by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Opportunities: a beginner songwriting workshop from Piano Cleveland, adult piano classes at Steinway Gallery, Contemporary Youth Orchestra auditions, and Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus open rehearsals
•Almanac: an embarrassment of riches on March 11, including Astor Piazzolla (pictured)
by Jarrett Hoffman
Re-posted courtesy of Oberlin College and Conservatory
2023 DownBeat Readers Poll “Jazz Group of the Year” to perform in Finney Chapel. While on campus they’ll also work with students.
What do the words powerful, wonderful, extraordinary, appealing, undeniable, palpable, natural, immediate, unique, organic, and brilliant have in common?
They are all adjectives that have been used to describe the musical chemistry of Artemis, the collective of modern jazz bandleaders and composers that was named “Jazz Group of the Year” in the 2023 DownBeat Readers Poll.
The results of that musical chemistry?
“All of us know each other so well now, and we know each other’s playing, so it’s fun and inspiring to write for each person’s strengths,” says pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes.
by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Today: Schubert chamber music at Trinity Cathedral, Brahms organ music at Trinity Lutheran, CWRU Baroque ensembles at CMA, a piano trio at CIM, and music for voice and piano at LCCC
•Announcements: Apollo’s Fire family concerts, and all-state prep at BW
•Almanac: Zoltán Kodály, The Flight of the Bumblebee, Sarah Caldwell, and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Today: No Exit presents Aether Eos (pictured) and CIM puts on Music for Food Benefit Concert
•Announcements: CIM’s new FUNdamentals summer camp
•Interesting reads: “How can the music industry respond to climate change and sustainability?”
•Almanac: the composer whose name is synonymous with all four seasons
HAPPENING TODAY:
Two free events this evening.
At 7, No Exit presents Aether Eos, the duo of violinist/composer/visual artist Leah Asher and pianist/composer Christopher Goddard. Their program at KSU’s Ludwig Recital Hall includes 21st-century works by Tonia Ko (plush earth in four pieces), Carrie Frey (Seagrass/Reed), Linda Caitlin Smith (Unbroken), and Michael Hersch (the wreckage of flowers) as well as a visit to the 1920s via Giacinto Scelsi (Chemin du Coeur).
Another pairing of old and new comes at 7:30 with a CIM Music for Food Benefit Concert at Mixon Hall. The program includes works written within the last five years — Reena Esmail’s Inconvenient Wounds and Shawn Okpebholo’s Rise — along with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Tower Scene Duet” from Il Trovatore and Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat, Op. 4. Reservations required.
by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Today: Brahms chamber music with violinist Sibbi Bernhardsson at Oberlin
•Announcements: Cleveland Orchestra to perform with John Legend (pictured), the agenda for the 2024 Arts Impact Ohio conference, and a lecture on arts and AI at Ohio State and on Zoom
•Almanac: Osmo Vänskä on Kalevala Day
HAPPENING TODAY:
At 7:30 pm in Kulas Recital Hall, an Oberlin faculty recital will feature violinist Sibbi Bernhardsson performing with Conservatory string and piano students in two works by Brahms: the B-Major Piano Trio and the G-Major String Sextet. It’s free.
by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Today: Canton Symphony principal keyboard Dean Zhang (pictured) solos in Rhapsody in Blue with Canton Youth Symphony, CSU presents Hsin-Ni Liu and Shuai Wang in “Music for One and Two Pianos,” and Les Délices revisits the Orpheus myth in SalonEra
•Announcements: Apollo’s Fire seeks a Managing Director, and a CSO children’s concert combines music and nutrition
•Interesting read: Cincinnati Opera announces The Black Opera Project
•Almanac: Howard Hanson and Marie-Claire Alain
HAPPENING TODAY:
At 7:00 at Umstattd Hall, the Canton Youth Symphony Advanced Orchestra will feature Canton Symphony principal keyboard Dean Zhang as soloist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The program also contains music by Williams, Borodin, and Albert. Tickets are available here.
At 7:30 at Drinko Recital Hall, the Cleveland State University School of Music presents “Music for One and Two Pianos.” Pianists Hsin-Ni Liu and Shuai Wang collaborate in a program including Mao-Shuen Chen’s Ballade, Greg D’Alessio’s Elements, Keith Fitch’s Le Tango Maudit, Corey K. Rubin’s Sweet Pea, and Andrew Rindfleisch’s Mirages. It’s free.
Also at 7:30, the latest episode of Les Délices’ SalonEra series drops on YouTube — and the audio version is already available as of this morning. “Orpheus Revisited” centers around French Baroque portrayals of the Orpheus myth, and includes performances of music by Rameau, Courbois, and Jonathan Woody from Les Délices’ digital catalog, paired with new interviews. Click here to watch or listen.
by Jarrett Hoffman
Over the past month, Leonard Slatkin has gone back to school.
The recent college visits, so to speak, for the renowned conductor — who is currently Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony, Directeur Musical Honoraire of the Orchestre National de Lyon, Conductor Laureate of the St. Louis Symphony, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria — have included concerts at Manhattan School of Music and Carnegie Mellon University.
Slatkin will cap off that run when he guest conducts the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra on Tuesday, February 27 at 7:30 pm at Severance Music Center for a night of music “From the New World.” The program includes that famous symphony by Antonín Dvořák as well as Cindy McTee’s Double Play and Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, which will feature CIM student Jazmin Pascual as soloist. Tickets are available here.
I reached Slatkin on Zoom to discuss working with students, how he became interested in conducting, his multi-generational musical family, and his writing — ranging from his early interest in science fiction all the way up to his fourth book. Eight Symphonic Masterworks of the Twentieth Century: A Study Guide for Conductors will be published by Rowman & Littlefield on March 5.
by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Today: Shaker Heights High School Chamber Orchestra at Trinity Cathedral, and organist Robert Myers at Trinity Lutheran
•Announcements: Assembly’s next Quarterly State of the Arts, Ohio Arts Council’s ArtsNEXT program, a scheduling change for Fireland Symphony’s “Drumming with Dylan” program, and Cleveland Repertory Orchestra seeking additional board members
•Almanac: Charles-Marie Widor and Morton Gould
HAPPENING TODAY:
Two afternoon options today, both for the price of a freewill offering.
At 12:00, the Shaker Heights High School Chamber Orchestra will appear on Trinity Cathedral’s Brownbag Concert series. Their program includes the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 (arr. Thomas LaJoie), Gershwin’s Lullaby, J.S. Bach’s Fugue in g, BWV 542 (arr. William Zinn), Anton Arensky’s Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Puccini’s Crisantemi (arr. L.C. Harnsberger), and the third movement of Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings in E. (Click here for livestream.)
And at 12:15, Trinity Lutheran’s Wednesday Noon Organ Concert will feature Robert Myers at the Beckerath organ in a program titled “Lenten contemplations” that will include music by Brahms, Paul Manz, Helmut Walcha, and Johann Gottfried Walther.
by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Today: Apollo’s Fire and Alan Choo bring Biber’s Rosary Sonatas to Akron
•Announcements: 2024 Blossom Music Festival lineup and tickets, Akron Symphony Chorus auditions this week, and applications open for the 2024 Modern Snare Drum Competition
•Almanac: a longtime, prominent figure in Cleveland’s musical community
HAPPENING TODAY:
Apollo’s Fire and concertmaster Alan Choo will conclude their run of “Sacred Mysteries: Biber’s Rosary Sonatas for Violin” tonight at 7:30 pm at First United Methodist Church of Akron. A pre-concert conversation with visiting scholar Susan McClary will take place one hour beforehand. Click here for tickets, and here to read a preview article by Daniel Hathaway.
by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Today: organist Florence Mustric at Trinity Lutheran, a “Pop Symphonic” program with the Youngstown Symphony, and the duo CelloGayageum (pictured) at CMA
•Announcements: Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s Board of Trustees meets tomorrow
•Interesting reads: a music educator honored at the Grammys for her orchestra devoted to accessibility, and the nation’s first in-house wellness program at an opera company
•Almanac: Steven Mackey, Steven Stucky, Renée Fleming, and some sci-fi romance for your Valentine’s Day
HAPPENING TODAY:
One option in the afternoon.
At 12:15 pm, Trinity Lutheran Church presents its Wednesday Noon Organ Concert by Florence Mustric. “Two liturgical years” will feature excerpts from J.S. Bach’s Little Organ Book and from Jeanne Demessieux’s pieces based on Gregorian chant. A freewill offering will be taken up.
And two in the evening, both at 7:30.
The Youngstown Symphony will put on a program titled “Pop Symphonic with Guest Conductor David Perrico” at Powers Auditorium. On the menu are jazz, classic rock, pop, disco, and Beethoven, as well as Perrico’s Youngstown Steeltown, a tribute to his hometown. Tickets are available here.
And in Gartner Auditorium, the Cleveland Museum of Art will play host to CelloGayageum, the duo of cellist Sol Daniel Kim and gayageum (traditional Korean zither) player Dayoung Yoon. Inspired by Berlin’s Pavilion of Unity and the hope for a peaceful reunification of Korea, the duo’s all-original music blends musical styles including classical, traditional Korean, pop, and minimalism. Read a preview article here, and get tickets here.