April 30, 2010
CARNEGIE HALL COMES TO DOOR COUNTY WITH THE PRO ARTE QUARTET!
“...one of the greatest quartets of our time...”
San Francisco Chronicle
Midsummer’s Music again presents the Pro Arte Quartet, this time bringing a program directly from their Carnegie Hall recital three days earlier. The world-renowned Quartet will perform on Saturday, May 15 at the beautiful, historic, and acoustically superb Ephraim Moravian Church at 7:30 PM.
The concert includes works by Haydn, Zemlinsky and Dvorak. Haydn’s 1793 C Major Quartet, Op. 74 is one of his Apponyi quartets, dedicated to Count Anton Georg Apponyi. According to critic Andrew Clements, Alexander Zemlinsky’s String Quartet #2 of 1915 is a post-romantic work “scored with a wonderful inventive grasp of what sonorities four string instruments can manufacture.” The quartet will finish its evening of chamber music with Dvorak’s E-Flat Major Quartet, inspired by the folk music of his native Czechoslovakia.
In 2011 the Pro Arte, founded in Brussels in 1911, will celebrate its 100th year. They perform throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, have performed at the White House, and are the resident ensemble at the Chazen Museum of Art, performing a series of five live radio broadcasts there each season. Two of the Pro Arte Quartet, violinist David Perry and violist Sally Chisholm, are long-term members of the Midsummer’s Music ensemble.
Tickets are $25 for adults and admission is free to those 17 and under. Advance reservations are recommended. You may contact (920) 854-7088 for tickets or visit Midsummer’s Music website at www.midsummersmusic.com.
March 15, 2010
5TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY BENEFIT BRUNCH RETURNS!
Midsummer’s Music Festival will hold their annual benefit brunch on Sunday, March 28 at Alexander’s in Fish Creek from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This exceptional feast, now in its 5th year, has become a Door County tradition. Chef Bruce Alexander will prepare the gourmet brunch.
Among those in attendance will be some of Door County finest poets who are featured in the March 30 presentation of Haydn’s "The Seven Last Words of Christ" at Stella Maris Catholic Parish in Sister Bay at 7:00 PM. “We encourage everyone to attend the brunch, not only for the excellent food and camaraderie, but to also meet poets Phil Hansotia, Cynthia Johnson, Barbara Larsen, Ralph Murre, June Nirschl, Nancy Rafal, and Judy Roy.” explains Kathleen Pearson, Executive Director of Midsummer’s Music.
Tickets for the brunch are just $15 per adult, $5 for youth 6 – 16, children 5 and under are free. Proceeds benefit Midsummer’s Music to defray the costs of the March 30 concert. Advance reservations are not required for the brunch, however, can be made online at www.midsummerSmusic.com or by calling Midsummer’s Music Festival at 920-854-7088.
March 15, 2010
A LYRICAL REFLECTION
What do you get when you combine the magnificent music of Franz Josef Haydn and seven of Door County’s finest poets? You get a beautiful and lyrical reflection of “The Seven Last Words of Christ” performed on Tuesday, March 30, 7:00 PM at Stella Maris Catholic Parish, Sister Bay.
This year marks the 7th annual performance of Haydn’s “The Seven Last Words of Christ” by Midsummer’s Music Festival, featuring their world-class string quartet. “The event has grown and changed over the past several years,” reports Jim Berkenstock, Artistic Director. “We are very excited about adding Door County poets to the program this year. They have a unique way of expressing their thoughts, giving each of the seven words a different meaning.”
The featured musicians are violinists David Perry and Hyunsil Roh, violist Sally Chisholm, and cellist Walter Preucil. “Hyunsil joined the ensemble two years ago as a student of David Perry’s,” says Berkenstock. “She is extremely talented and brings new energy to the music.” Perry, Chisholm, and Preucil have performed with Midsummer’s Music for many years. In fact, Walter Preucil has been with Midsummer’s since their first concert 20 years ago.
Joining the musicians are poets Phil Hansotia, Barbara Larsen, Cynthia Johnson, Ralph Murre, June Nirschl, Nancy Rafal, and Judy Roy. Under the direction of Reverend Michael Brecke each poet has written, and will read their poem, based on one of the seven last words. “The poems are very poignant,” explains Reverend Brecke. “Each poet has their own style of writing and how their words relate to Christ’s last words is extremely moving. Seeing and hearing the poets recite their poems during the performance will touch everyone.”
Phiroze (Phil) Hansotia is a retired physician who was born and had his schooling in a Jesuit school and college in India. After retirement, Phil and his wife Marilyn moved to Door County where he joined the Wallace group of poets and has been active on the poetry scene since then. His poems have been published in the Wisconsin Poets calendar, Peninsula Pulse, Free Verse, Wisconsin Medical Journal, Decorah Magazine, and in Before the Snow Flies and January Thaw III.
Barbara Larsen, Sister Bay, believes in the power and truth of poetry. Much of her work is inspired by the beauty in nature around her home on a bluff overlooking Green Bay waters. Active in state and local poetry circles, she has won the Jade Ring Poetry Prize and has had a trilogy of poems set to music and performed by Peninsula Chamber Singers. Her sixth book, Finding Tongues In Trees, has recently been published.
Cynthia Johnson moved to Door County with her husband Al in 2000. A retired Unitarian Universalist minister, she has written poetry since second grade and published two books of poetry: A Theophany, Please in 1995, and The Way Crows Really Fly in 2005. She is an artist whose work is exhibited at Woodwalk Gallery as well as in her studio and gallery. She preaches regularly and officiates at weddings, and enjoys travel, nature, Door County’s cultural depth, family, and friends.
Ralph Murre has had, so far, about 30 occupations and as many obsessions and addresses. He is learning to spell dilettante. He currently lives in Baileys Harbor where he practices his writing and also draws with pen and ink.
June Nirschl, a Door County resident since 2000, has had poetry published in Free Verse, the Peninsula Pulse, Fox Cry Review, Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar, and other publications. Honors include the Jade Ring from the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association and first place in the Grutzmacher contest in 2008. She has co-authored two chapbooks, most recently Two Off Q: A Conversation in Poetry with Judy Roy. The book was selected as a Notable Book for 2008 by the Wisconsin Library Association.
Nancy Rafal's work evolves out of her life experiences and the life of her mind. She is fascinated by nature and the language we use to describe it. Her poetry has appeared in numerous editions of the Wisconsin Poets' Calendar and Peninsula Pulse, and in Sheepshead Review and other regional publications. She is working on a new chapbook.
Judy Roy, a Wisconsin native, retired from careers as a psychologist and then as a French teacher. She has been a featured reader at the Wisconsin Book Festival and other venues throughout the state and beyond its borders. Her poems have been published in Wisconsin People & Ideas, Free Verse, The Peninsula Pulse, Hummingbird, and other publications. She is co-author of the chapbook Two Off Q, which received an award for outstanding achievement in poetry, and also of the chapbook Slightly Off Q.
Many of the poets will be attending Midsummer’s Annual Benefit Brunch on Sunday, March 30 at Alexander’s in Fish Creek. “We encourage the community to attend the brunch, not only to enjoy the gourmet food, but to take the opportunity to meet the poets," says Berkenstock. The brunch is from 11:00 AM to noon and the cost is $15 ages 17 and up, $5 ages 6 to 16, children 5 and under are free. The proceeds help offset the cost of the March 30 performance.
A suggested $10 goodwill offering per adult is appreciated for the “Seven Last Words of Christ.”
To learn more, call 920-854-7088 or visit www.midsummerSmusic.com.
Midsummer's Music Festival ~ Door County, Wisconsin
This program was supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
MIDSUMMER'S MUSIC FESTIVAL 2010
