Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra brings Beethoven to the Weill Center this month — and more news in your weekly dose
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SHEBOYGAN - Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra will present a special concert for the whole family, “Beethoven Lives Upstairs,” at 3 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Stefanie H. Weill Center.
This theatrical symphony concert production is an imaginative way to introduce audiences of all ages to the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven. It features a lively exchange of letters between young Christoph and his uncle. Their subject: the “madman” who has moved into the upstairs apartment of Christoph’s Vienna home. Through a touching correspondence, dramatically underscored with the composer’s most beautiful excerpts, Christoph slowly comes to understand the genius of Beethoven and the beauty of his music.
The performance includes more than 25 excerpts of Beethoven’s most renowned pieces, including the Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, and the Fifth and Ninth symphonies.
The music is woven into the drama as two actors share anecdotes and observations based on true incidents from the composer’s life.
The original audio recording of “Beethoven Lives Upstairs” has claimed dozens of top music, educational and parenting awards. It has gone multi-platinum, been translated and distributed around the world, and made into an Emmy Award-winning film.
The SSO is offering a special "Family Fun 4-pack" for $48, which includes four tickets for two adults and two children in the front five rows of the theater. Call the Weill Center ticket office at 920-208-324 or visit in person between noon and 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays to buy tickets. The Weill Center is at 826 N. Eighth St., Sheboygan.
The 2022-2023 SSO season continues with the following performances:
March 11: The evening begins with “Lyric for Strings” by George Walker, an American composer, pianist and organist, and the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Mozart’s sublime Clarinet Concerto in A major, one of his last completed works, will feature Milwaukee Symphony principal clarinet Todd Levy. The concert closes with Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony, a piece rich in melody and Czech dance rhythms.
April 16 at Congregation Beth El: To commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 17), the SSO String Quartet, the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus and the Sheboygan Symphony Chamber Singers will present a special concert of music by composers tragically silenced by the Nazis, plus a moving set of Hebrew Love Songs by Eric Whitacre. Seating for this concert is general admission.
May 20: The program opens with “Into the Wild” by Minnesota-born composer Jacob Bancks, which takes audiences to both rural and urban “wild” spaces, followed by Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto featuring Bella Hristova, acclaimed for her “passionate and powerful performances.” The season finale concludes with one of the repertoire’s most celebrated works, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
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▶ Aviation Heritage Center to screen ‘A Guy Named Joe’ Feb. 10: The 1943 cinema classic “A Guy Named Joe,” starring Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne, will be screened at the Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin, N6191 Resource Drive, Sheboygan Falls, at 7 p.m. Feb. 10.
The screening is part of the center’s monthly aviation movie night. The movie features a cocky Air Force pilot stationed in England during World War II who falls for a daring female flyer. After he’s killed on a mission, he is sent back to Earth by heavenly General with a new assignment.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. and popcorn and soft drinks will be available.
▶ Red Cross shares upcoming blood drives: American Red Cross is planning the following local blood drives:
Feb. 7, 12:30-5:30 p.m. at Faith Reformed Church, 243 S. Fourth St., Cedar Grove;
Feb. 16, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Amore Banquet Hall, 18 W. Mill St., Plymouth; and
March 2, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Howards Grove High School, 401 Audubon Road, Howards Grove.
Book a time to give blood or platelets by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App or calling 1-800-RED CROSS. All who give in February will get a $10 Amazon.com gift card by email. Those who donate this month will also automatically be entered to win a trip for two to Clearwater Beach, Florida. Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/heart.
▶ Bluebird birdhouse building workshop set for March at Kohler-Andrae: A bluebird birdhouse building workshop will be held at 1 p.m. March 18 at Kohler-Andrae State Park, 1020 Beach Park Lane, Sheboygan.
Birdhouse kits cost $7 each and people must register in advance. All vehicles need a state park admission sticker. Call 920-451-4080 to register.
Those attending can meet at the park office. Participants will learn about bluebird behaviors and assemble X-Box birdhouses for their use.
▶ ‘A Wee Bit of Irish’ coming to Plymouth Arts Center: Plymouth Arts Center will present “A Wee Bit Irish” — a live musical concert in an Irish Coffee House setting featuring the group Celtic Folk — March 17-19 and March 24-26.
Celebrate the “Wee Bit of Irish” with traditional and contemporary Irish tunes to help celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Along with Celtic Folk, the Schauer Irish Dance Troupe will be performing at 7:30 p.m. March 18 and 2:30 p.m. March 26; bagpiper Bruce McFarlane at 7:30 p.m. March 24; and The Wednesday Night 52 Stafford Session Players at 7:30 p.m. March 25.
Moxie Coffee, Café and Catering of Plymouth will be making the coffee.
Celtic Folk is composed of the following vocalists and musicians: Tom Armstrong, Tom Clegg, Julie Henze, Kerrylynn Kraemer, Mykael Lengling, Roy Schwab, Rachel Stoyke, Ramona Tritz and Steve Vogt.
Evening shows are at 7:30 p.m. March 17-18 and March 24-25. Matinee shows are at 2:30 p.m. March 19 and 26.
Tickets are $15 for members and $17 for non-members, tax included. They can be purchased at the Plymouth Arts Center, 520 E. Mill St., downtown Plymouth, or by calling 920-892-8409 or emailing info@plymoutharts.org.
The group Celtic Folk originated in 2013 at the Plymouth Arts Center under the direction of co-creators/directors Kraemer and Clegg. Their first production was “Celtic Christmas” in 2013. The success of this show encouraged the directors to design additional shows: Celtic Christmas in 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022; “Memories” in 2017; “History” in 2019; and “Sentimental Journey in Song” in 2021.
In 2023, Celtic Folk will also present “Musical Memories” Oct. 6-8 and Oct. 13-15 and “Celtic Christmas” Dec. 8-10 and Dec. 15-17, both at the Plymouth Arts Center.
What to expect in 2023
Streetwise reporter Alex Garner shares the big developments to expect on the Sheboygan County business scene in 2023 in her look ahead. Click here for the full article.
And local government/watchdog reporter Maya Hilty shares a roundup of public developments to expect in 2023. Click here to read that report.
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This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra Beethoven concert coming to Weill Center
