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Relic journeys with Venus and Adonis in “The Blood of the Rose” (Sept. 30)

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by Stephanie Manning

For the New York-based Baroque chamber orchestra Relic, a program themed around an opera requires a deliberately operatic presentation.

Although there were no singers, sets, or costumes present in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art on September 30, Relic combined an intriguing collection of music with a suggestion of scenes and characters, topped off with a few dramatic readings. This curated experience told a short, cohesive story in a little over an hour.

“The Blood of the Rose,” the ensemble’s latest program, is based on La púrpura de la rosa by Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco. The first opera ever to be performed in the Americas, it tells the mythological story of Venus and Adonis, whose romance ends in a tragic demise engineered by Mars. [Read more…]

Cleveland Chamber Choir makes pilgrimage along the “Path of Miracles” (Sept. 26)

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by Stephanie Manning

In the hands (and voices) of the Cleveland Chamber Choir, Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles became both a piece about a pilgrimage and a piece that felt like one.

As it happens, those two activities — concert and pilgrimage — share more common qualities than not. Even without a religious element, each provides an opportunity for people to participate in a shared experience, go on a journey (physical and/or emotional), and arrive at a destination before going their separate ways.

The specific pilgrimage that inspired Talbot was the Camino Frances, part of a network of pilgrimages called the Camino de Santiago, which lead travelers to the city Santiago de Compostela in western Spain. The choir’s September 26 performance brought the composer’s hour-long work to Trinity Cathedral, perhaps the perfect venue to hear this music. [Read more…]

Arts Renaissance Tremont ventures into “UnchARTed Territory” (Sept. 19)

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by Stephanie Manning

Arts Renaissance Tremont keeps things fresh — after all, the ‘R’ in ART stands not just for “renaissance,” but also “reimagined.” The organization’s embrace of experimentation and creativity keeps their programming memorable among Cleveland’s many arts offerings.

It’s inevitable that taking those risks means they might not always pay off. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it.

“UnchARTed Territory,” the first concert of ART’s 35th season, exemplified this idea. On September 19, the audience arrived eagerly and early to Pilgrim Congregational Church in Tremont, prepared to watch a group of five jazz musicians work together for the first time. Each player had composed a short piece (or two) for the occasion, and those of us gathered would watch them rehearse and then perform the music. An intriguing premise. [Read more…]

Juilliard String Quartet opens Oberlin Artist Recital Series

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by Stephanie Manning

Reposted and adapted with permission of Oberlin Conservatory

It’s a short list of string quartets that get to celebrate their 80th birthday. But this year, the Juilliard String Quartet is blowing out the candles on that cake.

Founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York City, the quartet has earned four Grammy Awards across its lifespan, which they’ve paired with a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. To this day, they maintain their sterling reputation as outstanding performers and influential teachers.

It’s been more than a decade since Oberlin audiences have had an opportunity to hear from the Juilliard—but the stars have finally aligned once again. The quartet will take the stage at Finney Chapel on Saturday, September 26, kicking off a new season of the historic Artist Recital Series. Tickets are available online. [Read more…]

Franz Welser-Möst returns to The Cleveland Orchestra for passionate Summers at Severance finale (Aug. 27)

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by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The summer is almost over, which means that Franz Welser-Möst is back on the podium. The Cleveland Orchestra’s music director has historically preferred to make his appearances at the tail end of the Orchestra’s summer season, and he has scheduled himself for two performances during the last week of August. On Thursday evening, August 27 he led the final concert of the 2026 Summers at Severance series, bringing a good-sized crowd to hear a program of emotionally charged music at Severance Music Center.

Although the timing of Welser-Möst’s return to Cleveland is typical, it now comes with more gravitas than usual, as he is gearing up for his 25th and final year as music director. Understandably, his programming for this upcoming season has become more retrospective to match. Thursday’s concert featured works by historic composers he loves — Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner — and a living composer he has championed — Bernd Richard Deutsch.

[Read more…]

Rain refuses to dampen spirits for Cleveland Orchestra’s all-French program (Aug. 22)

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by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — French composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel often drew inspiration from water. Pieces like Debussy’s La Mer (“The Sea”) and Ravel’s Jeux d’eau (“Fountains” or “Water Games”) are prime examples of how to capture rippling shapes and shimmering colors in sound.

Neither of those pieces were played on The Cleveland Orchestra’s half-Debussy, half-Ravel program on Aug. 22, but they may well have been, as Mother Nature had her rainy way at Blossom Music Center.

[Read more…]

Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays Debussy’s Préludes to his strengths (July 30)

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by Stephanie Manning

Performing Claude Debussy’s complete Préludes in recital is rare, but Jean-Yves Thibaudet has been making a habit of it. Over the past few years, the pianist has appeared in venues across the country to play the entirety of Book I and Book II as a 90-minute concert. He presented that program on July 30 in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

What brought Thibaudet to Cleveland was not just his solo recital — he also gave masterclasses as part of the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. By July 30, all six finalists had already participated in sessions with Thibaudet, testing their ability to adapt to feedback. And on the eve of the Competition’s concerto round, the time was ripe for both contestants and audience to sit back and listen to the master pianist himself.

[Read more…]

DIARY: WEEKEND, Friday-Sunday, August 7-9, 2026

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by Stephanie Manning

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Today at 2:30 & 7:30, the Cooper International Violin Competition continues vetting its 18 semi-finalists in 30-minute recitals, then after a cut, the six remaining violinists will play 45-minute recitals on Saturday at 3 pm and 8 pm.

Moving into next week, three finalists will play complete concertos on Monday at 7:30 with the Columbus ProMusica Chamber Orchestra and conductor David Danzmayr, while violinists who didn’t survive the final cut will play an Honors Recital on Sunday featuring outstanding performances selected from the first three days of the competition. All events are free and will be live streamed from Oberlin’s Warner Concert Hall.

Lawrence Loh will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in the live to screen score of John Powell’s How to Train Your Dragon on Friday at 7 and Sunday at 3 in Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center. And Lucas Waldin will be on the podium at Blossom Music Center on Saturday at 7 as the Orchestra presents vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw in hits by Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Whitney Houston, and Elvis Presley.

On Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 4, The Cleveland Opera and Cleveland Ballet Theatre will stage the 14-year-old Mozart’s opera Mitridate, rè di Ponto (Mithridates, King of Pontus). Grzegorz Nowak conducts and tenor David Sadlier sings the title role at First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland.

And on Saturday at 7:30 in the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus and Sunday at 4 in Federated Church in Chagrin Falls, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute of Ohio will present pianist Kamil Pacholec on its summer series, featuring works by Chopin, Liszt, and Debussy. [Read more…]

Kazuki Yamada brings sunny energy to multifaceted Cleveland Orchestra program (Aug. 1)

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by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — To clap or not to clap between movements — that is the question many Cleveland Orchestra audience members faced on Saturday night at Blossom Music Center. Luckily, Japanese guest conductor Kazuki Yamada had an answer.

Hearing some scattered applause after the first movement of Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, Yamada turned his head, smiled, and gently put his own hands together. That moment gave the crowd the green light they needed to join in.

Yamada’s willingness to engage with listeners felt like an extension of his genial personality, which allowed him to lead The Cleveland Orchestra on August 1 with both excitement and poise.

[Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra’s dance-focused program at Blossom welcomes new face, new piece (July 25)

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by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — “Dance” was the operative word and cello the instrument of choice on Saturday evening at Blossom Music Center.

The 20th-century program on July 25 sandwiched The Cleveland Orchestra’s first performance of Bohuslav Martinů’s Cello Concerto No. 1 between two pieces inspired by the art of movement: Zoltán Kodály’s Dances of Galánta and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. Heading it all up was conductor Kevin John Edusei, making a memorable Cleveland Orchestra debut.

[Read more…]

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