In September 2023, Memphis-based musician Eric Lewis and Midsummer Music’s affiliate, the Griffon String Quartet, held a sold-out concert at the Gould Theatre in Fish Creek to release their brand-new CD, Beneath the Waves. The musicians join forces again on September 13, 14, and 15 to present three concerts in Door County and Green Bay, featuring Eric Lewis favorites and selections from the CD.
The CD’s title is one of the recording’s instrumental pieces, which Lewis wrote following a trip to Rosemary Beach, FL, where he scattered his parents’ ashes. Later, when recording an early demo in Memphis, Lewis discovered a midi patch for a virtual instrument called “Beneath the Waves.” It was clear that would be the name of the piece. The mysterious Le Griffon shipwreck, from which the Griffon String Quartet takes its name, ties neatly into the underwater motif.
Lewis said, “It has been a great desire of mine to collaborate with the Griffon String Quartet and Midsummer’s Music for some time now. It is a dream come true to perform this music with such high caliber musicians and to preserve it on record. The Griffon String Quartet really brings this music to life!”
The musicians are Eric Lewis, guitar and vocals, Roy Meyer and Alex Norris, violins, Oryann Tsaig, viola, and Jesse Nummelin, cello.
Concerts are 7:00 pm, September 13, at Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor, 3:00 pm, September 14, at Trueblood Performing Arts Center on Washington Island, and 7:00 pm, September 15, at the Tarlton Theatre in Green Bay. The concerts are sponsored, in part, by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Popular bluegrass duo Look Squirrel – with violinist Emma Utrie and guitarist Nick Utrie – is the special guest for the Tarlton Theatre performance. Griffon String Quartet students Milana Reifsnyder and Charlotte Kumpala will perform at the Woodwalk Gallery and Tarlton Theatre concerts, respectively.
Tickets for the Woodwalk Gallery and Tarlton Theatre concerts can be ordered at midsummersmusic.com or by calling (920) 854-7088. The Trueblood PAC tickets can be ordered at tpacwashingtonisland.com or (920) 847-2528. The CD can be purchased at the concerts or digitally through Midsummer Music’s website. Beneath the Waves was made and mastered by Hans Christian at Studio 330 in Sturgeon Bay, WI.
One of the most vibrant and engaging quartets of its generation, the Griffon String Quartet was formed in the fall of 2018 as a collaboration led by Midsummer’s Music. GSQ enriches the lives of children and adults throughout northeast Wisconsin through concerts, workshops, and music education outreach. The extraordinary musicians, who have performed with orchestras and ensembles around the globe, 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.
Beneath the Waves CD cover: https://www.midsummersmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/elewisandgriffonstringquartet-01-cmyk.jpg
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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 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
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
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
Autumn Music Fest
Midsummer’s Music presents its second annual Autumn Music Fest on the first three weekends in October. Visit midsummersmusic.com for repertoire.
Pro Arte Quartet
October 5, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
October 6, 3:00 pm: Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Griffon String Quartet
October 12, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
October 13, 3:00 pm: Muse, Sturgeon Bay
David Perry & Jeannie Yu
October 19, 7:00 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
October 20, 3:00 pm: Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor