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The Big Easy Comes to Birch Creek

Birch Creek Music Performance Center begins the fourth and final session of its 33rd season with two final weeks of big band jazz. Jazz favorites can be heard at Birch Creek now through August 16.

Noteworthy this season has been the opening of Birch Creek’s new Rehearsal Center & Student Dorm, Faculty Housing Building, and Maintenance Facility. The three new buildings were constructed over a 10-month period from September 2007 through May 2008, and almost double the size of buildings on the historic Egg Harbor campus.

While all of Birch Creek’s summer concerts continue to be staged in the 100-year-old Dutton Concert Barn, a prominent feature of the new Rehearsal Center is Juniper Hall, a large rehearsal hall for students and faculty that serves in the off-season as an intimate performance and lecture venue.

Juniper Hall and the individual practice rooms in the Rehearsal Center have eased the technical aspects of instrument moving and storage, as well as simplifying schedules for classes, practice, and individual lessons.

During 2008, symphony ensembles, percussion ensembles and student jazz bands have rehearsed in Juniper Hall, and performed for the public there during concert intermissions.

Juniper Hall boasts cedar and cherry wood details, including custom-built storage cabinets for timpani, marimbas, vibraphones and other large percussion instruments. Also, through an anonymous gift, Birch Creek has acquired three new Yamaha pianos for use in the Rehearsal Center’s practice rooms and classroom. Once stored in various places throughout the campus, including the student lounge and the hayloft in the barn, large instruments are now stored together in Juniper Hall, making them easily accessible for rehearsals and intermission concerts.

Taking large instruments from Juniper Hall to the performance stage in the Dutton Concert Barn is now almost effortless. A covered walkway connecting the new building with the historic barn offers a smooth sidewalk along which instruments can be transported, and provides protection from rainy weather.

Birch Creek Music Performance Center is a nationally ranked music program and one of Door County’s most unique performance venues. Don’t miss an opportunity to take in a big band jazz concert through August 16. Tickets are $27 for adults and $10 for young adults 12-20 and college students. Tickets for children 11 and under are $6.