It is out with the steel pans and in with the strings and horns the next time you see students take the stage inside the barn on the campus of Birch Creek Music Performance Center. The organization said goodbye to its percussion students on Saturday as they prepare for the two-week symphony season. With promises of pie and ice cream, the season kicks off with the traditional Birch Creek Symphonic Fourth concert at 3 p.m. Birch Creek Executive Director Mona Christenson says the annual concert is a great way for them to kick off the symphony season.

Later in the week, Birch Creek will host its 2022 Clampitt Concerto Competition winners for an evening featuring the works of Walton, Hindemith, and Mussorgsky/Ravel. The winners may be teenagers, but Christenson says they play like professionals.

Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Dvorak are some of the other composers that will be highlighted during Birch Creek’s symphony season, which runs through July 15th. You can listen to our full interview with Christenson by clicking this link.