Hector Berlioz Archives - Cleveland Classical

DIARY: Monday, December 11, 2023

December 11, 2023 by Jarrett Hoffman

by Jarrett Hoffman

IN THIS EDITION:

•Today: SalonEra continues with “Songs for Social Justice,” featuring tenor Haitham Haidar and countertenor Michael Walker (left to right).

•Announcements: a program to introduce U.S.-based performing artists to international presenters, Ohio Arts Council grants, and two new ASO hornists

•Interesting reads: a bill focusing on consumer protections for tickets to live entertainment, the effects of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s recent visit to China, and the creation of KSU marching band half-time performances

•Almanac: Hector Berlioz and his Sacred Trilogy, and the debut concert of The Cleveland Orchestra

HAPPENING TODAY:

Les Délices’ SalonEra series continues its fourth season with “Songs for Social Justice,” premiering tonight on YouTube and Facebook at 7:30 pm, and already available in podcast form. “Renaissance lute songs, African American Spirituals, and traditional Lebanese melodies become vehicles for storytelling as Michael Walker (countertenor) and Haitham Haidar (tenor) explore themes of identity and representation, struggle and resilience, and community and belonging.” The episode was filmed in front of a live studio audience at Heights Theater earlier this fall — a first for SalonEra.

[Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra’s holiday concerts return with plenty of festive cheer (Dec. 11)

by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — If the twinkling lights, leafy green garlands and festive poinsettias didn’t already clue you in, the holidays have arrived at Severance Music Center. ‘Tis the season for annual traditions — including The Cleveland Orchestra’s holiday concerts, which began on Wednesday evening.

Running through December 22, the programs feature plenty of seasonal classics plus some potential new favorites. The first performance proved that this mix is a delightful recipe for festive cheer.

“Look at you all, out on a school night!” conductor Sarah Hicks proclaimed joyfully from the podium. Just as many concertgoers donned red outfits to get into the spirit, Mandel Concert Hall was also decked out with decorations and stage lighting effects.

[Read on…]

Oberlin Conservatory convincingly tells Omar’s story (Dec. 8)

by Stephanie Manning

The Cleveland premiere of Rhiannon Giddens’ and Michael Abels’ Pultizer Prize-winning opera Omar on December 8 at the Maltz Performing Arts Center proved that concert productions of opera can succeed without sets, elaborate costumes and extensive staging. Indeed, the Oberlin Conservatory presentation offered more than enough to keep the audience in the crowded house enthralled.

The Opera, which was also presented at Oberlin’s Finney Chapel two days earlier, is based on the 1831 autobiography of Muslim scholar Omar ibn Said, the only such work written by an enslaved person during their enslavement, and the only such document written in Arabic.

Rhiannon Giddens’ brilliant libretto chronicles the life of ibn Said, beginning in present-day Senegal and following him through his capture, journey via the Middle Passage, and enslavement in North and South Carolina. [Read on…]

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