Michael Murphy performs with his band and a crowd in front

Michael Murphy '23 (center) performs at the 2025 Mile of Music festival alongside Ryan Erdmann '22 (left). (Photo by Juan Marin '20)

The streets of downtown Appleton were filled with people from all over the Fox Cities and beyond, some traveling hundreds of miles for the live original music. 

From July 31 to August 3, downtown Appleton's streets were filled with sound during the annual Mile of Music festival. Now in its 12th year, the free festival stayed true to its core mission of celebrating original music, featuring 700 shows from 200 independent artists and bands. 

This year's event saw a 5-10% increase in attendance, according to NBC 26, and introduced new elements like pop-up performances that took place between scheduled shows. As in previous years, Lawrence University took part in the music-making.

Photos from 2025 Mile of Music

MET team and participants wave at the Fox Cities P.A.C.
Three instrumentalists perform in Fox Commons to a large crowd
Michael Murphy plays his guitar at Mile of Music.
Kate Stenson '24 performs at the 2025 Mile of Music.

Music Education Team (MET) members and participants celebrate another successful workshop in the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. (Photo by Jacob Hanekamp '25)

The Lawrence Chamber Music Festival performs with Natural Satellite in the Business & Entrepreneurial space at Fox Commons. (Photo by Juan Marin '20)

Michael Murphy '23 performs at Spats at the 2025 Mile of Music Festival. (Photo by Juan Marin '20)

Kate Stenson '24 performs at the 2025 Mile of Music Festival. (Photo by Juan Marin '20)

The Music Education Team (MET)—including Lawrence Conservatory faculty, students, and alumni—presented 40 hands-on music-making workshops during the festival for people of all ages. Participants were able to experience everything from bachata dance to Irish fiddle music, the blues harmonica to the didjeridu.

The Lawrence Chamber Music Festival returned this year, allowing advanced instrumentalists the opportunity to collaborate and perform alongside Mile of Music artists. 

Lawrence venues drew thousands of festival-goers to campus for performances on the Lawrence Lawn Main Stage—located in front of Ormsby Hall—Memorial Chapel, and Harper Hall. 

Lawrence alumni Michael Murphy ‘23 and Kate Stenson ‘24 were among the festival performers. Murphy played two sets, accompanied by Lawrence alumnus Ryan Erdmann ‘22. Stenson performed two sets alongside Jennifer Harlee, a member of her band Wine on Fridays (W.O.F.). 

Lawrence photographers captured the music-making in action. See a sampling above and see a full photo gallery here. More photos will be added soon!