From lovely Door County restaurants and elegant homes to historic churches and dairies and intimate galleries, Midsummer's Music Festival transforms diverse Door County places to performance spaces.
"Bursting with Passion" is the theme for Midsummer's Music Festival 2013 chamber music concert series. Concerts will take place from June 7 to July 17 with a Midsummer's Music Festival Finale Aug. 28 through Sept. 2.
This summer music festival involves a world-class ensemble performing music by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and more in unique venues throughout Door County.
For example, this year's concert schedule includes a dinner cruise on July 11 to the Historic Dairy on Washington Island and a finale in a mega Door County estate overlooking Green Bay Waters.
James Berkenstock, Midsummer's artistic director, estimates that over the years Midsummer's musicians (principal players with Chicago's Lyric Opera, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Pro Arte Quartet) have played in more than 100 different rooms across the local landscape.
"We have turned a lot of spaces into concert halls. We look for places where the music will sound good and where people will have a good experience," he explained.
Here's a look at the 2013 concert schedule with performances starting at 7:30 p.m. unless noted otherwise.
Program A: "In an English Country Garden," with Gerald Finzi's Interlude in A Minor, Ralph Vaughan Williams' Quintet in D Major and Charles Villers Stafford's Quartet in F Major, Op. 15.
June 7: Gala Opening Night, Birch Creek Performance Center, Egg Harbor
June 8: St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
June 12: Bjorklunden, Baileys Harbor
Program B: "Blessed Spirits," with Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Dane of the Blessed Spirits," Ferdinand Thierot's Octet in B-flat Major, Op. 62 and Beethoven's Septet in E-flat Major, Op 20.
June 14: Hardy Gallery, Ephraim
June 15: Sister Bay Moravian Church
June 16: Archetype Inc., Green Bay (4 p.m.)
June 18: Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
June 20: Old Gibraltar Town Hall, Fish Creek (6:30 p.m.) followed by dinner at Whistling Swan Restaurant.
Program C: "International Colors," with music by Pietro Bottesini, Ernst von Dohnanyi and Faure.
June 21: Birth Creek Music Performance Center, Egg Harbor
June 22: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ephraim
June 25: Hellmich residence
June 27: St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Program D: "Color and Character," with music by Brahms, Franz Vincent Krommer and Beethoven.
June 28: Hardy Gallery, Ephraim
June 29: Sister Bay Moravian Church
June 30: Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
July 2: Golobic residence, Sister Bay
Program E: "Adventurous Currents," with music by Mily Balakirev, Frederic Kalkbrenner, Charles Gounod and Mendelssohn.
July 7: The Clearing, Ellison Bay
July 9: Redfield residence, Ellison Bay
July 10: Door Community Auditorium, Fish Creek
July 11: Dinner cruise to Historic Dairy, Washington Island (leaving at 4 p.m.)
Program F: "Elegance, Elan and Energy" with compositions by Haydn, Heinrich Hoffman, Mendelssohn.
July 12: Dude residence, Baileys Harbor
July 13: Bjorklunden, Baileys Harbor
July 14: Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
Midsummer's Music Festival Finale with music by Mozart, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Sergei Liapunov.
July 17: 7 p.m. Ellison Bay Estate
Program G: "Three's Company" with music by Jan Ladislav Dussek, Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
Aug. 28: Bjorklunden, Baileys Harbor
Aug. 29: Birch Creek Music Performance Center, Egg Harbor
Aug. 30: St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
Sept. 1: 3 p.m. The Clearing, Ellison Bay
Program H: "Grand Eloquence," with music by Mahler, Paul Shoenfield and Cesar Franck.
Aug. 31: Ephraim Moravian Church
Sept. 2: 3 p.m. Ellison Bay Estate (benefit for United Way of Door County)
