Local Musicians attend prestigious summer music academy

Posted July 21, 2025 12:21 pm

Submitted by Birch Creek Music Performance Center

Hersey High School student Gabrielle Venegas of Arlington Heights participates in the Percussion, Steel Pan & World Music session at Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. Courtesy of Birch Creek Music Performance Center

Talented young musicians Martin Burns and Gabrielle Venegas from Arlington Heights and Faith Lee from Mount Prospect spent two weeks in Door County, Wisconsin, studying at Birch Creek Music Performance Center. Burns, Venegas and Lee, who are all students at John Hersey High School, were among 18 musicians from throughout the country to attend the Percussion, Steel Pan & World Music session at this prestigious academy whose mission is to provide intensive, performance-based instruction to promising young musicians by immersing them in a professional, mentoring environment.

Arlington Heights resident Martin Burns takes part in the Percussion, Steel Pan & World Music session at Birch Creek Music Performance Center. Courtesy of Birch Creek Music Performance Center

Birch Creek celebrates its 50th concert season in 2025 and continues to support a student-to-faculty ratio of approximately 2:1. This provides students with an abundance of personal attention from their faculty mentors, who represent top music educators and performers from around the country. Students are given the opportunity to hone their technical skills and learn all the aspects of life as a professional musician firsthand. During their two-week residency this summer, students attending the Percussion, Steel Pan & World Music session performed seven concerts alongside their teachers in front of paying concertgoers.

Dr. Dan Moore is the Program Director of the Percussion, Steel Pan & World Music session. 2025 marks his 27th year on faculty at Birch Creek, and 10th year as program director. He is a professor of percussion and director of the award-winning percussion program at the University of Iowa. Dr. Moore is an internationally-known musician, composer, and educator.

Faith Lee of Mount Prospect takes part in a rehearsal at the Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. Courtesy of Birch Creek Music Performance Center

Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, is a residential summer music academy for advanced young musicians. With a performance emphasis, students are taught by nationally known performers and educators during the day, and perform in concerts alongside them at night. Four sessions focus on Percussion, Steel Pan & World Music; Symphony, and Big Band Jazz. 2025 concert and session dates are posted at BirchCreek.org/Tickets.

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