Cleveland, OH, July 27 — In a first for the four-year-old Oberlin Cooper Competition, following the final round with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra last night at Severance Hall, the jury announced that Ching-Yi Wei and Kyumin Park, both of whom had played the Tchaikovsky concerto, would share first prize. Second prize went to Ming Liu, who played the second concerto of Prokofiev. Results were announced by Thomas and Evon Cooper, the competition’s benefactors, who awarded the prizes. The final round was broadcast live on WCLV, 104.9 FM and WCLV.com. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni).
Archives for July 2013
Cleveland International Piano Competition — video interviews with four of the pianists: Qi Xu, Julia Kociuban, Konstantin Shamray and Ben Kim
by Mike Telin
The 2013 Cleveland International Piano Competition officially kicks off on Tuesday, July 30 with a 6pm opening ceremony in Gartner Auditorium of the Cleveland Museum of Art. After the performance of a Mozart concerto by 2011 winner Alexander Schimpf and CityMusic Cleveland, piano fans will meet and greet this year’s 28 contestants in person for the first time.
CIPC has kindly arranged for ClevelandClassical to follow some of the contestants during the competition, and four pianists have graciously agreed to be interviewed by Mike Telin from time to time. Our initial conversations were conducted the last week in June and the first week in July via Skype video, when we got to know more about the personalities of four of these interesting and engaging musicians, who range in age from 18 to 30. Each spoke about how they began playing and talked about their personal interests and activities. Many thanks to the competition and the four contestants for making these conversations possible. [Read more…]
Review: Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition — Six contestants play 30-minute recitals (July 24)
by Daniel Hathaway
The last hurdle on the way to Severance Hall for competitors in the Oberlin Cooper International Violin Competition is the recital round, where six performers revisit their solo repertoire in 30-minute recitals chosen by the jury from the semi-final round. A large crowd turned out to hear the three-and-a-half hour program in Warner Concert Hall at the Oberlin Conservatory on Wednesday evening, a highly-structured event carried live on WCLV, 104.9 FM and hosted by Robert Conrad.
A second hearing confirmed a lot that these ears noted in the concerto round the day before, but there were also some pleasant surprises.
Kyumin Park (16, Seoul, South Korea) maintained his rather cautious approach in pieces by Beethoven, Paganini and Chausson. His Beethoven (Op. 12, No. 1, Allegro) was strong and clean, his Paganini (Caprice No. 24) brilliant enough, his Chausson (Poème) perhaps more calculated than spontaneous despite expansive collaborative playing from Elizabeth DeMio. Here’s a talented player who just needs to be fearless and go for it. [Read more…]
Review: Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition — Ten contestants play concertos with piano (July 23)
by Daniel Hathaway
Unless you’re an audiophile on a mission, you’re not likely to sit down and listen to ten complete performances of violin concertos in one day (much less three of Tchaikovsky’s, two each of Brahms’s and Sibelius’s and single performances each of Mendelssohn’s, Shostakovich’s first and Prokofiev’s second). Or unless you’re a judge or audience member at an international violin event like the Oberlin Cooper Competition.
On Tuesday afternoon and evening, July 23, that unlikely possibility became a reality as ten violinists, ages 15 to 18, played the concerto round of the Cooper Competition in Oberlin’s Warner Concert Hall, giving a fascinating look into the musical personalities and technical prowess of the competitors, who were vying for the opportunity to become one of three finalists to play these pieces with The Cleveland Orchestra on Friday evening in Severance Hall.
All ten players, having passed the entrance auditions and survived the semi-final rounds, have certified that they are fine musicians who have the technical wherewithal to play every note of their chosen concertos. [Read more…]
Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition: Three finalists announced
Oberlin, OH, July 24 — The jury announced this evening the sixth, fifth, and fourth place winners, the recipient of the audience prize for the recital final and the three contestants who will play the final round with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall on Friday, July 26 at 8:00 pm. The concert will be broadcast live over WCLV, 104.9 FM and WCLV.com
6th place – Angela Wee
5th place – Jieming Tang
4th place- Gallia Kastner
Audience Prize: Ching-Yi Wei
Finalists who will play at Severance Hall (order to be announced):
Kyumin Park: Tchaikovsky concerto
Ming Liu: Prokofiev second concerto
Ching-Yi Wei: Tchaikovsky concerto
Review: Cleveland Orchestra: Porgy and Bess and Franklin Cohen at Blossom (July 21)
by Guytano Parks
The weather couldn’t have been any better for last Sunday evening’s concert at Blossom Music Center and the musical fare was just as delightful as The Cleveland Orchestra under assistant conductor James Feddeck (replacing the originally scheduled Robert Porco) presented a concert featuring The Blossom Festival Chorus, three stellar operatic vocalists and clarinet soloist Franklin Cohen.
John Williams wrote his Liberty Fanfare to commemorate the 1986 centenary of New York’s iconic Statue of Liberty. This short, exuberant piece opened the program, setting an optimistic mood with bold playing by the brass, soaring melodies by the strings and rhythmic impetus by the percussion. Feddeck conducted this, as well as the second offering by Williams, a suite of three pieces from the recent Spielberg film Lincoln, with a keen sense of mood and dramatic understanding. The orchestra responded superbly to his every gesture and nuance as the scenes unfolded. [Read more…]
Oberlin Cooper Violin Competition: Six advance to recital round
Oberlin, OH, July 23 — The jury announced this evening that the following six contestants will play the recital round in Warner Concert Hall of the Oberlin Conservatory on Wednesday, July 24 at 7 pm. The session will be broadcast live over WCLV, 104.9 FM and streamed live (click here for the link).
Kyumin Park
Ming Liu
Gallia Kastner
Angela Wee
Jieming Tang
Ching-Yi Wei
Preview: Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra to play at Blossom on July 27, including a side-by-side with The Cleveland Orchestra
by Mike Telin
After four weeks of immersing themselves in the wonderful world of chamber music, this week the participants at the Kent/Blossom School will turn their focus to orchestral music. On Saturday, July 27 beginning at 7:00 pm, the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of James Feddeck, will perform Debussy’s Clair de lune and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F major.
“I think the opportunity to study at a summer festival like the Kent/Blossom School presents a unique intensive period of real saturation into one’s study,” James Feddeck told us by telephone. “So the opportunity to take a few weeks — relocate and have an intense experience is of enormous benefit. And in this case the students at the festival have a great deal of contact with Cleveland Orchestra members.”
Following the 7:00 pm concert by the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra, the students will have a side-by-side experience with The Cleveland Orchestra in a performance of Ravel’s La Valse. The 8:00 pm concert also features the Overture to Les Francs-juges of Berlioz, the Piano Concerto No. 2 of Saint-Saëns and Debussy’s La Mer. [Read more…]
Review: Credo Chamber Music Finale at Severance Hall (July 20)
by Daniel Hathaway
Peter Slowik’s Credo Chamber Music summer programs — a blend of musical training and performance and service opportunities with an evangelical Christian foundation — are in expansion mode. This summer’s sessions in Oberlin increased from three weeks to four and the grand finale concert at Severance Hall, which last year featured works for chamber ensembles plus a full orchestra performance of Tchaikovsky’s fifth symphony, morphed this time around into a challenging symphonic program including a Rossini overture, a string suite by Gustav Holst and a Dvořák symphony.
Most summer music camps culminate in a celebratory concert, but few have the luxury of holding that event in such an opulent venue as Severance Hall. The young musicians of Credo seemed positively giddy with the robust sounds they could produce there, and the small but enthusiastic crowd who turned out applauded their efforts ardently. [Read more…]
Preview: Three soloists to make their debuts with The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom: Part one — Cédric Tiberghien
by Mike Telin
It’s always a special occasion when a musician has the opportunity to perform as a soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, and if it’s your own debut there is even more excitement added to the occasion. This summer three young musicians will be making their Cleveland Orchestra debuts — pianist Cédric Tiberghien (Saint-Saëns’s Concerto #2 in g minor on Saturday, July 27); violinist Ray Chen (Vivaldi’s Four Seasons on Sunday, August 11); and pianist Martin Helmchen (Beethoven’s Piano Concerto #1 in C major on August 24). All three gentleman are lively conversationalists who had plenty to say about being part of the new generation of artists committed to engaging with and attracting new audiences to classical music.
And what does a performance with the Cleveland Orchestra mean to the three? “It’s one of the things that when I look at my calendar it’s a little bit unbelievable,” says Martin Helmchen. For Ray Chen, the opportunity brings on extra excitement: “I remember going to concerts at Blossom and sitting on the lawn when I was a student in 2006 and 2007 at the Encore School for Strings. So this performance has a very personal connection. To have been there as a kid and now to be on the other side, it’s just great!” Cédric Tiberghien calls it “absolutely amazing. It’s an incredible opportunity for me and I’m really looking forward to it.” Today is the first of three features spotlighting the debuting soloists. [Read more…]