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Stars in the Classics cabaret: a melting pot of music, visual art, and dance

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by Stephanie Manning

If you’ve driven past the Cleveland History Center, you’ve likely spotted a memento from Euclid Beach Park. The large, colorful carousel visible through the glass windows entertained visitors at the lakefront amusement park until its closure in 1969.

Jodi Kanter has fond memories of visiting as a child. “My grandfather and my father worked there as teenagers,” she said. “And I think my father ran the carousel at one time.”

For the past year, Kanter has been helping memorialize the Park through music, via a commission from composer Chris Neiner. And on Saturday, September 28 at 4:00 pm, M.U.S.i.C. – Stars in the Classics will present the world premiere of the final movement at Praxis Fiber Workshop. [Read more…]

No Exit concludes Year of Surreality with “Breaking the World”

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by Mike Telin

For the past eight months No Exit has been celebrating their 15th anniversary with their most ambitious project to date: Surreality. “We hope people will enjoy exploring the irrational, illogical, inexplicable, strange, and utterly fantastical world that is Surrealism,” artistic director Timothy Beyer told us in October.

On Thursday, May 23 at 7:00 pm at Heights Arts, No Exit will conclude their Year of Surreality with “Breaking the World.” The free program will feature new works by Jerome Begin, Lauren Pearl, Stephen Haluska, and James Praznik, as well as Marcel Duchamp’s Erratum Musical, and a simultaneous poem recited by Gunnar-Owen Hirthe, James Praznik, and Timothy Beyer. The program will be repeated at 7:00 pm on both Friday (at Praxis Fiber Arts) and Saturday (at SPACES Gallery).

In a recent telephone conversation Beyer said that this week’s program is a culmination of the ensemble’s season-long exploration of Surrealist techniques and topics, including games and thought exercises, state of consciousness, and dada, which is not technically Surrealism, but is related.

[Read more…]

CityMusic chamber series:
composer Akua Dixon on 
Justice, Equality & Freedom

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by Emmy Hensley

“I’ve been composing things, in a sense, all my life,” cellist and composer Akua Dixon said during a recent interview. “As an African American musician growing up studying classical music, I feel that I can offer a specific view that not many people have thought about.” 

Commissioned by CityMusic Cleveland, her string quartet We the People will be premiered on Friday, November 18 at 7:00 pm at Praxis Fiber Workshop by violinists Susan Britton and Eunho Kim, violist Yael Senamaud-Cohen, and cellist Trevor Kazarian.

The free concert, titled “Perspectives for String Quartet,” reflects on the theme of Justice, Equality, and Freedom. The program also includes Arvo Pärt’s Psalom, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s Pisachi (Reveal): Six Epitomes for String Quartet, and Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F.

Writing We the People has served as an opportunity for Dixon to reevaluate what justice, equality, and freedom have meant throughout history. “Everything is a matter of opinion, and there are two sides to each coin,” she said. “When I started thinking about the theme, I looked into the Constitution’s Preamble. I read about the intent of setting up this particular democracy, as well as the interpretation of it by the people who founded it — and those who were not included in it. I feel that it’s a great time to have dialogue and to listen to the side of so many people of color and women — all the people that haven’t had a chance — and what they have to say about these topics.”

[Read more…]

No Exit embarks on a number of firsts 

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by Mike Telin

Note: the concert on Saturday, December 18 has now been cancelled due to COVID concerns.

Now that musical ensembles are presenting concerts in front of in-person audiences, many groups are reviving plans that had been put on hold.

On Saturday, December 18 at 8:00 pm at Praxis Fiber Workshop, No Exit will present the last of three area concerts in partnership with a group of composers known as The Collective.

The program includes works by Amelia Kaplan, Mathew Rosenblum, Douglas Knehans, Cindy Cox, Pamela Madsen, and Konstantin Koukias. The concert is free.

“This is a new adventure in programming — playing an entire program of pieces by one group of composers,” No Exit artistic director Tim Beyer said during a recent telephone conversation. “We will be playing their works throughout this season.” [Read more…]

Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project: A night of improvisation 

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by Mike Telin

“Creativity is the expression of life, so for me the question is why on earth would you not be creative? Why on earth would you not want to grow?” flutist, composer, improviser, author, teacher, and inventor Robert Dick said during a recent telephone interview. A leader in contemporary flute music, he has redefined the instrument’s musical possibilities. 

On Sunday, November 7 at 7:00 pm at the Praxis Fiber Workshop, the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project will present Robert Dick in an evening of solo works as well as group improvisations with Dana Jessen, bassoon, Bob Drake, hardware electronics, and Stephan Haluska, harp. Tickets are available at the door or online.

“I’m looking forward to returning to Cleveland,” the 71-year-old said. “I’ve had lots of good experiences there.” 

When asked about his — well — improvised program, Dick said that it will be somewhat stream-of-consciousness. “The flute is an unusual instrument in improvised music, so people tend to focus on the instrument and not the music. But all instruments have exactly the same sound, silence — it’s the human that plays them.” 

[Read more…]

CityMusic chamber music at Praxis Workshop (Jan. 24)

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by David Kulma

CityMusic Cleveland is best known for the free orchestra concerts it gives all over the Cleveland area, often in large churches and synagogues. But another feature of this group’s programming is its chamber music series at Praxis Fiber Workshop in Collinwood. This cosy art space was perfect for the concert I heard on Friday, January 24. People filled the room, and the music enveloped the space for an immersive experience. I highly recommend trying to get a seat in the quasi-alcove off to the side.

[Read more…]

Uncommon Sound Project: a conversation with bassoonist Dana Jessen 

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by Mike Telin 

The act of improvisation — creating a piece of music on the spot — is difficult to describe. “This type of music is not easy to talk about,” bassoonist, improviser, and educator Dana Jessen said during a recent telephone conversation. “There are some improvisers that don’t want to talk about their approach to the process because it feels a little less tangible than other musical genres.”

You can hear Dana Jessen create an in-the-moment composition on Sunday, December 8 at 7:00 pm at Praxis Fiber Workshop during a program titled “Locals.” Presented by the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, the evening of improvisation and storytelling through song will also include a performance by Kyle Kidd & Company featuring guitarist Pete Saudek. The event is free.

Jessen holds degrees in bassoon performance from Louisiana State University and the New England Conservatory. As a Fulbright Scholar in 2008-09, she studied in Amsterdam, and earned a masters in contemporary improvisation at the Artez Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Arnhem, Netherlands in 2011.

[Read more…]

Re:Sound Festival at Praxis Fiber Workshop and Bop Stop (June 8)

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by Jarrett Hoffman

June 8 was the busiest day for the Re:Sound Festival, with three concerts around the city. I heard the first two, beginning in the afternoon at Praxis Fiber Workshop, where the duo Dykes & Young set a high bar for the acts that would follow over the course of the day. Bassist Laura Dykes and violinist Jeffrey Young performed three original works that had their genesis in joint improvisation, but which have solidified over the years into fixed structures. In particular, the second of the three was riveting. [Read more…]

A look at the 2019 edition of the Re:Sound Festival of New and Experimental Music

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by Mike Telin

In summing up last year’s inaugural Re:Sound Festival of New and Experimental Music, ClevelandClassical.com critic David Kulma wrote that “[the] Festival was an ear-opening experience for the musically adventurous …this intense weekend of staggering, high-quality performances showed the virtues of a performer- oriented festival where each act is fully invested in its own chosen music.”

Judging from the stellar lineup of musicians the organizers have assembled, the sophomore edition of Re:Sound — which runs from June 6 through June 9 — promises to once again deliver a musically adventurous experience.   

The 2019 edition will include six concerts featuring fourteen soloists and ensembles from across the United States. And once again the concerts will take place in venues that will allow players and audiences to relax and spend time together. In addition to purchasing single tickets, Festival passes are also available.

Here’s a run-down of this year’s offerings.

[Read more…]

Underground Classical to present Alex DePue and Miguel DeHoyos

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by Mike Telin

DePue-DeHoyosOn Friday, May 4 at 8:00 pm at Praxis Fiber Workshop on Waterloo Road in Collinwood, Underground Classical will present violinist Alex DePue and guitarist Miguel DeHoyos in a free concert that will feature classically-hued takes on popular songs, original compositions, and a little bit of fiddling.

“There will be something for everybody, from classical music all the way to the classic rock of the ‘70s, The Beatles, and some show tunes,” DePue said during a telephone conversation. “We do a wonderful arrangement from The Phantom of the Opera that morphs into Santana’s Black Magic Woman.” To hear how stylishly the duo moves from Andrew Lloyd Webber to Carlos Santana, click here, where you’ll also find many videos of DePue’s and DeHoyos’ inventive and engaging playing.

DePue said that combining musical styles in one tune helps to expand audience demographics. “If you include a show tune like ‘All I Ask of You’ from Phantom and end with Black Magic Woman, you’ve got two completely different audiences who would never meet.”

[Read more…]

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