Hailed for their “superb playing, palpable chemistry, spirit, and emotional connection, the Griffon Quartet, will appear at Egg Harbor’s Kress Pavilions’ Great Hall, with wrap-around porches that offer sweeping views of the bay and surrounding orchards, on May 25 at 7pm. The program, a celebration of the conclusion of the quartet’s first season as Midsummer’s Quartet in Residence, will feature Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 33, No. 3, “The Bird,” Philip Glass’ String Quartet No. 3, “Mishima,” and Brahms’ String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51, No. 2. Tickets are $29 for adults, $10 for students, and children 12 and under are free, and can be ordered at www.midsummersmusic.com or by phone at 920-854-7088.
One of the most vibrant and engaging quartets of their generation, the Griffon String Quartet was formed in the fall of 2018 as a collaboration between Midsummer’s Music, the Fine Arts Institute at East High in Green Bay, and St. Norbert College in De Pere. The GSQ is a groundbreaking project to enrich the lives of children and adults throughout Northeast Wisconsin through concerts, workshops, and music education outreach. Members of the Quartet include violinists Roy Meyer and Vinicius Sant’Ana, violist Blakeley Menghini, and cellist Ryan Louie. Extraordinary musicians who have performed with orchestras and ensembles around the globe in the finest halls from Carnegie Hall and Brazil’s Teatro Municipal de São Paulo to Japan’s Suntory Hall, and won prestigious music competitions and awards, they are equally dedicated to music education and inspiring the next generation of music lovers. Each member of the Griffon String Quartet has advanced degrees and significant professional experience, both as educators and performers, and have been recognized for “their youthful vigor, which is absolutely infectious!”
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.