ClevelandClassical.com Header
Ad
Ad
Ad

Archives for November 2016

Heights Arts Close Encounters: Mozart & Schubert on the roof (Nov. 18)

by

by Daniel Hathaway

glass-boxNot so very long ago, downtown Cleveland used to be deserted on weekend evenings. Not any more. On Friday, November 18, a political protest march mingled with a Cavs crowd and a sea of other downtown-bound folk to bring traffic (vehicular, foot, and equestrian) on Euclid Avenue to a complete standstill. One of the smaller audiences to assemble downtown that evening came to hear an excellent performance by Cleveland Orchestra musicians and friends sponsored by Heights Arts, nearly filling a private glass box party room rising sixteen floors above the hubbub below. [Read more…]

Cleveland Pops: “The Name is Bond…James Bond” at Severance (Nov. 12)

by

by Mike Telin

james-bond-actorsYou can argue whether Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig made the best James Bond, but one thing is certain: Ian Fleming’s character is super cool. As much as fans of 007 anticipate the release of each new film to see what forces of evil the British Intelligence Officer will thwart, it’s the iconic theme songs that make Bond films special. [Read more…]

String Orchestras: Earth and Air at St. Paul’s (Nov. 4), & BlueWater Chamber Orchestra at Pilgrim (Nov. 6)

by

by Mike Telin

earthandairWhen we think of the works of Felix Mendelssohn, a few that immediately come to mind are his Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the “Italian Symphony,” and the Violin Concerto, as well as several pieces of chamber music. On Friday, November 4 in Tucker Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, the talented Earth and Air: String Orchestra, under the direction of David B. Ellis, led a program of lesser-known but equally engaging works by the composer titled “Mendelssohn String Symphonies — Part I.” The evening included three works which the composer wrote between the ages of 12 and 14. [Read more…]

Cleveland Chamber Music Society: Juilliard returns with new cellist

by

by Daniel Hathaway

juilliard-quartet-2016-2The four-time Grammy Award-winning Juilliard String Quartet will revisit the Cleveland Chamber Music Society series at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights on Tuesday, December 6 at 7:30 pm for a program of quartets by Haydn, Bartók, and Beethoven. The concert, presented in conjunction with the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Winter Chamber Music Festival, introduces the Juilliard’s new cellist, Astrid Schween.

When you’re searching for an adjective to characterize the Juilliard String Quartet, “venerable” certainly fits an ensemble that marks its 70th anniversary this year. But rather than just basking in its rich history, the Juilliard has continuously and incrementally renewed itself over those decades. Formed in 1946 at the Juilliard School of Music in New York by its then president William Schuman and violinist Robert Mann, the original roster included second violinist Robert Koff, violist Raphael Hillyer, and cellist Arthur Winograd. The latest personnel change brings the total number of individuals who have played with the Quartet to sixteen. [Read more…]

Quire Cleveland’s “Carols for Quire VIII” to feature a multitude of languages

by

by Daniel Hathaway

QuireTrinityFans of Quire Cleveland’s annual Carols for Quire performances know that the ensemble’s singers are adept at wrapping their tongues around any number of languages in the same program. But as co-founder and artistic director Ross W. Duffin notes, the forthcoming performances may well set a new record. In three performances next weekend, his nineteen professional vocalists will treat their audiences to carols in Finnish, Abenaki, Afro-Portuguese, Mohawk, and Wendat, as well as in English, Latin, and Spanish.

“I’m always challenging the singers, but I think they were looking askance at me this time just because of all the special requirements,” Duffin said in a telephone conversation from his office at the music department of Case Western Reserve University.

One of those special requirements centers around the longest work on this year’s program, an Ensalada or musical salad by the 16th century composer Bartolomé Carceres. [Read more…]

Winter Chamber Music Festival begins on December 1 at CIM

by

by Mike Telin

cim-chamber-musicAs the fall semester come to a close at the Cleveland Institute of Music, it’s once again time for the school’s annual Winter Chamber Music Festival. From December 1 through December 4, students, faculty, and guests will present thirteen concerts featuring over forty unique chamber music compositions.

In addition to performances by woodwind, brass, and percussion ensembles, the school-wide festival of chamber music will feature participants in the Intensive String Quartet and Intensive Duo Seminars, the Advanced Piano Trio Program, and CIM’s Preparatory Friday Night Chamber Music, as well as the Young Artist Programs. As always, the Festival will feature an all-evening Chamber Music Marathon. All performances are free unless otherwise noted.

“The Winter Chamber Music Festival is one of the true musical highlights of the year here in Cleveland,” Cavani Quartet violinist Annie Fullard said via email. [Read more…]

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture announces 2017 awards

by

by Mike Telin

CAC-Logo-SquareSince 2007, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC), one of the largest public funders of arts and culture in the nation, has invested over $154 million in more than 300 organizations that help to make Cuyahoga County a vibrant cultural community.

On Monday, November 14, at a public meeting of CAC’s Board of Trustees at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood, CAC announced the investment of $14,573,833 in grants to 241 nonprofit organizations through CAC’s 2017 grant programs.

The grants, which will support arts and cultural organizations and projects of all sizes throughout Cuyahoga County, were unanimously approved by CAC’s Board of Trustees. The 2017 awards included 32 more projects than in 2016, as well as an increase of $255,988 in grant dollars.  [Read more…]

Delicately-seasoned Vivaldi & Piazzolla from the Canton Symphony (Nov. 19)

by

by Tom Wachunas

canton-vivaldi-soloistsAt one early point on the blustery evening of November 19, the opening lines of the holiday classic Let It Snow crossed my mind a few times while driving: “Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful…” We did indeed have a place to go — Umstattd Hall — and a fire to gather ‘round, provided by the Canton Symphony Orchestra. [Read more…]

A trip to Venice with Apollo’s Fire (Nov. 20)

by

by Nicholas Jones

love-in-veniceVenice can be pretty wet in November, but the music of Apollo’s Fire this weekend took us there and back with shoes dry and hearts warmed. With music director Jeannette Sorrell as tour guide, “Love in Venice: A Multicultural Fiesta” took us not only to  palazzi on the Grand Canal, but also ushered us safely through the crowded streets and tiny squares where Jews and Arabs traded and mixed — not always comfortably — with the ruling Christians. I attended the Sunday, November 20 performance at Rocky River Presbyterian Church. [Read more…]

CIM Opera Theater: Suor Angelica & Amelia al ballo in Kulas Hall (Nov. 11)

by

by Daniel Hathaway

cim-suor-setGiacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amelia al ballo made for a contrasting double-bill at the Cleveland Institute of Music on Friday evening, November 11. A guilt-ridden tragedy set in a convent, and a cheerful farce about a self-involved, adulterous socialite visited the extremes of the operatic spectrum. [Read more…]

Follow ClevelandClassical.com

Contact us