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To•Day
DIARY: Tuesday, June 25, 2024
by Daniel Hathaway
HAPPENING TODAY:
A 2 pm Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute Faculty Recital features Michael Lynn, flute, Catharina Meints, pardessus de viole, Rebecca Landell, viola da gamba & Lisa Crawford, harpsichord in music by Marin Marais, Louis Heudelinne & François Couperin in Kulas Recital Hall. Also at 2 pm, Ohio Light Opera presents Guys and Dolls in Freedlander Theatre at the College of Wooster.
And tonight at 7:30 in Harkness Chapel at Case, Cleveland Lute Fest continues its nightly series of recitals with a program of 16th Century Dances & music by S.L. Weiss performed by Robert Barto (pictured) with flutist Mara Winter, flute. For details, visit the Concert Listings page.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Cleveland Orchestra continues its summer community engagement programming on Wednesday, June 26 at 7 pm with a free, outdoor performance as part of University Circle’s Wade Oval Wednesdays concert series. [Read More…]
Pre•Views & Features
At last, Jason Vieaux to make ChamberFest Cleveland debut
by Mike Telin
This week guitarist Jason Vieaux will make his long-awaited ChamberFest Cleveland debut, appearing in three separate concerts. “We’ve tried for many years, but it always conflicted with other dates that I already had on my calendar. So it’s really great that we can finally do something together.”
On Wednesday, June 26 at 7:30 pm in Mixon Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Vieaux will play Luigi Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D (“Fandango”). The piece is one of the most popular works in the guitar chamber music repertoire and one that he’s recorded with the Escher Quartet.
Why is it so popular? “My guess is that it’s because of the third movement — the famous Fandango that gets played on radio stations around the country. But I think what really brings it over the top is when the cellist plays the castanets. It’s just one of those works that presenters like to program.”
Jacob Allen on Ohio Light Opera’s 2024 season
by Mike Telin
One of the neat things about a summer light opera festival is that there is always a family atmosphere. Ohio Light Opera is a perfect example of that, especially when it comes to associate artistic director Jacob Allen and his relationship with the company. 2024 marks Allen’s 18th season — and his sixth position within OLO after he started out as a young artist performer.
Allen is directing two shows this season: Guys and Dolls and Me and My Girl, the latter of which opens on Thursday, June 20 at 2:00 pm at Freedlander Theatre.
The show includes music by Noel Gay and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose. Tickets are available online.
I caught up with Allen by phone to talk about the two shows he’s directing — and his history with the company.
Brandon Ridenour returns to ChamberFest Cleveland
by Mike Telin
This week, trumpeter Brandon Ridenour will be featured in three ChamberFest Cleveland programs both as a performer and arranger.
Ridenour’s journey to becoming a trumpet soloist, collaborative artist, composer, and arranger began at age 5, when he started studying piano with his father. After picking up the trumpet in 5th grade band class in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ridenour went on to study at the Juilliard School. After graduating he became the youngest member to join the Canadian Brass and eventually embarked on a solo career.
In 2014 Ridenour became the first trumpeter in 30 years to win the Concert Artist Guild competition. In his role as performer-composer, he helped to launch the Brooklyn-based ensemble Founders, and in 2023, he joined the American Brass Quintet. As an educator, he serves on the faculties at Juilliard, The New School and the Manhattan School of Music, where he is passionate about developing a new model of education for a well-rounded, progressive musician of the future.
Tri-C JazzFest: Sam Blakeslee takes the stage
by Max Newman
In addition to the stellar indoor lineup, there will be a myriad of talented artists featured on the outdoor stage at this year’s Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, to be held June 20-22 at Playhouse Square. One to keep an eye on is New York-based trombonist and composer Sam Blakeslee, who will be performing on Friday, June 21 at 6:45 pm as the bandleader of the Sam Blakeslee Large Group.
Blakeslee is cherishing the opportunity. “I have a pretty close relationship with Tri-C,” he told me during a telephone conversation. “When I was still living in Cleveland, I was the director of the JazzFest Academy, and then I taught trombone lessons at the College. I’m very grateful they’ve been supportive of me to come through and work with the students a couple of times a year, but this is the first time since 2017 that I’ll be performing with my own band. So it will be a nice reunion of sorts.”
CMA launches Third Thursdays: a conversation with Gabe Pollack
by Max Newman
If you are looking for musical experiences in Cleveland that are both thoroughly enjoyable and wholly unique, look no further than the programming put on by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Whether it be the eclectic concerts that grace Gartner Auditorium, the danceable, outdoor fun of City Stages, or any of CMA’s other wonderful offerings, there is truly something for everyone within the Museum’s programming.
Now, CMA is kickstarting another event series — Third Thursdays at Transformer Station — which will have its first show on June 20 at 7:00 pm. (Note that the concert is now sold out.) Admission is free, but tickets are required.