Hundreds packed the Kaufman Auditorium Friday evening
MARQUETTE -- A musical group out of southern Florida has visited the Upper Peninsula for 16 consecutive years to perform as part of the Pine Mountain Music Festival.
Several hundred packed the Kaufman Auditorium Friday evening for a performance by the Bergonzi String Quartet called "In the Beginning."
Glenn Basham, Scott Flavin, Pamela McConnell, and Ross Harbaugh have been performing together since 1992, keeping classical music in the mainstream.
"We like to think that what we're doing is unique and new and fresh, and the people that come to our concerts and that hire us again every summer are happy with what we're producing," says first violinist, Glenn Basham.
They say they've been coming to the U.P. for so long that it's starting to feel like home.
"Over the last 16 years, we've made many, many friends all over the U.P. My children have spent a year and a half of their lives in the U.P. because we come every summer. We really feel like it's a second home for us," Basham says.
In addition to their annual trip to the Upper Peninsula, all four members are professors at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The music they played Friday night is all composed by young music writer, Evan Premo, who says it's an honor to work with this talented quartet.
"They're all wonderful musicians, and it's such a thrill to work with them. I've had the thrill of working with them a few times before in different contexts as part of the Pine Mountain Music Festival, and they're a fantastic group of musicians. And they're all great characters, which is perfect for the Diaries of Adam and Eve, where there's lots of silly stuff they have to do on stage," says Premo of his composition for the evening.
If you missed them Friday evening in Marquette, they'll be in the Upper Peninsula for another week. Head to their Web site for all the details: http://bergonzistringquartet.com/UpcomingEvents.html
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