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ARTEMIS with “Flying Home: A Trumpet Summit” at Tri-C JazzFest 2024 (June 22)

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by Max Newman

On the afternoon of June 22, the New York-based quintet ARTEMIS graced the stage at Tri-C JazzFest 2024 and did not disappoint. Filling the Mimi Ohio Theatre with mesmerizing sound, this was undoubtedly one of the most impressive performances of the festival this year.

The performance immediately followed “Flying Home: a Trumpet Summit,” which celebrated generations of Tri-C alumni. The blistering whirlwind of intricate soloing and grooving rhythms was the perfect lead-in to the groundbreaking sonic experimentation of the main act.

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Genre-Bending Pahua at CMA’s City Stages

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by Max Newman

“It’s everything. To have a project like this is something that makes you evolve as a human.”

That’s how Mexican DJ, producer, percussionist, and vocalist Paulina Sotomayor describes her Pahua project which bridges the gap between alternative electronic music and Latin rhythms.

On July 10 at 7:30 pm she will bring her talents to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Transformer Station as part of CMA’s City Stages series of free outdoor concerts that feature the best in global music.

And Pahua certainly is that. With over fifteen million streams on music platforms, the artist is thrilled about the upcoming concert. “It’s my first time in Cleveland. I am really excited and we are going to try to do something super special.”

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Take 6 opens Tri-C JazzFest 2024 (June 20)

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by Max Newman

If there’s anything to be said about legendary acapella sextet Take 6, it’s that the group has most certainly still got it. This was apparent on the evening of June 20 as the ensemble took the stage at the Mimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square. The concert was the perfect introduction to Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland 2024, with a timeless musical performance and an incredible level of energy to boot.

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ENCORE: “Director’s Carte Blanche” at Oberlin (June 14)

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by Max Newman

This year’s ENCORE Music & Ideas Festival, themed around “Planet Earth,” graced the Cleveland area with some brilliant performances over the course of this month. One of those came on the evening of June 14, when Oberlin Conservatory played host to the series. 

Violinist and founder Jinjoo Cho, violinist Mathieu Herzog, and pianist Hyunsoo Kim starred in a terrific performance at Warner Concert Hall. The event also featured a conversation with Chris Stanton, the Senior Naturalist at Lorain County Metro Parks, which perfectly served ENCORE’s season theme as an ode to the natural world.

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ChamberFest goes outdoors with “Music on the Path” (June 16)

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by Max Newman

The 2024 edition of ChamberFest Cleveland has already seen a variety of wonderful events since its opening on June 12. However, the June 16 musical celebration of “CFC at the Nature Center: Music on the Path,” was the perfect addition to ChamberFest’s diverse programming and undoubtedly put a smile on the faces of all who attended.

Centered around the parking lot of the Nature Center, the sunlit late-morning event at Shaker Lakes had an inviting, family-friendly atmosphere. [Read more…]

James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition: next generation shines in the final round (June 9)

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by Max Newman

Every year, the James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition provides audiences with a look at   some of the most talented young musicians aged 13-18 that our nation has to offer. And the competition’s fifth edition did not disappoint.

On the evening of June 9 at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall, the competition’s four finalists went toe-to-toe over the course of an hour that was as much a joyous celebration of music as it was an entertaining competition.

Although Californian Elle Davisson, a 16-year-old native of the Bay Area, eventually came out on top with the grand prize, all the performers showcased astonishing skill and should come away feeling proud. [Read more…]

Tri-C JazzFest: Sam Blakeslee takes the stage

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by Max Newman

In addition to the stellar indoor lineup, there will be a myriad of talented artists featured on the outdoor stage at this year’s Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, to be held June 20-22 at Playhouse Square. One to keep an eye on is New York-based trombonist and composer Sam Blakeslee, who will be performing on Friday, June 21 at 6:45 pm as the bandleader of the Sam Blakeslee Large Group.

Blakeslee is cherishing the opportunity. “I have a pretty close relationship with Tri-C,” he told me during a telephone conversation. “When I was still living in Cleveland, I was the director of the JazzFest Academy, and then I taught trombone lessons at the College. I’m very grateful they’ve been supportive of me to come through and work with the students a couple of times a year, but this is the first time since 2017 that I’ll be performing with my own band. So it will be a nice reunion of sorts.”

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CMA launches Third Thursdays: a conversation with Gabe Pollack

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by Max Newman

If you are looking for musical experiences in Cleveland that are both thoroughly enjoyable and wholly unique, look no further than the programming put on by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Whether it be the eclectic concerts that grace Gartner Auditorium, the danceable, outdoor fun of City Stages, or any of CMA’s other wonderful offerings, there is truly something for everyone within the Museum’s programming.

Now, CMA is kickstarting another event series — Third Thursdays at Transformer Station — which will have its first show on June 20 at 7:00 pm. (Note that the concert is now sold out.) Admission is free, but tickets are required.

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Petra Poláčková dazzles at CICGF with a journey into Czech Music (June 9)

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by Max Newman

You will not hear many classical guitarists with a better feel for emotion, atmosphere, pace, and tone than Petra Poláčková. The talented Czech musician showcased all of these talents and more for the audience at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall on Sunday afternoon June 9.

The performance, the penultimate event of the Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival, spanned four exhilarating Czech works. On this particular afternoon, golden sunbeams streaked in through Mixon’s floor-to-ceiling windows, drenching the stage with a light that underscored the otherworldly quality of Poláčková’s playing. One would be hard-pressed to find a more musically exhilarating way of closing out this magnificent series. [Read more…]

ENCORE: A conversation with Jasmine Choi about George Crumb’s Voice of the Whale

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by Max Newman

“It’s natural, organic, and enjoyable, but shocking as well. It’s shocking that this modern nature sound could be depicted like this through music.”

That’s how Korean flutist Jasmine Choi described George Crumb’s avant-garde 1971 composition Vox Balaenae, or Voice of the Whale, during a recent conversation. That work for electric flute and cello and amplified piano will be performed on Saturday, June 15 at 7:30 pm at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as part of ENCORE Chamber Music. This year the festival is themed around “Planet Earth” with the aim to “highlight the universal connection that we humans have with nature,” according to founder and artistic director Jinjoo Cho. Tickets are available online.

Jinjoo Cho and Jasmine Choi’s connection is a long-standing one, the two having known each other since attending the same middle school in Seoul. It is in part this relationship that is bringing Choi to Cleveland for this performance. “She reached out to me last year to ask me about this project, and I’ll always say yes to Jinjoo. I’ve always wanted to perform with her.”

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