Egg Harbor, Wis. (August 25, 2020) – Each Saturday morning in September, beginning on September 12th, nationally and internationally renowned Birch Creek faculty and alumni will share their musical expertise during online Studio Sessions. Aspiring young music students, as well as experienced amateur musicians and professional performing artists, have a new opportunity to add to their musical tool kit with these one-hour Zoom sessions.
Renée-Paule Gauthier, Birch Creek Symphony faculty, violin, leads the way with “Effective Mindful Practice” on September 12 at 10:00 AM. Dr. Gauthier will show participants how to “elevate their playing and enhance their performance through mindful practice.” She will provide tips and techniques for learning repertoire faster and better and for developing mindsets that boost practice sessions into hyper-drive. She enjoys a large following on her Mind Over Finger podcast in which she leads discussions on mindful music-making, efficient practice and building a purposeful career.
On September 19 at 10:00 AM, Katherine Kohler, Birch Creek alumni and Symphony faculty, clarinet, presents “Auditioning Preparation” in which she will talk about what to expect and how to prepare for collegiate or professional auditions, with a focus on how you can play your best in stressful situations. Kohler is the Nashville Symphony’s Assistant Principal Clarinet and has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra.
Acclaimed composer and Birch Creek alum, Michael Thurber, has made a distinctive musical journey which includes performing in the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and being a co-founder and music director of one of YouTube’s biggest music collectives, Music Performance Center CDZA. Thurber will share his knowledge of “Technology for Today’s Musician” on September 26 at 10:00 AM. He will address the topics of: how to create professional quality recordings for auditions, online performances, and integrated recordings; equipment that is needed, and tools and tricks for making the best recording environment.
Through these Studio Sessions, Birch Creek is extending its mission of immersing young musicians in a professional, mentoring environment to the fall season and is opening up the experience to amateur and professional musicians as well. The sessions are designed to complement each other so that a participant who registers for all three will receive a complete package of information on preparation for music performance.
Cost is $35 per one-hour class or $90 for all three sessions (save 15%). Register at birchcreek.org/birch-creek-online/studio-sessions or call (920) 868-3763.
Birch Creek Music Performance Center is a residential summer music academy in Egg Harbor, WI, for advanced young musicians pursuing a career path in music. For 45 years, students in Percussion & Steel Band, Symphony, and Big Band Jazz have been taught by nationally known performers and educators during the day and performed alongside them in concerts at night. In 2020, due to Covid-19, those performances took place over the air waves. Birch Creek will return to its face-to-face Academy programming in 2021.