Music will fill the air at Birch Creek on Wednesday, July 3 with the Symphony Session opening night starring Burton Concerto Competition winners, Jonathan Bass (Piano) of Washington Island, Wisconsin and Gabe Roethle (Violin) of Rockford, Illinois. The opening night music of Barber and Rachmaninoff flows into the patriotic tunes of John Phillip Sousa and John Williams for Birch Creek’s traditional 4th of July celebration concert, “Proud Americans,” the next day. The July 4 concert is a 4:00 PM matinee with a pie and ice cream social beginning at 2:30 PM. Beethoven, Schubert and Rimsky-Korsakoff are featured for Friday and Saturday evenings’ performances by Birch Creek Music Performance Center’s world-class faculty performing artists and the advanced students who learn from and play alongside them.
An especially exciting highlight of the Symphony session will take place on July 11 and July 12 whenPeter Nehlsen’s one-of-a-kind Omega Double Keyboard Piano makes its Birch Creek debut. Birch Creek has enlisted premier concert pianists Jodie DeSalvo and Jeannie Yu as soloists to perform the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, backed by the 85-piece Birch Creek Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Conductor Brian Groner.
The Birch Creek Symphony program is unique in orchestral and chamber music education in that it incorporates a student/mentor approach in virtually every aspect of training. Students rehearse and perform alongside their teachers, receiving an abundance of personal attention. In such a nurturing environment, students progress at an amazing rate. Seven public performances of five completely different orchestral programs are given over the two-week session. Consequently, students develop excellent practice habits and rehearsal skills.
All of this hard work and talent is on display for audiences during every Symphony concert presented on July 3-6 and July 11-13.
Tickets may be purchased online at birchcreek.org/tickets or by calling (920) 868-3763. Birch Creek’s box office is open from 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM on concert nights and from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM on Monday-Tuesday.