Work Meets Play When a Performing Artist in the Trades Self-Performs J.S. Bach on Piano Accompanied by Project Photos of Bradley Symphony Center

Joseph Birschbach Reveals His Talent as a Musician After Being Part of the C.D. Smith Construction Team for Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's Historic Restoration Project

As we worked to capture photography and video of the finished project at Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's Warner Grand Theatre / Bradley Symphony Center, I came across a three-year-old photo file of “before” photos. We had walked the building before restoration and taken photos of the tarnished tapestry, faded tiles, and worn-out fabric. I was trying to match up the “before” images with the “after” photos and was having a bit of trouble in the process. One of our project managers who worked on the MSO renovation, Joe Birschbach, now a Virtual Design & Construction Manager, offered to help.

Blemished Wall Before Restoration on the Left and Newly Renovated on the Right

We worked off of two screens—one with the old photos and one with the new photos. I was sharing with him the concept of a video with classical music in the background and showcasing all the great work C.D. Smith did on this Milwaukee project—featuring our self-performing capabilities, innovation, challenges and wins. They were all part of this project and the story. That’s when Joe casually mentioned that he played piano.

Talented Musician and C.D. Smith Construction Team Member, Joseph Birschbach, Playing Piano

Who knew? One of our very own… such a talented musician! We talked about showcasing all of the project team members who worked on the job - giving credit all around as our music video concept started developing.

We held a practice, tuned the piano, filmed Joe playing a piece by J.S. Bach and then matched the piano track with the final photos of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's new home. An interesting fact about the J.S. Bach piece is that it's not the original piece composed by Bach. Although a wonderful sounding piece in its original form, the piece was rearranged utilizing the melody by composer Lou Ni making it sound more “New Age” in today’s piano genre. When comparing the music piece with the Warner Grand Theatre, you can make the comparison that C.D. Smith took an old architectural masterpiece and transformed it into a New Age masterpiece, much like the piece chosen for this video.

What a fun project! I hope all who listen and watch appreciate the beauty of this restoration, the talents of our pianist and the skills of all the trades that make up the C. D. Smith Construction family.

Date: Apr 29, 2021 | Author: Molly Haack

For more stories like this...

Watch a timelapse video and discover what went on behind the HISTORIC WALL MOVE from cdsmith.com/mso.

HISTORIC WALL MOVE | RENOVATIONS, ADDITIONS AND HISTORIC RESTORATION CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

THE HISTORIC WALL MOVE | A CHALLENGE OF MASSIVE PROPORTIONS: 86' X 100' 625 TON WALL (THAT'S 1.25 MILLION POUNDS!) NETTING 2,223 PSF

Click to learn more about the historic wall move from our MSO page.