by Mike Telin

It’s never too early for young musicians to begin working with living composers. Since 1992, the Cleveland Composers Guild’s Creativity: Learning through Experience program has matched talented young performers aged 18 and under with Guild members, who write pieces specifically for the students to perform. On Sunday, May 7 at 3:00 pm, the Cleveland Composers Guild will celebrate the silver anniversary of this special program with a concert in Harkness Chapel on the campus of Case Western Reserve University.

During the past 24 years, 296 compositions have been premiered through the program — 409 students have performed, and 317 teachers and coaches have prepared those performances. “It is kind of amazing,” Guild chair Margi Griebling-Haigh said during a telephone conversation. “I have the records of all the pieces, including composers, performers, and private teachers.”

Griebling-Haigh, who has been involved with the Learning through Experience program from its inception, credited then-Composers Guild chair Marshall Griffith for its creation. [Read more…]