In one musical powerhouse weekend, the Pro Arte Quartet and the Griffon String Quartet join forces for the first time to present Felix Mendelssohn’s string octet at Midsummer’s inaugural Autumn Music Fest, with concerts in Door County and Green Bay.
For the second weekend of its inaugural Autumn Music Fest, Midsummer’s Music presents two concerts featuring Wisconsin’s famed Pro Arte Quartet and Midsummer’s resident ensemble, the Griffon String Quartet. The two performances will feature quartets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Dmitri Shostakovich, and the Pro Arte and Griffon will join forces for the first time on the glorious string octet by Felix Mendelssohn for the finale of the second concert.
The Pro Arte Quartet performs a concert on Saturday, October 7, at 7:00pm at Hope United Church of Christ in Sturgeon Bay. In addition to Mozart’s String Quartet in B-flat Major and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110, the musicians will play Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96, “American,” which was written in 1893 when the Czech composer was spending time vacationing in Spillville, Iowa, while on summer break from his position as director of the National Conservatory in New York City.
The concert on Sunday, October 8, at 3:00pm at the Tarlton Theatre in Green Bay is when the Pro Arte Quartet and the Griffon String Quartet will combine to perform Mendelssohn’s octet, following the two pieces by Mozart and Shostakovich. Mendelssohn composed his String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20, in the fall of 1825 when he was merely 16 years old. Written for four violins, two violas, and two cellos, this work created an entirely new chamber music genre. The piece is a first-rate masterwork that is on par with compositions by the finest composers, earning Mendelssohn the reputation of the greatest prodigy in Western musical history.
The Pro Arte Quartet musicians are violinists David Perry and Suzanne Beia, violist Sally Chisholm, and cellist Parry Karp. The Griffon String Quartet musicians are violinists Roy Meyer and Alex Norris, violist Lucas Blekeberg, and cellist Jesse Nummelin.
Ticket prices vary by concert. The September 7 concert is $38 for adults, $17 for students, and children 12 and under free when accompanied by a paying adult. Donations will be accepted at the door or online for the October 8 concert. Tickets can be ordered at www.midsummersmusic.com or by phone at 920-854-7088.
The complete Autumn Music Fest calendar can be viewed at www.midsummersmusic.com.
Autumn Music Fest – running September 30 through October 15 – features six 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. Additional concerts in the series 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.
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/.
Pro Arte Quartet: https://www.midsummersmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/paq-8bit16_choice.jpg
Griffon String Quartet: https://www.midsummersmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/october-griffon-2-cmyk.jpg
####
For calendar listings:
Autumn Music Fest, September 30 to October 15
The Lovers
Lindsay Flowers, Oboe; JJ Koh, Clarinet; Garret Ross, Piano
Trio in G Minor by Paul Gilson
Oboe Concerto No. 2 by Frigyes Hidas
Clarinet Sonata No. 2, Op. 120 by Johannes Brahms
The Lovers by Eun-Chul Oh
September 30, 7:00pm: Opening Night Gala, Salon Concert Trenchard Residence, Sister Bay
October 1, 4:00pm: Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
American
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
Mendelssohn Octet
Pro Arte Quartet/Griffon String Quartet
Mendelssohn Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20
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
October 8, 3:00pm: Tarlton Theater, Green Bay
Ravel Revealed: Harmonies & Hues
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 14, 7:00pm: Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
October 15, 3:00pm: Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor