The Symphony Hall host and legendary classical music personality comes to Door County to salute Midsummer’s Music in three concerts.
Sister Bay, Wis. (August 31, 2021) – The legendary John Nasukaluk Clare – of SiriusXM channel 76 Symphony Hall fame and general manager of Classic 107.3 in St. Louis – is coming to Door County as Midsummer’s Music’s special guest for its three Celebrating Our First 30 Years program concerts.
With his soothing, clear, baritone voice, Clare will be featured in the program as narrator to John Harbison’s Four Encores for Stan, and he will thoroughly entertain concertgoers as the host at the lively Labor Day fundraiser benefit concert at Björklunden in Baileys Harbor. This exciting program also includes Libby Larsen’s Four on the Floor, a fast-moving, piano-pounding, boogie-woogie favorite among Midsummer’s patrons, and the Quartet in G Major, Op. 202, No. 1, by Joachim Raff, a lesser-known but fantastically talented composer Midsummer’s introduced in 2017 to audiences who have responded passionately about his stunningly beautiful and dramatic pieces ever since.
Celebrating Our First 30 Years plays at 7:00pm, September 3, at the Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor and at 7:00pm, September 4, at SWY231 in Sturgeon Bay. The Labor Day benefit concert at Björklunden, which can be attended in person or online, begins at 3:00pm with wine and light snacks, followed by the concert, and concluding with a paddle raiser and heavy hors dóeuvres catered by Kim Jensen with the Mojo Group. Musicians include David Perry and Eleanor Bartsch, violins, Sally Chisholm, viola, James Waldo, cello, Drew Banzhaf, bass, and Jeannie Yu, piano.
A wealth of knowledge on classical music, John will headline Midsummer’s Coffee Talk – a free, informal presentation on music topics by Midsummer’s Music musicians and friends – at 10:00am, Saturday, September 4, at the Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor.
A longtime fan of Midsummer’s Music and the first Native American to lead an all-classical radio station, John is comfortable behind a microphone, streaming video, or playing violin. A former broadcaster for National Public Radio, he has previously worked with Voice of America, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation and stations in Texas, Kansas, Nevada, California, and Pennsylvania. He is the weekday morning drive host on SiriusXM’s Symphony Hall from 6:00am to noon eastern. His voice work includes narration and acting from holiday concerts as Santa Claus, to Peter and the Wolf/Carnival of the Animals, to an original “Inspector Treble” for educational concerts. In 2005, he earned the Deems Taylor Award from ASCAP for radio broadcasting, citing his work on 20/20 Hearing. Having performed with famed tenors Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli, John has worked with the Mozart Festival Texas, Mid Texas Symphony, Nevada Chamber Symphony, Shreveport Symphony, Abilene Philharmonic and Wichita Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber music lover, John founded the Las Vegas Chamber Music Society in 2004.
In addition to the three Celebrating Our First 30 Years concerts, the suggestively titled final Sex! (as in Six) all-sextets program plays at 4:00pm, September 5, at Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor. Music includes Richard Strauss’ Sextet from the Opera, Capriccio; Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (Fischer arrangement).
Tickets for all concerts except the Labor Day fundraiser are $30 for adults and can be ordered at www.midsummersmusic.com or by phone at 920-854-7088. Labor Day concert tickets start at $100 and can also be ordered online or by phone. All programs are subject to change.
Reservations for concerts and the coffee talk event are recommended. Before making plans or purchasing tickets, concertgoers should review Midsummer’s COVID-19 policy at midsummersmusic.com.
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.