DOOR COUNTY’S MIDSUMMER’S MUSIC FESTIVAL CLOSES 20TH SEASON WITH “BEST OF THE BEST”
Festival Continues its Tradition of Bringing Carnegie Hall Performances to Door County
Sister Bay, WI – Door County’s Midsummer’s Music Festival has much in store for classical music lovers this September. Wisconsin’s premier chamber music ensemble will end its 20th anniversary season with special concerts designed to celebrate historical connections to Door County and also a celebratory series that will feature some of the most inspiring performances over the festival’s 20 year history. The concerts run September 1 – 6 and take place in various towns and locations around Door County. Each concert venue is unique and full of history and charm.
World-class musicians from organizations such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pro Arte Quartet, Aspen Music Festival, and artist faculty from major universities, make up Wisconsin’s premiere chamber music ensemble — Midsummer’s Music Festival. The festival has had a long history of bringing Carnegie Hall quality performances to Door County. While the Midsummer’s Music Festival began 20 years ago, the Labor Day series was started in 2002 when violist Walter Preucil and pianist William Koehler were scheduled for a concert in New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall that October. Festival founders Jim and Jean Berkenstock invited them to do a preview in Door County. The concerts were very successful and became a permanent part of the festival. The Carnegie Hall tradition continues as members of the festival ensemble just performed at Carnegie Hall in May of 2010.
The Labor Day series consists of two programs – each offered three different times at three different venues. The first program is called “Historic Connections”. This program will include works by Edward Collins, Edvard Grieg and Franz Josef Haydn. The first connection revolves around the first piece by Edward Collins, a composer born in Joliet, educated in Europe, lived in Chicago, and had close ties to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Collins also had a summer place in Door County and did much of his composing there during a certain period of his life. He died in 1951. The other connection is around the piece by Edvard Grieg. Grieg is Norway’s most famous composer, a fitting tie-in to the Scandinavian population of Door County.
The second program is a celebration of 20 years of magnificent performances. Festival organizers chose works from the most splendid performances over the years. All three pieces were played to great accolades. "Cafe Music" by Paul Schoenfield is an outrageously infectious work that incorporates the best of jazz, blues, country, pop, etc., in a three-movement celebration. The Concerto by Liebermann is a single movement work that features violinist Isabella Lippi and pianist William Koehler with string quartet in another sparkling virtuoso work.
The final piece, the Robert Schumann Piano Quintet, is one of the very best pieces of chamber music ever written, coming from 1841, just after his marriage to Clara Wieck which finally came to pass after 12 years of opposition from her father. Schumann burst forth with a torrid celebration of compositional activity (including this Quintet) that is among the most intense in the history of music.
Most tickets are $25. The “MIDSUMMER’S MUSIC, HELP OF DOOR COUNTY and THE RIDGES CELEBRATION” is priced at $85 and includes dinner. Wisconsin Public Radio host Anders Yocom will emcee the event. All concerts include an inviting reception and a chance to meet the musicians. For more information, visit the website www.midsummersmusic.com or call 920.854.7088.
Labor Day - Historical Connections
Wednesday, September 1, Peninsula School of Art, Fish Creek, 7:30 pm, $25
Thursday, September 2, Ephraim Moravian Church, Ephraim 7:30 pm, $25
Saturday, September 4, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim, 7:30 pm, $25
Allegro Piacevole, Edward Collins (1886 - 1951)
String Quartet
Symphony No. 101 in D Major, Franz Josef Haydn (1732 - 1809)
J. P. Salomon version for Flute and Strings
String Quartet in G Minor, Opus 27, Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
String Quartet
Labor Day - Celebration!
Friday, September 3, Shepherd of the Bay, Ellison Bay, 7:30 pm, $25
Sunday, September 5, Ephraim Moravian Church, Ephraim, 3:00 pm, $25
MIDSUMMER’S MUSIC, HELP OF DOOR COUNTY and THE RIDGES CELEBRATION!
Monday, September 6, Birch Creek Music Center, Egg Harbor, 3:00, pm $85 (includes dinner)
Concerto, Opus 28, Lowell Liebermann (1961 -)
Violin, Piano, and String Quartet
Café Music, Paul Schoenfield (1947 -)
Violin, cello, and piano
Quintet in E-flat, Opus 44, Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Piano and Strings
About the Venues
Birch Creek Music Performance Center – Birch Creek Music Performance Center is a summer music school (academy) in Door County, Wisconsin, for advanced young musicians. The largest venue in the series, the Birch Creek Music Performance Center provides an acoustically sound environment that is ideal for classical chamber concerts. 3821 County E, Egg Harbor, WI, 54209, 920.868.3763
http://www.birchcreek.org/
Ephraim Moravian Church – The oldest church on the Door County peninsula, the building was completed in 1859 by a group of Norwegian settlers. This historic structure provides an inspiring setting for a classical music concert.
9970 Moravia St, Ephraim, WI 54211, 920.854.2804,
http://www.ephraimmoravian.org/
Peninsula School of Art - Founded in 1965 and located in the heart of Door County, Wisconsin, Peninsula School of Art is a center for education and exploration in the visual arts. Situated on a 10 acre campus, the school which strives to foster an understanding of the visual arts through education, exhibitions and community outreach programs.
3900 County F, Fish Creek, WI 54212, 920.868.3455
http://www.peninsulaartschool.com/
Shepherd of the Bay – Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church offers wonderful acoustics in a 220 seat sanctuary. This modern building includes a fellowship hall, large kitchen, seven classrooms, and a nursery. Highway 42 between Ellison Bay and Sister Bay in Door County, Wisconsin, 920-854-2988
http://www.shepherdofthebay.org/
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County - The concerts take place in a former art gallery which is housed at the Fellowship, 10341 Hwy. 42, north Ephraim, located next to the Green Gables Shops. A regional artist is featured each month in the Gathering Room. Displays include all types of artwork.
http://www.uufdc.org/
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Carolyn Jacobs
Big Splash Public Relations
3352 N. Schultz Drive
Lansing, IL 60438
http://www.bigsplashpr.com/
773.218.7552
The series will kick off with Katie Dahl on September 2. The music series will continue in September with David Hatch & Lynn Gudmundsen on September 9, The Nicks on September 16, Jeanne Kuhns & Lost Mothra on September 23, and melaniejane on September 30. The October schedule will be released at a later date. 
