The 2024 Winter Strings Retreat is a musical journey that features the Suzuki Strings of Madison and the Griffon’s lesson program students from Green Bay and Door County.
The Griffon String Quartet’s founding mission of providing music education to youth and underserved children in northeast Wisconsin was the pivotal catalyst for launching its inaugural Winter Retreat for students studying violin, viola, and cello in January 2023. With the tremendous success of the first retreat, the ensemble is now set to hold its second Winter Retreat on January 5–6, 2024, featuring Suzuki Strings of Madison.
Suzuki Strings of Madison provides Madison children with the opportunity to flourish musically using the philosophy of Shinichi Suzuki, a Japanese pedagogue who believed that every child could learn to play an instrument with loving encouragement, a rich musical environment, and respectful cooperation between teacher, parent, and student.
Suzuki Strings of Madison will perform for students at Gibraltar School in Fish Creek on the morning of January 5. A stimulating instrumental workshop follows, including performances by Griffon string quartet musicians from Door County and Brown County and students from Suzuki Strings of Madison. A captivating instrument petting zoo will allow the Gibraltar students an excellent opportunity to touch and experiment with violins, violas, and cellos under the supervision and guidance of professional musicians.
Later the same day, Suzuki Strings of Madison students, Griffon students, and community members will gather at Hope United Church of Christ in Sturgeon Bay, WI, for music games and a play-in, plus a pizza dinner party for the students.
On the morning of January 6, 2023, at Hope Church, the retreat will feature instructive performance classes for students, followed by a community concert at 1:00pm with Suzuki Strings of Madison and Griffon string student. Both events will be open to the public.
The Griffon String Quartet residency – established by Midsummer’s Music in 2018 – is a role model for similar programs nationally. Future Griffon Winter Retreats are expected to attract other student strings groups to northeast Wisconsin from across the country.
Anyone wishing to participate in or attend these free events should call 920-854-7088. For information on strings lessons with the Griffon, please visit https://www.midsummersmusic.com/strings-lessons-2/.
Griffon String Quartet members currently work with children in northeast Wisconsin via the Einstein Series, a highly interactive program for school-age children. Students participate in private or group lessons or educational outreach programs. The quartet visits schools and classrooms to perform and discuss string quartet music, relating it specifically to relevant topics in their studies and their lives.
One of the most vibrant and engaging quartets of their generation, the Griffon String Quartet was formed in the fall of 2018 as a collaboration led by Midsummer’s Music. The quartet enriches the lives of children and adults throughout northeast Wisconsin through concerts, workshops, and music education outreach. Extraordinary musicians who have performed with orchestras and ensembles around the globe, they are equally dedicated to music education and inspiring the next generation of music lovers. Each member of the Griffon String Quartet has advanced degrees and significant professional experience, both as educators and performers, and they have been recognized for “their youthful vigor, which is absolutely infectious!”
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 (credit Midsummer’s Music):
Griffon String Students at the Boys & Girls Club of Door County
For calendar listings
Griffon String Quartet Winter Retreat
January 5 and January 6, 2024, times vary
Community Concert, January 6, 1:00pm
Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay, WI
Griffon String Quartet Childrens Concert
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
January 11, 2024, 6:00pm
Brown County Library Main Street Branch, Green Bay
Griffon String Quartet Childrens Concert
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
January 13, 2024, 2:00pm
Door County Library, Sturgeon Bay