Thirteen musicians perform in seven exhilarating classical concerts in Green Bay and Door County, Wisconsin, from September 30 to October 15.
Midsummer’s Music, Wisconsin’s oldest summer chamber music series, is launching its inaugural Autumn Music Fest to present exceptional classical music in Green Bay and Door County, Wisconsin, under the glow of some of the most beautiful fall foliage in the country. Regardless of the time of year and the chill in the air, its concerts are hailed as “exciting, pulse-pounding, and riveting,” and, like the summer season concerts, these Autumn Music Fest events are being performed in cultural, historical, community, and scenic locations.
Autumn Music Fest – running September 30 through October 15 – features seven concerts with world-class musicians, drawing on the extraordinary talent of artists from the Chicago Symphony, Madison Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony, the Apollo Music Festival, and the Ravinia Festival, among others.
Providing unique and diverse musical experiences, the Autumn Music Fest highlights pieces by Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Maurice Ravel, while continuing Midsummer’s tradition of championing outstanding works by women, lesser-known, and racially diverse composers, including Elizabeth Maconchy, Frigyes Hidas, Eun-Chul Oh, and more.
The Opening Night Gala at 7:00pm, Saturday, September 30, is an exclusive Salon Concert with limited seating at the Trenchard residence in Sister Bay and features oboist Lindsay Flowers, clarinetist JJ Koh, and pianist Garret Ross. The trio will perform Paul Gilson’s Trio in G Minor (1919), Hidas’ Oboe Concerto No. 2 (2000), Brahms’ Clarinet Sonata No. 2, Op. 120 (1894), and Oh’s The Lovers (2018). The evening’s special guest is Lori Skelton, host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Afternoon Classics” and the producer and host of “Wisconsin Classical.” A scrumptious reception follows the concert, where guests can mix and mingle with Skelton and the musicians.
Additional concerts through October 15 include performances by Wisconsin’s renowned Pro Arte Quartet and Midsummer Music’s professional ensemble in residence, the Griffon String Quartet, at venues in Egg Harbor, Sturgeon Bay, and Green Bay.
September 30 (Sister Bay) and October 1 (Egg Harbor) – Oboe, Clarinet, and Piano
Trio in G Minor Paul Gilson
Oboe Concerto No. 2 Frigyes Hidas
Clarinet Sonata No. 2, Op. 120 Johannes Brahms
The Lovers Eun-Chul Oh
October 7 (Sturgeon Bay) – Pro Arte Quartet
String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat Major, K. 589 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110 Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 12, Op. 96, “American” Antonín Dvořák
October 8 (Green Bay) – Pro Arte Quartet & Griffon String Quartet
String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat Major, K. 589 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110 Dmitri Shostakovich
String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 Felix Mendelssohn
October 13 (Green Bay), 14 (Sturgeon Bay) & 15 (Egg Harbor) – Griffon String Quartet
String Quartet in D Minor, No. 15, K. 421 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No. 3 Elizabeth Maconchy
String Quartet in F Major Maurice Ravel
In addition to Flowers, Koh, and Ross, musicians include David Perry, Suzanne Beia, Roy Meyer, and Alex Norris, Violins; Sally Chisholm, Lucas Blekeburg, and Madlen Breckbill, Violas; Parry Karp, and Jesse Nummelin, Cellos.
The complete Autumn Music Fest calendar can be viewed at www.midsummersmusic.com.
Ticket prices vary by concert and range from donate-what-you-will, to $38 for adults, $17 for students, and children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paying adult. The opening night salon concert is $79 for adults and $30 for students. A concert at the Aging and Disability Resource Center in Green Bay includes dinner, and ticketing is being handled by ADRC. Tickets for all other performances can be ordered or reserved 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.
High-resolution photos can be downloaded at https://www.midsummersmusic.com/photos/.
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For calendar listings:
Autumn Music Fest, September 30 to October 15
Lindsay Flowers, Oboe; JJ Koh, Clarinet; Garret Ross, Piano
Trio in G Minor (1919) by Paul Gilson (1865-1942)
Oboe Concerto No. 2 (2000) by Frigyes Hidas (1928-2007)
Clarinet Sonata No. 2, Op. 120 (1894) by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
The Lovers (2018) by Eun-Chul Oh (1994-present)
September 30, 7:00pm: Opening Night Gala, Salon Concert Trenchard Residence, Sister Bay
October 1, 4:00pm: Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Pro Arte Quartet
String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat Major, K. 589 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110 by Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 12, Op. 96, “American” by Antonín Dvořák
October 7, 7:00pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Pro Arte Quartet/Griffon String Quartet
String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat Major, K. 589 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110 by Dmitri Shostakovich
Mendelssohn Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20
October 8, 3:00pm: Tarlton Theater, Green Bay
Griffon String Quartet
String Quartet D Minor, No. 15, K. 421 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No. 3 by Elizabeth Maconchy
String Quartet in F Major by Maurice Ravel
October 13, 4:00pm dinner and concert: Aging and Disability Resource Center, Green Bay
October 14, 7:00pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
October 15, 3:00pm: Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor