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CIPC Concert Series: catching up with pianist Roberto Plano

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by Daniel Hathaway

Italian-born pianist Roberto Plano, who won first prize in the 2001 Cleveland International Piano Competition, will play the next recital in CIPC’s Concert Series on Saturday, June 8 at 8:00 pm in Kulas Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

In addition to playing solo repertoire by Respighi, Liszt, Tárrega, Villa-Lobos, and Ginastera, Plano will join the Omni Quartet (Cleveland Orchestra musicians Amy Lee, Alicia Koelz, Joanna Zakany, and Charles Bernard) to close the evening with Brahms’ f-minor Piano Quintet. Tickets are available online.

[Read more…]

Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival — chatting with lutenist Elizabeth Kenny and composer Nico Muhly

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by Mike Telin

“With plucked instruments you have the freedom of a classical musician on the one hand, and on the other, you can also have a great relationship with folk, rock, and jazz,” English lutenist Elizabeth Kenny said via Skype from Cremona, Italy. “And sometimes you can escape those boundaries, which is very true of composers like Kapsberger and Piccinini — they had their intellectual side and a strong sense of what could be done with three or four chords.”

On Saturday, June 8 at 4:00 pm in CIM’s Mixon Hall, Kenny will present a program titled “Theorbo Fantasy: old and new music for the long-necked lute,” featuring the music of Kapsberger and Piccinini, as well as works by James MacMillan and Benjamin Oliver. [Read more…]

Oberlin celebrates Daune Mahy’s 39 years as Conservatory voice professor

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by Daniel Hathaway

On Sunday, May 12, the Oberlin Conservatory honored Daune Mahy on the occasion of her retirement as professor of voice, following “39 years of exemplary service to Oberlin.”

The well-attended event in Warner Concert Hall, introduced by voice professor Salvatore Champagne, included nine mini-performances by distinguished singers who have passed through Mahy’s studio, video and in-person tributes, a surprise mass singing of Schubert’s An die Musik, and a reception in the Warner lobby. As the audience gathered, a slideshow of photos of students and colleagues from Mahy’s long career flashed across a big screen. [Read more…]

Ohio Light Opera: a look ahead — part one of two previews

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by Kelly Ferjutz
Special to ClevelandClassical.com

en·sem·ble /änˈsämbəl/
noun
1. a group of musicians, actors, or dancers who perform together.

That definition perfectly describes the company of magicians who form Ohio Light Opera, a summer organization housed on the campus of The College of Wooster that provides a colorful look at musical theater of the past. Mostly — the past is always encroaching on the present.

Those who follow the company can’t help but be continually impressed by the camaraderie and inclusiveness of the 150 or so musicians, actors, and dancers, as well as the designers who build the sets and costumes, and the technicians who enhance the whole with light and sound and present magic to the audience at every single performance. In fact, there are 56 performances of 7 productions between June 15 and August 10 of imaginary examples of time and space not our own. [Read more…]

Jupiter flyby: this week at ENCORE

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by Rory O’Donoghue

The Jupiter Quartet comes home this weekend. “Cleveland’s one of our favorite places — we love coming back,” cellist Dan McDonough remarked in an interview last Friday. “Three of us went to school at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Cavani Quartet were our mentors. It’s always so nice to come back and catch up with them.”

Jupiter aligns at the 2019 ENCORE Chamber Music Festival in concerts on Friday, June 7 and Sunday, June 9, with master classes in between, all at the Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills. This is the quartet’s second ENCORE appearance, and McDonough identifies festival-director-dynamo Jinjoo Cho as a crucial factor in the enterprise’s rapid ascendency. “Jinjoo and all the faculty build a wonderful sense of community and collaboration. All of the ideals that the Cavani taught us twenty years ago are still cherished, and taught with great enthusiasm.” [Read more…]

Early Folk Band musicians to join Apollo’s Fire in “Far Beyond the Sea”

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by Daniel Hathaway

Apollo’s Fire’s Countryside Concerts will feature a new trans-Atlantic collaboration this month. Ian Harrison, Gesine Bänfer, and Steven Player of Europe’s The Early Folk Band will join Clevelanders Amanda Powell, Tina Bergmann, and Brian Kay in five performances of “Far Beyond the Sea” from June 6 through 10. This genre-crossing project involving old world ballads has been contemplated for some time but is just now coming to fruition.

“Jeannette Sorrell is one of our greatest fans, and we’ve been trying to get this sort of thing together for six or seven years,” Harrison and Bänfer said in a tag-team Skype conversation from Freiburg, Germany. “Either we weren’t free or they weren’t free, or we couldn’t decide how to do it, but we’re very happy that it’s now working.” [Read more…]

Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival: a conversation with Xuefei Yang

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by Mike Telin

When given her choice, guitarist Xuefei Yang likes to present programs that represent a variety of musical styles. “The guitar is such a diverse instrument, and I think of myself as a diverse player as well,” Yang said via Skype from her home in the U.K.

On Friday, June 7 at 7:30 in Mixon Hall at CIM, Xuefei Yang will present a program that ranges from traditional Chinese music to 21st-century works. The concert is presented as part of the 2019 Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival.

[Read more…]

Re:Sound 2019 — a conversation with vocalist Stephanie Lamprea

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by Mike Telin

Vocalist Stephanie Lamprea has always had an interest in solo vocal music that challenges the conventional use of language. “Nowadays there are more doors opening than closing when it comes to new music, so different kinds of sounds can now live at the same time,” she said in a telephone conversation.

On Saturday, June 8 at 1:00 pm, the Boston-based vocalist will bring her intriguing array of sounds to Praxis Fiber Workshop as part of this year’s Re:Sound Festival. The lineup will also include Dykes & Young — the duo of bassist Laura Dykes (Austin, TX) and violinist Jeffrey Young (Boston, MA). Click here to purchase tickets. [Read more…]

Re:Sound 2019 presents ~Nois

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by Mike Telin

What do ‘Rollicking Monkeys Landing on Mars’ sound like? The answer to this and other curious musical prompts proposed by Pauline Oliveros can be heard on Thursday, June 6 when the Chicago-based saxophone quartet ~Nois performs her Thirteen Changes at 7:30 pm at Negative Space Gallery.

The concert kicks off the 2019 edition of the Re:Sound Festival of New and Experimental Music. The evening’s lineup also includes Cleveland’s Miralia/Stranahan Duo, and Detroit’s art-rock quartet saajtak. Click here to purchase tickets.

[Read more…]

Akron Baroque to play nature-based program June 2

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by Daniel Hathaway

Akron Baroque’s season finale this weekend takes its inspiration from the natural world.

“For the Love of Nature,” to be presented at Faith Lutheran Church in Fairlawn on Sunday, June 2 at 4:00 pm, will feature a European mix of Spanish, British, Italian, German and French works, in addition to the premiere of a new piece by the Orchestra’s founder, Amy Barlowe. Admission is free.

Her The Peace of Wild Things, based on a poem by Wendell Berry, will be sung by soprano Susan Wallin. “Berry is an environmentalist and a farmer who lives in the Midwest,” Barlowe said in a telephone conversation. “He’s a very interesting person and philosopher, and I thought the text was particularly timely in view of all the environmental conflicts we have today. I think it was Einstein who said ‘Look to Nature for the answers.’ In this time of craziness and chaos, I feel that nature and music are intertwined — they have the ability to restore body and soul. I thought this little piece might touch people in some way.” [Read more…]

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