EGG HARBOR — Delaney Hoeper, a talented young musician from New Glarus, spent two weeks in Door County studying at Birch Creek Music Performance Center. 

Hoeper, a student at New Glarus High School, was among 55 other musicians from throughout the country to attend the Big Band Jazz II session at this prestigious academy whose unique mission is to provide intensive, performance-based instruction to promising young musicians by immersing them in a professional, mentoring environment.

Birch Creek celebrates its 48th concert season in 2023 and continues to support a student-to-faculty ratio of approximately 2:1. This provides students with an abundance of personal attention from their faculty mentors, who represent top music educators and performers from around the country. Students are given the opportunity to hone their technical skills and learn all the aspects of life as a professional musician firsthand. During their two-week residency this summer, students attending the Big Band Jazz II session performed eight concerts alongside their teachers in front of paying concertgoers. 

Jeff Campbell is the Program Director of the Big Band Jazz I and II programs. This is his 35th year at Birch Creek and his 27th as Big Band Jazz Program Director. Campbell is Professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media and department chair at Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y. He has carved out an impressive career as a bass player fluent in both the jazz and classical idioms. Campbell is a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra bass section. 

Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor is a residential summer music academy for advanced young musicians. With a performance emphasis, students are taught by nationally known performers and educators during the day, and perform in concerts alongside them at night. Four sessions focus on Percussion and Steel Band, Symphony, and Big Band Jazz.