by Kevin McLaughlin
Early May is when things begin again — the ground softens, and routines return.
Under the direction of Daniel Meyer, BlueWater Chamber Orchestra’s program on Saturday, May 2, “Rustic Reverie,” traced that process in works by Douglas Moore, Joseph Canteloube, and Joseph Haydn.
The concert’s high point was American-Canadian soprano Midori Marsh’s return to Cleveland and Covenant Church. A native of Cleveland Heights who attended the church in her youth, Marsh has spent recent months touring as Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera, including a stop at Playhouse Square.
Marsh offered a poised account of several of Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne. A young singer still finding her ease onstage, she brings a springlike quality to her voice — bright highs alongside a honeyed middle, and a quiet inwardness that lends the melodies and texts a settled, almost conspiratorial depth.
When the Phantom of the Opera North American tour visits Playhouse Square in April 2027, Midori Marsh will have plenty of reasons to celebrate. The soprano — who is currently playing the role of Carlotta — grew up in Cleveland Heights, and the city is still home to many of her friends and family.