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CMA launches Third Thursdays: a conversation with Gabe Pollack

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by Max Newman

If you are looking for musical experiences in Cleveland that are both thoroughly enjoyable and wholly unique, look no further than the programming put on by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Whether it be the eclectic concerts that grace Gartner Auditorium, the danceable, outdoor fun of City Stages, or any of CMA’s other wonderful offerings, there is truly something for everyone within the Museum’s programming.

Now, CMA is kickstarting another event series — Third Thursdays at Transformer Station — which will have its first show on June 20 at 7:00 pm. (Note that the concert is now sold out.) Admission is free, but tickets are required.

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Mantra Percussion at Transformer Station (Feb. 23)

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by Mike Telin

mantra percussionThose who were lucky enough to have a ticket to the Mantra Percussion concert on Friday, February 23 at Transformer Station were treated to a spectacular sonic feast for the ears.

The evening consisted of a single work, Michael Gordon’s hour-long Timber, scored for six instruments known as simantras — 2×4’s mounted on metal frames and struck with mallets and fingers. Rooted in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical tradition, the instruments were first introduced into classical music by composer Iannis Xenakis. The concert was presented as part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Performing Arts Series.

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CMA: cellist Jeffrey Zeigler at Transformer Station (April 26)

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by Timothy Robson

ZieglerCellist Jeffrey Zeigler’s April 26 recital at Transformer Station, sponsored by the Cleveland Museum of Art, typified his performances: variety and virtuosity aplenty — something for everyone willing to open their ears. Zeigler falls into that category of “super-performer” whose technique is seemingly unlimited, and who can make the most thorny contemporary music sound approachable, however austere and dissonant. [Read more…]

Cellist Jeffrey Zeigler to play at Transformer Station April 26

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by Mike Telin

Jeffrey Zeigler photoTo make it in the music business, you need to be able to capitalize on any opportunity that comes your way. Someone who has always been prepared to do exactly that is the versatile cellist Jeffrey Zeigler. A former member of the Kronos Quartet, Zeigler has premiered works by John Adams, Henryk Gorecki, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and John Zorn. He has collaborated with a diverse roster of artists including Laurie Anderson, Vijay Iyer, Glenn Kotche, David Krakauer, Kimmo Pohjonen, and Tom Waits. On Wednesday, April 26 at 7:30 pm at Transformer Station, Zeigler will present a solo recital as part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Performing Arts Series.

Given Zeigler’s diverse career, what does he have in store for his Transformer Station concert? “I’m excited about the program that I’m bringing to Cleveland,” the cellist said during a recent telephone conversation. “It’s a bit eclectic and will include some technology and some good, old-fashioned solo cello pieces. I think the musical language has a really nice breadth to it, so I hope to take the audience on a sonic and emotional journey.”

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CMA: Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ lights up Transformer Station (Oct. 26)

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by Jarrett Hoffman

VOSome performers like to talk to the audience during a concert, providing insight into the program, inviting them to get up and dance, or maybe just shooting the breeze. Last Sunday night, October 26, on the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Performing Arts Series at Transformer Station in Ohio City, Vietnamese traditional performer and composer Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ took audience participation a step further. [Read more…]

Review: CMA Concerts at Transformer Station — Frode Haltli, Norwegian accordionist (April 27)

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by Mike Telin

HALTLI-FrodeOn Sunday, April 27 the CMA Concerts at Transformer Station series concluded its inaugural season with a stunningly beautiful performance by Norwegian virtuoso classical accordionist Frode Haltli.

If you’re wondering about the term “classical accordionist,” you’re not alone. The instrument has yet to be recognized in many parts of the world as one associated with classical music. However by the end of his program that featured music by Hans Abrahamsen, Magnar Åm, Arne Nordheim and Aldo Clementi, Haltli had more than made a convincing case that the term is indeed fitting.

Written in 2006 and dedicated to Haltli, Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen’s Air is a simple atmospheric piece that worked perfectly as an opener to the program. The colors and subtle timbre changes Haltli produced were astonishing. [Read more…]

Preview: CMA at Transformer Station — Norwegian accordionist Frode Haltli

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by Mike Telin

HALTLI-FrodeOn Sunday, April 27 beginning at 7:30 pm, CMA Concerts at Transformer Station presents Norwegian virtuoso classical accordionist Frode Haltli. The program features music by Hans Abrahamsen, Magnar Åm, Arne Nordheim and Aldo Clementi. “Even though this program is classical contemporary music, I think it reflects my interests in different kinds of music,” Haltli said during a telephone conversation from his home in Norway. “It’s not your ordinary contemporary music, it [ventures] out into many different directions.”

If you’re wondering about the term “classical accordion” you’re not alone. The instrument has yet to be recognized in many parts of the world as one associated with classical music. So why is that different in Scandinavia? “It really is because of one person, Danish player Mogens Ellegaard. He was the first accordionist to introduce the instrument to real composers in Scandinavia. He really developed the accordion in a more classical way, although in my view it will never be a traditional “classical” instrument.”

Perhaps not, but if you take a quick glance at Haltli’s repertoire list on his website, you will find many recognizable contemporary composers such as Berio, Lindberg, Pintscher, Gubaidulina and Zorn, all of whom have composed for the instrument. [Read more…]

Review: Violinist Miranda Cuckson — CMA @ Transformer Station (April 1)

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by Mike Telin

CUCKSON-MirandaIf you don’t know violinist Miranda Cuckson, you should. Cuckson, who has firmly established herself as one of the foremost interpreters of contemporary music — especially on the east coast — presented two area concerts last week at LCCC’s Signature Series (March 31) and CMA@ Transformer Station (April 1). I heard the Transformer Station concert.

Miranda Cuckson, who admits to having accumulated quite a bit of repertoire, admirably arrived with not one, but two concerts’ worth, nine works in total and including some of the most technically and physically demanding compositions in the contemporary solo violin canon.

Although soft spoken and slight of frame, Cuckson is a commanding performer with technique to spare. She possesses a bow arm that would be the envy of many violinists. She also has an instinctive ability for making sense out of the most abstract musical structures and conveying them to the listener. Throughout the performance her intonation was impeccable and her sound rich and focused no matter what dynamic level the music required. [Read more…]

Preview: Violinist Miranda Cuckson to appear both at LCCC and Transformer Station next week

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by Mike Telin

CUCKSON-MirandaCalled “top-notch in all respects” (Sequenza 21) and “an artist to be reckoned with” (Gramophone), violinist and violist Miranda Cuckson is highly acclaimed for her performances of a wide range of repertoire, from early eras to the most current creations. “The core repertoire is still very much a part of me as a musician, but I feel I need to relate to the time that I am living in,” the engaging Cuckson said by telephone when asked why she chose to follow new music as her career path.

“I also just have a bit of an adventurous streak in terms of discovering new means of expression and new ways of making sounds and ways of playing my instrument. And the more I got into that the more fascinating I found it.”

On Monday, March 31 as part of Lorain County Community College’s Signature Series and on Tuesday, April 1 as part of the CMA@Transformer Station Series, Miranda Cuckson will present concerts featuring adventurous music for solo violin.

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Preview: Fred Frith to perform both at Oberlin and Transformer Station

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by Mike Telin

FRITH-Fred“Fred Frith is unique among improvisers in his ability to draw so effortlessly on such a wide variety of styles,” Oberlin Conservatory Assistant Professor of Computer Music and Digital Arts Peter Swendsen said during a recent telephone conversation. “His styles range from the purely sonic abstract worlds that we might think of as electro-acoustic, to things that draw extensively on popular forms, on jazz, on music for film and dance. His comfort zone is everything and everywhere.”

This week Northeast Ohio audiences will have two opportunities to hear the acclaimed songwriter, composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist when Fred Frith performs concerts on Wednesday, February 26 at 8:00 pm in Fairchild Chapel (Bosworth Hall) at Oberlin College and Friday, February 28 at 7:30 pm as part of the CMA Concerts at Transformer Station series.

Swendsen, who studied with Frith while doing graduate work at Mills College, remembers him as a wonderful teacher who was very supportive. [Read more…]

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