Often relegated to the sidelines while their male contemporaries basked in the limelight, women classical composers are now being recognized for their brilliance and significant contributions to the history of music.
Midsummer’s Music is a leader among chamber music organizations in presenting works by lesser-known composers—especially composers of color and female composers. Too long denied sufficient hearings, the three women in Midsummer’s “Women to be Heard” program present contrasting styles and convincingly moving musical statements, full of power and élan, demanding that they be heard.
In 1944 at the age of 55, German composer Ilse Fromm-Michaels wrote Musica Larga, a quintet for clarinet and strings, near the end of World War II and the death of her husband, a judge of Jewish descent. When the Nazis instituted the Nuremberg Race Laws in 1935, she was banned from performing or publishing her compositions. She continued teaching music, however, and after World War II established the Hamburg First School of Music and Drama.
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel was Felix Mendelssohn’s older sister – by four years – and a famed pianist. She composed more than 450 works of music. When she was 14 years old, her grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn, a renowned Jewish philosopher, wrote to her, “Music will perhaps become [Felix’s] profession, while for you it can and must be only an ornament.” She initially published pieces under Felix’s name and later in life began publishing in her own name, yet most of her compositions remained unpublished until the late 20th century. Her Quartet in F-flat Major began in 1829 as an unfinished sonata in E-flat, but she rescored it several years later as a string quartet—and consequently defined her role in chamber music.
Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1868, Johanna Müller-Hermann was a composer and pedagogue whose dream was to become a professional musician, but circumstances at that time prevented her from pursuing her musical ambitions. After marriage, she continued her violin and piano lessons and studied composition under some prominent composers. She went on to become Professor of Music Theory at the New Vienna Conservatory and is considered to be one of the leading women composers during her lifetime. In 1909 at 41 years old, she composed her String Quintet in A Minor, but it was never published until 2022.
Women to be Heard program musicians are Alicia Lee, clarinet; David Perry and Suzanne Beia, violins; Allyson Fleck and Catherine Lynn, violas; and Anthony Arnone, cello.
Performances are 7:00pm, June 22, at Egg Harbor’s Kress Pavilion, sponsored by Mike & Ann Morgan; 7:00pm, June 23, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Ephraim; 7:00pm, June 24, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sister Bay; and 5:00pm, June 25, at Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor. The entire Women to be Heard program is co-sponsored by 100+ Women Who Care Door County and the Women’s Fund of Door County.
A complete 2023 summer brochure can be downloaded at www.midsummersmusic.com.
Tickets are $38 for adults, $17 for students, and children 12 and under are free with an adult. Premium prices apply for special events. Flex-packs of six tickets for the price of five tickets are also available. Tickets can be ordered at www.midsummersmusic.com or by phone at 920-854-7088.
Midsummer’s Music was co-founded in 1990 by Jim and Jean Berkenstock, long-time Door County summer residents and principal orchestral players with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. What began as two concerts among friends has become one of the Midwest’s most anticipated chamber music series, bringing thousands of chamber music enthusiasts from around the globe to the magical Door County Peninsula.
For more information visit www.midsummersmusic.com.
High-resolution photos can be downloaded at https://www.midsummersmusic.com/photos/.
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For Calendar Listings:
Opening with a Flair: Bartók & Fauré
Quartet in C Major Béla Bartók
Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 45 Gabriel Fauré
June 14, 7:00 pm: Opening Night Gala, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor; special guest emcee Norman Gilliland
June 17, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
June 20, 7:00 pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim
June 21, 7:00 pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Women to be Heard
Musica Larga Ilse Fromm-Michaels
Quartet in E-flat Major Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
String Quintet in A Minor, Op. 7 Johanna Müller-Hermann
June 22, 7:00 pm: Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
June 23, 7:00 pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim
June 24, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
June 25, 5:00 pm: Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
Remembering Rachmaninoff, Remembering Tchaikovsky
Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11, “Accordion” Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
Trio élégiaque No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 9, “In Memory of a Great Artist” Sergei Rachmaninoff
June 29, 7:00 pm: Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
June 30, 7:00 pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim
July 1, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
July 2, 5:00 pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Brahms in the Spotlight
Movements for String Quartet Nkeiru Okoye
Quintet in G Major Sir Arthur Somervell
String Quintet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 88, “Spring” Johannes Brahms
July 6, 7:00 pm: Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
July 7, 7:00 pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim
July 8, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
July 9, 5:00 pm: Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
Eric Lewis Meets Will Healy
Door County favorite Eric Lewis joins forces with Midsummer’s own Composer-in-Residence Will Healy to create a truly one-of-a-kind program. Being presented only twice, you do not want to miss a single note of this incredible collaboration, including a world premiere by Will!
July 13, 7:00 pm: Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
July 14, 7:00 pm: Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church, Ellison Bay
Emperor Concerto & Jeannie Yu
Quartet in D Major, Op. 8 Bernhard Henrik Crusell
Symphony No. 95 in C Minor (Salomon arr.) Joseph Haydn
Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73, “Emperor” (Lachner arr.) Ludwig van Beethoven
July 15, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
July 16, 5:00 pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
July 19, 7:00 pm: Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
July 21, 7:00 pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim
Haydn (Michael) & Mendelssohn
String Quintet in C Major, P. 108 Michael Haydn
Phantasy Quartet Ernest John Moeran
Quintet No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 87 Felix Mendelssohn
July 20, 7:00 pm: Old Gibraltar Town Hall, Fish Creek
July 22, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
July 23, 5:00 pm: Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
July 26, 7:00 pm: Sister Bay Moravian Church, Sister Bay
Schubert Trio
Piano Trio No. 2 Dmytro Klebanov
Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat, D. 898 Franz Schubert
July 27, 7:00 pm: Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
July 28, 7:00 pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim
July 29, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
July 30, 5:00 pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
19th Century French Rapture
Quintet in C Minor, Op. 42 Louis Vierne
Quintet No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 7 Charles-Marie Widor
August 23, 7:00 pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
August 24, 7:00 pm: Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
August 25, 7:00 pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim
August 26, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
Splendid Stories
Four Two-Bit Contraptions Jan Bach
En Saga, Op. 9 (Gregory Barrett arr.) Jean Sibelius
Quintet in G Major, Op. 77 Antonín Dvořák
August 27, 5:00 pm: Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
August 29, 7:00 pm: Björklunden, Baileys Harbor
August 30, 7:00 pm: Mutchler Residence Salon Concert, Sturgeon Bay
August 31, 7:00 pm: Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
September 3, 3:00 pm: The Clearing Folk School, Ellison Bay
Celebratory Fireworks!
Piano Quartet in D Minor, Op. 25 Dora Pejacevic
Café Music Paul Schoenfeld
Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 13 Richard Strauss
September 1, 7:00 pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim
September 2, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
September 4, 3:00 pm: Labor Day Gala, Björklunden, Baileys Harbor