The Milwaukee Ballet will ring in April with a mixed repertory program as part of its annual “Milwaukee Ballet at the Pabst” series. Consisting of three movements from a trio of young, vibrant, talented choreographers, each section of the 90minute program will feature a different thematic purpose with each commissioned to showcase his or her unique vision. After capturing first prize at the 2nd Genesis International Choreographic Competition held by Milwaukee Ballet in 2007, French-born choreographer Nelly van Bommel has been asked to create another work for the company. “The piece is loosely based on the history of nomadic people or what people more commonly refer to as Gypsies . . .

The Festival City Symphony returns to the Pabst Theater for another program of classical music targeted toward listeners of all ages. Today’s 3 p.m. bill is themed around nature’s influence on classical music, and features earthy compositions Jan Sibelius, Edvard Grieg and Beethoven, whose “Symphony No . . .

To get at the very roots of classical music (aka “European Art Music”), you have to turn the clock way, way back. Beyond Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven; much earlier even than Bach, Handel and Vivaldi; past Monteverdi and Palestrina, and even before the famous madrigals, lute songs and ballades of the Renaissance.

Dominick Argento, a wise man and a major American composer, once said to me, “I’m a better person than I could ever be when I listen to Mozart.”

The article “No More Classical Radio” (Dec. 27) by Obie Yadgar touched a nerve. Yadgar’s thoughts and conclusions are right on target. I have been a loyal listener since WFMR was broadcast from Wauwatosa and did not carry very far. Giant strides have been made, including pumping up the wattage output.

It is irresistibly interesting to speculate what goes on in guest conductor rehearsals with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Were ideas persuasively delivered, spoken or unspoken?

American composer John Adams (b. 1947) once stood under the same Minimalist umbrella as Steve Reich and Philip Glass, but as the ’90s wore on, he developed into something of a “post-post-modernist,” as demonstrated by such works as The Death of Klinghoffer (1991) and the Violin Concerto (1993).

Obie Yadgar's thoughts and conclusions, are right on target. I have been a loyal listener since WFMR was broadcast from Wauwatosa, and did not carry very far.

Throughout his life, literature stoked the fire that burned so brightly in the imagination of French composer Hector Berlioz (1803-69). Yet, while many might assume that it was Lord Byron’s “The Corsair” that inspired his concert overture of the same name, it was actually James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Red Rover...