Local musicians attend prestigious summer music academy
Eight talented young musicians from Chicagoland spent two weeks in Door County, Wisconsin, recently studying at Birch Creek Music Performance Center:
• Maggie Crichton of Villa Park, Timothy Christian High School
• Richie Dombrowski of Libertyville and Thomas Teixeira of Green Oaks, Libertyville High School
• Grace Fuller of Arlington Heights, Linnea Olsen of Mount Prospect and Drew Pipitone of Mount Prospect, John Hersey High School
• Magen Kranz of St. Charles, St. Charles North High School
• Jason Robinson of Barrington, Barrington High School
These students were among 54 musicians from throughout the country to attend the Big Band Jazz I session at this prestigious academy whose unique mission is to provide intensive, performance-based instruction to promising young musicians by immersing them in a professional, mentoring environment.
Teixeira, a returning Birch Creek student, was chosen by audition to be the bass player for the Birch Creek Jazz Ambassadors, an elite student jazz combo that performs at venues throughout Door County as part of the center’s community outreach. As a Jazz Ambassador, he gained valuable experience performing as a traveling musician.
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 Jazz I session performed eight concerts alongside their teachers in front of paying concertgoers.
Jeff Campbell is the Program Director of the Big Band Jazz I & II sessions. 2025 is his 37th year at Birch Creek and his 29th as Jazz Program Director. Campbell is Professor of Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media and department chair at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He has carved out an impressive career as a bass player fluent in both the jazz and classical idioms. Campbell is a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra bass section and has numerous CDs to his credit.
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.