Play Ball!

A pickup team of Cleveland Orchestra musicians with a soft spot for Canada will perform Canada’s national anthem at the Indians game with the Toronto Blue Jays tonight. They play at 6:55. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Playing for the Orchestra: Stephen Warner, Carolyn Gadiel Warner, Martha Baldwin, Robert Woolfrey, and Dory Vanderhoof.

Heating up for Public Square Tomorrow!

Tomorrow evening The Cleveland Orchestra takes the stage - not at Severance Hall, but downtown on Cleveland's Public Square, for its 21st annual Star-Spangled Spectacular, brought to you by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture!

The pre-concert festival of local youth performing groups begins at 5 p.m., and The Cleveland Orchestra, led by Tito Muñoz, takes the stage at 9:00 p.m. to perform American favorites, music from Star Wars, and a Salute to the Armed Forces.

Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready caught up with guest soloist Caroline Goulding, a Grammy-nominated Cleveland violinist, who will perform "Summertime" from Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, Sarasate's Gypsy Airs, and Vieuxtemps's virtuosic variations on "Yankee Doodle" with The Cleveland Orchestra.

Watch the video online at CoolCleveland.com.

For more information about the concert, parking, and things to do in Public Square, visit clevelandorchestra.com.

ReBlog: Severance Season Review

The faithful blogger Lincoln wrote this thoughtful review of the Severance season. Lincoln describes himself as "Guy. Single. 26. Loves art. Enjoys travel. Works in technology." He attended every concert program of the season and has ten pounds of programs to prove it!

Lincoln in Cleveland

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Ten Pounds or $3,185.25

(I originally planned to post this the week I went to the Tony Awards... but that week got kind of busy and this lingered a little too long. For anyone who was waiting, my apologies for the extended delay).

The 2009-10 Cleveland Orchestra Severance Hall Season is over; with the exception of the opera, I didn't miss a season weekend and I managed to fit in most of the other programs as well. At the beginning of the season I didn't intend to attend every concert offering--I went to a concert, then another concert, then another and...it just sort of happened. At the end of a road a I hadn't expected to take mere eight months ago, I find myself looking back trying to quantify the uncountable.

Thirty Four. The number of individual Cleveland Orchestra concerts blogged about between Opening Night and Composers Connect. The number of people met at those concerts--and experiences shared--innumerable.

Ten Pounds, give or take a few ounces. The weight of a season's worth of program books. Like the performances, some were individually lighter while others were much heavier.

Three Thousand One Hundred Eighty Five Dollars and Twenty Five Cents. The total amount paid, give or take, for one ticket per concert and parking. (add $120 for concessions and tips). I'm reasonably positive that aside from my mortgage payments this has been my single largest expense category. Is there anything I would have rather spent that money on? Not anything that comes to mind. Anything with better value? Doubtful.

One Hundred Six Hours. Approximate time spent in Severance Hall this season; of course incomparable to the time spent by the musicians of the orchestra.

The beautiful thing about live performance -- not just the Cleveland Orchestra -- and art in general is that there is no tangible gain from the investment; the gain is purely intrinsic: While (aside from 34 ticket stubs and 10 pounds of program books) I don't have anything tangible, the music has stirred emotion, enlivened, entertained, educated, and enhanced my quality of life; indeed, one presumes, that of all listeners.

I've been trying to ask myself what my favorite concert was, and it's a difficult question to answer: There were certainly some that I didn't care for and some that more entertainment was derived from, but to pick "A" concert is difficult. The first Fridays@7 was awesome; Ashkenazy's Pictures at an Exhibition was beautiful; all of the Musically Speaking concerts were enlightening; the Composers Connect was adventuresome. I view my attendance at Cleveland Orchestra concerts as a vehicle for discovery and, truly, some discovery came out of every concert, and in that vein I do not think that it is possible--or proper--to choose one favorite; we'll just leave it as a great season.

And the best part? The Blossom Season begins in just a few days and the next Severance season isn't that far behind.

Lincoln

Let the Fireworks Begin!

Grammy-nominated violinist Caroline Goulding joins The Cleveland Orchestra for its free Star-Spangled Spectacular brought to you by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture on Thursday, July 1, at 9 p.m. at Public Square in downtown Cleveland. The young violinist says she has a strong family connection to Independence Day.

Click here for July 1 event details and a full interview with Caroline Goulding.



Fireworks photo by Roger Mastroianni.
Fife and drum music by The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.

The Cleveland Orchestra's Bruckner 7 to be seen on PBS

In July, listeners across the U.S. can watch Music Director Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra performing Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 in a 90-minute high definition program produced by WVIZ/PBS ideastream with international production partners CLASART and NHK. The special airs nationally on public television stations.

Local broadcasts are on WVIZ/PBS on Saturday, July 3 at 9:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 4 at 6:30 p.m. A subsequent broadcast airs in Miami on WLRN on Saturday, July 10 at 8:00 p.m. Check your local station for listings.

Along with the Seventh, Bruckner's most popular symphony, the Orchestra and guest pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard perform a new work by British composer George Benjamin, Duet for piano and orchestra, on the broadcast. The Orchestra released a DVD of the Seventh (without the Benjamin work) last fall.

Orchestral Manoeuvres at the Dog

Five good friends, all members of The Cleveland Orchestra, step out of Severance Hall and into The Happy Dog for one night only, Wednesday, June 23, 2010, from 8-11 p.m.

Join Amy Lee (violin), Joanna Patterson (viola), Charles Bernard (cello), Joshua Smith (flute), and Frank Rosenwein (oboe) for an evening of quirky chamber music, beer, tater tots, and the best gourmet hot dogs $5 can buy.

NEO Youth to Perform @ Public Square

A quartet from Cleveland's own Contemporary Youth Orchestra will perform at an outdoor festival before The Cleveland Orchestra’s free Star-Spangled Spectacular Community Concert and Festival at Public Square on July 1. The quartet performs at 6 p.m. Click here for more information about all the ensembles who will participate in the festival.

And read more here about Caroline Goulding, the young violin soloist who is appearing with The Cleveland Orchestra that evening.

Wynton Marsalis Tips Hat to Cleveland

When Wynton Marsalis was in Berlin last week for the Berlin Philharmonic's world premiere of his new Swing Symphony (for jazz orchestra and symphony orchestra), a German interviewer asked him what other orchestra might be able to play the piece. The Cleveland Orchestra's name came up.

Marsalis told the international news broadcast service Deutsche Welle that the Berlin Philharmonic "is an orchestra that is very dedicated. I think in America, they are akin to the Cleveland Orchestra.'' Click to read more.

The world-renowned trumpet player/composer performed Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major with The Cleveland Orchestra led by Leonard Slatkin at the Blossom Festival in September 1984.

Caroline Goulding: Reaching for the Stars

When violinist Caroline Goulding, 17, appears with The Cleveland Orchestra on Thursday, July 1, at Public Square, listeners can expect fireworks. It’s the annual free Star-Spangled Spectacular concert, brought to this year’s listeners by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, and as long as it doesn’t rain, the grand finale will include a colorful fireworks display.

Not only that – the young soloist has planned razzle-dazzle selections designed to bring musical sparkle to the evening, too. Goulding, who just finished her freshman year at the Cleveland Institute of Music, is an assured and exciting soloist who will zip through the Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs) by Sarasate and the Souvenir d’Amérique, Variations on “Yankee Doodle,” by Vieuxtemps.

“They’re both virtuosic pieces written by virtuoso violinists,” Goulding says, noting that Vieuxtemps is said to have sketched out the “Yankee Doodle” variations on a napkin while touring America. The Belgian violinist/composer turned the composition into a popular encore piece. Goulding knows it well, having recorded it on her debut CD on the Telarc label, Caroline Goulding, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra) earlier this year.

The patriotic theme of the July 1 concert means a lot to Goulding (pronounced GOLD-ing), whose brother Fred (the oldest of three siblings) serves in the Air Force, stationed in Anchorage, Alaska. He has completed two tours of duty in Iraq. “I’m so proud to have a brother who is serving,” Goulding said during a recent conversation at Severance Hall. (There’s plenty of pride to spread around: Goulding’s brother Josh – the middle sibling, now a college student in South Carolina – previously served in the Air Force, as did the siblings’ maternal grandfather.)

Completing Goulding’s contribution to the evening is the languid and lovely “Summertime,” excerpted from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and arranged for violin and orchestra.

“To play with The Cleveland Orchestra is an honor,” says the former Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra member, concertmaster, and concerto competition winner.

An Early Start

Four years ago, at 13, Goulding performed with the Orchestra on an Education Concert program, playing a movement from Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole.

“I learned a lot just by playing with these wonderful musicians, seeing how this ensemble works and feeling how it works,” Goulding says. “Everything was easy. Everything flowed very easily. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to play with musicians that are so great at what they do that it’s natural.”

Poised and articulate beyond her years, Goulding exudes the confidence of success. People have believed in her for her whole life. Born in Port Huron, Michigan, she began studying violin at age three and a half, when her two older brothers noticed her interest in their saxophone and trumpet practice. After initial studies with Julia Kurtyka, Goulding’s parents took her to the University of Michigan to study with Paul Kantor. When Kantor left Ann Arbor for a new job at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Goulding’s parents, both schoolteachers, moved to Cleveland so their daughter could continue studying with him. She was 11.

When she started, as a toddler, Goulding says, “My parents thought it was a cute thing. It was a hobby; it was fun. I’m very lucky, because when people ask me when I started taking it seriously, I can’t even pinpoint an exact time. It was just a natural transformation from a dream to a goal.”

She adds, “I wouldn’t be where I am today without my parents. I think their dedication is really wonderful and incredible.”

Career on the Rise

Highlights of Goulding’s burgeoning career include multiple appearances on pianist/host Christopher O’Riley’s teen classical talent show, From the Top, on National Public Radio, and on PBS’s television version, From the Top: Live at Carnegie Hall. Goulding keeps in touch with friends made on the show, which she admiringly calls “such a communal experience – what I think music should really be.”

Friendly and personable, the Gilmour Academy graduate appreciates the warmth of From the Top. Its interviews and skits bring the audience close to performers, she says: “You get an element that you would miss by just listening to a recording of music. You get to know a person and what they’re about – and that helps you when you hear them play.”

The young violinist is currently going through several big transitions. Last year, during Goulding’s freshman year at CIM, she lived at home in Cleveland and her mother traveled with her to her concerts. But her mother has now joined Goulding’s father at their home in Florida, and next year Goulding will travel on her own for performances – including recitals in Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. that resulted from winning a First Prize in the 2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. This summer, Goulding will study privately with Joel Smirnoff of CIM, with whom she started studying last year after more than eight years (and six summers at Aspen) with Paul Kantor.

Goulding’s life centers around music, but she’s a teenager, too. She grins as she tells an interviewer about one of her goals this summer: to get her driver’s license on her 18^th birthday, coming up in August. Before that, she will have performed with The Cleveland Orchestra and made her debut with the Houston Symphony. Even though those dates made it impossible to attend Aspen as a student this year, she hopes to go back to visit friends.

Passion for what she does, and the patience to pursue steady growth – that’s this violinist’s secret to pursuing her dream. For details on the Star-Spangled Spectacular at Public Square, visit clevelandorchestra.com.

– Elaine Guregian

Photo of Caroline Goulding by Gary Adams

Franz Video

A million people witnessed Franz and the Vienna Philharmonic perform a Summernight's Concert last night at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. 100,000 spectators were there to enjoy the celestial-themed program featuring pianist Yefim Bronfman and a nod to composer Robert Schumann's 200th birthday.
About 900,000 additional people watched on television in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The program will be broadcast in the United States on PBS stations on August 25th. The CD recording of the concert will be released on June 25th, and the DVD on July 2nd by Deutsche Grammophon.

Click here to watch a video clip from ORF TV.

See Franz Live from Vienna Today at 3 p.m.

Franz Welser-Möst leading the Vienna Philharmonic on June 8, 2010
Associated Press Photo: Ron Zak

Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra, will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic tonight in the Summernight's Concert at the historic Schönbrunn Palace outside Vienna. An anticipated audience of 100,000 people are expected to witness the concert that will be broadcast live on 60 television stations, and later this fall in the United States on PBS. Click here to watch the stream live on the internet at 3 p.m. today.

PROGRAM

John Williams: Star Wars Main Title from "Star Wars"
Josef Strauss: Music of the Spheres, Waltz, op. 235
Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2, A major; Yefin Bronfman, piano
John Williams: Princess Leia's Theme from "Star Wars"
John Williams: Imperial March from "Star Wars"
Joseph Lanner: Evening Stars, Waltz, op. 180
Otto Nicolai: Moonrise Chorus from "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
Gustav Holst: Mars from "The Planets"

“Composers Connect” celebrates contemporary composers

On Saturday, The Cleveland Orchestra performed “Composers Connect,” a free evening of performances celebrating the work of four contemporary composers.

The evening was a celebration of the ongoing Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow Program and presented the works commissioned from four of the composers involved in this program over the past decade.

The Orchestra performed with lilies white by Matthias Pintscher (who also conducted the performance); Translucence by Susan Botti; On Comparative Meteorology by Johannes Maria Staud, and Concertate il suono by Marc-André Dalbavie.

During an interlude, members of The Cleveland Orchestra performed Louis Andriessen’s Workers Union, a piece written in 1975 for “any loud sounding group of instruments.”

“Free and informal, the special evening drew capacity crowds to Severance Hall while exemplifying a viable forum for the music of today and providing a rich, diverse experience unlike anything else on the orchestra’s calendar.” – The Plain Dealer