i Cellisti! Archives - Cleveland Classical

Cleveland Cello Society’s i Cellisti! 2026 features “Cello Plus One”

March 17, 2026 by Mike Telin

by Mike Telin

Since its founding, the Cleveland Cello Society has been a valuable community resource for cultivating the appreciation for and enjoyment of all things cello.

On Friday, March 20 at 7:00 pm at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, the organization will hold its annual signature event, i Cellisti! This year’s theme, “Cello Plus One,” features eight duos composed for cello plus another instrument.

The program will also include the annual cello ensemble extravaganza. 100% of the proceeds will go to the CCS Scholarship Fund. Click here for tickets and more information.

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‘i Cellisti!’ — Cleveland Cello Society with Darrett Adkins & Oberlin Choir (Jan. 11)

January 14, 2019 by Daniel Hathaway

by Daniel Hathaway

The Cleveland Cello Society’s annual ‘i Cellisti!’ extravaganza always finds creative ways to bring multiple cellos together, but on Friday, January 11 at St. Paul’s Church in Cleveland Heights, CCS outdid itself. Publicity originally promised a choir of 24 cellos — an impressive gathering — but that number had been upped to 40 last week. Ultimately, 52 cellists were arranged in a vast circle around the nave of the church at the beginning of the concert, along with the 45 members of the Oberlin College Choir. A critical mass indeed. [Read more…]

Heights Chamber Orchestra with Mark Kosower (Mar. 22)

by Kevin McLaughlin

Joseph Haydn’s C major Cello Concerto has had an unusual life. Written in the 1760s, likely for the Esterházy cellist Joseph Weigl, it disappeared for nearly two centuries before resurfacing in a Prague museum in 1961. Since then it has become central to the cello repertory — admired for its clarity, proportion, and wit.

Mark Kosower, principal cello of The Cleveland Orchestra, brought distinction to the Heights Chamber Orchestra’s program on Sunday, March 22 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, shaping Haydn’s Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Andante cantabile with clarity and poise. He made Haydn’s charm into a jewel, and the afternoon into something memorable.

Kosower is a smiling, modest man onstage, but his musicianship told the larger story. His playing was assured and clear, his passagework was clean and sonorous, and his phrasing logical. In the intimate space, you could watch his left hand at work — precise, disciplined, like five little soldiers carrying out orders. The cadenzas in all three movements were his own — feats of daring in classical style, full of well-turned, lucid flourishes.

[Read on…]

Cleveland Composers Guild: American Mosaic (Mar. 19)

by Kevin McLaughlin

The Cleveland Composers Guild marked the approaching 250th anniversary of the United States on Thursday evening, March 19, at Saint Francis Chapel of John Carroll University with American Mosaic. Faculty performers from JCU joined the university’s Wind Ensemble in a program that paired familiar American fare with recent works by Guild composers — an odd patchwork of band music, art song, and new vocal works that surprised but ultimately pleased.

What linked this varied program was its ballad-like storytelling, direct expression, and an unembarrassed urge to communicate.

Gayle Getts and the JCU Wind Ensemble opened with Aaron Copland’s noble Fanfare for the Common Man in Robert Longfield’s arrangement for band. Written during World War II as part of Eugene Goossens’ fanfare project, Copland’s valedictory has outlived its companions and settled comfortably into the culture. Modest in numbers (about 19 players), the ensemble had a town-band quality — a little rough around the edges — but they were well prepared, and in obvious sympathy with the music they were there to perform. [Read on…]

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