By Daniel Hautzinger
A back-lit beer cooler casting its light on rows of folding chairs. Vivacious artwork hanging from the walls. Popcorn tumbling from bag to hand to mouth. The murmur of conversations smoothed by wine. Plus the fine musicians of ChamberFest, having a ball.
On June 25, at the midpoint of its ten-concert run, ChamberFest Cleveland relaxed into the Cleveland Heights art gallery-cum-wine and beer store The Wine Spot for some cheerful short works, wisely enhanced by amplification. For who wants to hear stodgy old Brahms in such a setting? (Though Brahms certainly loved his beer). [Read more…]
On Wednesday, June 25, Mike Telin had the opportunity to attend a ChamberFest Cleveland rehearsal of Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera for String Quartet and Pipa, with Water, Stones, Paper and Metal, which will be presented in Kulas Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music on Saturday, June 28 at 8:00 pm. The performance will feature the world premiere of choreography by GroundWorks Dance Theater artistic director David Shimotakahara. The performance promises to be an emotional experience. Tan Dun’s music is captivating and the choreography adds a new and wonderful dimension to the music. The production is a collaboration that requires a lot of sharing of ideas between the musicians, the dancers and the collective. As violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti said, “I’ve never done anything like this before. You can only prepare so much at home, because everything needs to be discussed with your colleagues. But we’re all having a great time!” (Click on the images to enlarge.) 
In an interview last week, oboist Alex Klein told us that he looked forward to ChamberFest’s Family Concert. “I confess that when I was with the Chicago Symphony the thing I liked to do most were the family concerts. To walk on stage and hear the buzz of children talking is very stimulating.” Klein went on to say that his program would not be the typical Peter and the Wolf concert but rather would include works by experimental composers as well as portions of Bach’s Goldberg Variations arranged for sting trio. “OK I thought, a room full of kids listening to Berio and Xenakis – what could possibly go wrong?” On Saturday morning, June 21 a large number of families gathered at MOCA and were treated to a 50-minute concert that that held everyone in rapt attention.
ChamberFest Cleveland is doing it right. With ten concerts over eleven days blends thoughtful programming, diverse venues, exceptional musicians, and a convivial vibe for a musical experience as refreshing and sweet as the ice cream that’s served after some of the concerts. It’s an ideal model for the future of classical music.
Sometime in the next year, Noah Bendix-Balgley will leave his position as concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which he won when he was 27 in 2011. Why leave such a desirable chair, especially when he was appointed at such a young age? To become first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, one of the most prestigious orchestras in the world.
ChamberFest Cleveland’s savvy programming strategy continued on Saturday, June 21 with a 5:00 pm concert at MOCA Cleveland that paired an edgy solo cello work by Iannis Xenakis with a daring arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations for string trio.
In their “Message from The Directors”, ChamberFest Cleveland artist directors Diana and Franklin Cohen write, “According to the Greek philosopher and mathematician, Pythagoras, the number three is the ‘noblest of digits’ because it is the only number that equals the sum of its parts. Like that noble number, ChamberFest Cleveland’s third anniversary season, THREE!, is possible because of what has come before.”