by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY: 

At 12 noon, hear some “Minor Delights” from Bach, Pachebel and others at Music Near the Market, courtesy of organist Robert Myers. This freewill offering takes place at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ohio City.

And this evening, have your pick between traditional and contemporary. At 7:30 pm, the Music Box Supper Club hosts Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, a group revitalizing Southern Italy’s musical and dance traditions — tickets here. And at 8:00 pm, the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project (CUSP) presents Claire Rousay (pictured) and the Powers / Rolin Duo at Calicchia Gallery Studio — tickets here.

For more details on these and more upcoming performances, visit our Concert Listings.

PRESS RELEASE:

The Cleveland Orchestra announced that it raised $1.1 million dollars for its programming during its annual gala last weekend. In place of Franz Welser-Möst, Associate Conductor Daniel Reith led the Orchestra in a French-inspired performance for the guests at Severance Music Center. This event is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

by Daniel Hathaway

On this date in 1932, Canadian pianist Glenn Gould was born in Toronto. One of the great keyboard personalities of the 20th century, Gould was also among the most eccentric, demanding special conditions for his recitals and recordings and eventually giving up live performances entirely in favor of studio recordings over which he could exercise precise control. [Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY: 

Like last week, Monday’s schedule stands empty. But there’s plenty of exciting things coming up, including concerts from the Cleveland Chamber Music Society, Nightingale Opera, and the Oberlin Artist Recital Series.

For more details, visit our Concert Listings.

INTERESTING READ:

American opera director Yuval Sharon (pictured) has published his first book, A New Philosophy of Opera, which lays out his vision for innovative productions that challenge opera’s status quo.

From the Wall Street Journal’s review: “‘Rebirth is opera’s true power,’ Mr. Sharon writes, and suggests that the art form is infinitely richer and more welcoming than that tired old image suggests.” Read more here.

NEWS BRIEFS:

Multiple large orchestras have recently announced new bargaining agreements with their musicians, though not without some speed bumps. The New York Philharmonic, for example, will give its players a 30% raise over the next three years. [Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY: 

At 12 noon, Trinity Cathedral’s Brownbag Concerts presents Sororii, a female-led band featuring Afro-Colombian cellist Carolina Borja and bassoonist Arleigh Savage. Formed during the pandemic, the duo use the project to explore sisterhood and feminine voices across cultures.

For details on more upcoming concerts, visit our Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The opening two weeks of The Cleveland Orchestra’s season will no longer include Franz Welser-Möst.

Doctors advised the music director to rest following the group’s European tour. “His ongoing cancer treatment is going well,” the Orchestra said in a press release, “but the side effects remain challenging.”

Osmo Vänskä (pictured, left) will now lead the opening week performances with violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann, making no music changes. In the second week, Elim Chan (pictured, right) will take to the podium, swapping out Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka for Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. Pianist Yefim Bronfman will perform Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto as scheduled.

The Orchestra’s annual gala concert on September 21 will be led by Associate Conductor Daniel Reith.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

by Jarrett Hoffman

Francesca Caccini — the Italian composer, singer, lutenist, and poet whose opera La liberazione di Ruggiero is believed to be the first entry in that genre by a woman, and possibly the first Italian opera to be performed outside of Italy — was born on September 18, 1587 in Florence. [Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY: 

At 7:30 pm, the trio Biribá Union (pictured) performs in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall. Cellist Mike Block, percussionist/vocalist Christylez Bacon, and electric bassist Patricia Ligia blend original music with global influences. Reserve your free ticket and find the livestream link here.

For those wanting to hear some keyboard instruments, there are two options for you:

• At 12 noon, organist and Oberlin associate professor Jonathan W. Moyer performs on the Tuesdays at the Covenant series. This freewill offering takes place at the Church of the Covenant in University Circle.

• And 5:30 pm marks ​​Fairmount Presbyterian Church’s first Rush Hour Concert of the season, “It Takes Two.” Jim Riggs and Dillon Shipman combine their organ and piano skills in this free program, which features Clifford Demarest’s Fantasia for organ and piano.

For details on these and more upcoming concerts, visit our Concert Listings.

NEWS BRIEFS:

After a years-long search, the Seattle Symphony recently announced Xian Zhang as the group’s new music director. Her contract begins in the 2025-26 season. Zhang, who currently leads the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, made her Cleveland Orchestra debut in 2017. She will become the first woman and person of color to lead the Seattle Symphony, and one of only a few women in the country to lead a major orchestra. Read more here.

[Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING TODAY: 

It’s a slow Monday, with nothing on the calendar. But don’t be fooled — the rest of the week has plenty in store.

Season opening concerts from The Cleveland Orchestra, CIM, Oberlin, and the Akron Symphony await, plus more. For details, visit our Concert Listings.

NEWS BRIEFS:

Composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate (pictured, above) has announced his 2024-25 season, which includes the first opera composed entirely in an American Indian language. Loksi’ Shaali’ (“Shell Shaker”) will receive its world premiere in October from the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices. Tate is a 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he earned a Masters in piano performance and composition.

And more news with a CIM connection: the Canton Symphony Orchestra announced current CIM composition student Alexander Moiseev as the group’s next Composer Fellow. Moiseev will write a new work to be premiered by the Canton Youth Symphony Advanced Orchestra in May 2025. [Read more…]