by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY:

Harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, upright bass, guitar, and maracas are just some of the instruments played by Larry & Joe, who perform at 7:00 pm this evening. The Cleveland Museum of Art presents the duo’s blend of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk traditions at Transformer Station in Ohio City. Tickets available online.

For more details, visit our Concert Listings.

BLOSSOM SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT:

We’re especially looking forward to summer during this bitterly cold week, and The Cleveland Orchestra has now revealed the classical and pops programs coming as part of the 2025 Blossom Music Festival.

Repertoire highlights include Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mahler’s “Titan” Symphony, and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Returning faces like conductors Osmo Vänskä and Elim Chan appear as well as artists making their Blossom debut, including conductor Jonathon Heyward, violinist Veronica Eberle, and pianist Alessio Bax.

Individual tickets are now available — learn more in the press release here. [Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY:

Welcome back from the long weekend. Tonight at 7:30 pm, the Cleveland Chamber Music Society presents flutist Emmanuel Pahud (pictured) and pianist Alessio Bax, who will play music by César Franck, Clara Schumann, J.S. Bach, and more.

That takes place at The Cultural Arts Center at Disciples Church in Cleveland Heights — tickets available online. Stay warm out there!

For more details and to check out what else is coming up this week, visit our Concert Listings.

MLK CONCERT REPLAY:

If you missed The Cleveland Orchestra’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert on Sunday, you can stream it for the next nine days on Youtube (here) or on the Adella platform. [Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

A MID-WEEK PAUSE:

No concerts on the calendar this Wednesday — so no need to brave the bitterly cold temperatures, either. Perhaps this is a sign to spend the day cozied up indoors.

To check out what the rest of the week has in store, visit our Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Know a young singing actor looking to take the stage this summer? The Ohio Light Opera has announced auditions for performers ages 8-18 for its 2025 productions of Brigadoon and Carousel. Sign ups for slots on Friday, February 7 and info about what to prepare can be found here.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

On this day in 1929, Baptist minister, activist, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta. And today, we’re looking back on Dan Hathaway’s write-up about the woman who stood at his side: his wife, Coretta Scott King (pictured, above). [Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

LOOKING AHEAD:

No performances on the schedule today, but the rest of this week includes offerings from groups like No Exit & Zeitgeist, CityMusic Cleveland, the Akron Symphony, and The Cleveland Orchestra.

For more details and to check out what else is coming up, visit our Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Fans of The Princess Bride, rejoice — The Cleveland Orchestra has announced it will play the score to the film live-to-picture on Friday, February 21 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available online.

SUPPORT FOR MUSICIANS IN LA:

For those looking to give support to those in the music industry who have been affected by the devastating fires in southern California, consider donating to organizations like the Entertainment Community Fund, AGMA Relief Fund, and MusiCares.

[Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY:

Round 2 of the Cooper International Competition begins today, with the field now narrowed to six violinists. From 3:00 to 6:15 pm and again from 8:00 to 10:45 pm, each will perform a 45-minute recital in Oberlin’s Warner Concert Hall. See our Concert Listings for contestants and their start times.

All rounds will also be streamed live at oberlin.edu and via The Violin Channel. You can learn more about this year’s competition here, in Mike Telin’s interview with competition director and jury chair Sibbi Bernhardsson.

For details of upcoming events, visit our Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Pianist Gerardo Teissonnière has been announced as one of nine winners of the 2025 Governor’s Award for the Arts in Ohio. These awards, conferred since 1971, celebrate exceptional Ohio artists, organizations, educators and beyond. Teissonnière, a Cleveland Institute of Music alum and faculty member, will be honored at the awards ceremony on May 28. [Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY:

The young violinists of the Cooper International Competition begin taking the stage at Oberlin Conservatory today. The annual competition, staged in January this year, kicks off with Round 1, Session 1 this afternoon and evening.

From 2:30 – 5:45 pm and again from 7:30 – 10:00 pm, the first half of the nineteen hopefuls will perform 30-minute recitals in Warner Concert Hall. All rounds will also be streamed live at oberlin.edu and via The Violin Channel.

Learn more about this year’s competition here, in Mike Telin’s interview with competition director and jury chair Sibbi Bernhardsson.

For more details and to check out what else is coming up this week, visit our Concert Listings.

INTERESTING READS:

Two recent articles discuss how classical music is attracting younger audiences. For CBC News, this article by Jackson Weaver points to the appeal of cross-genre performances and the rise of classical streaming — with the latter mentioning The Cleveland Orchestra’s partnership with the boutique classical streamer IDAGIO.

Weaver also discusses the successes of social media, as does Michael Andor Brodeur for The Washington Post. Through 15-second clips of pieces like Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Brodeur writes, classical music “has become part of the cultural fabric of TikTok, even as it’s shredded to bits.” Read that opinion piece here.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

by Daniel Hathaway

In Western Christian communities, January 6 marks the Feast of the Epiphany or the visit of astrologers from the East to worship the baby Jesus, bringing symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The story, told only in the Gospel according to Matthew, has spawned a rich mythology and inspired multiple works of art. [Read more…]