by Max Newman
Even in the Cleveland music scene’s creatively positive atmosphere, female and non-binary composers are often underrepresented on the concert stage, and the Local 4 Music Fund’s She Scores series is looking to change this.
The series, which aims to remind us of “the urgent need to redouble our efforts toward closing the chasm of opportunity and representation that separates women from men,” was held between May 30 and June 2 at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall, showcasing an impressive catalog of works that spanned a wide variety of styles and moods. I was lucky enough to attend the May 31 performance.
The striking setting went a long way in terms of adding to the experience. Curved rows of seats gently descended down to a well-lit stage, just in front of the space’s crown jewel: a floor-to-ceiling window that looked out upon the beautiful architecture and vegetation of the CIM campus. As the evening sky darkened over the course of the concert’s two hours, the program order seemed to match it in mood, with bright, energetic, and percussive pieces towards the beginning, and more contemplative and somber works towards the conclusion.
Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Cuba has been described in many ways over the course of his career, from his “sugarcane-sweet melodies” and “pop-soul hooks” to “powerful guitar riffs that relinquish a conventional stereotype that exemplifies much of the Latin music landscape.” When he performed on the Tiny Desk concert series, 
“I am fairly certain that in the 131 years of the Singers’ Club, this will be our first event with an interactive audience element.”
One of the most marvelous things about live music in Cleveland is the wonderful and unexpected places that it takes you. Places where one would not expect to witness joy-inducing song, places that make you feel as though music, in this city, is truly everywhere. 
If there’s one thing that the Ohio-based group Alla Boara can do, it is allowing their listeners to explore the past by relishing in the present. And for those who packed into the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium on Wednesday, January 24 for the ensemble’s performance celebrating the release of their new record, that is exactly what they got.
“We kind of wanted to explore the more aesthetically non-traditional approaches to playing our instruments.”
If you’re looking for a display of collegiate jazz brilliance, look no further than Oberlin Conservatory’s Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble. Selected through an extremely competitive audition process, this premier ensemble was formed in 2018 after a generous donation from its namesake. The group often tours the nation, wowing audiences with their remarkable performances and showcasing the next generation set to make their mark on jazz.
Oberlin Conservatory’s jazz department has a storied and star-studded history, with alumni such as pianist Sullivan Fortner, trumpeter Theo Croker, and violinist Jenny Scheinman, as well as a faculty that includes saxophonist Gary Bartz, an NEA Jazz Master and two-time Grammy winner. There is clearly a pipeline of talent here that has not ended, as heard at the Oberlin Small Jazz Ensembles concert on November 19.