STUDENT ADMISSIONS

Applications are now being accepted for all sessions and all instruments.

General Information | The Campus and Student Life | What Students Say
Tuition & Fees | Admission Procedure | Financial Aid | Download Forms

SUMMER 2010 SESSION DATES

	" We performed nine times over two weeks. Every performance was an amazing experience for me. I have been close to tears many times simply because of how incredible we sounded. Often, I glanced into the audience and saw joy on peoples' faces. It was two unforgettable weeks. " Johnny Duan 2009 Symphony Session

GENERAL INFORMATION

THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Birch Creek Music Performance Center on Wisconsin's beautiful Door County peninsula is a young musician’s dream. Founded in 1976, Birch Creek is a unique summer music school that provides talented students (typically age 14-19) advanced training as well as the opportunity to perform publicly alongside some of the top music professionals around.

Birch Creek offers four 2-week resident summer sessions in Symphony, Percussion & Steelpan, and Jazz (two sessions). The overall student-faculty ratio is 2-to-1, ensuring that students receive attentive hands-on mentoring from top music educators and performers. Additionally, students have numerous public performance opportunities before appreciative audiences who have come to expect only the best from Birch Creek. Please note: Due to the intensive, mentoring-based nature of Birch Creek’s programs, campus residence is required of all students.

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THE CAMPUS

Birch Creek is located three miles east of Egg Harbor on Wisconsin's beautiful Door County peninsula. The campus is centered around the 500-seat Dutton Concert Barn, a renovated century-old barn with exceptionally fine acoustics. The barn also includes practice rooms, classrooms, and a green room for those waiting to perform. Across a courtyard that features the campus’ open-air performance gazebo is the original farmhouse, which now serves as a listening library, faculty office, classroom facility, and sleeping quarters for counselors. The nearby granary is used as a dorm and practice space, and more recent additions include a large student dorm and two faculty dorms. In 1998, a new kitchen/dining hall and classroom addition were dedicated, and 1999 saw the expansion of the farmhouse's sleeping quarters. In 2001, a keyboard lab was installed in the farmhouse, and 2007 saw a complete upgrade to the dining area and kitchen floors and furniture. In 2008, three new buildings were added to Birch Creek’s campus: a Rehearsal Center that includes practice and rehearsal rooms, an intimate ensemble performance hall, a student dormitory, and a classroom and meeting room; a maintenance and storage building, and the Faculty housing facility with a common space with computer workstations. The existing student dorm and farmhouse are continually updated.

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STUDENT LIFE

During each two-week session, students live on Birch Creek’s 40-acre rural campus in dormitory-style housing, with male and female students living in separate quarters. There are five live-in counselors (many of them musicians themselves) who oversee all student activities. Students, faculty, and counselors share meals in the campus’ dining facility, which features some of the best food in Door County as well as the opportunity to discuss all matters musical.

During morning and afternoon sessions, students train under the guidance of Birch Creek’s faculty of music professionals, receiving individualized instruction, rehearsing in small groups, and participating in a variety of seminars and specialized classes. Most evenings feature public performances in the 500-seat Dutton Concert Barn, and students also appear in outreach concerts throughout Door County.


While study at Birch Creek is intense, there is free time. Volleyball, ping pong, chess games, and impromptu jam sessions are popular on-campus pursuits. Additionally, there are supervised trips to Door County's beaches, parks, and many unique shops and art galleries. There is also ample time for practice, and private lessons are available.

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WHAT STUDENTS HAVE SAID ABOUT BIRCH CREEK

"From the very first minute I walked into Birch Creek, I was sure this was going to be the opportunity of a lifetime. The new Rehearsal Center is amazing. Juniper Hall was an incredible place to rehearse and perform, and unlimited use of the steel band and practice rooms helped me become a better percussion performer." -- Elizabeth Hinley, Percussion & Steelpan Session

"I will be pursuing music in college, and having toured many music schools around the nation, I was amazed at the quality of Birch Creek's facilities. Having quality pianos available 24/7 in private spaces in invaluable to serious pianists, and made my stay at Birch Creek a very professional one." -- Paul Whalen, Jazz I Session