Classical music: The Green Lake Festival of Music announces this summer’s FREE family concerts in various area libraries.

By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear’s friends at the Green Lake Festival of Music have sent the following announcement:

FREE FAMILY CONCERT SERIES

Come and enjoy our free family and community concerts! These family-friendly concerts are appropriate for ages 5-95 — virtually anyone who desires a lively introduction to fine music presented in an entertaining format by the Festival’s outstanding artists.

A special feature of this series is the coordinated programs the libraries of Berlin, Green Lake, Kingston, Markesan, Princeton and Ripon (below) are offering in conjunction with the concerts.

These three free 45-minute concerts start at 2 p.m. All children must be accompanied by an adult. No tickets are required, and seating begins at 1:30 p.m.

This year each child who attends will be given a “passport,” and when it is returned to his/her library there will be a special treat in store.

This is the ninth year of the series, made possible by the generous sponsorship of Tom Caestecker as a free service to the community.

The concerts and related library programs are designed to reach out to parents, kids and seniors. They offer a brief, lighthearted introduction to music with an up close and personal experience with the performers. Tom Caestecker said, “I can’t think of a better pairing than music and books. Encouraging kids and adults alike to visit their libraries and experience high quality, live music will build a foundation for lifelong rewards.”

Here is a schedule:

Music of Our Heroes: The Akropolis Reed Quintet

Saturday, June 20, Ripon Public Library, Ripon

The nationally acclaimed Akropolis Reed Quintet (below) presents a concert of stories and music, sharing the untold story behind five of their musical heroes.

Peter and the Wolf: The Bergonzi String Quartet (below)

Friday, July 17, Caestecker Public Library, Green Lake

A heroic tale of a boy who seeks justice for his friends and faces his fears head on.

“La Courte Paille” by Poulenc: Virginia Rogers, Harp and Cara Davis, Soprano

Friday, July 24, Princeton Public Library

This suite of children’s songs for soprano features poems by Maurice Carame.

The Oshkosh Area Community Foundation has also sponsored several free family concerts this season, as has the Oberreich Foundation. These family concerts take place at the public libraries in Berlin, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac.

A German Folk Tale: Virginia Rogers, Harp (below) and Johannes Deegen, Violin

Friday, June 26, Berlin Public Library, Berlin

This charming antique picture music book is in German, and the performers will translate it into English as well as play the violin with the lever harp.

Peter and the Wolf: The Bergonzi String Quartet

Thursday, July 16, Fond du Lac Public Library, Fond du Lac

A heroic tale of a boy who seeks justice for his friends and faces his fears head on.

The Green Lake Festival of Music is supported in part by the Arts Midwest Touring Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional funding from the Wisconsin Arts Board, the Crane Group and General Mills Foundation. Additional support comes from the Horicon Bank, the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, Agnesian Healthcare, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, and private and corporate donations.

Please visit www.greenlakefestival.org for information about these and other artists performing at the Festival or to purchase tickets.

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Posted in Classical music
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