by Mike Telin
Since presenting its first concert in 2005, providing performance opportunities for emerging musicians in Northeast Ohio is the driving principle behind M.U.S.i.C. (Musical Upcoming Stars in the Classics).
That tradition will continue on Saturday, September 27 at 4:00 pm when eleven young musicians present “A Classical Cabaret in Collinwood” at Praxis Fiber Workshop and Gallery in the Collinwood Arts District. The concert is free.
“There’s so much great music out there,” M.U.S.i.C’s founder and Artistic Director Jodi Kanter, said during a telephone conversation. “This program will feature music by American and Latin composers.”
Kanter noted that Saturday’s performers include some of the most exciting rising stars of classical music and dance in Northeast Ohio — Maria Beyens and Zachary Brandon (violin), Jackson Naglick, Chris Neiner, and Te Zhang (piano), Brendon Phelps (cello), Daniel Chang (clarinet), Jake McQuid (flute), and Catherina Carrington, Chuting Huang, and Jingdian Zhao (voice). “You’ll hear incredible virtuosity from these great musicians and some of the best chamber music in town.”
The musical selections were chosen by the performers and include Paul Schoenfield’s Café Music, Astor Piazzolla’s “Otoño” (Autumn) from Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and the aria “Yo soy María” from the composer’s opera María de Buenos Aires, along with Songs from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.
“Alberto Ginastera’s Pampeana No. 1 came at the request of violinist Zachary Brandon,” Kanter said. “Brandon is a recent CIM graduate and he’s been accepted into a competition in Columbia and this is a required piece.”
The program also includes the first performance of all four movements of Chris Neiner’s Tales of Euclid Beach Park, the composer’s third work written for M.U.S.i.C.
“I was talking with Chris about writing a piece inspired by Cleveland history, and I happened to mention Euclid Beach Park. He did some research and thought the idea had legs,” Kanter said. The subject is also close to Kanter’s heart. “My grandfather and my father worked there, and I went there quite a bit as a kid. I also like the fact that Praxis Fiber Workshop and Gallery is in the neighborhood where the Park was located.”
The 25-minute piece is scored for piano, violin, cello, and clarinet. In his composer notes Neiner writes that the first movement, “‘The Arch and Grand Carousel,’ captures the excitement of entering through the park’s grand arch,” and the second movement, ‘Swing and a Twist at the Dance Pavilion,’ “traces decades of dancing, from foxtrots and ragtime to big band swing and early rock and roll.”
‘Swing and a Twist’ will also include original choreography by Antonio Morillo featuring Lieneke Matte and Antonio Morillo, former dancers of Ohio Contemporary Ballet.
Of the third movement Neiner writes that “‘The Pier at Sunset — Reminiscence’ offers a quieter moment. Originally built for ferryboats, the pier became a favorite place to stroll, fish, and watch the sun sink into Lake Erie,” and the concluding ‘Hills, Thrills, and Flying Turns’ “celebrates the park’s most famous roller coasters.”
Kanter said that if you’re a Greater Clevelander, you owe it to yourself to experience the up-and-coming Collinwood Arts District. “This is the perfect opportunity to come down for music, dance, art — and an unforgettable afternoon.”
Published on ClevelandClassical.com September 23, 2025
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