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Akron Symphony plays Mahler 1 (Sept. 20)

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by Kevin McLaughlin

The Akron Symphony opened its season Saturday night, September 20 at E.J. Thomas Hall, with a program that combined geniality, youthful cheek, and grand ambition. Under the direction of Christopher Wilkins the orchestra sounded happy to be back and playing before an excited house.

Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture is a thank-you note written to honor a university that gave him an honorary degree. As Wilkins reminded us, Brahms never went to college, but here he donned the cap and gown like a puckish undergrad, weaving together student songs more often heard in beer halls than lecture halls. Under Wilkins, the piece carried both dignity and delight. The opening had the sincerity of ceremony, then the tunes tumbled in like students fresh from hijinks on the quad. The orchestra answered with warmth, rhythmic lift, and good humor. When the final tune arrived, it rose like an alma mater — or a sudsy cheer — echoing fondly across the years. [Read more…]

Akron’s Urban Troubadour takes a sneak peek at Blutique Hotel (Apr. 24)

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by Nicholas Stevens

UT BlutiqueThe musicians’ collective Urban Troubadour offers not mere concerts, but adventures. In a cultural moment when encounters with chamber music range from formal recitals with traditional programs to party-like gatherings in living rooms, bars, and galleries, alternative formats have become common in Northeast Ohio and across the country. Yet even in the crowded field of efforts to “disrupt” the world of staid programming, Urban Troubadour’s multi-part evenings feel distinct and vital.

[Read more…]

Disaster Relief Symphony Orchestra to present benefit concert Nov. 19

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by Mike Telin

gilbertOn Sunday, November 19 at 3:00 pm at the Rocky River United Methodist Church, the Disaster Relief Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Mark Perlman, will present a benefit concert to raise money for hurricane relief and recovery and to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

The ad hoc ensemble will perform Otto Nicolai’s Ein Feste Burg Overture, J.S. Bach’s Violin Concerto in E with Ken Johnston as soloist, and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5, “Reformation.” A freewill offering to support domestic disaster relief will be taken at the concert. Donations to the United Methodist Committee on Relief can be made online here.

“There are so many people who need assistance right now because of all the hurricanes, we thought we should do something to help,” bassist and concert organizer Ann Gilbert said during a telephone conversation.   [Read more…]

Cleveland POPS brings in the New Year with Melinda Doolittle at Severance Hall (Dec. 31)

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by Mario Buchanan, Special to ClevelandClassical.com

doolittle-melindaOn December 31 the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Carl Topilow, performed their annual New Year’s Eve concert at Severance Hall. Above the partygoers’ heads in the Grand Foyer were two nets filled with blue and white balloons waiting to welcome the new year, and attendees were required to grab a party horn from the table for the concert. In the auditorium, “2017” was spelled out with balloons above the stage. Clearly, this was going to be a night to remember. [Read more…]

String Orchestras: Earth and Air at St. Paul’s (Nov. 4), & BlueWater Chamber Orchestra at Pilgrim (Nov. 6)

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by Mike Telin

earthandairWhen we think of the works of Felix Mendelssohn, a few that immediately come to mind are his Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the “Italian Symphony,” and the Violin Concerto, as well as several pieces of chamber music. On Friday, November 4 in Tucker Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, the talented Earth and Air: String Orchestra, under the direction of David B. Ellis, led a program of lesser-known but equally engaging works by the composer titled “Mendelssohn String Symphonies — Part I.” The evening included three works which the composer wrote between the ages of 12 and 14. [Read more…]

Cleveland POPS with Carl Topilow: The Genius of John Williams (Jan. 30)

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by Daniel Hathaway

POPS-SoloistsCleveland POPS music director Carl Topilow called in extra forces to celebrate the genius of composer John Williams in Severance Hall on Saturday evening, January 30. To his excellent POPS Orchestra, he added the 50-voice Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus, more than 40 members of the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, and three local heroes — Howie Smith, Franklin Cohen, and Steven Greenman — who made cameo appearances during the celebration. [Read more…]

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