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Piano Days: Natalie Tenenbaum at the Hanna (Aug. 2)

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By Peter Feher

Piano bars are popular again, declared the New York Post in 2022, and Northeast Ohio got in on the trend earlier this month courtesy of Piano Cleveland.

For the final concert of the presenter’s annual Piano Days series on Saturday, Aug. 2, New York-based performer Natalie Tenenbaum took over Playhouse Square’s intimate Hanna Theatre with a swanky soundtrack that ranged from Frédéric Chopin to Michael Jackson.

The evening, titled “The Piano // Re-Imagined,” felt like a lounge set on steroids, combining genres to crowd-pleasing effect. The only thing missing was cocktail chatter — Tenenbaum held the audience rapt, recital-style, with her tremendous technique at the keyboard.

[Read more…]

Piano Days: Kotaro Fukuma in the Atrium at Cleveland Museum of Art (July 29)

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by Daniel Hathaway

The motto of Piano Cleveland’s Piano Days, “Celebrate piano in all its forms,” included ticketed events as well as many free “Community” performances and happenings.

At noon on Tuesday, July 29, what was described as a sound installation brought Japanese pianist Kotaro Fukuma back to Cleveland, where he had taken first prize in the 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition, to play an hour-long pop-up concert of Japanese music in the atrium of the Cleveland Museum of Art. (Fukuma also performed a more formal program in CIM’a Mixon Hall later in the week).

The Ames Family Atrium is a wonderful venue for a community concert. Rafael Vinoly’s great enclosed space that connects the old and new parts of the museum invites informal gatherings as well as structured events, and whatever happens there inevitably attracts an audience of passersby as well as planned attendees. [Read more…]

The 5 Browns: five pianos, 440 keys, and a visit to “The Edge of The World” (July 20)

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by Stephanie Manning

Music for five pianos is rare enough — so The 5 Browns knew that if they wanted to play a concerto together, they’d need to create their own. That’s exactly what the sibling quintet achieved in 2011, when the Ravinia Festival commissioned composer Nico Muhly to write The Edge of the World.

For their visit to Cleveland, the group gave their program the same title, with the theme of exploring uncharted territory. On July 20, they treated the audience at Playhouse Square’s Mimi Ohio Theatre to plenty of familiar tunes. But the visual and auditory spectacle of their performance, which opened Piano Cleveland’s 2025 Piano Days series, was the real draw.

Although they have kept their name the same, the group is technically now The 5 ‘B’s — four Browns and a Beus. Stephen Beus joined the Brown siblings Desirae, Deondra, Gregory, and Melody after Ryan Brown’s departure in 2023. But just by watching them play together, it’s impossible to tell Beus isn’t a Brown himself. The quintet’s synchronization never faltered during the almost two-hour program, even during Muhly’s challenging concerto.

[Read more…]

Utsav Lal at Piano Days: Indian classical music with new interpretations (July 22)

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by Kevin McLaughlin

Pianist Utsav Lal’s solo concert at the Lorraine and Bill Dodero Center for the Performing Arts in Gates Mills on Tuesday evening July 22 offered “Indian classical music reimagined for the Western grand piano.” The experience was a gradual one: you became aware of a rare sensual and spiritual atmosphere — and then, if you allowed it to, a gently meditative state overtook you.

One of Indian classical music’s defining traits is the irregularity of intervals and pitches — something you might hear from a sitarist or a vocalist — yielding a broader expressive palette. To fully appreciate Lal’s work, one had to set that convention aside and receive his Western reinterpretation on its own terms.

[Read more…]

Kotaro Fukuma makes long-awaited return to Cleveland for Piano Days

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by Stephanie Manning

Right after Kotaro Fukuma became the First Prize winner of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, the then 20-year-old pianist went through a rollercoaster of emotions.

“ Of course, I was overjoyed,” he said in a recent interview, remembering how he called his parents to celebrate. But when he woke up the next morning, the review in The Plain Dealer told a different story. The first line: “Did the wrong pianist win the 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition?”

“I was so shocked,” Fukuma said. “The night before I was congratulated by many, many people, and the next day I read this newspaper and think, ‘Oh my gosh, how can I leave my hotel?’”

More than 20 years later, the pianist views that experience as an important turning point. After that bittersweet victory, “I accepted all kinds of engagements and I forced myself to study harder. And I think that was the right attitude.”

Today, Fukuma has curated a healthy international career, splitting his time between Berlin, Leiden, and Tokyo. And on Thursday, July 31, he will return to Cleveland after a long absence to perform on Piano Cleveland’s 2025 Piano Days series. Tickets for the 7:30 pm performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music are available online. [Read more…]

Piano Days: for “Raga Pianist” Utsav Lal, the challenge is its own reward

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by Stephanie Manning

When Utsav Lal first received a performance offer from Piano Cleveland, he was pleasantly surprised. “ I know the bulk of their work involves pretty straight-ahead classical piano and the Competition,” he said in a recent interview. “I do things a little differently, so it’s nice that they’re interested in what I’ve been working on.”

Lal, often nicknamed the “Raga Pianist,” is known for his interpretations of classical Indian ragas, bringing the centuries-old form to the Western piano. On Tuesday, July 22, he’ll showcase that distinct approach at Gilmour Academy’s Dodoro Center as part of the 2025 Piano Days series. Tickets are available online.

The concert, presented in partnership with the Federation of India Community Associations (FICA) of Northeast Ohio, is just one part of a three-part evening. [Read more…]

Mirabelle Kajenjeri goes back to her roots for Piano Days program

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by Stephanie Manning

The participants in the Cleveland International Piano Competition (CIPC) aren’t just expected to perform well — they need to speak articulately about their music making, too. So when the jury sat down with the 2024 contestants for individual interviews, they asked: what’s one project you would like to do?

“ I said that it would be great to launch a program that features my different origins and musical influences,” said Mirabelle Kajenjeri, who lives in France and traces her heritage to Ukraine and Burundi. The team at Piano Cleveland remembered that — and this year, they invited her back to make that idea a reality.

On Thursday, July 24 at 7:30 pm, Kajenjeri will present “Resonating Roots: My Story Through Sound” as part of the 2025 Piano Days series. The concert in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall brings together pieces by Ukrainian and French composers, plus the pianist’s improvisations on traditional Burundian songs. Tickets are available online. [Read more…]

Piano Days 2025: two weeks, six international pianists, and many creative performances

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by Stephanie Manning

As the hosts of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, Piano Cleveland spends plenty of time promoting traditional classical repertoire. But their other programming, like the summer festival Piano Days, focus on celebrating the instrument in all its forms.

“ We say this all the time — piano is the most accessible instrument,” Piano Cleveland executive director Marissa Moore said. “Our real goal in programming a festival like this is always to push the boundaries of what people think of when they think about classical music.”

The 2025 edition of Piano Days, which will take place at venues across the area from July 20 through August 2, features six musicians who champion crossovers in genre, presentation, and cultural influence. Tickets are available online. [Read more…]

Piano Cleveland presents: Prelude to Piano Days 2022 Listening Series

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by Mike Telin

Piano Cleveland has a lot in store for Northeast Ohio this summer. But before PianoDays@CLE kicks off on July 24, why not take a deep dive into how to listen to piano music by enrolling in the Prelude to Piano Days 2022 Listening Series? During the three sessions you’ll discover how two pianists work together, what it means to immerse yourself in the work of a single composer, and what exactly is involved in improvisation. Click here for more information.

“We call this ‘education for adults,’” Piano Cleveland president Yaron Kohlberg said during a Zoom conversation. “It’s all part of our mission to make piano music as accessible as possible. And to help everybody, regardless of their knowledge of piano music, find something to connect with.”

Following the success of last year’s listening series which touched on the basics, Kohlberg said that this year the series will go one step further. “Everything that is being presented during the listening series will be heard during the summer performances. So there is a direct connection.” [Read more…]

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