Door County Musicians Partner to Fight Food Insecurity

Two concerts aim to combat hunger in Door County.

Sister Bay, Wis. (April 28, 2023) – Midsummer’s Music, Birch Creek Music Performance Center, Colin & Friends Concerts, Ephraim Moravian Church, and Cynthia Stiehl are collaborating with the United Way of Door County, Wis., to present two free concerts benefiting the Door County Food Pantry Coalition as part of the nationwide “Music for Food” program.

Now in its 14th season, Music for Food is a musician-led initiative to fight hunger, where musicians support local food pantries through performances. Audience members’ donations benefit the pantry, and the pantry then creates meals for those in need.

The free concerts in Door County, Wis., feature Midsummer’s Executive Director Allyson Fleck, violin, Birch Creek’s Executive Director Mona Christensen, flute, Ephraim Moravian Church’s Music Director Colin Welford, keyboard, Griffon String Quartet Residency Coordinator Roy Meyer, violin, and mezzo-soprano and philanthropist Cynthia Stiehl. Music includes selections from J.S. Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Arthur Foote, Paul Hindemith, William Bolcom, Ned Rorem, Louis Vierne, and Alexander Scriabin.

The premiere concert is at 3:00pm, May 13, at Birch Creek in Egg Harbor, and the second concert is at 3:00pm, May 14, at Ephraim Moravian Church in Ephraim. Attendees can bring nonperishable food items or make monetary donations to the Door County Food Pantry Coalition at the door. Checks should be made to “Music for Food” with “Door County Food Pantry Coalition” in the memo line. All funds collected will go to the Door County Food Pantry Coalition. Visit midsummersmusic.com to reserve free tickets.

Music for Food’s concerts have raised funds to create more than two million meals. Food-insecurity affects millions of Americans, especially those with children and those who self-identify as Black, Latinx, or Native American. The USDA calculates that 38 million people—including 12 million children—are currently food-insecure in the United States. More information about Music for Food, including the locations and dates of other events, is available at musicforfood.net.

Midsummer’s Music was co-founded in 1990 by Jim and Jean Berkenstock, long-time Door County summer residents and principal orchestral players with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. What began as two concerts among friends has become one of the Midwest’s most anticipated chamber music series, bringing thousands of chamber music enthusiasts from around the globe to the magical Door County Peninsula.