by  Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING TODAY:

Tonight at 7, the West Shore Chorale will hold its 2024 Summer Sing at Rocky River Memorial Hall. All are welcome to sing through Beethoven’s Mass in C with Chorale members. Scores will be provided.

IN THE NEWS: 

On Monday afternoon, Cleveland.com reported that after 30 years on the job, “Victoria Bussert (pictured), the program director at Baldwin Wallace’s acclaimed Music Theatre program, is leaving the university at the end of the 2024-25 academic year to head up Oberlin College’s new Music Theater program, officials at both institutions announced on Monday.”

Susan Van Vorst, Dean of the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, told cleveland.com “she was shocked when informed of Bussert’s decision…Bussert’s departure begins a period of transition for the Baldwin Wallace program as music director Matthew Webb and acting/directing professor Laura Welsh Berg are headed to Oberlin, too.” [Read more…]

by  Daniel Hathaway

HONORED:

Youngstown State University Dana School of Music has announced that its student Ryan Lamb has won the gold medal at the highly competitive Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival, held from August 9-12 at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. Read the press release here.

INTERESTING READS:

The New York Times has published a story by Pam Belluck about cellist Joshua Roman (pictured) and his continuing struggle to recover from Long Covid. A native of Oklahoma City, Roman studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Richard Aaron and Desmond Hoebig, and was appointed principal cello of the Seattle Symphony at the age of 22.

Princeton University musicology professor Simon Morrison challenges long-standing notions about Pyotr Tchaikovsky in his Guardian article, Tchaikovsky was not tragic but had a Monty Python sense of humor.

“His biography has been shamefully distorted by scholars — almost in a way you could say is homophobic — because they represent him as a tortured gay man who was unhappy in his life and his love, and his music is thus reduced to the sound of suffering.

“But he wasn’t any of those things. He was successful, had a lot of love from family and friends, wealth, boyfriends, girlfriends. He really had quite a fabulous life.” [Read more…]

by  Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING TODAY:

Two events are on the docket today, both at 7 pm.

Gearing up for their forthcoming European tour, Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra will play two Austrian symphonies on the Summers at Severance series — Mozart’s 35th and Bruckner’s 4th. From August 26 through September 7, the Orchestra will play eight performances in six European cities: Berlin, Helsinki, Lucerne, Ansfelden, Bratislava, and Vienna.

And the Cleveland Museum of Art will present a Third Thursday at Transformer Station concert by the Aidan Plank Ensemble hosted by Ideastream Public Media radio personality Dan Polletta.

For details of these and other classical events, visit the ClevelandClassical.com Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Cleveland Orchestra has received a $5 million gift from The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation in support of the Kelvin Smith Family Chair held by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst.

[Read more…]

CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION FINAL RANKINGS:

FIRST PLACE: Zijian Wei
SECOND PLACE: Evren Ozel
THIRD PLACE: Maxim Lando
FOURTH PLACE: Giuseppi Guarrera

Go to pianocleveland.org to view all prizes.

For details of classical events, visit the ClevelandClassical.com Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Due to continuing power and Internet outages, the Diary, Almanac, and Newsletter will return on Thursday.

 

by  Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING TODAY:

This evening at 6:30, the Canton Symphony’s Summer Serenades brings a harp & flute duet to Fry Family Park in Magnolia, and at 7 pm, The Cleveland Orchestra presents an evening with John Legend (pictured) at Blossom. Anthony Parnther conducts (read a preview interview here).

For details of these and other classical events, visit the ClevelandClassicaal.com Concert Listings.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

by Jarrett Hoffman

The Amati are one of the most important families of luthiers in the history of the violin, and on this date in 1684, the greatest instrument maker in that family, Nicola Amati, died in Cremona, Italy. [Read more…]

by  Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING TODAY:

This evening at 7 pm, the Cleveland International Piano Competition continues with part one of its Salon Round. Giuseppe Guarrera (Italy) and Zijian Wei: (China) will each perform a 45-60 minute program in historic Glidden House on Ford Drive in University Circle. “In the grand tradition of salons, personal narratives and histories will be interspersed throughout the program.” Click here for ticket information.

For details of these and other classical events, visit the ClevelandClassicaal.com Concert Listings.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

Czech-American composer Karel Husa was born in Prague on August 7, 1921. [Read more…]

by  Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING TODAY:

This evening at 7 pm, the Cleveland International Piano Competition continues with part one of its Salon Round. Evren Ozel (USA) and Maxim Lando (USA) will each perform a 45-60 minute program in historic Glidden House on Ford Drive in University Circle. “In the grand tradition of salons, personal narratives and histories will be interspersed throughout the program.” Click here for ticket information.

For details of these and other classical events, visit the ClevelandClassicaal.com Concert Listings.

INTERESTING READS:

In a Facebook post yesterday, assistant principal oboist Jeffrey Rathbun offered an insight into The Cleveland Orchestra’s three performances of a Lord of the Rings film last weekend. [Read more…]

by  Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING TODAY:

Following the Semi-Final round on Sunday afternoon, the jury announced the four finalists in the 2024 Cleveland International Piano Competition: Maxim Lando (USA), Evren Ozel (USA), Giuseppe Guarrera (Italy), and Zijian Wei (China).

They’ll undoubtedly be spending today practicing for the Salon Round on Tuesday and Wednesday at Glidden House, and the Final Round on Friday and Saturday at Severance Music Center with The Cleveland Orchestra.

Meanwhile, at 10 am, the competition jurors will coach piano students from around Northeast Ohio in master classes at The Music Settlement (free and open to the public).

For details of these and other classical events, visit the ClevelandClassicaal.com Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Cleveland Jazz Orchestra has announced its 40th Anniversary season at the Maltz Performing Arts Center, with subscriptions to go on sale August 9. [Read more…]

by  Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND

The Semi-Final Round of the Cleveland International Piano Competition continues this weekend in Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Music Center.

Six competitors will each play 25-30 minute solo recitals, followed by the performance of a trio of their choice with violinist Maria Ioudenitch and cellist Gabriel Martins. Attend in person or watch a live stream (tickets and details here).

Here is the schedule for the weekend sessions of the Semi-Finals:

Friday, August 2 at 7 PM:
Jonathan Mamora, (29, United States) & Zhu Wang (27, China) [Read more…]