by Timothy Robson
There were many happy faces worn by parents and friends of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO) members on Sunday evening, May 3, after their concert at Severance Hall. And with good reason – it was superb, and several times during the course of the evening, at least one listener had to remind himself that this was a student ensemble, not a professional orchestra. [Read more…]
by Jane Berkner
It’s rare to hear an entire concert of solo flute, but that was the case on Monday night, April 27 on the Lorain County Community College’s Signature Series in the Studio Theater of the Stocker Arts Center in Elyria. One lone treble voice without harmonic accompaniment can lack depth and variety, yet flutist Brandon George performed a multi-faceted program of Baroque and modern works, imbuing them with a fascinating spectrum of sounds. [Read more…]
by Jarrett Hoffman
Oberlin is famous for many things, but nightlife on a Thursday isn’t one of them — which is why April 30 was unusual. Down on College Street the Apollo Theatre held the midnight premiere of the second Avengers film; a few blocks northwest, the ‘Sco dance club was buzzing in the basement of the student union; and across the street, the Cat in the Cream coffeehouse played host to the last concert of the school year for Oberlin’s jazz-classical intersection, its Performance and Improvisation (PI) Series. This late-night guest recital on International Jazz Day featured jazz artist Billy Drewes.
by Daniel Hathaway
The legend of Dr. Faust — the world-weary scholar who makes a deal with the Devil to gain superhuman knowledge and powers — has fascinated writers since Christopher Marlowe made the story into a famous play in 1604. The tale became a rich source of inspiration to German composers as well, after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published the first part of his own enormous play, Faust, in 1808. Those composers included Liszt and Mahler, who based symphonic movements on Goethe’s final chorus, and Robert Schumann, who created his full-length oratorio Scenes from Goethe’s ‘Faust’ over a period of years.
This weekend, The Cleveland Orchestra will present three performances of Hector Berlioz’s imaginative version of the tale in the form of the oratorio (or is it an opera?) La Damnation de Faust. [Read more…]
by Jarrett Hoffman
“We like to keep a very loose atmosphere at our concerts, almost like a party or a rock show, where people can move around, drink, and chat,” said FiveOne Experimental Orchestra’s artistic director, John HC Thompson. “We play a lot of nuanced, delicate music, but we don’t do it in a stiff, sit-down, traditional classical music way.”
On Friday, May 8 at 9:00 pm, FiveOne Experimental Orchestra (51XO) will offer Bop Stop listeners a glimpse of the group’s upcoming album. In addition to premiering Michael Bratt’s Atari Punk, they will perform works by Jeremy Allen, John HC Thompson, David Crowell, Michael Laurello, and Ted Hearne. Admission is free.
by Mike Telin
When gearing up for an opera production, one of the most exciting times is the day the production moves from the rehearsal room into the performance space. Last Saturday afternoon, May 2, a group of invited guests got the chance to witness Cleveland Opera Theater’s first day in the auditorium of the Cleveland Performing Arts Center, where on Friday, May 8 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 10 at 3:00 pm the company will present its most ambitious production to date, Puccini’s Tosca.
The cast includes Andrea Anelli as Floria Tosca, Timothy Culver as Mario Cavaradossi, Brian Keith Johnson as the Barone Scarpia, Robert Pierce as Cesare Angelotti, and Benjamin Czarnota as the Sacristan. The opera will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. [Read more…]
by Mike Telin
“Deterioration can mean many things,” composer Jason Thorpe Buchanan said when asked about the title of his new work. “I’m interested in the sounds that can be produced by literally breaking down the instruments.” On Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 pm at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, the BlueWater Chamber Orchestra under the direction of the composer will present the world premiere of de/ter| |ior.ation. The program will also include Paul Dukas’s Villanelle for horn and orchestra with Ken Wadenpfuhl as soloist, Libby Larsen’s Full Moon in the City for bassoon and strings featuring George Sakakeeny as soloist, and Schubert’s Symphony No. 3, under the direction of BWCO music director Carlton R. Woods. The 75-minute concert will be played without intermission.
Oberlin, April 30, 2015 — Beginning in the fall of 2015, three piano students will be selected from a worldwide pool of applicants to take part in the Oberlin-Como Piano Academy, a two-year program at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music which will result in the awarding of an artist diploma. Oberlin Conservatory Dean Andrea Kalyn and the piano faculty announced the new program today.
Based in a 17th century palace on Italy’s Lake Como, the International Piano Academy Lake Como was created in 2002 by William Naboré and Martha Argerich. The academy is dedicated to developing young pianists without regard to financial resources or country of origin. [Read more…]
by Mike Telin
On Tuesday, May, 5 beginning at 7:30 pm at E. J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall in Akron, the Tuesday Musical Association’s 2014-2015 concert season will come to a close with a performance by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble. The program will include works by Brahms, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn.
Announcing the concert, TMA Executive Director Jarrod Hartzler said “the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is one of the most recognized names in the classical music world, and rightly so. Their performances continually wow audiences, and I know that their Akron performance will be no different.” [Read more…]
by Mike Telin
With so many outstanding conservatories and schools of music located in Northeast Ohio, it was only a matter of time before the area became a new hotbed for contemporary classical music. On Sunday, April 12, The Syndicate for the New Arts, the most recent addition to this increasingly vibrant scene, presented its debut concert during a launch party at the Bop Stop. [Read more…]