Midsummer’s Music, Wisconsin’s oldest summer chamber music series, concludes its 34th season of presenting exceptional chamber music in the vacation paradise of Door County, Wisconsin. Concerts hailed as “exciting, pulse-pounding, and riveting” are performed in cultural, historical, and scenic locations, including art galleries, museums, churches, historic sites, and private homes, with several venues offering panoramic views of Lake Michigan and the waters of Green Bay.
Its annual Labor Day gala, this year titled Musical Memories, always promises – and delivers – an exhilarating afternoon featuring magnificent performances by world-class musicians, inspired cuisine, and gracious philanthropy. Headlining the concert are violinist David Perry and pianist Jeannie Yu, who, with a string quartet, will leave audiences breathless as the two soloists in Ernest Chausson’s masterpiece, Concerto, one of the most romantically conceived works in the chamber music repertoire. Fellow Frenchman Théodore Dubois’ Quintet, featuring oboist Lindsay Flowers, opens the program and sets the tone with gaiety and élan.
The event at Björklunden in Baileys Harbor begins at 3:00 pm with a social hour complete with wine and appetizers. At 4:00, the concert begins, followed by fun activities and the fundraiser. Guests will enjoy the Gala Dinner Buffet by Chef Mauricio of Fresh Chefs starting at 6:00.
Additional musicians are violinists Ann Palen and Dawn Wohn, violist Sally Chisholm, and cellist Cole Randolph. The Gala is dedicated to the memory of Judy Widen. Sponsors are the Nancy T. and David A. Borghesi Fund, the Jean Berkenstock Family Fund, the Gould Family Fund, Dianne Trenchard, Fortifi Bank, Sugar Maple Asset Management, George & Julie Fiedler, and the Arnold Widen Living Trust in honor of Judy Widen, of Blessed Memory, Board Member (2007–2019).
The complete 2023 summer season brochure can be downloaded at www.midsummersmusic.com.
Gala tickets are $139 for adults and $79 for students and 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
The Midsummer’s Music ensemble (photo credit: Jeremy Pardoe): https://www.midsummersmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/p7200260.jpg
Other high-resolution photos can be downloaded at https://www.midsummersmusic.com/photos/.
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For Calendar Listings:
Romance and Rapture
Obsidian, rippled, moonlight, gleams (2019) Sakari Dixon Vanderveer
Quintet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 124 Mélanie Bonis
Sextet in C Major, Op. 37 (1935) Ernst von Dohnányi
August 27, 7:00 pm: Birch Creek Music Performance Center, Egg Harbor
August 28, 7:00 pm: Björklunden, Baileys Harbor
August 31, 3:00 pm: The Clearing Folk School, Ellison Bay
Beethoven Septet
Sextet (1898) John Ireland
Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 Ludwig van Beethoven
August 29, 5:00 pm: Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
August 30, 7:00 pm: Sister Bay Moravian Church, Sister Bay
September 1, 5:00 pm: Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
David Perry, Jeannie Yu: Chausson Concerto!
Quintet in F Major (1905) Théodore Dubois
Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, Op. 21 Ernest Chausson
August 25, 5:00 pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
September 2, 3:00 pm: Labor Day Gala, Björklunden, Baileys Harbor
“Under the Harvest Moon” with Eric Lewis and the Griffon String Quartet
Song selections will be autumn-themed, along with pieces from the Beneath the Waves CD by Eric Lewis and the Griffon String Quartet
September 13, 7:00 pm: Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
September 14, 3:00 pm: Trueblood Performing Arts Center, Washington Island
September 15, 7:00 pm: Tarleton Threatre, Green Bay