by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Today: Shaker Heights High School Chamber Orchestra at Trinity Cathedral, and organist Robert Myers at Trinity Lutheran
•Announcements: Assembly’s next Quarterly State of the Arts, Ohio Arts Council’s ArtsNEXT program, a scheduling change for Fireland Symphony’s “Drumming with Dylan” program, and Cleveland Repertory Orchestra seeking additional board members
•Almanac: Charles-Marie Widor and Morton Gould
HAPPENING TODAY:
Two afternoon options today, both for the price of a freewill offering.
At 12:00, the Shaker Heights High School Chamber Orchestra will appear on Trinity Cathedral’s Brownbag Concert series. Their program includes the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 (arr. Thomas LaJoie), Gershwin’s Lullaby, J.S. Bach’s Fugue in g, BWV 542 (arr. William Zinn), Anton Arensky’s Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Puccini’s Crisantemi (arr. L.C. Harnsberger), and the third movement of Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings in E. (Click here for livestream.)
And at 12:15, Trinity Lutheran’s Wednesday Noon Organ Concert will feature Robert Myers at the Beckerath organ in a program titled “Lenten contemplations” that will include music by Brahms, Paul Manz, Helmut Walcha, and Johann Gottfried Walther.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Assembly will hold its next Quarterly State of the Arts on Thursday, March 7 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at moCa Cleveland. Register here for a gathering centered around industry updates, conversation, and networking.
The Ohio Arts Council is accepting applications until March 1 for its ArtsNEXT program, which provides funding “to support bold, ground-breaking projects that help define Ohio as an exciting, cutting-edge place to make, consume, and experience the arts.” More information here.
Drumming with Dylan, the free monthly program led by Dylan Moffitt (pictured above, left) and presented by the Firelands Symphony and Sandusky Parks & Recreation, will now take place on Tuesdays (March 19, April 16, and May 14) from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Jackson Street Pier Pavilion in Sandusky. Click here to read more about the program, which is aimed at ages 12 and up and focuses on several styles of drumming from around the world.
And the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra is seeking additional members for its Board of Directors. Residency in Cleveland is helpful but not required as most work will be conducted virtually for these volunteer positions. Click here to head to the LinkedIn posting.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
by Daniel Hathaway
Today’s honorees begin with French organist and composer Charles-Marie Widor, born on February 21, 1844 in Lyon. Widor is most famous for the organ symphonies (really suites) he wrote during his tenure at Saint-Sulpice in Paris, and among those, for the Toccata that closes out No. 5. But try out Widor’s Sixth Symphony, played here by Brian Wentzel on the Paul Fritts organ in First Lutheran Church in Lorain. (Pressed for time? Fast forward to the finale at 31:25.)
And on February 21, 1996, American composer and arranger Morton Gould died in Orlando, FL at the age of 82. Active in all areas of stage, concert and commercial music, Gould served for a number of years as president of ASCAP. Start with an interview Gould conducted with conductor Leopold Stokowski — who championed his music — and listen to his Second Symphony in a vintage recording by the New York Philharmonic at its premiere in June, 1944. And for a taste of Gould’s expert arrangements, watch the U.S. Air Force Symphony perform his American Salute (based on “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”). Many of us will remember experiencing the work from the inside in high school orchestras and bands.