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Classically Lake View: November 3 Bach-a-thon at Wade Chapel

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by Mike Telin

Autumn is a magical time of year in Cleveland, and there couldn’t be a better place to experience the season’s natural splendor than Lake View Cemetery. And while you’re there, why not take in a concert featuring music by J.S. Bach in the magnificent Jeptha Wade Memorial Chapel, designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and completed in 1901.

On Monday, November 3 beginning at 4:00 pm, musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra will perform some of the composer’s greatest masterworks in a 3-part Bach-a-thon.
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Apollo’s Fire begins new season: a conversation with Jeannette Sorrell

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by Mike Telin

During a Zoom conversation, Apollo’s Fire artistic director Jeannette Sorrell gave us her insights into the Orchestra’s 2025-2026 Northeast Ohio season as well as a sneak peek into its April residency at London’s historic Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Tickets and more information are available on the Orchestra’s website.

Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas — October 3 through 12.

Aryssa Leigh Burrs, mezzo-soprano (Dido), Edward Vogel, baritone (Aeneas), Andréa Walker, soprano (Belinda), and Cody Bowers, countertenor (Sorceress) with the Apollo’s Singers.

Jeannette Sorrell: I think Purcell’s music is just so exquisite. And the story of Dido and Aeneas is timeless and as poignant today as it was thousands of years ago when Virgil wrote it — the noble, brilliant queen who is jilted and abandoned by a man who says he’s leaving to follow his destiny.

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Cleveland Silent Film Festival opens with Phantom of the Opera centennial screening

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by Mike Telin

The Cleveland premiere of Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney, lit up the screen at the Stillman Theatre on Sunday, January 17, 1926. In his Plain Dealer review, W. Ward Marsh wrote: “If your heart is strong, I recommend it to you. If your heart isn’t so strong, go see this film anyway, to find out how strong it is.”

On Sunday, September 14, the Cleveland Silent Film Festival & Colloquium will open its 2025 edition with that iconic film. The special screening at 3:00 pm in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art will celebrate Phantom’s 100th anniversary and feature its original score, performed live by American Musical Productions’ 17-piece orchestra conducted by Joseph Rubin.

Lon Chaney’s performance as the Phantom still captivates a century later, while the music of the original 1925 orchestral score brings the gothic grandeur of Gaston Leroux’s tale to life.

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Cleveland Orchestra Associate Conductor Daniel Reith: a final Blossom concert and a fond farewell

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by Mike Telin

Daniel Reith was appointed assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst at the beginning of the 2022–23 season. In June of 2024, following a one-year contract extension, he was promoted to the position of associate conductor through the end of the 2024–25 season.

On Saturday, August 16 at 7:00 pm, Reith will conclude his tenure when he leads The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center in a program of music by Edward Elgar, Gabriella Smith, and Max Bruch (tickets are available online.)

He made his Cleveland Orchestra subscription debut in February 2023 when he replaced Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä on very short notice. He also stepped in for Welser-Möst to lead the Orchestra as part of the first annual Mandel Opera & Humanities festival concert in May 2023.

Reith has also led the Orchestra in many performances, including Education Concerts in Cleveland and Miami, the Family Concert series, the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert, and the Orchestra’s inaugural Sensory-Friendly Concerts.

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A conversation with Cooper International Piano Competition winner Anna Avramidou

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by Mike Telin

On Thursday, July 24 during the finals of the Cooper International Piano Competition at Severance Music Center, Anna Avramidou made a major statement with her performance of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 with The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Samy Rachid.

In his review, Daniel Hathaway of ClevelandClassical.com described the 17-year old Cypriot as “a thoughtful player who is well in command of dynamic changes. In the opening movement, she balanced well-rounded phrases with lightning bolts of technical passages and a beautiful cadenza.”

Although she was up against some stiff competition from Anwen Deng (16, Australia) and Sawako Harada (18, Japan), both of whom were awarded second prize, in the end the jury bestowed the $20,000 first prize on Avramidou.

We reached Anna Avramidou by phone in Oxford, England, where she was participating in the annual Oxford Piano Festival. I began our conversation by congratulating her on winning the Cooper Competition.

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Pianist Alessio Bax to make Cleveland Orchestra debut

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by Mike Telin

Although Alessio Bax has performed twice in Cleveland for the Cleveland Chamber Music Society — most recently this past January — on Saturday, August 2 at Blossom Music Center, the Italian pianist will make his Cleveland Orchestra debut.

The 7:00 pm concert, under the direction of guest conductor Daniele Rustioni, will include Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture, Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. Tickets are available online.

“I’m incredibly excited about it — It’s really a dream come true,” the pianist said during a telephone conversation. “I grew up listening to The Cleveland Orchestra’s recordings and I have friends who play in the orchestra. I’ve never been to Blossom, but I know what a special place it is.”

I began our conversation by asking him about his choice of concertos. [Read more…]

Conductor Christoph Koncz to make Cleveland Orchestra debut

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by Mike Telin

On Thursday, July 31 at 7:00 pm at Severance Music Center, conductor Christoph Koncz will make his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra in a Summers at Severance program featuring the music of Franz Liszt, Ernst von Dohnányi and Bela Bartók. 

Due to his travel schedule we were unable to schedule an interview, but he graciously agreed to answer questions by email.  

What does making your Cleveland Orchestra debut mean to you? 

Of course it is a great honor for me to conduct The Cleveland Orchestra, one of the world’s leading ensembles with its wonderful and distinctive sound. I have been admiring the orchestra for a long time and heard them live on several occasions when they came on tour to the Vienna Musikverein. I remember a particularly touching performance of the Brahms Requiem conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. I’ve already met quite a few musicians of the orchestra and I am very much looking forward to making music with this phenomenal ensemble!

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Cooper International Piano Competition welcomes 21 young pianists to Oberlin

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by Mike Telin

“This year, we had 190 applicants,” Robert Shannon, director of the Cooper International Piano Competition, said during a recent telephone conversation. “I listened to them all, and I can tell you that the level of playing has never been higher.”

This weekend, the Cooper International Competition will welcome 21 pianists between the ages of 13 and 18 who have advanced through the preliminaries of submitted videos to participate in live rounds in Oberlin’s Warner Concert Hall from July 20 to 23.

The 21, who represent eight countries, are vying for the opportunity to play full concertos in a final round with The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Samy Rachid at Severance Music Center on Thursday, July 24 at 7:30 pm — and for the $20,000 first prize. Tickets are available online. Click here to view a complete schedule.

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Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali returns to Severance Music Center

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by Mike Telin

After making his Cleveland Orchestra debut last November by stepping in for Franz Welser-Möst, Finnish conductor Santtu-Mathias Rouvali received a great honor — a return engagement.

On Thursday, July 17 at 7:00 pm, Rouvali will lead the second Summers at Severance concert in Mandel Concert Hall. The program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, Stravinsky’s Jeu de cartes, and Ravel’s Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloé. Tickets are available online.

“Hello!” Rouvali said enthusiastically, answering his phone from his farm outside of Tampere, Finland. I ask him if it’s still a good time to talk. “Yes, I was just cutting the grass before departing to America, because in one week the grass will be like a jungle if I don’t cut it now.”

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Conductor Osmo Vänskä returns to Blossom Music Center

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by Mike Telin

“It’s great to come to Cleveland, because the Orchestra is always willing to do their best,” conductor Osmo Vänskä said during a recent interview. “And they expect that if someone is on the podium, that person should have the same attitude and have done their homework.”

On Saturday, July 12 at 7:00 pm, Osmo Vänskä will revisit Blossom Music Center to lead The Cleveland Orchestra in a program that includes Jean Sibelius’ En Saga and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Tickets are available online.

Speaking to him via Zoom from his home in Minneapolis, I began our conversation by asking him if there is a connection between the Sibelius and Orff. “To be honest, I don’t know if they’re connected,” Vänskä said. “There are many ways to come to a final program. Obviously in this case the concert was about Carmina Burana, and we needed another piece to start with.”

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