Birch Creek Offers Three Music Programs for Adult Musicians in August 2024

EGG HARBOR, Wis. (May 20, 2024) – Birch Creek Music Performance Center is excited to announce its adult program offerings for the 2024 season. Known for its acclaimed summer music academy for young musicians, Birch Creek’s programming serves the music performance desires of adult learners. The Wind Ensemble, Chamber Music, and Piano Retreats all offer a supportive and encouraging environment for adult musicians to refine their music performance skills while enjoying the beauty of Door County, Wisconsin.

The Wind Ensemble Retreat, taking place from August 14 - 17, 2024, offers the opportunity for musicians to enhance their music reading and performance skills. The program is in its seventh year. Past attendees include community band members, band teachers and other active amateur players. Charles (Chip) Staley and Birch Creek’s Jazz Band Directors, Jim Stombres and Steve Sveum return as co-directors in 2024. Adult musicians of intermediate or medium skill level or higher are encouraged to apply.

The Chamber Music Retreat, offered for the fifth time at Birch Creek, is accepting applications from adult musicians of intermediate or medium playing ability and higher. The program will take place August 19 - 22, 2024. Ricardo Castañeda, program director for Birch Creek’s Symphony Session returns this year as director, along with a cadre of professional musicians from the Midwest. Designed for wind, string and piano ensembles, adult musicians will study with professional coaches Monday through Thursday.

For piano enthusiasts, recent graduates, teachers, amateurs, and semi-professionals, Birch Creek offers a Piano Retreat. Taking place from August 25 - 28, 2024, this non-competitive program provides masterclasses, lectures, and performance opportunities in a collaborative, friendly, and supportive environment. Participants will have the opportunity to hone their piano skills and reinvigorate their creative energies with renowned piano pedagogues - Susan Tang, Jodie DeSalvo and Soo Young Lee.

All adult programs at Birch Creek provide an enriching educational opportunity that meets the technical and enrichment needs of adult learners. With a focus on learning styles and individual needs, these programs offer the chance to improve music performance skills.

"We are thrilled to announce these exciting adult program offerings for the 2024 season," said Mona Christensen, Birch Creek Executive Director. "At Birch Creek, we believe that music transcends age, and our commitment to providing a supportive and enriching environment for musicians of all backgrounds remains unwavering. Join us as we celebrate the joy of music and the lifelong journey of learning and growth."

Each program culminates with a free, public concert performance. The Wind Ensemble Retreat concert takes place on Saturday, August 17 at 2:00 PM in the Dutton Concert Barn. Chamber Music Retreat musicians will perform in Juniper Hall on Thursday, August 22 at 2:00 PM. The Piano Retreat finale performance class takes place Wednesday, August 28 at 2:00 PM.

Tuition includes instruction, continental breakfast, and lunch during each session. Onsite dorm housing is available on a first-come, first-served basis for all programs.  

For more information on Birch Creek's adult program offerings and to register, please visit Birch Creek's website: BirchCreek.org/Adult-Programs.

Wind Ensemble Retreat Faculty Co-Directors:

Jim Stombres, St. Charles, IL taught for 37 years and retired in 2015 as Band Director at St. Charles North High School. Stombres holds a Diploma in Sacred Music from Moody Bible Institute, a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Illinois State University, and a master’s in music education from Northwestern University. He has been active in the Illinois Music Educators Association and served as All-State Jazz Audition Chairman for 25 years. He has served as ILMEA Jazz Chair for District I, VII, and IX. Stombres has been a guest director for many District level ILMEA Festivals, and conducted the 1999 All-State Jazz Band. He was the recipient of the 2018 John Paynter Lifetime Achievement Award.

Steve Sveum, Sun Prairie, WI is a retired Director of Bands at Sun Prairie High School in Sun Prairie, WI, where jazz ensembles under his direction were selected thirteen times as finalists in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Essentially Ellington” national jazz competition, placing third three times. Sveum has been a faculty member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Band Director Academy and has worked as a clinician at festivals around the United States. He is a 2014 recipient of the DownBeat Jazz Education Achievement award.

Chamber Music Retreat Director:

Ricardo Castañeda, Oak Park, IL is currently Principal Oboist with The Chicago Sinfonietta, and solo English Horn with The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a member of the Chicago Ensemble and Barossa Woodwind Quintet. An active freelance musician, Castañeda enjoys performing all genres of music. He has played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Grant Park Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Opera Theater and has been principal oboist for orchestras for The Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and Joffrey Ballet as well as numerous Broadway in Chicago shows.

Chamber Music Faculty (subject to change):
String Quartet
Carol Dylan, Violin, Crystal Lake, IL
Carl Johnston, Violin, Chicago, IL
Jenna Ferdon, Viola, Omaha, NE
Emily Mantell, Cello, Orland Park, IL

Woodwind Quintet

Janice MacDonald, Flute, Chicago, IL
Ricardo Castañeda, Oboe, Oak Park, IL
David Bell, Clarinet, Baileys Harbor, WI
John Gaudette, Bassoon, Chicago, IL
Matthew Oliphant, Horn, Chicago, IL

Piano 
Susan Tang, Piano, Chicago, IL
Kay Kim, Piano, Chicago, IL 

Piano Retreat Faculty:

Susan Tang, Director, Chicago, IL is Associate Professor of Piano at Northeastern Illinois University, artistic director of the Chicago Chamber Music Festival (an intensive summer workshop for young artists) and a founding member of Keys to Inclusion (a multi-institutional initiative to explore the piano repertoire of Black American composers). Tang received her BM and MM degrees from the Eastman School of Music studying with Nelita True and DMA from Manhattan School of Music with Nina Svetlanova.

Jodie DeSalvo, Naples, FL is a frequent soloist with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. She has toured extensively as a piano soloist appearing with the orchestras of Chicago, Geneva, Lucerne, San Francisco, Hartford and Chautauqua. DeSalvo also has a recital/lecture series at the Artis-Naples and has numerous CDs to her credit. In recent years, she has added the comedy of Victor Borge to her repertoire, with interpretations of his skits, including Phonetic Punctuation and Inflationary Language, as well as writing her own original material. 2024 marks her 28th year as a Birch Creek faculty member. 

Soo Young Lee, Chicago, IL is a nationally and internationally renowned pianist, educator, and arts leader. Recognized as the "Artist of the Year" by the Korean American Community Service's Kewson Chai Prize, she has also earned acclaim from prestigious organizations like The Society of American Musicians and The Chicago Musician Club of Women’s Farwell Award. Dr. Lee's performances have graced renowned venues including Preston Bradley Hall, Millennium Park, and Universidad Nacional de Musica of Lima, Peru. With a rich teaching background at institutions like Midwest Young Artists and Loyola University, she currently serves as an artistic faculty member at The Music Institute of Chicago and MIC Academy, alongside her role at Lake Forest College.