Birch Creek celebrates the Valentine’s weekend with an evening concert of classic love songs and jazz standards from the great American songbook. On Saturday evening, February 16, Katie Ernst (Birch Creek Jazz Faculty, vocals and bass) will perform in the sparkling setting of Birch Creek’s Juniper Hall along with Dustin Laurenzi (tenor saxophone), Tom Vaitsas (piano) and Neil Hemphill (drums).
The evening begins at 5:30 PM with social time followed by delicious heavy hors d’oeuvres, prepared by Culinaria, served at 6:00 PM. A cash bar is open throughout the evening. The concert begins at 7:00 PM and will showcase favorite romantic songs such as “Moonglow,” “Embraceable You,” “Our Love is Here to Stay,” and “Night and Day,” to name only a few.
As both a bassist and vocalist, Katie Ernst has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, among others. The Chicago Reader identified her as “one of the brightest lights on Chicago’s jazz scene, and she isn’t close to hitting her creative ceiling.”
Howard Reich, Music Critic at the Chicago Tribune, wrote that Katie is a “versatile young bassist…who sings with uncommon delicacy and authenticity.”
Left to right: Tom Vaitsas, Neil Hemphill, Dustin Laurenzi, Katie Ernst
These four exceptional musicians from Chicago will also go on a grand tour of Door County schools on Friday, February 15 as part of Birch Creek’s “Artists in the School” community outreach program. Katie, Dustin, Tom and Neil will perform for and discuss their experiences as professional musicians with music teachers and students of all ages at Southern Door, Sturgeon Bay, Sevastopol and Gibraltar schools. The annual “Artists in the Schools” project is made possible by support from the Skinner Family Fund of the Door County Community Foundation.
Tickets for the Valentine’s Concert are $65 per person and may be purchased online at www.birchcreek.org/tickets. You may also purchase tickets by phone at (920) 868-3763 or in person at the Birch Creek office at 3821 County E, three miles east of Egg Harbor. Birch Creek’s winter office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9AM-4PM and Friday 9AM-2PM.
This event is generously sponsored by Door County Medical Center, Mike and Connie Glowacki and Roger and Lynn Van Vreede. Because of their bighearted support through sponsorships, all proceeds from this event will benefit Birch Creek students. Seating is limited and we expect this concert to sell out so please register early.
ALL CONTENT © 2024 BY DOOR GUIDE PUBLISHING
