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Les Arts Florissants make Vivaldi’s Four Seasons feel fresh and inspired (Nov. 18)

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by Stephanie Manning

Performing a work as ubiquitous as Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons requires a delicate balance. At its best, the musicality and intention must be crystal clear, so that the end result feels as fresh as it does familiar. It’s a high bar, but one that Les Arts Florissants cleared with the utmost ease.

On November 18, the renowned French baroque ensemble visited Tuesday Musical to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s famous quartet of violin concertos. Soloist Théotime Langlois de Swarte led the spirited group in the Vivaldi-focused program, which also included works by Marco Uccellini and Claudio Monteverdi. [Read more…]

Tuesday Musical opens season with epic works from pianist Marc-André Hamelin (Oct. 21)

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by Kevin McLaughlin

On Tuesday evening, October 21, pianist Marc-André Hamelin opened Tuesday Musical’s 2025–26 season in Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall with a program of unusual range and scale. He mapped the human mind and heart across an often-epic landscape — Beethoven’s granite Hammerklavier, Robert Schumann’s not merely scenic Waldszenen, and Ravel’s hallucinatory Gaspard de la nuit.

Composed between 1817 and 1818, the Hammerklavier marks Beethoven’s turn toward the monumental and visionary. Deaf by this time, he wrote for some idealized instrument and listener — music indifferent to ordinary technical or emotional limits. Deemed nearly unplayable at its premiere, it later found champions, Liszt foremost among them, who revealed its vast scope.

[Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra brass and percussion celebrate Akron’s 200th in ambitious Tuesday Musical program (Apr. 22)

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by Stephanie Manning

There are very few American cities who can count themselves as having an official fanfare. But now, Akron is one of them.

To celebrate the city’s 200th anniversary, Tuesday Musical commissioned composer Peter Boyer to write Festive Fanfare (For Akron’s Bicentennial). More than a concert piece, a recording of the four-minute fanfare will soon be made available for open-access use at Akron civic events. On April 22, a packed house heard it live for the first time as part of a wide-ranging program by the brass and percussion players of The Cleveland Orchestra.

“Kid — candy store,” Boyer said from the stage at E.J. Thomas Hall, gesturing to himself and then the musicians to describe his excitement. [Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra brass and percussion take center stage to celebrate Akron’s bicentennial

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by Stephanie Manning

Composer and conductor Peter Boyer has a lot on his plate. But when recording producer Elaine Martone called him two years ago with an offer from Tuesday Musical, he just couldn’t say no.

“ I knew I already had these two huge commissions for 2026, so I was a little hesitant,” he said in a recent interview. “But I could tell that this was going to be a really cool project, because we had great people involved. It was just too good to pass up.”

The brass and percussion players of The Cleveland Orchestra, led by principal trumpet Michael Sachs, will premiere Boyer’s Festive Fanfare (For Akron’s Bicentennial) on Tuesday, April 22. Presented by Tuesday Musical, the 7:30 pm concert at E.J. Thomas Hall celebrates Akron’s 200th birthday with music by Giovanni Gabrieli, Percy Grainger, and Modest Mussorgsky. [Read more…]

Tuesday Musical: the show must go on (Mar. 4)

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by Kevin McLaughlin

This will be one of the stories the Isidore Quartet will tell in their dotage. At about 10 pm, the night before their Tuesday Musical performance in Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall on March 4, the quartet’s violist Devin Moore came down with a case of strep throat.

As might only happen in a region brimming with musical talent, Eva Kennedy — violist of the Callisto Quartet and a former classmate of Isidore violinist Phoenix Avalon — happened to be in Columbus and was available. The next morning, Kennedy drove up to Akron to rehearse with Isidore and pianist Jeremy Denk. As they say, the show must go on.

Despite the disappointment of half of the program needing to be changed, the substituted works — four Bach fugues (from The Art of Fugue) and Mozart’s great String Quartet No. 19 in C, “Dissonance,” K.465 — made for a surprisingly agreeable switcharoo. The scheduled Brahms Piano Quintet in f remained in place. (If and when the Isidore returns to Northeast Ohio, I hope they’ll re-program Gabriella Smith’s amazing Carrot Revolution.)

[Read more…]

Tuesday Musical presents the Isidore Quartet and pianist Jeremy Denk

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by Mike Telin

If something is meant to be, even a global pandemic can’t keep it from happening. Case in point: the Isidore String Quartet. “Technically we formed at Juilliard in 2019, but we were sent home shortly afterwards. We had not even played together for a full semester.” cellist Joshua McClendon recalled.

After reforming at Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival during the summer of 2021, McClendon and his colleagues — violinists Adrian Steele & Phoenix Avalon and violist Devin Moore — went on to win the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022. In 2023 the group was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Tuesday Musical will host the Isidore String Quartet and pianist Jeremy Denk on Tuesday, March 4 at 7:30 pm at E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron. The program includes Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F, Gabriella Smith’s Carrot Revolution, and Johannes Brahms’ Quintet for Piano and Strings in f. Tickets are available online.

I caught up with Joshua McClendon via Zoom in Dallas, where the Quartet is the Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at Southern Methodist University. I began our conversation by asking him about the program they’re bringing to Akron.

[Read more…]

Tuesday Musical: Joyce DiDonato and Kings Return (Dec. 3)

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By Peter Feher

Mariah Carey may be pop music’s undisputed “Queen of Christmas.” But among classical singers, the title has yet to be taken, and this year, superstar mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is vying for the crown.

As far as royalty is concerned, DiDonato has a distinct advantage. This isn’t to imply any sort of better-than-thou diva demeanor, which she’s conspicuously avoided cultivating over the course of a 25-year opera career. Offstage, whether she’s coaching a master class or sharing a bit of herself on social media, DiDonato is known for her openhearted, inviting manner.

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Tuesday Musical presents “Kings ReJoyce!” with Joyce DiDonato, Kings Return, and Craig Terry

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by Mike Telin

With the month of December almost upon us, it’s always interesting to see which of Northeast Ohio’s music organizations will lead the way with holiday programs.

On Tuesday, December 3 at 7:30 pm at E.J. Thomas Hall, Akron’s Tuesday Musical will present “Kings ReJoyce!” with celebrated mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, the sensational a capella group Kings Return, and pianist Craig Terry. The Akron performance is the first stop on a seven-city tour. Tickets are available online.

DiDonato’s first-ever holiday show features a treasure trove of seasonal favorites, including “Carol of the Bells,” “Christmas Waltz,” “O Holy Night,” “Sleigh Ride” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” as well as a Motown medley, two versions of “Ave Maria,” and a vocalized “Nutcracker Suite.”

Because of time zone conflicts we were unable to connect with Joyce DiDonato by phone, but she graciously agreed to answer questions by email.

[Read more…]

Tuesday Musical launches season with “Because of You,” a tribute to Tony Bennett

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by Mike Telin

For more than three decades, pianist/singer/arranger/educator and historian Michael Feinstein has dedicated himself to bringing the music of the Great American songbook to the world. And of the many interpreters of that musical genre, the name Tony Bennett stands above most others.

On Tuesday, October 22 at 7:30 pm at E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron, Tuesday Musical will launch their new season with Michael Feinstein’s “Because of You,” a tribute to the iconic singer featuring the Carnegie Hall Big Band. Tickets are available online.

I caught up with Feinstein by phone.

[Read more…]

Tuesday Musical hosts Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (Apr. 20)

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by Kevin McLaughlin

On April 29, the world will celebrate Duke Ellington’s musical mastery on the 125th anniversary of his birth. A sophisticated giant of American music, Ellington wrote and performed as leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 until his death in 1974.

It was a double privilege, then, to experience the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in EJ Thomas Hall on Saturday, April 20. First, to hear the JLCO again in Akron “after forty years” (according to Marsalis), and second, to hear this ensemble perform the Ellington book at the very highest level of technical skill and as mindful stewards of jazz tradition.

[Read more…]

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