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Peninsula Music Festival Volunteers Make a Big Difference

by LINDA WEISENSEL, President, Sustaining Committee

When 70-plus musicians arrive at Door Community Auditorium in August to present the Peninsula Music Festival’s (PMF) Symphony Series, there will be a group of dedicated, hardworking volunteers from the Peninsula Music Festival’s Sustaining Committee (PMFSC) ready to support them every step of the way. 

This special committee is almost as old as the Symphony Series itself, and it’s truly the backbone of the Festival Orchestra. Committee members strive to ensure the success of every concert, and this year, they are particularly excited about the appointment of PMF’s new music director, Rune Bergmann. 

The PMFSC is composed of music lovers of all ages who provide crucial behind-the-scenes support for this special concert series. On performance nights, they direct traffic to help ensure safe parking, greet patrons, take tickets, show patrons to their seats and answer questions about supporting the ongoing activities and programs of the 71-year-old organization. 

While the Festival Orchestra rehearses each day, there is so much more that the PMFSC is responsible for. Members provide homemade buffet lunches for orchestra members, guest artists and staff members during rehearsal breaks on every concert day so that everyone can spend some important personal time together. 

During each rehearsal, a PMFSC member ensures that there are no interruptions, and it’s a perk for these rehearsal monitors that, of course, they’re able to hear a preview of what is to come in the evening. 

But before the Symphony Series begins, there is much to be done. PMFSC members may house a guest artist during the three-week series; provide transportation for guest conductors and guest artists to and from the Green Bay airport, along with local trips related to performances; or open their homes to orchestra members and their families during the series. 

The stage must also be set – literally – for the Festival Orchestra to perform, and part of that is the large, beautiful floral arrangements that grace the stage. Several of our volunteers arrange these bouquets, and others provide floral transport. 

The PMFSC hosts the opening-night reception, which gives the conductor, guest artists, orchestra and staff members, and patrons an opportunity to celebrate the start of this incredible series and reconnect after a long year apart. 

Just as the opening-night reception celebrates the beginning of the series, the annual picnic celebrates the end of another successful concert season. On the Friday afternoon before the final performance, the conductor, orchestra and staff members, and their families all come together to enjoy a relaxed gathering and a variety of favorite picnic foods.

The PMFSC’s support doesn’t stop when the curtain comes down after the final performance, however, because fundraising, mailings and education continue throughout the year. 

To thank everyone and acknowledge the great efforts that always equal another “job well done,” the PMFSC hosts a volunteer-appreciation luncheon in September that includes the music director’s preview of the season ahead. 

The Peninsula Music Festival Sustaining Committee is open to anyone who loves music and wants to become involved with the festival. We host a membership brunch in May to welcome all new members, and we continue to welcome newcomers throughout the year. To support the arts in our community by volunteering with this worthwhile organization, visit musicfestival.com or call Linda Weisensel at the PMF office at 920.854.4060.

The Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance, which contributes Culture Club, is a coalition of nonprofit organizations whose purpose is to enhance, promote and advocate the arts, humanities and natural sciences in Door County.

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