by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY:

Guest conductor Tito Muñoz (pictured) leads the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra tonight in a program of two staples: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. That’s at 7:30 pm at Severance Music Center.

Admission is free, but register online for tickets. CIM student Zachary Brandon is the featured violinist.

For more details on this and more upcoming events, visit our Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Prague Summer Nights Young Artists Music Festival will be holding live auditions next Wednesday, February 5, from 5:40 – 7:40 pm at Oberlin Conservatory. The month-long program in the Czech Republic will put on four orchestra concerts and six fully-staged operas between June 16 and July 14. Application information is available here.

INTERESTING READ:

“Morgiane” — maybe the oldest existing opera by a Black American — was never staged after composer Edmond Dédé completed it in 1887. Until now.

The history of the 545-page epic, its relatively recent discovery, and the composer’s connection to Black opera in 19th-century New Orleans are all chronicled in a recent feature for the New York Times.

Kevin O’Brien writes: “Now, almost 125 years after Dédé’s death, an unlikely team, including a historian, an antiquarian music dealer, two librarians, and a pair of New Orleans natives, has come together to salvage Dédé, make relevant his legacy and stage his greatest work for the first time.” [Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

LOOKING AHEAD:

No concerts to open this week, but the coming days feature offerings from the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, the Chicago early music group Schola Antiqua (pictured), the Resonance Project, and many more.

For more details and see what else is on the calendar, visit our Concert Listings.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

by Jarrett Hoffman

Anniversaries on this particular date in classical music history go on and on — the birth of Mozart (Salzburg, 1756) and the death of Verdi (age 87 in Milan, 1901) just scratch the surface.

Given that January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day — chosen for the date in 1945 when the Soviet army liberated the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps — we’ll turn our focus to Czech pianist and composer Gideon Klein, who died on that same date in 1945 at age 25. [Read more…]

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…]