by Daniel Hathaway
The cool thing to do these days is to perform classical music in unconventional venues like bars and taverns. On Tuesday, February 2, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and pianist Warren Jones flipped that concept on its head by smuggling a program of cabaret and popular songs onto a classical chamber music series. The results were delightful. At the end of their disarming performance for the Cleveland Chamber Music Society at Plymouth Church, Blythe and Jones even had the audience singing along to an Irving Berlin tune. [Read more…]
[Editor’s note: Stephanie Blythe withdrew from her recital due to illness less than two hours before the performance. We regret that there was no time to post a notice to that effect.] Bass-baritone John Relyea, who was scheduled to perform on the Oberlin Artist Recital Series this weekend, has withdrawn due to illness. He will be replaced by the renowned mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, who will be joined by the originally-announced collaborative pianist Warren Jones. The concert will take place in Oberlin’s historic Finney Chapel on Thursday, April 2 at 8:00 pm, when Ms. Blythe will sing music by Francis Poulenc, Léo Ferré, Jacques Brel, Benjamin Britten and Noël Coward. Program and ticket details