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Kent Blossom closes out Faculty Concert Series with two classics (July 17)

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by Stephanie Manning

With a program of only two pieces, both of them staples in chamber music repertoire, creating the conditions for a standout performance might be more difficult than usual. But the musicians in Kent Blossom Music Festival’s final entry in this year’s Faculty Concert Series knew what to do.

“Friendship is a requirement to open up and enjoy this piece,” clarinetist Afendi Yusuf said of the opener, Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet — though this sentiment could equally apply to Schubert’s Octet that followed. The July 17 performance in Kent State University’s Ludwig Recital Hall proved that the group had the friendship element in spades. [Read more…]

Leslie Odom Jr. blends jazz, R&B, and Broadway with The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom (July 21)

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This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

by Stephanie Manning | ClevelandClassical.com

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — When Leslie Odom Jr. emerged at Blossom Music Center midway through “Fly Me To The Moon,” which he had started offstage, the ensuing medley immediately set the tone for the evening. Preferring to let his vocals do all the talking, on Sunday, July 21, the singer’s concert with The Cleveland Orchestra was two almost-nonstop hours of musical delight.

Odom may be best-known for his Broadway pursuits, particularly for originating the role of Aaron Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash-hit Hamilton. But he’s a true, multi-hyphenated artist who has made forays into Hollywood, television, and solo recordings. His Blossom setlist attested to his versatility, bringing together arrangements of jazz standards, pop hits, and his original material.

[Read more…]

DIARY: Weekend, July 19-21, 2024

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by Stephanie Manning

IN THIS EDITION:

• A packed three days of concerts awaits, many of them free and/or outdoors

• An upcoming travel advisory for some Blossom attendees

• The almanac celebrates two American composers and two landmark musical inventions

HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND:

It’s a double performance weekend at Blossom for The Cleveland Orchestra. On Saturday at 7:00, they welcome conductor Antonello Manacorda and soprano Véronique Gens (pictured, above) for a program featuring Beethoven’s Seventh (read more here). And on Sunday at 7:00, Hamilton star Leslie Odom, Jr. joins conductor Edwin Outwater for a program of Broadway and pop selections (read more here). Tickets available online.

The Kent Blossom Music Festival features their young artists in four free chamber concerts at Ludwig Recital Hall — 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Sunday. They’ll also perform Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Hudson Meadows Retirement Community.

You can catch the latest Ohio Light Opera production, The Arcadians, on Sunday at 2:00 p.m at The College of Wooster. Tickets available online. Or, more chances to check out the already-running shows:

• Friday: The Count of Luxembourg (2:00 p.m., pictured) or The Gondoliers (7:30 p.m.)

• Saturday: The Sound of Music (2:00 p.m.) or Guys and Dolls (7:30 p.m.)

Feeling inspired by nature? Apollo’s Fire continues their performances of “Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Rediscovered” at Holden Arboretum in Kirtland. Saturday at 4:00 & 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Tickets available online.

For piano fans, the weather looks nice for two free outdoor offerings: Piano Cleveland Live in the Van Aken district (6:30 p.m. Friday with Martín García García and jazz musicians), and the CIPC Concert Truck featuring the Competition’s Quarter-Finalists in Playhouse Square (Sunday, 3:00 p.m.).

Plus, Oberlin faculty Robert Shannon and Haewon Song (pictured, left) will cap off the weekend with a Sunday night recital for the Oberlin Piano Festival (7:30 p.m., Clonick Hall, free).

If your keyboard preference is a carillon, The McGaffin Carillon in University Circle will host Friday lunchtime (12:15 pm) and evening (7:00 p.m.) concerts featuring Keiran Cantilina. Both are free and will also be livestreamed here.

Last but not least, Unity Spiritual Center in Westlake presents a benefit concert — “Wizards of Acoustic Guitar”  — with fingerstyle guitarists Brian Henke and Shohei Toyoda on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door, but note that the venue expects it to sell out.

For details of all upcoming concerts, visit our Concert Listings page. [Read more…]

DIARY: Thursday, July 18, 2024

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by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY:

The Ohio Light Opera opens their sixth and final show of the season, The Arcadians, at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon at Freedlander Theater at the College of Wooster. It will run three more times before the end of the month. Tickets available online.

July’s edition of The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Third Thursdays at Transformer Station begins at 7:00 p.m. Ideastream Public Media’s Bill O’Connell will host the Cleveland-based ensemble Opus 216 (pictured). This free event is already sold out.

Gearing up for the start of their 50th anniversary competition, the Cleveland International Piano Competition hosts a recital from their most recent (2021) Mixon First Prize Winner, Martín García García. The 7:00 p.m. event at Heights Theater is free, but reservations are required. Learn more about what’s in store with the CIPC this year in our recent feature here.

And if you feel like getting out into nature — the Canton Symphony’s Summer Serenades series hosts a woodwind quintet in Hartville’s Quail Hollow Park (6:30 p.m., free), while Apollo’s Fire presents the nature-themed “Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Rediscovered” in Kirtland’s Holden Arboretum (7:30 p.m., tickets available online.)

For details of upcoming concerts, visit our Concert Listings page. [Read more…]

Soprano Véronique Gens brings love of French music to Cleveland debut

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by Stephanie Manning

Véronique Gens feels a special connection to Hector Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été, a piece she’s performed for decades all around the world. But the 30-minute song cycle isn’t an easy one, both in length and in character.

“It’s a difficult cycle for your mind and for your soul, because the text is so sad and so depressive,” the soprano said in a recent interview. “But it’s a beautiful cycle.”

I reached Gens by phone in France, while she was preparing for her final performance at this year’s Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. While the piece may not be very upbeat, Gens sounded very excited to make her debut with The Cleveland Orchestra. She will join them at Blossom Music Center on Saturday, July 20 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available online. [Read more…]

Summers at Severance makes triumphant return (July 11)

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by Stephanie Manning

In between their already-packed schedule at Blossom Music Center, the musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra appeared at their usual venue — Severance Music Center — for an exciting offering on July 11. Returning after a five-year absence, the Summers at Severance series kicked off with a high-quality evening of Mandel Concert Hall debuts.

Conductor Oksana Lyniv, joining the Orchestra for the first time, brought a graceful precision and strong sense of tempo to the podium. The synergy between conductor and orchestra was evident from the opening piece, Leoš Janáček’s Suite from The Cunning Little Vixen, [Read more…]

A peaceful afternoon at Classically Lake View (July 7)

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by Stephanie Manning

Choosing a mausoleum as a concert venue might imply a more somber occasion, but the atmosphere was distinctly lighthearted at the Classically Lake View concert on July 7. Held in the Lake View Cemetery’s Community Mausoleum on a sunny Sunday afternoon, a string quartet of Cleveland Orchestra members and an Oberlin student guitarist presented a spirited program of chamber music by Black composers.

First violinist Liyuan Xie confidently led the quartet as they kicked things off with two movements from Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ String Quartet No. 3, Op. 1. Despite the unconventional indoor space, the small stage helped with projection and the blend between the four musicians kept a balanced timbre. (Probably best not to add any wind instruments into the mix with that echo, though.) [Read more…]

Imani Winds captivate in Kent Blossom debut (July 3)

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by Stephanie Manning

Given Imani Winds’ active touring schedule, it’s not unusual to see the group revisit the same part of the U.S. within a few months. So while it might feel like the wind quintet was just here for their March performance in Oberlin, July 3 saw them return to Northeast Ohio to appear on the Kent Blossom Music Festival’s Faculty Concert Series in Ludwig Recital Hall. Thankfully, this proximity was no issue — Imani is a group worth hearing again and again.

The evening’s program, “Black and Brown II: A Celebration of Composers of Color,” was understandably similar to the one from March, although not without some notable changes. [Read more…]

The Cleveland Orchestra revives Summers at Severance series

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by Stephanie Manning

Four years on from pandemic disruptions, some ensembles are still working on returning to 100% of their pre-2020 programming. Case in point from this summer: The Cleveland Orchestra, which is reviving its Summers at Severance series for the first time in five years.

“As we’ve been coming back to ‘normal,’ there is definitely an appetite for more of our classical offerings during the summer,” artistic administrator Michael Gandlmayr said in a recent interview. While the Orchestra’s home at this time of year is unquestionably Blossom Music Center, performing a few times at Severance Music Center gives audiences more options to enjoy their programming. “It’s also a great opportunity for us to see some new and returning faces, both on the podium as well as soloists.”

[Read more…]

ChamberFest Cleveland celebrates season finale on the dance floor (June 29)

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by Stephanie Manning

After a whirlwind three weeks of concerts, ChamberFest Cleveland ended this year’s season with a dance party. And not just any dance party: Aaron Jay Kernis’ joyfully eccentric 100 Greatest Dance Hits, which fully embodies the thematic mix of “Sacred and Profane.”

But while the Kernis gives classical forms an injection of the profane — the music associated with the here-and-now, our day-to-day life  — the June 29 program also reveled in the traditionally sacred. It opened with J.S. Bach’s dignified Concerto No. 1 in d, played in a combination that swapped harpsichord for piano and traded a string orchestra for a quartet, plus bass.

[Read more…]

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