Dear Midsummer’s friends,
You recently received a beautiful and eloquent letter from Barbara Lawton asking for your support for Midsummer’s Music and the Griffon Quartet. You perhaps know Barbara as a former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. My initial acquaintance with Barbara was a bit different. She came up to me after a Midsummer’s Music concert years ago in which I had played bassoon and introduced herself as a former bassoon player. We became fast friends! Then, several years later I spotted her, with two other women, after a concert and went up to her and said hello. I also said hello to Helen Smith, one of the other women with her, whom I had known for years because she almost always attended our concerts at The Miller Art Museum in Sturgeon Bay going back to 1992. Barbara introduced her sister, and then, turning to Helen, she said to me, “and I would also like you to meet my mother.” I was dumbstruck. But then it dawned on me that Barbara had the same sweetness and genuineness as her mother and both were dedicated supporters of Midsummer’s Music. What delightful serendipity!
I hope you will take Barbara’s appeal to heart because she understands what Midsummer’s Music and our affiliate, the Griffon Quartet, mean to our community. Here is a sample of Barbara’s eloquence:
I am so grateful for the luxurious intimacy of a Midsummer’s Music concert, the sense of fellowship among strangers, the magic of tension melting before such extraordinary music. … the determined ambition to cast a wider net, leaping over generational divides to introduce the magic of chamber music to young people to enjoy as musicians and audience. The Griffon Quartet as strategy is pure genius; as an experience, is pure delight.
Each year, Midsummer’s Music and the Griffon present more than 150 performances and educational events across northeast Wisconsin. This effort is profound and consequential. As our reach and impact grow, so does the need for your support. Our annual budget now approaches $1 million, and much of our most meaningful work – especially with students and in memory care settings – relies on the generosity of friends like you.
Your gift sustains exceptional artistry, nurtures young musicians, and shares the healing and unifying power of music with audiences of all ages. Please consider making your year-end donation today. Barbara and I will both be very grateful, and we both wish that your holidays will be most meaningful and heartwarming.
This holiday season, please join us at a Griffon Pop-Up Caroling Event across Door County and Green Bay and at our December concerts: the 12th at Hope UCC in Sturgeon Bay, the 13th at the Art Garage in Green Bay, and the 14th at the Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor. And let’s keep the music playing—year-round and for years to come.
Your contribution makes this possible.
Warmest regards,
Jim Berkenstock
President/Artistic Director
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