One Letter. Five Composers. Timeless Masterpieces.
Experience the final cadences of Emberlight’s monumental 5th anniversary season with an evening devoted to five of the most legendary composers in history — each united by the letter ‘B’ — Johann Sebastian Bach, Leonard Bernstein, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Jason Robert Brown.
As only The Broadway Strings can, our final concert will span 300 years of music. The first half of the concert weaves through Bach’s mastery in counterpoint, to Brown’s soaring Broadway melodies, to a movement from Beethoven’s first string quartet, to Bernstein’s unforgettable melodies in West Side Story.
The last cadence of our 2025 season will be one of the masterpieces of the 19th century: Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34. Often hailed as the crown of his chamber music, its creation was itself a journey of transformation. Brahms first conceived the work in 1862 as a string quintet for two violins, viola, and two cellos. Dissatisfied with the purely string sonority, he recast it as a sonata for two pianos, before finally uniting piano and strings to achieve the Quintet’s definitive form. Clara Schumann, upon hearing the two-piano version, sensed the music’s symphonic breadth and urged Brahms to remodel it, famously remarking that it was “so full of ideas that it requires an orchestra.”
You don’t want to miss this rare evening to hear musicians straight from Broadway in your own backyard. Between the five musicians on stage, The Broadway Strings claim 110 Broadway shows and 26 Off-Broadway shows (including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular) to their credits! The quintet won our hearts over last summer with their beautiful playing, but also their hilarious stories and anecdotes from behind the scenes of New York’s infamous theaters.
Experience this one-of-a-kind evening for as low as $15 when you bundle your tickets in our Music Pass. Then you won’t miss Rhapsody in Blue: From New York to Hollywood on August 21!
MORE ART TO DISCOVER
Over the final two weeks over our festival, we rev things up into full Emberlight mode with the Film Festival and live performances hitting our local theaters. Stroll through Art in the Park and Emberlight Photographers in the afternoon, see international films or world-renowned performers in the evening, and mingle with friends and the artists over a pint in the evening. Plus it’s the most beautiful weather of the year in the UP!
This summer the Emberlight International Film Festival (EIFF) returns to The Ember Club on August 15, 16, 20, and 22. Pianist Adam Rothenberg and The Broadway Strings return to the Hurley Auditorium on August 21 and 23 for concert to close out our 5th anniversary season.
Plan your trip to Emberlight today so you don’t miss these unforgettable nights in the Northwoods.
