Midsummer’s Music is pleased to announce that it was awarded a $2,000 grant from the Door County Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund in support of music activities for women and girls, conducted by its affiliate, the Griffon String Quartet. The grant was made possible from the following Door County Community Foundation funds: the Barbara & Bill Perloff Fund, the Doris Maloney Fund, the Marti (Spittell) and Gary Ziegelbauer Fund, the Orlaine and Michael Gabert Fund, the Bev and Tom Lisle Fund, the Margaret “Mickey” Quinlan Fund, the Nancy A. Felhofer Memorial Fund, and the Patsy and Eric Vollrath Fund.
The Griffon String Quartet, established in 2018 by Midsummer’s Music, is a full-time, professional string quartet from September through May and resides in northeastern Wisconsin. Among other activities, the grant funds performances featuring music by women composers, collaboration with women artists and leaders – including Griffon violist Oryann Tsaig, clinical music practitioner Clara Takarabe, and contemporary composer Sakari Dixon Vanderveer – and projects designed to address the challenges faced by women and girls.
Allyson Fleck, Midsummer’s Executive Director and Assistant Artistic Director, expressed her appreciation: “We are grateful to the Women’s Fund for its support. Griffon musicians currently work with children via the Einstein Series, a highly interactive program for school-age youth. 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. With funds from this grant, we will be able to provide more music lessons to underserved groups. We already provide weekly engagement lessons with 25 students aged six to adult through partnerships with the YMCA of Door County, the Boys & Girls Club, and MUSE. Thank you, Women’s Fund, for your support!”
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.
Downloadable High-Resolution Photo
Griffon String Quartet: https://www.midsummersmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/griffon-string-quartet-265.jpg
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For calendar listings:
Gather with the Griffon
“Gather with the Griffon” miniconcerts are designed for midday audiences. B Double Sharp programs engage the mind and spirit through music and conversation.
Program: Selections from the Griffon’s repertoire
Roy Meyer and Alex Norris, Violins, Oyrann Tsaig, Viola, Jesse Nummelin, Cello
December 10, 1:00pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
Griffon String Quartet Holiday Concerts
A selection of holiday favorites and a sing-along
String Quartet in C Minor • Ralph Vaughan-Williams
String Quartet Op. 131, No. 14 in C-sharp Minor • Ludwig van Beethoven
Enjoy light seasonal refreshments at the post-concert reception.
Roy Meyer & Alex Norris, violins, Oryann Tsaig, viola, Jesse Nummelin, cello
December 12, 6:30pm: Belgian Heritage Center, Brussels
December 13: 5:00pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
December 14: 3:00pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Green Bay
December 15: 3:00pm: Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor