by Daniel Hathaway
The early onset of summery weather even before May has run its course heralds a shift in Northeast Ohio’s classical music activity from concert series to festivals — six of which will launch in the next few weeks.
Local 4 of the American Federation of Musicians will present the fourth edition of She Scores, a celebration of music written by underrepresented composers, from May 30 through June 2 (Thursday through Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 4) in Mixon Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In a preview article, Mike Telin writes, “what began with performances of works by 16 composers has now blossomed into a four-concert series featuring works by 31 living composers who identify as female or nonbinary.” Emily Laurance will give a pre-concert lecture an hour before each performance. Admission is free.
Encore Chamber Music’s 9th annual Music and Ideas Festival gets underway on June 2, and continues through June 24. Some highlights from this year’s ecological topic, Planet Earth, include performances by the Olli Soikkeli Band (Roma Jazz in Cuyahoga National Park), the Verona String Quartet (in Akron), “Mystery of the Light” (a collaboration with the Cleveland Humanities Festival at Case Western University), a “Director’s Carte Blanche” conversation and performance by Encore director and violinist Jinjoo Cho with violist Mathieu Herzog (in Oberlin’s Kulas Recital Hall), and a program featuring George Crumb’s Voice of the Whale (at Cleveland Natural History Museum). Each concert is preceded by a conversation with guest speakers. More information here.
The 24th annual Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival will run from June 6-9 at the Cleveland Institute of Music in conjunction with the 4th annual James Stroud Youth Competition. The distinguished list of performers and presenters includes Jason Vieaux (USA), Nicoló Spera (Italy), Lorenzo Micheli (Italy), Hao Yang (China), Thomas Flippin (USA), Petra Polácková (Czech Republic), Jonathan Leathwood (England), Mari Sato (USA), Andy Poxon (USA), and Daniele Chiesa (Spain). The Stroud Competition will see fifteen young guitarists performing live in the semifinals on June 6, with the final round taking place on June 9. Details here.
Ohio Light Opera’s 45th season runs from June 8 through July 28 in Freedlander Theater at the College of Wooster. The company will roll out six shows this summer — a new matinee nearly every week until all are running in repertory. This summer’s titles include Guys & Dolls, The Sound of Music, The Gondoliers, Me and My Girl, The Count of Luxembourg, and The Arcadians. See the calendar here.
ChamberFest Cleveland’s 12th season, curated by co-artistic directors Franklin and Diana Cohen and Roman Rabinovich under the banner “Sacred + Profane,” will offer twelve themed programs in different venues from June 12-29, including free family-friendly events at The Nature Center and the CMA Community Arts Center. The lineup brings to town longtime veterans of the festival as well as new faces and a cast of rising stars in classical music. See the details here.
And Tri-C JazzFest’s 45th season offers up a star-studded, jam-packed weekend from June 20-22, including ticketed indoor concerts and free outdoor performances and events in Playhouse Square, with highlights too numerous to name. View the schedule of concerts, just released last Friday, here.
Watch the ClevelandClassical.com website for previews and reviews of these events.
Published on ClevelandClassical.com May 29, 2024.
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