Itzhak Perlman Archives - Cleveland Classical

Cleveland Orchestra draws standing ovations at Blossom for Itzhak Perlman’s return (July 9)

July 21, 2026 by Kevin McLaughlin

by Kevin McLaughlin

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A standing ovation greeted violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman as he entered the Blossom Music Center Stage stage in a motorized wheelchair, the first of three accolades he would receive on Thursday evening, July 9. Wearing his familiar smile, he went not to the podium but to a position beside concertmaster Joel Link, where he would both play and conduct the first two works in this all-Beethoven program.

The Cleveland Orchestra has presented eminent soloists in multiple roles before — but Perlman’s appearance, in his 80th year, made Thursday’s concert especially charged.

Itzhak Perlman’s celebratory visit turns Severance Music Center into a ‘Fiddler’s House’ (Apr. 8)

April 14, 2025 by Stephanie Manning

by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — There’s a Yiddish saying that goes, “In the fiddler’s house, everyone dances.” Admittedly, in Severance Music Center on Tuesday night, April 8, it took some coaxing before a small but joyful group of people stood up, joined hands, and began snaking through the aisles.

Getting the audience on their feet is a trademark of Itzhak Perlman’s touring program “In the Fiddler’s House,” a celebration of traditional Jewish klezmer music. [Read more…]

DIARY: Tuesday, November 8, 2022

November 8, 2022 by Jarrett Hoffman

by Jarrett Hoffman

IN TODAY’S EDITION:

•Itzhak Perlman and Daniel Barenboim: matters of health in the news, and a performance of Brahms’ First Violin Sonata

•The death of César Franck, and his “musical last will and testament”

Kazuki Yamada brings sunny energy to multifaceted Cleveland Orchestra program (Aug. 1)

by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — To clap or not to clap between movements — that is the question many Cleveland Orchestra audience members faced on Saturday night at Blossom Music Center. Luckily, Japanese guest conductor Kazuki Yamada had an answer.

Hearing some scattered applause after the first movement of Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, Yamada turned his head, smiled, and gently put his own hands together. That moment gave the crowd the green light they needed to join in.

Yamada’s willingness to engage with listeners felt like an extension of his genial personality, which allowed him to lead The Cleveland Orchestra on August 1 with both excitement and poise.

Cleveland Orchestra principal trombone brings 24 carat tone to concerto debut (July 30)

by Daniel Hathaway

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, OHIO — The July 30th Summers at Severance concert by The Cleveland Orchestra celebrated a beautiful evening, with many people decked out in their summer best enjoying pre-concert drinks and nibbles on the terraces and in the grand foyer of Severance Music Center. It was terrific to see a capacity crowd that included so many younger people enjoying the amenities of Severance — and the energy their reactions brought to the program of music by Joseph Haydn, Nino Rota, and Camille Saint-Saëns was memorable.

CIPC for Young Artists: Final Concerto Round (July 31)

by Daniel Hathaway

The last lap in the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists brought the six finalists together with conductor Steven Byess and the Canton Symphony on the stage of Kulas Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music on Friday evening, July 31.

After putting the young musicians through Magic Flute-like trials to test their mettle in solo performances, chamber music, and master classes with Jean-Yves Thibaudet (the latter an innovation designed to assess their adaptability to interpretational suggestions), it was time to hear how they reacted to the real-world scenario of sharing the stage and making music with a conductor and an orchestra. (In consideration of the competitors’ ages, only the first movements of works were performed.) [Read on…]

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