The Griffon String Quartet, hailed for its “superb playing, palpable chemistry, spirit, and emotional connection,” will perform four pay-what-you-can holiday concerts in Green Bay and Door County. Featured musicians are Roy Meyer and Alex Norris, violins, Oryann Tsaig, viola, and Jesse Nummelin, cello.
The concerts, which have become anticipated traditions for the community, include a selection of well-loved holiday pieces and a sing-along to put everyone in a festive spirit, along with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ String Quartet in C Minor and Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, No. 14, Op. 131.
Vaughan Williams composed his piece – his first major composition of any kind – between 1903 and 1905. Although it premiered in December 1905, it wasn’t published at that time. After his death in 1958, his second wife, Ursula, donated his scores to the British Library on the understanding that they were not to be published, but she relented in the 1990s.
Beethoven’s quartet was his favorite of his late quartets. It is said that upon listening to a performance of this quartet, Franz Schubert remarked, “After this, what is left for us to write?” He described the piece as having a “grandeur … which no words can express. They seem to me to stand … on the extreme boundary of all that has hitherto been attained by human art and imagination.”
The concerts are at 6:30pm, December 12, at the Belgian Heritage Center in Brussels; 5:00pm, December 13, at Hope United Church of Christ in Sturgeon Bay; 3:00pm, December 14, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Green Bay; and 3:00pm, December 15, at the Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor. Receptions offer concertgoers a chance to meet the musicians and enjoy some seasonal treats. Attendees to these concerts are asked to pay what they can.
While tickets are free for all four concerts, reservations can be made at midsummersmusic.com.
One of the most vibrant and engaging quartets of their generation, the Griffon String Quartet was formed in the fall of 2018 as a collaboration led by Midsummer’s Music. The GSQ enriches the lives of children and adults throughout northeast Wisconsin through concerts, workshops, and music education outreach. Extraordinary musicians who have performed with orchestras and ensembles around the globe, they 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.
High-resolution photo: https://www.midsummersmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/griffon-string-quartet-253.jpg
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For Calendar Listings:
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