Peninsula Music Festival

The Peninsula Music Festival was founded by Lorenz Heise, Kay Wilson, and conductor Thor Johnson – all Moravians. Thor Johnson was born in Wisconsin Rapids in 1913 and grew up in a family of Moravian ministers – his father was born in Sturgeon Bay. His life was filled with music that was cultivated in Moravian congregations. At age four, the family moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, home of one of the largest settlements of Moravians in the United States. Before returning to his Wisconsin roots, Thor Johnson’s career took him to the podium of two major orchestras (Cincinnati and Nashville Symphonies) and holding faculty positions at Northwestern University and the University of Michigan. He was an instructor at Juilliard and director of the Interlochen Arts Academy.