by Mike Telin
“I’m so honored to be making my Cleveland debut — I love the city,” Guitarist An Tran said during a Zoom conversation. “I’ve been there twice. The first time was to go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The second time was for the Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival in the summer — not to play, just for fun. And now, I finally get to play there.”
On Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 pm at the Maltz Performing Arts Center, The Cleveland Classical Guitar Society continues its International Series with program by Chicago-based, Vietnamese guitarist An Tran. Tickets are available online.
Spend a few minutes with Marko Topchii, and you’ll know he’s a performer that likes to bend convention. The guitarist took the stage at the Maltz Performing Arts Center on March 8 wearing a baby blue suit jacket over a graphic tee, before promptly announcing that he was adding another piece to the program. Instead of kicking things off with Frederic Hand’s Undercurrents, his first selection was a brief, reflective work called Ground, written by his mother.
Ever since Punxsutawney Phil popped his head out to predict six more weeks of winter, Clevelanders have seen no respite from the cold and snowy weather. So February 11 was as good a winter day as any to escape to sunny Spain, via the latest concert from the Cleveland Chamber Music Society.
The theme of the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society’s latest concert season emphasizes the new and different — with plenty of debuts, contemporary works, and creative ways of looking at music. That was the case on October 26 for Jorge Caballero’s program. All three pieces he brought to the Maltz Performing Arts Center were rare to hear, each for different reasons.