Henry Lawrence Freeman Archives - Cleveland Classical

DIARY: Monday, October 9, 2023

October 9, 2023 by Jarrett Hoffman

by Jarrett Hoffman

IN THIS EDITION:

•Today: Les Délices premieres Season 4 of SalonEra with “Celestial Soundtrack”

•R.I.P. Donald Byo

•Virtual events from Assembly for the Arts: Guaranteed Basic Income for artists, and a new economic impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture organizations

•Announcements: honors for CIM student pianist Soo Ji Lee, and an upcoming instrument drive from Center for Arts-Inspired Learning

•Almanac: two composers with Cleveland connections — Henry Lawrence Freeman and Raymond Wilding-White

HAPPENING TODAY:

Today brings the Season 4 premiere of Les Délices’ SalonEra series. The first episode, “Celestial Soundtrack,” explores mathematics and music through the musical worlds of Galileo Galilei and his father, composer Vincenzo Galilei, as well as the life and music of 18th-century astronomer and composer William Herschel. The episode is curated by violinist Shelby Yamin, with three special guests: astronomer Juan Lora, lutenist Charles Weaver, and cellist Léonie Adams of the Dionysus Ensemble. Watch here.

[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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