Return to Rhinelander brings music to the MSO’s northern neighbors
David Lewellen
PUBLISHED
Tagged Under: 2026.27 Season, Community Engagement
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will make its first trip up north in nine years this week, seeking to show a broad audience that they serve the entire state.
The symphony will perform a full classical concert at Rhinelander High School on Tuesday night and will present two young people’s programs on Wednesday morning before returning home.
“This reminds the orchestra and the administration that we are beloved across the state,” said Kelly McCaskill, the MSO’s vice president for advancement. “We are the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, but we belong to the state of Wisconsin.”
More extensive tours, supported by state funding, were a staple of the MSO’s season decades ago, but in more recent times those trips grew shorter and then stopped altogether. The last visit to Rhinelander, about 40 miles from the Michigan state line, happened in 2017.
But McCaskill spent her summers in Rhinelander as a child, and when she took her current job with the MSO a year and a half ago, “I said that I want to figure out how we can do this again.” Through mutual connections, she met several people from the area who were eager to bring the orchestra back, and a committee began making plans and raising funds.
“It’s not very often you can hear a world-class orchestra in the north woods of Wisconsin,” said Traci Stinebrink, the communications director for ArtStart, a nonprofit arts group in Rhinelander. “There are some kids who don’t travel beyond the county lines, and they don’t have access to things like this.”
All of the money for the MSO’s visit was raised in and around Rhinelander. “It’s well worth it, but it’s a big cost,” Stinebrink said. But individuals, businesses, and foundations in the area came through, and “people are so thrilled to see it back.”
“We knew it was going to be a challenge,” said Sue Bessert, a member of the planning committee. “But we made sure we got the word out. We said, ‘Remember how wonderful that was?’ People have fond memories as children of seeing the Milwaukee Symphony in town.”
It will not be a one-year wonder, either. The MSO has already saved a date on next year’s calendar, and Bessert said, “The first year will be a great start. If we can keep it going, more people will know.”
Her committee has recruited many volunteers to help the visit run smoothly — including a bake sale at intermission to raise money for the Rhinelander school music department.
The newer members of the MSO have never made the trip north, but many longer-tenured musicians have fond memories of the fall getaway. “Our kids loved going up to Rhinelander, and we enjoyed exploring the town with them,” said hornist Dietrich Hemann.
Travel also helps the orchestra to form tighter bonds as a group. “Instead of dashing off to our own lives at home, it’s a fun way for the orchestra to get closer and learn more about each other and forge friendships,” Hemann said. “And it’s nice to go close to peak foliage season.”
Tristan Wallace, the MSO’s technical director, also enjoys the colorful scenery on the drive up. This trip will require two trucks, he said, to carry all of the percussion equipment for the pops-oriented youth concerts, and after loading in, he will have to make sure the auditorium lights are set up correctly.
In his few moments of spare time, he likes checking out local shops and restaurants. “I enjoy the small-town vibe,” he said. “I hope a few of the mom-and-pop places from last time still exist.”
Hemann had a conversation once with a woman in Milwaukee who said that the MSO’s Rhinelander concerts were her only exposure to classical music as a child. “That was an impactful thing to hear,” he said. “It sheds light on what’s possible with an instrument.”
“This could open doors in kids’ minds,” Stinebrink said. “They can hear it and think, ‘This is possible. I can do that.’”
