by Daniel Hathaway
Cellist Deborah Pae will journey to Cleveland this weekend for the musical equivalent of a blind date with David Ellis and his Earth and Air: String Orchestra. “I’ve not met David yet,” the cellist said in a telephone conversation. “The first rehearsal will be our first introduction.” Pae will be the featured soloist in a program of music by Jeffrey Mumford and Tchaikovsky on Friday evening, April 6 at 7:30 pm at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights.
Mumford acted as matchmaker for Pae’s concert with Earth and Air. In November of 2016, he brought the cellist to the Signature Series at Lorain County Community College for a solo recital, an engagement which came about in a similar fashion. “Jeffrey simply wrote to me through my website,” Pae said. “He really loves writing for the cello. I was still transitioning from Europe back to the States, and it took a while to discuss projects and possibilities.”
After that solo recital, Mumford suggested Ellis’ string orchestra to Pae, who is professor of cello at Eastern Michigan University and cellist with the Formosa Quartet. [Read more…]
In celebration of the summer solstice on June 21, Cleveland inaugurated its first Make Music Day. Over 700 cities worldwide participate in this open-to-all festival, launched in 1982 by the French Ministry of Culture. Local venues offered performances throughout the city, including the Cleveland Clinic, the Bop Stop, Edgewater Park, Stone Mad Park, Toast, the Happy Dog, and many others. 
The newest addition to Cleveland’s classical music scene, Earth and Air: String Orchestra, made its debut on Thursday, October 8 in Tucker Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. Founder and director David Ellis chose a challenging program entitled “Prague Serenades” that featured Antonín Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings, Op. 22, and the Serenade, Op. 6 by Dvořák’s student (and son-in-law), Josef Suk. 
“Creating an ensemble dedicated to the performance of music for large string ensemble is an idea that has been circulating in my thoughts for some time,” conductor, cellist, and viola da gambist David B. Ellis said during a recent telephone conversation.