ClevelandClassical.com Header
Ad
Ad

Cleveland Pops: “The Name is Bond…James Bond!”

by

by Mike Telin

james-bond-actorsYou can argue whether Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig made the best James Bond, but one thing is certain: Ian Fleming’s character is super cool.

Fans of 007 anticipate the release of each new film to see what forces of evil the British Intelligence Officer will thwart, but their iconic theme songs are a big part of what makes Bond films so special.

On Saturday, November 12 at 8:00 pm at Severance Hall, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Carl Topilow, will present “The Name is Bond…James Bond!” The evening’s special guest will be singer, actor, and comedian Rachel York. [Read more…]

Cleveland POPS: pianist Richard Glazier talks about the music of George & Ira Gershwin

by

by Mike Telin

Caricature“George Gershwin was able to do things that nobody else could do,” pianist Richard Glazier said during a telephone conversation. “He was able to meld many different styles of music together, and that’s why all of the great composers that followed him adored him.” On Friday, April 29 at 8:00 pm in Severance Hall, Carl Topilow will lead the Cleveland POPS orchestra in An Evening of Gershwin. The program will include Rhapsody in Blue and the final movement from the Concerto in F.

Born in Indianapolis, Glazier began studying piano when he was 6 years old. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Indiana University, he went on to earn a doctorate from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1993. [Read more…]

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

by

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…]

Cleveland POPS Orchestra pays homage to the film music of
John Williams

by

by Daniel Hathaway

john-williamsThe music of the prolific film composer John Williams was a staple of Carl Topilow’s programming long before he launched the Cleveland POPS Orchestra. “We were doing Star Wars medleys in the late ‘70s with the Denver Symphony — now the Colorado Symphony,” the conductor said in a telephone conversation from Pittsburgh, where he was guest-conducting the Carnegie-Mellon Symphony.

“Among everything else, the fact that he can write music as diverse as Schindler’s List and Home Alone — and everything in between — is just incredible. Whether it’s adventure or comedy, or JFK, or Born on the Fourth of July, there’s just a gamut of emotions. Probably the only non-movie piece I’ve ever conducted of his was his Tuba Concerto.” [Read more…]

Cleveland POPS Orchestra: a conversation with New Year’s Eve vocalist Connor Bogart O’Brien

by

by Mike Telin

O'Brien-Connor“What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?” I asked vocalist Connor Bogart O’Brien. “I’m thrilled that I’ll be singing What Are You Doing On New Year’s Eve on New Year’s Eve,” he exclaimed during a recent telephone conversation. “I’ve never performed it, and I’m excited to be singing it with Carl and the Cleveland Pops.”

On Thursday, December 31 at 9:00 pm in Severance Hall, Carl Topilow and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra will present its 20th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration, a concert entitled “My Favorite Broadway.” The program will feature Connor Bogart O’Brien performing songs from the best of contemporary musical theater.

The evening will also include orchestral selections from the Star Wars movies and PBS’s Downton Abbey. At 11:00 pm, there will be dancing in the Grand Foyer featuring Pops Orchestra members, and the No-Name Band will play ‘60s and ‘70s Rock & Roll in the Smith Lobby. As always, the traditional Balloon Drop will usher in the New Year at midnight. [Read more…]

Cleveland Pops: a season overview with conductor Carl Topilow

by

by Mike Telin

TOPILOW-red-clarinetSince 1995 conductor, clarinetist, and entertainer Carl Topilow and his Cleveland Pops Orchestra have delighted audiences with performances that inventively blend light classical, swing, jazz, Broadway, Dixieland, and Klezmer music. On Saturday, October 24 at 8:00 pm in Severance Hall, Topilow will kick off the Orchestra’s new season with a program entitled “Big Band and All That Jazz.”

“There’s going to be a lot of great Big Band music, and a lot of joking around,” Topilow said during a telephone conversation. “We’ll be playing Paul Ferguson’s arrangement of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. It’s a takeoff on Mozart’s not-very-well-documented visit to New Orleans.” Topilow laughed. “It is a musicological discovery — it’s K. 525B.” [Read more…]

Bring in the New Year with Carl Topilow and the Cleveland POPS Orchestra

by

By Mike Telin

DeLaney-Mambo-Kings

In the words of Carl Topilow, “Severance Hall is the place to be on New Years Eve.” On Wednesday, December 31 at 9:00 pm, Topilow and the Cleveland POPS Orchestra will welcome 2015 with their 19th annual concert and dance at Severance Hall. In addition to an eclectic mix of musical styles performed by the Cleveland POPS Orchestra, the evening also includes the Latin Jazz sounds of the Mambo Kings.

“It’s hard to believe this is Year 19,” Topilow said during a telephone conversation. “Keeping with tradition, the first half of the concert will feature the orchestra performing some traditional selections that we always do, plus some new arrangements as well. The first half really is a tribute to the old and the new.” [Read more…]

Comedy Tonight: Cleveland POPS to premiere new Broadway review

by

by Mike Telin

TOPILOW-red-clarinetOn Friday, November 14 at 8:00 pm in Severance Hall, Carl Topilow will conduct the Cleveland POPS Orchestra and Chorus in the world premiere of “Comedy Tonight,” a revue of musical theatre’s more light-hearted moments. The show features Broadway award-winning stars Christine Pedi, Christiane Noll and Jason Graee.

Why did Cleveland POPS decide to create a new Broadway review? “That’s an interesting question,” Carl Topilow said during a recent telephone conversation. “We’ve been working with John Such of Bravo Broadway for many years, and we realized that we have already performed all of his programs.”

But audiences need not worry, Cleveland POPS is a creative team of people, and Topilow credits Gordon Petitt in their marketing office for coming up with the idea of creating the new show. [Read more…]

Preview: Cleveland POPS salutes NASA

by

by Mike Telin

NASA-LogoFor thousands of years humans believed the earth was flat and if you traveled too far you would eventually fall off the edge. It was the third century Greek scholar Eratosthenes who first began to calculate the circumference of the Earth. In the twentieth century, Ohio and specifically Cleveland, has played an important role in furthering space research. Founded in 1941as the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center actually predates NASA by 17 years and is named in honor of former senator John H. Glenn, an Ohioan who was the first American to orbit Earth.

On Friday, April 25 beginning at 8:00 pm in Severance Hall, Carl Topilow will lead the Cleveland POPS Orchestra and Chorus in a Salute to NASA. “We’re very excited about this concert. It’s literally a cast of stars,” Carl Topilow told us during a recent telephone conversation. “This is the first time we have done a salute to NASA, but they are right here in Cleveland.”

The concert honors the men and women of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration for their indomitable spirit of exploration and discovery and includes a special salute to the 25 Astronauts who come from Ohio. Special guests include NASA Glenn Director James M. Free and astronauts David Thomas and Michael Foreman. “We have astronauts, the director of the center, vocalists Lindsey Mitchell and Connor O’Brien, the chorus, members of the Contemporary Youth Orchestra and footage from space shuttle missions and exhibits in the lobby, so there is a lot happening.” [Read more…]

Cleveland POPS Orchestra announces its 2014-2015 Subscription Concerts

by

ClePops&ChorusThe Cleveland POPS Orchestra (Carl Topilow, conducting) and Chorus will present five Friday evening subscription concerts at Severance Hall next season, in addition to “The Magic of Christmas” at the Palace Theatre on November 30 at 2pm and its 19th annual New Year’s Eve Concert and Dance at Severance Hall on December 31 at 9 pm.

November 14 – Comedy Tonight: light-hearted numbers from Broadway.
February 6 – A Night at the Oscars: Academy Award-winning songs and scores.
March 6 – Sinatra Centennial with Steve Lippia.
March 27 – La Musica di Italia: popular Italian music from pop to opera to romantic Neapolitan ballads.
May 1- 15th Annual Salute to our Armed Forces.

Follow ClevelandClassical.com

Contact us