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CIM Opera Theatre to produce Puccini/Menotti double bill

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by Mike Telin

renee-richardsonStories of two women will take center stage this week when the Cleveland Institute of Music Opera Theatre, David Bamberger, director, presents the double bill of Giacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amelia al ballo. The first recounts the tragic tale of a young girl who is sent to the convent for disgracing her family after giving birth to an illegitimate son. The second finds a wealthy socialite who will stop at nothing in order to attend the ball.

Harry Davidson will conduct the student cast and the CIM Orchestra in performances beginning on Wednesday, November 9 at 7:30 pm in Kulas Hall. The production continues through Saturday with 7:30 pm curtains on November 10, 11, and 12. [Read more…]

Cleveland Pops: “The Name is Bond…James Bond!”

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by Mike Telin

james-bond-actorsYou can argue whether Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig made the best James Bond, but one thing is certain: Ian Fleming’s character is super cool.

Fans of 007 anticipate the release of each new film to see what forces of evil the British Intelligence Officer will thwart, but their iconic theme songs are a big part of what makes Bond films so special.

On Saturday, November 12 at 8:00 pm at Severance Hall, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Carl Topilow, will present “The Name is Bond…James Bond!” The evening’s special guest will be singer, actor, and comedian Rachel York. [Read more…]

Julie Andrijeski to present opening concert of Wonder Chamber Project

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by Mike Telin

andrijeski“The sense of discovery is exciting for me,” Baroque violinist Julie Andrijeski said over coffee at her Ohio City home. “I’m so thankful to have received a Creative Workforce Fellowship because it has allowed me to discover many things both artistically and personally.”

On Saturday, November 12 at 7:00 pm at Tregoning & Company Gallery, Julie Andrijeski will give the opening concert of her Wonder Chamber Project, presented as part of her Fellowship.

Andrijeski, who will be joined by harpsichordist Joseph Gascho, gambist Jaap ter Linden, and theorbist Simon Martyn-Ellis, will perform recently discovered music by Austrian composer Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. [Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra: a conversation with composer Roger Briggs

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by Mike Telin

briggsWhether you’re a member of a “Big Five” orchestra or not, the prospect of performing a newly-composed work is always exciting. On Friday, November 18 at 8:00 pm at Severance Hall, the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO) under the direction of Brett Mitchell will have that opportunity when they present the world premiere of Roger Briggs’ Fountain of Youth, commissioned by COYO. The program will also include Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 (“Romantic”).

For composer Roger Briggs, the COYO commission was immediately attractive to him for two reasons: first, it provided him with the opportunity to write a new work that would be conducted by a former student. “Brett Mitchell studied composition and conducting with me at Western Washington University. He was a marvelous talent,” Briggs said during a telephone conversation. [Read more…]

No Exit: “Sonic Landscapes” at Heights Arts (Oct. 8)

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by Mike Telin

No-Exit-1For their latest series of concerts, the first-rate new music ensemble No Exit presented “Sonic Landscapes,” a program of six appealing works that explored the variety of ways composers use timbre, texture, and rhythm to create vivid imagery with sound. I was part of the capacity audience who attended the October 8 performance at Heights Arts. [Read more…]

Oberlin Opera invites laugh-fest with titles by Donizetti & Poulenc this week

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by Mike Telin

oberlin-opera-poulenc-donizettiFarce and Surrealism will be center stage when Oberlin Opera Theater, Jonathon Field, director, presents a double-bill of Gaetano Donizetti’s satirical Viva la Mamma and Francis Poulenc’s outrageous Les Mamelles de Tirésias. Raphael Jiménez will conduct the student cast and the Oberlin Orchestra in performances beginning on Wednesday, November 2 at 8 pm in Hall Auditorium. The production continues through the weekend with 8 pm curtains on Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5, and 2 pm on Sunday, November 6. Both operas will be sung in English, with English supertitles.

Is there a unifying theme between the two operas? “Sexual identity,” Jonathon Field said during a recent interview. “It is topical — is our identity determined by people who have knowledge of us, or is it determined by what we want it to be? The Poulenc certainly deals with that idea, and to a certain degree so does the Donizetti.” [Read more…]

Cellist Deborah Pae to give solo recital on LCCC Signature Series Nov. 3

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by Mike Telin

pae-deborahWhat does the dream classical music career look like? One example is that of cellist Deborah Pae. A member of the award-winning Formosa Quartet and Trio Modetre, she regularly performs as a soloist at festivals including Marlboro and Ravinia. She has shared the stage with Itzhak Perlman, Pamela Frank, Charles Neidich, and members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, and Takács Quartets. Later this year, her live recital recording will be released on the Outhere Music Label in partnership with Musiq3 Radio.

On Thursday, November 3 at 7:30 pm in Cirigliano Studio Theatre at the Stocker Center for the Arts, Deborah Pae will present a recital of solo cello works by J.S. Bach, Jeffrey Mumford, and Toshiro Mayuzumi. The concert is part of LCCC’s Signature Series. [Read more…]

Earth and Air: String Orchestra — conversations with Solomon Liang and Megan-Geoffrey Prins

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by Mike Telin

liang-prinsWhen we think of the works of Felix Mendelssohn, a few that immediately come to mind are his Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the “Italian Symphony,” and the Violin Concerto, as well as several pieces of chamber music.

On Friday, November 4 at 7:30 pm at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Earth and Air: String Orchestra, under the direction of David B. Ellis, will present a program of lesser-known but equally engaging works, “Mendelssohn String Symphonies — Part I” will include early symphonies by Mendelssohn, as well as the Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Strings, written when the composer was 14 years old.

“I knew that the concerto existed, but I didn’t know a lot about it until David asked me to play the solo part,” violinist Solomon Liang said during a recent telephone conversation. “I’m really excited to have the chance to perform it.” [Read more…]

Les Délices: “Songs Without Words” at Plymouth Church (October 16)

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by Mike Telin

NAGY-DebraA good song is a good song, and for centuries vocal music has been a fruitful source of repertoire for instrumentalists. In “Songs Without Words,” Les Délices artistic director Debra Nagy has created an inspired program that juxtaposes 17th-century art songs with 20th-century jazz standards. [Read more…]

John Knox Performance Series to launch third season with Cleveland Chamber Choir

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by Mike Telin

cleveland-chamber-choir-marie-taylorFor hundreds of years some of the greatest music ever written was composed for houses of worship — think of composers such as Palestrina, J.S. Bach, and Moses Hogan. “It’s no mystery why music is so important in the life of a church, but people here can’t seem to get enough of it,” said Geoffrey Peterson, Director of Music and the Arts at John Knox Presbyterian Church in North Olmsted.

On Friday, October 28 at 8:00 pm, the John Knox Performance Series will kick off its third season with a performance by the Cleveland Chamber Choir under the direction of Scott MacPherson. The program, titled “Americana,” will include music by William Billings, Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, John Cage, Samuel Barber, and Stephen Foster, as well as folk songs and spirituals. Read a concert preview here. [Read more…]

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