Proceeds from the 18th annual performance of the Kids from Wisconsin in Shawano will help defray medical expenses for a young musician fighting an undiagnosed ailment.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. July 1 at the Shawano Community High School auditorium, 220 County Road B, Shawano. Tickets, which are $12 for general admission and $15 for reserved seating, go on sale June 2.
Ticket proceeds will benefit Brittany Sperberg, a Shawano Community High School graduate and a member of the Kids from Wisconsin band in 2012 and 2013. Sperberg, an energetic trombonist, has been dealing with medical issues since last fall. She reluctantly withdrew from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to attend to her medical needs. Her performing future is in doubt.
Sperberg, who was a senior majoring in music education in Madison, was being treated full time at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Her symptoms began with a painful infection in her nasal cavity, and despite numerous tests, medications, surgeries, scans and biopsies, the cause and precise treatment remain a mystery. While her family is insured, out-of-pocket expenses are mounting.
As the official music ambassadors of goodwill for the state of Wisconsin, the Kids are one of the most popular youth music groups in the Midwest. Performing live annually for more than 120,000 people across Wisconsin and the Midwest, the troupe includes some of Wisconsin’s most talented performers ages 15-20.
SCHS graduate Jerot Ritter returns to the troupe this year. He is a sophomore at UW-Eau Claire, where he is studying business administration. He performed in the college’s men’s choir, The Singing Statesmen, and received the Noble Statesmen Award. He also sings in an a capella group, The Innocent Men.
This is Ritter’s third summer with the Kids. He played trumpet in the stage band in 2012 and 2013 with Sperberg.
The Kids maintain a broad repertoire of music for their two-hour stage performances. This year’s music includes songs by Carole King, highlights from “Bullets over Broadway,” the music of Frank Sinatra (2015 is his centennial) and a medley of hits by Chicago.
The Kids from Wisconsin started in 1969 under the sponsorship of the Wisconsin State Fair. The group still considers the state fair its “home,” and hold a 17-day training camp there to learn the show, as well as perform daily during the 11-day run of the fair.
The Kids program is financed by performance fees, private and corporate donations and grants. During this, their 47th year of entertaining audiences, they will give close to 60 performances during their summer tour, which concludes Aug. 22 in Monona Grove. This year’s tour theme exemplifies a “Wisconsin Hometown” sentiment of “No Place We’d Rather Be.”
The Shawano performance is being hosted by the Wolf River Harmony Women’s Barbershop Chorus.
General admission tickets also will be available at BMO Harris Bank, CoVantage Credit Union and the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce. Reserved tickets will be available only at the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce or by calling 715-524-2139, which is also the number to call for information.
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