (Pure) was the first 'ukulele album to be nominated for a Grammy. Ho, who visited Oberlin as part of Asian/ Pacific Islander American Month, sponsored by the Asian American Alliance, delivered an entertaining and virtuosic performance.

"Ho is joined by The Grasslands Ensemble on the new September 2017 release "Between The Sky & Prairie" distributed by Wind Music Internation. The ensemble comes from the Inner Mongolian prairies of Hulunbuir and...

Calypso, Highlife, Apala, Mambo & Juju On One Album

Thursday, September 7, 2017, 12:00pm

Soul Jazz Records' says this about their 2016 "Nigeria Freedom Sounds Release: (The album with great liner notes) "features a stunning selection of material spotlighting the vibrant musical scene in Nigeria at the start of the 1960s. With a wealth of musical and cultural history and newly independent from Britain, Nigerian music during this era was complex, diverse and forward-thinking, with musicians as excited in exploring their country's own musical lineage with styles such as Juju and Apala as they were in adapting and absorbing outside influences such as Ghanaian Highlife, Caribbean Calypsos and Mambo and more".

I discovered this...

Pink Martini - Simply "Sympathique"

Friday, September 1, 2017, 12:00pm

While dining is a Turkish restaurant in Inverdeen, Scotland just weeks ago, I was struck by the music, quite robustly bellowing from the speaker just above my table. In truth, I have a hard time sustaining a conversation or even eating with music playing in the background - it distracts me and lures me in like a lighthouse guiding a vessel to port. This was no exception, so I took out my iphone, clicked on the Shazam application which can identify the audio of a recording being played, show the artist, album, song title etc.

When Pink Martini's name appeared,...

African Children's Choir Comes To Wisconsin

Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 12:00pm

The internationally acclaimed African Children’s Choir recently performed at
Crossroads Church, 3815 S Dutch Mill Rd, Madison Wisconsin.
Event Date: Fri, 2017-05-19. The African Children’s Choir melts the hearts of audiences with their
charming smiles, beautiful voices and lively African songs and dances. The
program features well-loved children’s songs, traditional Spirituals and
Gospel favorites. Concerts are free and open to all. Donations will be
accepted at the performance to support African Children’s Choir programs,
such as education, care and relief and development programs.

Music for Life (The parent organization for...

37th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute And Ceremony

Monday, January 16, 2017, 12:00pm

On Monday, January 16, 2017 at Noon, the State of Wisconsin presented the 37th Annual “Tribute & Ceremony” honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the State Capitol Rotunda in Madison, Wisconsin.

This event was produced, directed and hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio’s Dr. Jonathan L. Overby, with a call for peace, unity and the celebration of Wisconsin’s culturally diversity population, the program themed, “The Journey Ahead”. It featured music by the Kenosha Tremper High School Wind Ensemble, gospel music by Kingdom Records recording artists, The Brown Sisters of Chicago and, guest speaker Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter whom Essence Magazine named one of the...

Jonathan Overby

The Taste of Tango

Wednesday, November 23, 2016, 1:00pm

Tango is a dance that has influences from European and African culture. The exact origins of tango—both the dance and the word itself—are lost in myth and unrecorded history. One plausible theory is that in the mid-1800s, enslaved Africans transported to Argentina would - with their descendants over time - begin to influence the local culture. Folklore aside, the word "tango" represents “the place where enslaved Africans and those freed gathered to dance by the time the country banned slavery in 1853. The word "tango" may be African in origin, meaning "closed place" or "reserved ground", or it may derive...

Jonathan Overby

Praise for Higher Ground from ARC Music Productions

Thursday, May 26, 2016, 1:00pm

ARC Music Productions - World Music Label Praises Higher Ground 5.26.16

"Thanks to The Road To Higher Ground With Jonathan Overby covering over 30 stations in the state of Wisconsin, USA...
A terrific show playing music from This edition of Hg features music by Dr. Michael White, Skinny Tuba, Rokia Traoré, Butch Baldassair, Tiken Jah Fokoly, Tamikrest, Abigail Washburn, Panom Nopporn, Gabriel Palatchi, Michael Messer’s Mitra, continued salute to Papa Wemba, Ethiopian Folk, Kaoru Watanabe, new music by Eliades Ochoa, traditional music from Spain by Vigüela Africa’s Nii Tagoe and much more and many other ..."...

Jonathan Overby

Understanding Selected World Music Styles

Tuesday, January 26, 2016, 1:00pm

Zydeo, which came to light in the early to mid-19th century, developed from southwest Louisiana's Creole population. Lyrics expressed in English or French are characteristically accompanied by the prominent influence of an accordion and washboard.

Katajjaq, or Inuit throat singing, is linked to the native people in the arctic areas of Canada and the U.S. as well as Greenland and Russia. Throat singing is sustained within in other cultures including those in Tibet and Mongolia. The Inuit form of musical expression is recognized for being sung as duets between women. Traditionally, it has been used to sing crying babies to sleep or in competitive games to learn who can outlast the...

Jonathan Overby

Exploring Selected World Music Styles

Tuesday, January 26, 2016, 1:00pm

The Garifuna People, descendants of West Africa, Central Africa, the Caribbean and the Arawak people, represent a group of shipwrecked enslaved Africans who intermarried with locals on the island known today as St. Vincent. In time the Garifuna people would be deported to the Central American coast in the late eighteenth century.

With no less than fifteen different styles of music as well as dance styles within their culture, the Garifuna People are celebrated around the globe for their blend of rich singing with the Afro Ameridean communities of Belize , Guatemala and Honduras. The Garifuna sound is heavily influenced...

Jonathan Overby

Wisconsin's 36th Annual 2016 MLK Tribute

Friday, November 20, 2015, 1:00pm

WPR is a proud sponsor of the State of Wisconsin's 36^th Annual “Tribute & Ceremony” honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday, January 18, 2016 at 12 Noon State Capitol Rotunda in Madison, Wisconsin.

For More Information Contact:

Dr. Jonathan L. Overby, Executive Producer/Host

c/o Wisconsin Public Radio – USA, 821 University Ave

Madison, WI 53706 608 263-4104, Cell 608 279-7000

Toll Free 877 279-7077, Fax 608 263-9763

www.wpr.org/wisconsins-36th-annual-2016-mlk-tribute; www.wpt.org/black_culture

Guest Speaker

The Honorable Aja Brown, Mayor of...

Jonathan Overby

Famed Folk Artist Joan Armatrading Graced The Wisconsin Union Theatre

Wednesday, May 13, 2015, 1:00pm

The Wisconsin Union Theater, in collaboration with T Presents & Majestic Live Present, is delighted to welcome A Very Special SOLO Evening with Joan Armatrading. The tour stops at the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Shannon Hall on Tuesday, October 6, 2015, 8 pm. Tickets will be available starting Friday, May 8, 2015, 11 am. Purchase tickets online or call the Box Office at 608-265-ARTS (2787). Tickets can be purchased at the box office in the Wisconsin Union Theater or at Vilas Hall (entrance on East Campus Mall, 821 University Avenue). Ticket prices are: $35, $45, $55, $100. A limited number...

Jonathan Overby

A Collaborative Night of Lively Jazz with The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman

Wednesday, May 13, 2015, 1:00pm

Press Release:

The Wisconsin Union Theater has a long history of presenting some of the greatest jazz artists in the world. Next up on that list is The Bad Plus Joshua Redman on Saturday, October 17, 2015 at 8 p.m. in Shannon Hall. Tickets are available at the box office in the Wisconsin Union Theater, by calling 608-265-ARTS and online here. Tickets are $38.50, $34.50 and $27.50 for the general public, $34.50, $30.50 and $27.50 for Wisconsin Union Members and Non UW-Madison Students, $10 for UW-Madison Students (with ID), and $36.50, $32.50 and $27.50 for UW-Madison Faculty/Staff.

...

Jonathan Overby

Wisconsin Celebrates The Life and Legacy Of MLK, 2015 Event Planning Underway

Wednesday, January 21, 2015, 1:00pm

Monday, January 19, 2015

From the Capitol Rotunda in Madison, Wisconsin celebrated its 35th Annual "Tribute and Ceremony" honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This event, produced and hosted by Dr. Jonathan Overby, illumined the life and legacy of Dr. King in words and music with guest speaker Van Jones, Milwaukee's Latino Strings Orchestra and the University of Illinois Black Chorus. Anthony "Van" Jones is civil rights activist, author, attorney, and CNN Political Contributor. Attorney Jones is the president and co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, a platform for bottom-up, people-powered innovations to

...

Jonathan Overby

The Culture Of Cuban Choral and Instrumental Music

Saturday, November 29, 2014, 7:00pm

The Creole Choir of Cuba is a Cuban musical group signed to Peter Gabriel's record label - Realworld Records. This vocal collective, one of many in Cuba, is represented by Haitian descendants enslaved to the Caribbean from West Africa.

CCOC hails from Camagüey, the country’s third largest city, located near the eastern end of the island. Songs are sung in creole, Cuba's second language first created by fusing words together from various African languages. English, a third language is widely spoken about the island as well.

Historically, Cuban music has had a significant imprint on North American music - particularly jazz. I've had the pleasure...

What 's The Difference Between a Quintet, Septet and an Octet?

Friday, October 31, 2014, 3:20pm

I don't know about you, but I rarely can remember what you call a musical group with more than five players. Perhaps my days as a somewhat confused and struggling undergraduate-voice student at San Francisco State were more oppressive than I realized. To spare you from my pain endured years ago, here is a short primer on applicable terms for musical groups:

In Western classical and jazz music, the terms duet (two), trio (three), quartet (four), quintet (five), sextet(six), septet (seven), octet (eight), nonet (nine) and dectet (ten), describe groups of two up to ten musicians and/or vocalists. By the way, some 'musicians', don’t...

Jonathan Overby

Piazolla - On Top of the Tango

Tuesday, October 21, 2014, 3:20pm

Ástor Pantaleón Piazolla - It's worthy to note that the tango is a dance that originated in the 1890s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay, and soon spread to the rest of the world. It is a dance that has influences from both European and African culture.

Ástor Pantaleón Piazolla, would become an important Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player. His body of work revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style incorporating diverse elements liberated from jazz and Eurocentric classical music. Hear his music on Hg Edition #1060. To learn more about...

Jonathan Overby

Scott Joplin's Little Known Opera

Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 3:20pm

"Treemonisha" is an opera composed by the famed ragtime composer Scott Joplin.

The fully scored opera which takes place in 1884, encompasses a wide range of musical styles including a ragtime aria with chorus and orchestra titled "A Real Slow Drag" with a theme that champion's education as the salvation of the African American race. In true operatic form, the work is represented by the heroine and symbolic educator Treemonisha, who runs into trouble with a local band of magicians who kidnap her.

Joplin spend years working on the opera, but could never get anyone to stage the work - not...

Jonathan Overby

Student Inspires Composer's Work

Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 12:55pm

Antonin Dvořák, Czech composer, notably associated with symphonic works including his highly celebrated “New World Symphony” – a work that contains a warm and richly identifiable Afrocentric motif that became an artsong song titled “Goin’ Home”.

How the motif was born can best be explained as a blend of folklore, legend and interpretation due to a chance meeting with Harry T. Burleigh, an African American voice student who by most accounts, introduced Dvořák to the genre of Afrocentric sacred music in the United States. To Learn more about composer Antonin Dvořák, visit "The Odyssey Series" on the Higher Ground page.

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TOS from Home - New Fall Season Coming

Friday, May 15, 2020, 3:00pm

The Odyssey Series Live - Featuring Sheila "Sile" Shigley

Friday, November 15, 2019, 3:00pm

For the second program in the TOS Live Series, Sheila "Síle" Shigley appears with guest artist, Amy Curl . Shigley was raised in Kowloon, Hong Kong where nestled beneath majestic High Junk Peak in jungled hills overlooking the South China Sea, a tightly-knit missionary community spent a good deal of time engaged in musical pursuits, including spirited hymn singing. Sheila’s family was particularly fond of early American hymns - many with deep roots in the old Celtic song traditions. Her interest in Celtic music was rekindled in the early 1980’s when she discovered WPR’s broadcasts of Simply Folk and The Thistle & Shamrock.

The Odyssey Series Live - New Season Coming This Fall

Friday, October 19, 2018, 3:00pm

The Odyssey Series Live

Friday, October 19, 2018, 3:00pm

Premier of The Odyssey Series Live

Saturday, August 4, 2018, 7:00pm

Peruvian Music Comes To Madison

Thursday, July 26, 2018, 10:00am

CITY OF CHICAGO 2018 MILLENNIUM PARK SUMMER SEASON

Friday, March 9, 2018, 10:00am

CITY OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCES THE 2018 MILLENNIUM PARK SUMMER SEASON Millennium Park’s 2018 summer season which runs from May through September. Millennium Park will offer traditional favorites like the Chicago House Music Festival, Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Summer Music...

Madison Celtic Festival 2018 - Weekend Of Celtic Culture

Friday, March 9, 2018, 10:00am

Pankhurst Anthem and UK's Centenary of Women's Suffrage

Friday, February 16, 2018, 11:00am

Source: BBC Radio 3 6 February 1918 ground-breaking Act of Parliament allowed some women in the United Kingdom to vote for the first time. Although it would be another ten years before all UK women could vote on the same terms as men, it was a momentous step on the road to voting equality. 100...

Hindustani Classical Music

Wednesday, February 14, 2018, 11:00am

La Banda Morisca In Concert

Thursday, November 16, 2017, 11:00am

Gospel Music Festival - Madison, Wisconsin

Friday, September 22, 2017, 12:00pm

Music from Russian to Manchurian to Han Chinese

Friday, September 22, 2017, 12:00pm

Daniel Ho, a native Hawaiian currently based in Los Angeles, plays piano, ukulele and slack key guitar. He has received six Grammies as a producer and his album Polani (Pure) was the first 'ukulele album to be nominated for a Grammy. Ho, who visited Oberlin as part of Asian/ Pacific Islander...

Calypso, Highlife, Apala, Mambo & Juju On One Album

Thursday, September 7, 2017, 12:00pm

Pink Martini - Simply "Sympathique"

Friday, September 1, 2017, 12:00pm

African Children's Choir Comes To Wisconsin

Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 12:00pm

37th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute And Ceremony

Monday, January 16, 2017, 12:00pm

On Monday, January 16, 2017 at Noon, the State of Wisconsin presented the 37th Annual “Tribute & Ceremony” honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the State Capitol Rotunda in Madison, Wisconsin. This event was produced, directed and hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio’s Dr. Jonathan L. Overby,...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/28/us/maya-angelou-obit/index.html

Wednesday, November 23, 2016, 1:00pm

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/28/us/maya-angelou-obit/index.html

Thursday, May 26, 2016, 1:00pm

ARC Music Productions - World Music Label Praises Higher Ground 5.26.16 "Thanks to The Road To Higher Ground With Jonathan Overby covering over 30 stations in the state of Wisconsin, USA... A terrific show playing music from This edition of Hg features music by Dr. Michael White, Skinny Tuba, Rokia...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/28/us/maya-angelou-obit/index.html

Tuesday, January 26, 2016, 1:00pm

The Garifuna People , descendants of West Africa, Central Africa, the Caribbean and the Arawak people, represent a group of shipwrecked enslaved Africans who intermarried with locals on the island known today as St. Vincent. In time the Garifuna people would be deported to the Central American...

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