Concert features works by African American composer Florence Price and Czech composer Antonín Dvořák
Sister Bay, Wis. – April 29, 2022 – Hailed for their “superb playing, palpable chemistry, spirit, and emotional connection,” Midsummer’s Music’s quartet in residence, the Griffon String Quartet, will perform a concert featuring African American composer Florence Price and Czech composer Antonín Dvořák.
Florence Price, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, was well educated in traditional European compositional styles and techniques. Her Five Folksongs in Counterpoint consists of recognizable folksongs but rises far above the usual simplistic arrangements to become miniature works in contrapuntal treatment. Price, who was more than capable of composing sophisticated symphonies, wrote her String Quartet No. 2 in 1935. The quartet is densely and virtuosically written, and its movements are highly romantic, spiritual, boisterous, and blistering.
Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 51, is sometimes nicknamed the Slavonic Quartet and was dedicated to Jean Becker, the leader of the Florentine Quartet. Dvořák first attracted significant attention as a composer of folk music and dance music. His wildly successful collection of Slavonic dances followed the publication of his set of Moravian dances. String Quartet No. 10 marked the beginning of Dvořák’s mature, celebrated chamber works.
The concert is at 3:00pm on May 15 at SWY231 on Third Ave. in Sturgeon Bay. Reservations are recommended. Free tickets are available through the Midsummer’s Music website—midsummersmusic.com—or by calling 920-854-7088 during business hours.
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 quartet is a groundbreaking project to enrich the lives of children and adults throughout Northeast Wisconsin through concerts, workshops, and music education outreach. Members of the Quartet include violinists Ji-Yeon Lee and Vinicius Sant’Ana, violist Blakeley Menghini, and cellist Ryan Louie. 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 Ukraine’s Lviv Philharmonic 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.
For more information visit www.midsummersmusic.com.
High-resolution photos can be downloaded at https://midsummersmusic.com/photos/.
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For Calendar Listings:
Name: Gather with the Griffon
Name: Griffon String Quartet—All Florence Price Concerts
Description: The Griffon String Quartet plays music by African American composer Florence Price.
Date 1: May 14, 2022 – SOLD OUT
Time/Location: 7:00pm, Ephraim Moravian Church, 9970 Moravia St., Ephraim, WI 54212
Date 2: May 15, 2022
Time/Location: 3:00pm, SWY231, 231 N 3rd Ave., Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Name: Griffon String Quartet—Green Bay Rotary Banquet
Description: The Green Bay Rotary “Free Enterprise Banquet” is in its 35th year where they honor a local business or community leader. The Griffon String Quartet will perform from 5:30 – 6:30pm.
Date 1: May 16, 2022
Time/Location: 5:30pm, Green Bay Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, 3050 Airport Dr., Green Bay, WI 54313
Name: Griffon String Quartet Concerts
Description: The Griffon String Quartet 2021/2022 season end performances.
Haydn: String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 33/2 “the Joke”
Webern: Langsamer Satz
Beethoven: String Quartet No.10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74 “Harp”
Date 1: May 27, 2022
Time/Location: 7:00pm, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay, WI 54234
Date 2: May 28, 2022
Time/Location: 2:00pm, Brown County Library, 515 Pine St., Green Bay, WI 54301
Date 3: May 30, 2022
Time/Location: 3:00pm, Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor, WI 54209
Name: Griffon String Quartet Fundraising Gala
Description: A fundraising gala to benefit the Griffon String Quartet, its students, and its mission
Date 1: May 29, 2022
Time/Location: 3:00pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor, WI 54209