Music on Mondays 2021-2022 Season in Retrospect

The Maranatha Music Department has completed another successful guest recital season. This year’s Music on Mondays series brought a taste of the professional arts to the Burckart Hall stage. Each artist brought a unique style of music that was featured in each concert. Every one of them showcased their talents in a way that encouraged MBU music students to push themselves to become better.

Read below about each of the artists featured in this year’s Music on Mondays Series.

Prometheus Trio

The Prometheus Trio stunned Maranatha’s audience with their skilled artistry and flawless technique. The Prometheus Trio has been the resident chamber ensemble at Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Conservatory since its founding in 2000 by Stefanie, Scott, and violinist Samantha George. Margot Schwartz became the Trio’s violinist in 2017. Each season, the trio performs four sets of programs in the Conservatory’s jewel-box sized recital hall, as well as gives performances throughout the Midwest. Junior music major Hannah Ostrander writes, “Their musicianship was inspiring. They communicated the music really well. You could tell they loved playing music together.”  

Daniel Birnschein

Daniel Birnschein is no stranger to the Maranatha Music family. Teaching private lessons to various brass students, Birnschein has been a valuable asset to the department since 2009. We appreciate all he does and thoroughly enjoyed his performance. Birnschein holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education as well as a Master of Music in Church Music from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. He has also studied trumpet performance with Kevin Hartman and former Canadian Brass member Ronald Romm. Birnschein is the former principal trumpet of the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony. Currently, he holds the positions of principal trumpet in the Wisconsin Philharmonic and second trumpet in the Milwaukee Ballet orchestra.

In the excerpt below, Birnschein collaborates with Dr. David Brown and MBU alumna Grace Betry.

Laura Basse

As a Watertown native, Laura Basse is a graduate of Maranatha Baptist Academy. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Wheaton College Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Vocal Performance. Singing around the world, Basse has performed in Paris, London, Rome, Vienna, Moscow, Prague, New York City, and more. Locally, she has sung in Milwaukee with both the Florentine Opera and the Skylight Opera Theatre. “Her passionate performance was quite moving,” writes senior music major, Christina Trowbridge. “Her love for music was quite evident, and her communication with the pianist made for great collaboration and an excellent concert.”

Basse was accompanied by Janna Ernst, Principal Coach and Pianist for the Florentine Opera.