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A conversation with Cuban bandleader Omar Sosa

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by Kevin McLaughlin

Cuban-born pianist, composer, and bandleader Omar Sosa has forged a three-decade career blending Afro-Cuban roots with global jazz traditions, and a decidedly philosophical perspective. He has earned multiple GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY® nominations, major awards, and has attracted an international following.

When he makes his debut in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art on September 10 at 7:30 pm, he will  bring along his new Trio, Outside the Box. Tickets are available online.

I spoke with Sosa by Zoom in a lively, warm conversation as he prepared to take the stage at the Detroit Jazz Festival over Labor Day weekend. Though he has traveled the globe, Cleveland has been on his radar through a personal connection. His former partner is the daughter of the well-known local architect Julian Madison. “She always told me, I hope you can play in Cleveland one day,” Sosa recalled. “And now that we’ve split up, I will play in Cleveland. Life is like that.”

[Read more…]

Karen Holtkamp Memorial at Trinity Cathedral September 19 to feature many musical tributes

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by Daniel Hathaway

In addition to the funeral service held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights marking the passing of Karen McFarlane Holtkamp early in June at the age of 83, a memorial service has been scheduled for Friday, September 19 at 2 pm at Trinity Cathedral.

In a special invitation, John McElliott, president of Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. writes, “It will be quite a musical event. The music will include the Duruflé Requiem — mostly complete — with James O’Donnell, formerly of Westminster Abbey and now at Yale University, conducting, and Todd Wilson accompanying.The choir will be a hand-picked group of local singers from various churches and ensembles plus a couple of our artists.

“Todd will play the hymns and service music. The Cathedral’s Dean, BJ Owens, will officiate. Eulogies will be offered by Karen’s daughter, Sarah Polly, and David Higgs. Voluntaries will be played by George Baker, Ken Cowan, David Higgs, Alan Morrison, Nathan Laube, and Todd Wilson. [Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra Associate Conductor Daniel Reith: a final Blossom concert and a fond farewell

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by Mike Telin

Daniel Reith was appointed assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst at the beginning of the 2022–23 season. In June of 2024, following a one-year contract extension, he was promoted to the position of associate conductor through the end of the 2024–25 season.

On Saturday, August 16 at 7:00 pm, Reith will conclude his tenure when he leads The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center in a program of music by Edward Elgar, Gabriella Smith, and Max Bruch (tickets are available online.)

He made his Cleveland Orchestra subscription debut in February 2023 when he replaced Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä on very short notice. He also stepped in for Welser-Möst to lead the Orchestra as part of the first annual Mandel Opera & Humanities festival concert in May 2023.

Reith has also led the Orchestra in many performances, including Education Concerts in Cleveland and Miami, the Family Concert series, the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert, and the Orchestra’s inaugural Sensory-Friendly Concerts.

[Read more…]

A conversation with Cooper International Piano Competition winner Anna Avramidou

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by Mike Telin

On Thursday, July 24 during the finals of the Cooper International Piano Competition at Severance Music Center, Anna Avramidou made a major statement with her performance of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 with The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Samy Rachid.

In his review, Daniel Hathaway of ClevelandClassical.com described the 17-year old Cypriot as “a thoughtful player who is well in command of dynamic changes. In the opening movement, she balanced well-rounded phrases with lightning bolts of technical passages and a beautiful cadenza.”

Although she was up against some stiff competition from Anwen Deng (16, Australia) and Sawako Harada (18, Japan), both of whom were awarded second prize, in the end the jury bestowed the $20,000 first prize on Avramidou.

We reached Anna Avramidou by phone in Oxford, England, where she was participating in the annual Oxford Piano Festival. I began our conversation by congratulating her on winning the Cooper Competition.

[Read more…]

Cleveland Silent Film Festival double bill features soundtrack by pianist Mike Petrone

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by Stephanie Manning

In 2001, pianist Mike Petrone helped director John Baumgartner create the soundtrack to a silent film called War Story. Then he shelved the recordings and never thought about them again. Until last year.

When a friend directing a show at Clague Playhouse reached out to ask if they could use some of the recordings, Petrone dug them back up and listened to them for the first time in decades.

This summer, he’s found himself studying that score again. That’s all thanks to the Cleveland Silent Film Festival, who decided not only to screen Baumgartner’s film, but also ask Petrone to accompany it.

On Saturday, August 9, War Story and Charlie Chaplin’s Sunnyside (1919) will be presented as a double feature at the main Cleveland Public Library, with Petrone providing a live score from the keyboard. The 3:00 pm concert in the Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium is free. [Read more…]

Pianist Alessio Bax to make Cleveland Orchestra debut

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by Mike Telin

Although Alessio Bax has performed twice in Cleveland for the Cleveland Chamber Music Society — most recently this past January — on Saturday, August 2 at Blossom Music Center, the Italian pianist will make his Cleveland Orchestra debut.

The 7:00 pm concert, under the direction of guest conductor Daniele Rustioni, will include Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture, Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. Tickets are available online.

“I’m incredibly excited about it — It’s really a dream come true,” the pianist said during a telephone conversation. “I grew up listening to The Cleveland Orchestra’s recordings and I have friends who play in the orchestra. I’ve never been to Blossom, but I know what a special place it is.”

I began our conversation by asking him about his choice of concertos. [Read more…]

Conductor Christoph Koncz to make Cleveland Orchestra debut

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by Mike Telin

On Thursday, July 31 at 7:00 pm at Severance Music Center, conductor Christoph Koncz will make his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra in a Summers at Severance program featuring the music of Franz Liszt, Ernst von Dohnányi and Bela Bartók. 

Due to his travel schedule we were unable to schedule an interview, but he graciously agreed to answer questions by email.  

What does making your Cleveland Orchestra debut mean to you? 

Of course it is a great honor for me to conduct The Cleveland Orchestra, one of the world’s leading ensembles with its wonderful and distinctive sound. I have been admiring the orchestra for a long time and heard them live on several occasions when they came on tour to the Vienna Musikverein. I remember a particularly touching performance of the Brahms Requiem conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. I’ve already met quite a few musicians of the orchestra and I am very much looking forward to making music with this phenomenal ensemble!

[Read more…]

Kotaro Fukuma makes long-awaited return to Cleveland for Piano Days

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by Stephanie Manning

Right after Kotaro Fukuma became the First Prize winner of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, the then 20-year-old pianist went through a rollercoaster of emotions.

“ Of course, I was overjoyed,” he said in a recent interview, remembering how he called his parents to celebrate. But when he woke up the next morning, the review in The Plain Dealer told a different story. The first line: “Did the wrong pianist win the 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition?”

“I was so shocked,” Fukuma said. “The night before I was congratulated by many, many people, and the next day I read this newspaper and think, ‘Oh my gosh, how can I leave my hotel?’”

More than 20 years later, the pianist views that experience as an important turning point. After that bittersweet victory, “I accepted all kinds of engagements and I forced myself to study harder. And I think that was the right attitude.”

Today, Fukuma has curated a healthy international career, splitting his time between Berlin, Leiden, and Tokyo. And on Thursday, July 31, he will return to Cleveland after a long absence to perform on Piano Cleveland’s 2025 Piano Days series. Tickets for the 7:30 pm performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music are available online. [Read more…]

Cooper International Piano Competition welcomes 21 young pianists to Oberlin

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by Mike Telin

“This year, we had 190 applicants,” Robert Shannon, director of the Cooper International Piano Competition, said during a recent telephone conversation. “I listened to them all, and I can tell you that the level of playing has never been higher.”

This weekend, the Cooper International Competition will welcome 21 pianists between the ages of 13 and 18 who have advanced through the preliminaries of submitted videos to participate in live rounds in Oberlin’s Warner Concert Hall from July 20 to 23.

The 21, who represent eight countries, are vying for the opportunity to play full concertos in a final round with The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Samy Rachid at Severance Music Center on Thursday, July 24 at 7:30 pm — and for the $20,000 first prize. Tickets are available online. Click here to view a complete schedule.

[Read more…]

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…]

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