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Cleveland POPS New Year’s Eve: meet vocalist Melinda Doolittle

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by Mike Telin

doolittle-melinda“Some of my favorite shows are singing with pops orchestras,” vocalist and American Idol winner Melinda Doolittle said during a recent telephone conversation. “It’s such an exhilarating feeling. There’s nothing like having a massive orchestra behind you playing the songs you love. And this is my very first New Year’s Eve symphony show, so I’m even more excited.”

On Saturday, December 31st at Severance Hall, Carl Topilow and the Cleveland POPS Orchestra will ring in 2017 with their 21st Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration. The festivities begin at 9:00 pm with a two-hour concert featuring Melinda Doolittle and the Orchestra  performing Broadway songs, contemporary pops and jazz hits, and a tribute to some of the great American soul singers — Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, Gloria Gaynor, and Marvin Gaye. [Read more…]

Cleveland Pops: “The Name is Bond…James Bond” at Severance (Nov. 12)

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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. As much as fans of 007 anticipate the release of each new film to see what forces of evil the British Intelligence Officer will thwart, it’s the iconic theme songs that make Bond films special. [Read more…]

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

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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 Orchestra pays homage to the film music of
John Williams

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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…]

Musical life after the holidays:
a cornucopia of January concerts

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by Daniel Hathaway

Bronfman-FWM-TCONow that winter has finally arrived and the excitement of the holidays has subsided, it’s tempting to burrow in and hibernate for a few weeks. But there’s plenty to do during January. Let’s have a look at some of what the month has to offer, beginning with orchestra concerts.

Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra are back at work early in the month with a round of all-Beethoven concerts from January 7-9 featuring pianist Yefim Bronfman (left) in the third piano concerto, and Bronfman and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus in the Choral Fantasy. Soprano Barbara Hannigan will be featured in the U.S. premiere of Hans Abrahamsen’s let me tell you on January 14 and 15, sharing a program with Dmitri Shostakovich’s fourth symphony. On Saturday the 16th, Robert Porco will lead the annual Martin Luther King Jr Celebration, followed by a Severance Hall Open House on Monday the 17th from 12 Noon to 5 pm. Community ensemble performances will be bracketed by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus (12:30) and Youth Orchestra (4:15). The Cleveland Philharmonic will host its own MLK Observance at Tri-C Metro Auditorium on Sunday, January 17. [Read more…]

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

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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…]

Preview: Cleveland POPS to salute Marvin Hamlisch February 21

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by Mike Telin

Hamlisch&CIMOrchIf you were asked to name one musical by the late great Marvin Hamlisch, chances are you’d say A Chorus Line. “I think the whole idea of A Chorus Line is amazing in itself,” says Cleveland Pops Conductor Carl Topilow, “and it is the work that distinguished him and made him very special. All you have to hear are the opening rhythms and you know exactly what it is. It’s so iconic.”

On Friday, February 21st beginning at 8:00 pm in Severance Hall, Topilow will lead The Cleveland POPS Orchestra in a concert dedicated to Hamlisch’s music. “Marvin Hamlisch, A Musical Legacy” features many of the composer’s most beloved music from A Chorus Line, Ice Castles and The Way We Were. Topliow will be joined by three stars of musical theatre, Donna McKechnie, Jodi Benson and Doug LaBrecque.

Prior to his 2011 performance with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra (pictured above), we asked Hamlisch why he thought A Chorus Line resonates with so many. [Read more…]

Preview: Cleveland Pops Orchestra to present a night in New Orleans

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by Mike Telin

TOPILOW-red-clarinet“Music and Fun for Everyone!” For seventeen years the Cleveland Pops Orchestra has been presenting concerts that feature the music of Hollywood and Broadway along with light classics and jazz. “It’s music you can hum along with or tap your toes to and that you can just enjoy,” says Cleveland Pops founder and conductor Carl Topilow. On Friday, May 3rd beginning at 8:00 pm in Severance Hall, Topilow and his orchestra will present an evening of New Orleans Jazz featuring trumpeter Byron Stripling. We spoke to the multi-faceted Carl Topilow by telephone and began by asking him about the evening’s program.

Carl Topilow: In keeping with the New Orleans theme, the concert features Hershy Kay’s arrangement of Louis Gottschalk’s Cakewalk Suite, a medley from Showboat and Mardi Gras from Ferde Grofé’s Mississippi Suite. Byron will join the orchestra in tunes like Bourbon Street Parade, St. James Infirmary, Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone and Sweet Georgia Brown. I’ll also join in with my clarinet, that’s always something very special for me. [Read more…]

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