The Griffon String Quartet, hailed for “superb playing, palpable chemistry, spirit, and emotional connection,” will perform its annual holiday concert at 3:00 pm, Sunday, December 20, streaming simultaneously on the Griffon’s YouTube channel and the Midsummer’s Music Facebook page. When asked about the event’s repertoire, the group’s violist, Blakeley Menghini, said, “We will perform several variations from Bach’s gorgeous Goldberg Variations arranged for string trio as well as some festive holiday favorites.”
For anyone wishing to know more about the Griffon, the group’s members invite people to submit a video or written question for them by emailing gsq.midsummers@gmail.com by December 10 with the subject line “Ask the Griffon.” The answer to some question could be featured on the program.
In addition to performing virtual concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Griffon members continue online instruction with string students in Door County and Green Bay, and they provide weekly educational videos for children at the Boys & Girls Club of Door County. During the 2020/2021 Griffon season, the UW-Madison-based, world-renowned Pro Arte Quartet is providing mentoring services to the Griffon members to enhance personal and professional development.
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 between Midsummer’s Music, the Fine Arts Institute at East High in Green Bay, and St. Norbert College in De Pere. The quartet is a groundbreaking project to enrich 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 in the finest halls from Carnegie Hall and Brazil’s Teatro Municipal de São Paulo to Japan’s Suntory Hall, and won prestigious music competitions and awards, 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 the ensemble has 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.