by Jarrett Hoffman

ON TODAY:

Les Délices’ unique blend of music and conversation, SalonEra, begins its second season tonight online at 7:30 pm with “Bach and Beyond.” What’s on the table? Not only interesting arrangements, but also reconstructions of music Bach theoretically could have made. Read Stephanie Manning’s preview article here.

And 8:00 pm brings the New Music Brass Fest at Cleveland State’s Drinko Hall. The program features performances by the Meridian Arts Ensemble and the Factory Seconds trio (above), including world premieres by Andrew Rindfleisch, Greg D’Alessio, and David Sanford.

Details in our Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE AREA:

Speaking of premieres, three of ‘em can be found on No Exit’s recently-announced, season-opening program, to be performed in person at three venues: Drinko Hall (September 24 at 8:00 pm), SPACES (October 1 at 8:00 pm), and Heights Arts (October 2 at 7:00 pm). Brand-new pieces by Jiří Trtík, Derrik Balogh, and Giuseppe Desiato will sit alongside music by Agata Zubel and Timothy Beyer. See the full program on the ensemble’s website.

THE NATIONAL LANDSCAPE:

After the departure of Marin Alsop from the Baltimore Symphony last month, America faces a depressing reality: there are no female music directors at the country’s 25 largest orchestras. As Javier Hernández writes in The New York Times, “Now a group of women could be on the cusp of breaking barriers” in this male-dominated sphere of music-making.

Among those quoted in the article is Apollo’s Fire artistic director Jeannette Sorrell, who says that she started the ensemble in part due to the bias she encountered as she sought to navigate a more traditional career. A major obstacle: the lack of diversity on boards.

“A lot of orchestras are still led by boards of directors who see their role as the guardians of tradition,” Sorrell says. “That is a very important role for a board, but it’s not the only role.”

Read the article here.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

A quick nod to composers Arnold Schoenberg and Robert Ward (a Cleveland-born Pulitzer winner), who were both born on this date in history, and to conductor Leopold Stokowski, who died on it. Today we’ll delve into the life of German pianist and composer Clara Schumann, née Wieck, who was born on September 13, 1819.

It was at the piano where Schumann achieved international stardom during her lifetime, becoming one of the foremost virtuosos of the 19th century. A child prodigy, she was touring Europe by age 11, and a series of recitals in Vienna at age 18 inspired a glowing response from listeners of all varieties:

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