Column 2, June 12, 2025 by Jim Berkenstock Walter Preucil, charter member of Midsummer’s Music and our outstanding cellist for the first 29 years, used to say, “Everything is connected.” If there was a connection to be had, he would find it. He certainly would in our upcoming program featuring Mozart, Reicha, and Dvořák. And it […]
GALA CELEBRATION AT 35!
Column 1, June 5, 2025 by Jim Berkenstock This Thursday, June 12th, marks a very special time for Midsummer’s Music. We will celebrate the beginning of our 35th season and the wonderful history that has led up to that. In other words, it will be a celebration of what has gone before and an anticipation […]
A Message from Jim Berkenstock
December 22, 2024 I often get asked, “When you started Midsummer’s Music nearly 35 years ago, did you dream that it would grow into what it is today?” The short answer is no. But what we quickly saw was that it had a profound impact on many people. Carefully nurturing that impact over the years […]
Dangerous Excellence
Column 7, July 30, 2024 by Jim Berkenstock The day following our recent “Grieg Piano Concerto with Jeannie Yu” program, I ran into one of the audience members who had been there. Harry (not his real name) said to me with a very serious look, “I’ve attended my last Midsummer’s Music concert!” I was too stunned […]
Chamber Music’s Family Tree
Column 6, July 10, 2024 by Jim Berkenstock We have just finished four wonderful programs (15 performances in all), and most of the music has been from the German/Austrian tradition. While we included a splendid work by the Englishwoman, Alice Verne Bredt, and an under-appreciated masterpiece by Dvořák, the meat of these programs was music […]
Spooky Fireworks
Monday, July 8, 2024 by Jim Berkenstock “Fairy Tales and Ghosts.” Our upcoming program that includes music of Beethoven, Schumann, and Haydn seems pregnant with story lines. This is true but maybe with more wrinkles than meet the eye. The Fairy Tales part comes from a work by the same title (Märchenerzählungen) by Robert Schumann […]
Dvořák Discovery!
Wed, June 26, 2024 by Jim Berkenstock When you attend a Midsummer’s Music concert you know to expect a surprise or two. Sure, you’ll probably hear a tried and true, well-known masterpiece like the Brahms Piano Quintet that’s on our next program—one of the great masterpieces of chamber music. But you will also probably hear a fascinating […]
OCTET MEMORIES
June 18, 2024 By Jim BerkenstockArtistic DirectorMidsummer’s Music If you create a program consisting of two string octets, you never know what the long-term implications might be. The combination of four violins, two violas, and two cellos it seems can have quite an impact. I was recently going over some correspondence that included a few […]
That Feeling—Again
Wed, June 12, 2024 by Jim Berkenstock “The sap is rising!” Few people remember that quote or its disastrous results. Adlai Stevenson III was running for Governor of Illinois a long time ago. He made that statement shortly after he announced his candidacy comparing his elation at running with early spring when the sugar maples come to […]
Something to Say
Midsummer’s Music has developed a solid reputation for giving concerts that create a very powerful impression among audience members. We have even taken to saying that these events are “Not just a concert, it’s an experience.” But I have puzzled over just what is at the heart of that special experience and especially how to […]
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