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Piano Days: for “Raga Pianist” Utsav Lal, the challenge is its own reward

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by Stephanie Manning

When Utsav Lal first received a performance offer from Piano Cleveland, he was pleasantly surprised. “ I know the bulk of their work involves pretty straight-ahead classical piano and the Competition,” he said in a recent interview. “I do things a little differently, so it’s nice that they’re interested in what I’ve been working on.”

Lal, often nicknamed the “Raga Pianist,” is known for his interpretations of classical Indian ragas, bringing the centuries-old form to the Western piano. On Tuesday, July 22, he’ll showcase that distinct approach at Gilmour Academy’s Dodoro Center as part of the 2025 Piano Days series. Tickets are available online.

The concert, presented in partnership with the Federation of India Community Associations (FICA) of Northeast Ohio, is just one part of a three-part evening. [Read more…]

Mirabelle Kajenjeri goes back to her roots for Piano Days program

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by Stephanie Manning

The participants in the Cleveland International Piano Competition (CIPC) aren’t just expected to perform well — they need to speak articulately about their music making, too. So when the jury sat down with the 2024 contestants for individual interviews, they asked: what’s one project you would like to do?

“ I said that it would be great to launch a program that features my different origins and musical influences,” said Mirabelle Kajenjeri, who lives in France and traces her heritage to Ukraine and Burundi. The team at Piano Cleveland remembered that — and this year, they invited her back to make that idea a reality.

On Thursday, July 24 at 7:30 pm, Kajenjeri will present “Resonating Roots: My Story Through Sound” as part of the 2025 Piano Days series. The concert in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall brings together pieces by Ukrainian and French composers, plus the pianist’s improvisations on traditional Burundian songs. Tickets are available online. [Read more…]

Osmo Vänskä and Cleveland Orchestra spin the wheel of fortune in ‘Carmina Burana’ (July 12)

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by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — When the goddess Fortuna spins her wheel, your fate is on the line. That’s the idea behind “O Fortuna,” the famous dramatic tune that has become part of pop culture thanks to its use in commercials and TV shows.

Those crashing waves of sound, lamenting life’s cruel twists of fate, both open and close Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” which headlined The Cleveland Orchestra’s concert on July 12. Conductor Osmo Vänskä led the Orchestra, the Blossom Festival Chorus, and the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus in a lively performance of the work at Blossom Music Center.

[Read more…]

ChamberFest takes its audience on a journey in “Songs, Signs, and Souvenirs” (June 28)

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by Stephanie Manning

During this year’s ChamberFest, the “Lost and Found” theme showed up in all kinds of ways. Sometimes that meant performing recently-unearthed works from historic composers like Mozart and Chopin. Sometimes it referred to an emotional resonance, as when Judith Markovich’s music told the story of the grief and loss of a son.

But the listener has a role to play in this as well. As ChamberFest’s past Board chair Rebecca Carmi reminded the audience on June 28, getting “lost” in the music is also an experience to strive for. Thankfully, the engrossing final concert of ChamberFest’s 2025 season — held in Severance Music Center’s Reinberger Chamber Hall — provided plenty of opportunities.

[Read more…]

Piano Days 2025: two weeks, six international pianists, and many creative performances

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by Stephanie Manning

As the hosts of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, Piano Cleveland spends plenty of time promoting traditional classical repertoire. But their other programming, like the summer festival Piano Days, focus on celebrating the instrument in all its forms.

“ We say this all the time — piano is the most accessible instrument,” Piano Cleveland executive director Marissa Moore said. “Our real goal in programming a festival like this is always to push the boundaries of what people think of when they think about classical music.”

The 2025 edition of Piano Days, which will take place at venues across the area from July 20 through August 2, features six musicians who champion crossovers in genre, presentation, and cultural influence. Tickets are available online. [Read more…]

Blossom Festival Band spotlights new and old favorites in “Salute to America” (July 3)

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by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — For an outdoor concert on July 3, you could hardly have asked for a nicer summer evening — or a more expert conductor.

“How about this weather!” Michelle Rakers cheerfully boomed from the podium, greeting the audience who had packed the lawn and pavilion at Blossom Music Center.

Under Rakers’ direction, the Blossom Festival Band presented “Salute to America,” a memorable take on the annual Fourth of July program that favored some lesser-known selections without ignoring the classics.

[Read more…]

Errollyn Wallen braves the storm to share her Songbook at ChamberFest (June 18)

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by Stephanie Manning

Errollyn Wallen is many things — composer, vocalist, and published author, just to name a few. But you could also say she’s a little bit of a psychic.

As the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling windows in Mixon Hall rapidly darkened with storm clouds on June 18, she launched into her song “Tree.” “I’m perplexed by rooted trees,” she crooned over pizzicattos from her accompanying string quartet, as lightning flashed and the real-life trees bent and twisted in the fierce wind.

Shortly after, ChamberFest co-artistic director Diana Cohen stopped the concert to make a rare request: that everyone in the room make their way down to the Cleveland Institute of Music basement to shelter from the storm. This unusual little detour was just one way the Wednesday evening program lived up to its name, “Mood Swings.”

[Read more…]

The cast of Blind Injustice discuss portraying real people and the power of hope (2nd of 4 articles)

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by Stephanie Manning

 While the team at Chagrin Arts was in talks to bring Blind Injustice to Northeast Ohio, the question of location became increasingly important. “We talked about doing it in different cities, but it became clear that this needs to happen in Cleveland,” tenor Tim Culver said.

Composed by Scott Davenport Richards with a libretto by David Cote, the 90-minute opera follows the stories of six people who had their convictions overturned with help from the Ohio Innocence Project. Four of them lived in Cleveland or East Cleveland, while the other two lived in neighboring Lorain and Summit counties.

[Read more…]

ENCORE celebrates its first decade with “The Golden Waltz” (June 17)

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by Stephanie Manning

Ten years have gone by in a blink for the ENCORE Chamber Music Institute. So it’s only fitting that its official anniversary concert began with a healthy dose of nostalgia.

Artistic director Jinjoo Cho introduced the June 17 performance at the Maltz Performing Arts Center with a slideshow documenting  the evolution of the Music & Ideas Festival and Summer Academy. “Cleveland is home to me,” she said, clicking through photos of old programs, early notebook brainstorming sessions, and past students — many of whom are now professional musicians in their own right.

That trip down memory lane was a prelude to the musical portion of the concert, titled “The Golden Waltz.” [Read more…]

Ohio Light Opera: three key players discuss this season’s repertoire and some bittersweet changes ahead

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by Stephanie Manning

This summer, Ohio Light Opera artistic director Steven Daigle is crossing not one, but two shows off his bucket list.

“ I would’ve loved to direct all six of the shows this summer,” he said. But after dividing up assignments between him and his three fellow directors, eventually he had to choose.

So what drew him to Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel and Noël Coward’s Bitter Sweet?  These shows aren’t just visual and musical spectacles — they also grapple with some complicated emotions. [Read more…]

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