Navigation

Here’s to 25 More Years of Midsummer’s Music!

James Berkenstock, the founder of Midsummer’s Music. Photo courtesy of Midsummer’s Music Festival.

Every year Midsummer’s Music seems to come up with some extra special events that are real highlights – a boat trip and concert on Rock Island or Washington Island, a concert in the Ellison Bay Manor…of course these are always in addition to our normal enticing mix of concerts in art galleries, private homes, restaurants, churches, and learning retreat centers such as The Clearing and Bj?rklunden. Anticipating our 25th anniversary year, we wanted to make the season particularly celebratory.

This called for “all hands on deck.” Every board and staff member joined in the effort. We decided to emphasize the youthful enthusiasm one senses at our concerts – hence the slogan, “25 Years Young!” Planning for all this started to center around three decidedly big events – at the beginning, middle and end of our season. So a Gala Opening Night was planned for June 12 in Juniper Hall at Birch Creek Performance Center. To add to the festivities we added a champagne toast, invited Lori Skelton from Wisconsin Public Radio to be our guest program annotator, and asked the Preucil family to perform a special introductory string piece before the concert to celebrate their involvement in Midsummer’s Music since the very beginning.

Of course a sumptuous reception with wine will follow this exciting concert.

To conclude the season, we contacted The Ridges Sanctuary to see if they would like to join us in a joint benefit on Labor Day to provide a special way to end the season and christen, musically speaking, their new facility in Baileys Harbor.

However, our idea for the mid-point of the season turned out to be really unique. We wanted to do something that would be very festive and entertaining, fun, and memorable. Thinking about a beautiful 51-acre estate nestled comfortably between Baileys Harbor and Ephraim named “Berkenfeld,” we decided on bringing in a huge tent and inviting well-known guest performers to join us for something we are calling “Big Top Door County.” Taking place on Sunday afternoon, July 12, it will involve welcoming beverages and hors d’oeuvres upon arrival, a sparkling concert with favorites by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Doc Heide and Holly Feldman, Copland songs featuring Cyndy Stiehl, and a haunted ghost ship composition featuring the narration of Alan Kopischke called “Lucy and the Count.”

After the concert, eight “Great Musical Chairs” (unique, specially painted chairs by famous Door County artists Margaret Lockwood, Gretchen Klug, Sandra Martinez, Sue Hegenbarth, Bonnie Hartmann, Bethany Kerwin, Donna Brown and Liz Maltman) will be auctioned off. A buffet dinner will follow.

Throughout this joyous season, our world-class ensemble that is Midsummer’s Music will perform 33 concerts in spectacular homes, galleries and churches, some of which include a restaurant option and all of which include a reception. Twenty-five years ago we asked ourselves, “What if we could develop a chamber music festival in Door County that was radically appealing?” Throwing caution and convention to the wind, we now know that beautiful venues only available in Door County, intimate and powerful world-class performances, and inviting conversation over mouth-watering hors d’oeuvres and beverages, are keeping us ever young and growing. Cheers! And here’s to 25 more!