Excitement Grows for the 2024 Symphony Session Concerts at Birch Creek
EGG HARBOR, Wis. (June 13, 2024) – Birch Creek Music Performance Center is set to celebrate Independence Day with a spectacular concert, "A Birch Creek Symphonic Fourth," on Thursday, July 4. The 90-piece Birch Creek Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Taka Matsunaga and featuring tenor and former Birch Creek student Jonathan Zeng, will perform patriotic tunes by John Phillip Sousa, along with works by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The concert begins at 3:00 PM, preceded by a pie and ice cream social at 2:00 PM.
The celebration continues with performances on Friday, July 5, and Saturday, July 6. On July 5, the Clampitt Concerto Competition winners, Lily Yoshihara (violin) and Asha Sundaram (flute), will join the full orchestra to perform pieces by Sibelius and Hüe. The concert on July 6 will feature music by American masters Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, with piano faculty member Jodie DeSalvo performing Gershwin’s “Piano Concerto in F.”
The symphonic session extends into the following week with "The Romantics: The Music Of Rachmaninoff And Verdi" on July 11. This concert will include Verdi’s Overture to "La Forza del Destino" and Rachmaninoff’s "Symphony No. 2 in E Minor.” On July 12, "A Pastoral Evening" will feature Vaughan Williams’ "The Lark Ascending," with violin faculty Elizabeth York. The session concludes on July 13 with "Symphonic Highlights," featuring Smetana’s "The Moldau" and music from Delibes’ ballet "Coppélia."
The Birch Creek Symphony program is renowned for its unique student-mentor approach, where advanced students rehearse and perform alongside world-class faculty. This immersive environment allows students to receive personalized attention and accelerate their musical development. Over two weeks, seven public performances featuring five different orchestral programs will be presented, helping students to cultivate excellent practice and rehearsal habits.
In addition to Birch Creek’s orchestra concerts, students perform in one or more chamber music ensembles. In culmination of this unique learning opportunity, the Town of Egg Harbor is sponsoring a free Family Concert on Saturday, July 13 at 1:00 PM in Juniper Hall. Dozens of student chamber groups will perform. Tickets are not required, and the audience may come and go anytime between 1:00 – 4:00 PM.
Symphony concerts begin at 7:00 PM, with a student prelude at 6:30 PM from the Kane Gazebo. Tickets are available for purchase online at BirchCreek.org/Tickets or by phone at (920) 868-3763. Ticket prices are $33 for adults, $10 for students, and $6 for children (11 and under). Premium seating in the front-center section of the Dutton Concert Barn is available for $40. Group rates are offered for parties of 10 or more. For a full concert schedule, please visit BirchCreek.org/Tickets. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and the Box Office is open on concert nights from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.