Quintet of the Americas Archives - Cleveland Classical

From Bogotá to Kent Blossom: Quintet of the Americas (July 1)

July 23, 2026 by Peter Feher

by Peter Feher

Colombia may have underperformed in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the nation’s classical composers put on a remarkably strong showing at this year’s Kent Blossom Music Festival. Their works for woodwind quintet got prime playing time in Ludwig Recital Hall on Wednesday, July 1.

“Are you surprised?” A little bit of audience astonishment — all in good sport — was exactly what the Quintet of the Americas hoped to elicit with its Colombian-centric chamber program for Kent Blossom’s Faculty Concert Series.

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Cooper International Competition for Violin: Concerto Finals (Aug. 10)

by Daniel Hathaway

Monday evening’s Cooper International Competition for Violin concerto finals in Oberlin’s Warner Concert Hall marked the culmination of a week’s worth of public playing that took the measure of an impressive group of young musicians in solo recitals.

Now, joined onstage by conductor David Danzmayr and the Columbus ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, the three performers who had risen to the top would demonstrate their ability to put full concertos across. Grace under pressure, a spirit of collaboration, and a deep feeling for the music were among the requirements.

Elizabeth Poppy Song (center), age 16, from the United States, led off with a beautiful opening statement of the lyrical theme in Sergei Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 2 in G minor, and gradually and with great control shifted the music into a more spirited mood. She maintained good coordination with Danzmyr and the orchestra as the first movement alternated between technical and lyric passages and culminated in an exciting pizzicato ending.

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Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays Debussy’s Préludes to his strengths (July 30)

by Stephanie Manning

Performing Claude Debussy’s complete Préludes in recital is rare, but Jean-Yves Thibaudet has been making a habit of it. Over the past few years, the pianist has appeared in venues across the country to play the entirety of Book I and Book II as a 90-minute concert. He presented that program on July 30 in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

What brought Thibaudet to Cleveland was not just his solo recital — he also gave masterclasses as part of the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. By July 30, all six finalists had already participated in sessions with Thibaudet, testing their ability to adapt to feedback. And on the eve of the Competition’s concerto round, the time was ripe for both contestants and audience to sit back and listen to the master pianist himself.

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