Youth Chorus on WKYC Ch. 3

This morning the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus brought holiday cheer to viewers of WKYC Ch. 3's Good Company program. 

The Youth Chorus's chamber ensemble of 23 local high school students performed several Christmas carols, including "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Angels We Have Heard On High," and director Frank Bianchi spoke to hosts Andrea and Michael about their upcoming concerts. 

The Youth Chorus performs with The Cleveland Orchestra during its annual Christmas Concerts December 10-19, and they perform this Saturday, December 4, along with the Baldwin-Wallace Men's Chorus at B-W's Kulas Hall. 

Click to view the video:

Pinchas Steinberg's Conducts His Favourite Orchestra

Guest conductor Pinchas Steinberg is looking forward conducting the Orchestra (‘’my favourite orchestra’’) in concerts on Thursday and Saturday and a Fridays@7 concert (concluding with the New York Gypsy All-Stars) this week. In an email, he said he’s excited to have the wonderful clarinetist Franklin Cohen as soloist in the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto, which he calls a virtuoso work. And he points out that the Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 have something in common: both were written by composer-conductors who settled in Vienna but themselves were not Viennese. Otto Nicolai was the founder of the Vienna Philharmonic, Mahler was the Musical Director of the Court Opera in Vienna.

WCLV Presents Musical Feast for Thanksgiving

Talk about an orchestral feast:  On Thanksgiving,  WCLV (104.9 FM) will present a marathon of Cleveland Orchestra broadcasts, beginning at 6:00 a.m. and running until midnight.  Listeners can hear eight full-length concerts from 2005, 2006, and 2007, led by conductors Franz Welser-Möst, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Mitsuko Uchida, and Osmo Vänska.

Soloists will include Joshua Smith, flute; Leif Ove Andsnes, piano; Robert Vernon, viola; Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin; Franklin Cohen, clarinet; and Mitsuko Uchida, piano.

 

Photo of Franz Welser-Möst by Roger Mastroianni

New York Gypsy All-Stars bring a mix of Balkan, Turkish, and Romany Gypsy music to Severance Hall on December 3

On December 3, The Cleveland Orchestra’s Fridays@7 series continues with an unforgettable clash of musical styles, ranging from Mahler to jazz-influenced Turkish music. 

About the New York Gypsy All-Stars

The New York Gypsy All-Stars perform a cross-cultural mix of Balkan, Turkish, and Romany Gypsy music. The group, led by Ismail Lumanovski from Macedonia (clarinet), also features Tamer Pinarbasi from Turkey (kanun), Jason Lindner from the United States (keyboards), Panagiotis Andreou from Greece (bass), and Engin Kaan Gunaydin from Turkey (drums). The group is the brainchild of Serdar Ilhan, producer of the New York Gypsy Festival.

Here's how the evening goes:

@5 p.m. Doors open; libations and creative cuisine is for purchase in the lobbies, and Steve Gorn and Hom Nath Upadhyaya perform Indian classical music in Reinberger Chamber Hall

@7 p.m. Your Cleveland Orchestra, led by Pinchas Steinberg, performs Nicolai's Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor followed by Mahler’s First Symphony (nicknamed “Titan”)

@8:15 p.m. Applause, and then it’s on for more music, drinks, food, relaxing, and Friday fun. The New York Gypsy All-Stars take the stage in the Grand Foyer to perform a cross-cultural mix of jazz-influenced Turkish rhythms.  And, for the first time this season, world percussion guru and Fridays@7 curator Jamey Haddad joins the All-Stars for the performance. 

Ride the Fridays@7 Express!

Gordon Square’s Happy Dog and The Cleveland Orchestra are teaming up to give you the best of both worlds.  The Orchestra is offering a limited number of $25 tickets. 

The tickets include admission to The Cleveland Orchestra’s Fridays@7 concert + after-party, free round-trip bus transportation between Happy Dog and Severance Hall, and free admission to the Happy Dog beginning at 10 p.m.

Here’s the itinerary:

5:30 p.m.  Fridays@7 Express arrives at Happy Dog in Gordon Square

6:00 p.m.  Fridays@7 Express leaves promptly from Happy Dog

6:30 p.m.  Fridays@7 Express arrives at Severance Hall

7:00 p.m.  The Cleveland Orchestra Fridays@7 concert + after-party

9:30 p.m.  Hop back on the bus and head to Happy Dog for an after-after party (no cover) with legendary songwriter, Bill Fox, and Happy Dog favorite, the Tadpoles.

There are only a few seats left!  To order tickets, call 216-231-1111 or visit clevelandorchestra.com.  

The Fridays@7 Express is a partnership between The Cleveland Orchestra, Happy Dog, and Gordon Square Arts District.

Watch a video of the New York Gypsy All-Stars:

McCormick Masterclass in Seoul

Jesse McCormick, a musician in the French horn section of The Cleveland Orchestra, gave a masterclass for students at the Korea National University of Art on Saturday, November 21 in Seoul.  Although the first student was a bit nervous to perform for Jesse and her peers, he began to make her feel right at ease by demonstrating some breathing exercises, and having the entire audience try them.  She immediately began to feel more comfortable and clearly improved during the coaching.

Other students performed horn concerti and orchestral excerpts and Jesse helped them with technique, sound, and musicality.  He also spoke about the orchestra audition process at length, and gave them pointers on preparing for auditions.  Jesse performed a short piece for the students on his C.G. Vintage 8D horn.

The interpreter for the class, Sergei, was a French hornist from Belarus, whose father is in an orchestra in Seoul.  Having lived in Seoul for 17 years, he was proficient in three languages - Russian, Korean, and English, as he had attended Mannes College of Music in New York.  But the universal language of music was easily understood by all the Korean students.  They clearly enjoyed receiving Jesse's encouraging and engaging advice.

Seoul Arts Center - Final Tour Concert & Reception

The 2010 Tokyo Residency and Asian Tour came to an end Sunday, after a performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.  The 2,500 seat Seoul Arts Center was packed for the final program of an eight-concert tour.

Music Director Franz Welser-Möst had to lead The Cleveland Orchestra off the stage in order for the audience to end the applause after multiple bows.

Following the concert, Yonsei University Health System, the evening's sponsor, held a reception for the musicians to celebrate their performance.

Asian Tour Concludes in Korea

 

The Cleveland Orchestra Asian Tour concluded this weekend in Goyang and Seoul, Korea.  Music Director

Franz Welser-Möst led the final two concerts at the Goyang Arts Center and Seoul Arts Center.

Goyang Aram Nuri Concert Hall

Recordings for sale in the lobby

Photos are strictly prohibited during concerts - this is an image from a screen in the main lobby

Beautiful encounter between Severance Hospital and The Cleveland Orchestra

This morning, Cleveland Orchestra musicians and managers were greeted at Severance Hospital by President and CEO Dr. Chul Lee and several executives.  The hospital, part of Yonsei University Health System, is connected to Cleveland through the Severance family.  Yonsei University Health System sponsored the final concert of the tour at Seoul Arts Center.  Louis Severance contributed funding toward the building of the hospital in the early twentieth century, and his family continued to support it from Cleveland for many years.

A state-of-the art hospital, Severance Hospital is the largest entirely paperless hospital, meaning all records are kept on computers, and has five professional centers, 15 cancer clinics, centers for medical research, testing, cell therapy, and robotic surgery.  It utilizes a smart card system that enables patients to check in and out and order medication on touch screen computers.

With gracious hospitality, Dr. Lee presented Cleveland Orchestra Executive Director Gary Hanson a book of the life and times of Louis Severance, and Gary Hanson presented him with a recent book from Cleveland about the history of the entire Severance Family.

Orchestra musicians Mark Kosower and Chul-In Park performed music by Mendelssohn with guest musician Jee-Won Oh for more than a hundred patients in the hospital’s lobby.  Severance Art Space had a display about the connection to Cleveland, and the Orchestra’s visit.  Following the public concert, Mark Kosower performed in a young patient's room.  The boy was unable to attend the performance and requested if it would be possible for the music to come to him.

The Cleveland Orchestra thanks the staff at Severance Hospital who helped them feel very welcome and connected to Seoul.

Photos: Cleveland Orchestra Media Relations

Images from Suntory Hall

The Cleveland Orchestra had a thrilling night completing a four-concert residency at Suntory Hall in Tokyo on Thursday, November 18.  When everyone was seated for the concert and sitting quietly, a number of photographers and videographers rushed into the hall accompanied by security guards.  After a minute or so, the imperial majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko entered the hall.  The entire audience erupted in applause as they gently waved to greet everyone and to take their seats just above the stage.  The Emperor was wearing a business suit, and the Empress wore a dainty pink suit with a sort of petite cape.  Her wave was so sweet – definitely very royal!  Clevelander Astri Seidenfeld, who traveled to Japan for the concerts, was sitting right across the aisle from the Emperor and Empress and she was beaming with pride. 

When Music Director Franz Welser-Möst and pianist Mitsuko Uchida entered the stage they both stopped near the piano and gave bows to the royal couple.  The second the performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto concluded, the audience shouted out bravos and brought Franz and Mitsuko back to the stage many times for ovations.  The Orchestra musicians stood and watched as the audience applauded the royalty as they waved and exited the hall.

 

The second half of the program was Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony.  The acoustics of the hall were ideal for the music and the audience sat quietly listening intently.  Again, after many ovations, the Orchestra had to leave the stage in order to end the applause.

Photos: Suntory Hall

Jack Sutte @ Tokyo College of Music

Cleveland Orchestra musicians have connections around the world.  Jack Sutte, who plays the trumpet in the Orchestra, was invited to teach a masterclass at the Tokyo College of Music.  Founded in 1907, the school is known as one of the top music schools in the country.  Jack knew it would be interesting to go teach there, and wanted to share information with the students about a custom trumpet he likes to play called a four-valve B-flat trumpet.

On a sunny day, Jack traveled by subway about 40 minutes with Akitoshi Mikani, the director of the foreign trade division of Global Corporation, an international importer and distributor of musical instruments.  The company has a U.S. connection with the Louis Armstrong Foundation.  They team with a shipping business to send free instruments to students in New Orleans.

Aki-san, as Akitoshi is called, speaks terrific English and helped Jack navigate the subway.  He introduced Jack to the professors and students at the college.   Upon arriving in the Ikebukuro area, after passing a beautiful shrine surrounded by giant old trees and a residential neighborhood, several students welcomed Jack at the entrance to the school.

Jack gave some special music to the College's trumpet professor as a gift from the United States.  To begin the class, the first student performed an orchestral excerpt by Mahler.  2 other students followed over the course of two hours performing a Haydn Concerto, a piece by Honeggar, and additional orchestral excerpts.

 Jack's approach was to create a relaxed atmosphere where the students could feel comfortable to receive his comments.  He was clear that he wanted to advise them based on his experience and that they need to continue their own path of discovery and to work with their teachers.

Much of what Jack worked on with the students was physical.  He often caused them to giggle when demonstrating deep breathing through the nose and even asked one student to really lift his posture and open his chest to produce a confident sound.  The students observing the class were soaking it all in as much as they could.  A student graciously translated his comments quickly, and helped the students when they had questions.

At the conclusion of the class, Jack shared a very special, custom trumpet with the students and their teachers.  It is a four-valve, B-flat trumpet that enables notes in a lower register to be played with ease.  But it takes some adjustment.  The students who tried it had to be instructed not to use the pedal embouchure.  They had a fun time testing it out.

Finally, the students had a few questions for Jack, ranging from technical in nature to more philosophical.  They were very eager to hear his advice and wanted to pose for a photo with him.  At six-foot-four, Jack towered over most of them.  He sped off back to the tour hotel to prepare for a concert.  It was a special day to make new friends and inspire young musicians.

Here's a slideshow of all the photos from the event:


Event photos: Cleveland Orchestra Media Relations

Jack Sutte joined The Cleveland Orchestra as second trumpet in 1999. Prior to his Cleveland appointment, he was the principal trumpet in the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway. A native of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, he attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he earned a bachelor of music degree, and the Juilliard School in New York City, where he earned a master of music degree. He studied with Frank Kaderabek at Curtis, Raymond Mase at Juilliard, and Chris Gekker at the Aspen Festival. Mr. Sutte has performed as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra with principal trumpet Michael Sachs, as well as with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and the Haddonfield Symphony. He made his international solo debut in Argentina in 1995. Mr. Sutte is a lecturer of trumpet at the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music, and has taught at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music.

Mr. Sutte lives in Euclid, Ohio, with his wife, Audra Zarlenga, their children, Maya and Louis, and four dogs. His hobbies include running, cycling, and multisport racing.

Sutte potrait by Roger Mastroianni

Honored by an appearance of the Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko in a 2007 photo from The Guardian by Shuji Kujiyama/AP

The Cleveland Orchestra was truly honored this evening when Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attended the concert.  When the royal couple entered Suntory Hall, there was a lot of excitement and thunderous applause.  At intermission, they received Music Director Franz Welser-Möst and soloist Mitsuko Uchida for a private visit.

Photo: Cleveland Orchestra

Another special guest this evening was the legendary conductor Seiji Ozawa.  He came backstage to give greetings to Franz and Mitsuko prior to the concert.  


The sold-out concert concluded a four-concert Tokyo Residency at Suntory Hall.  Today the Orchestra travels to Seoul, Korea.

Jumping to the beat, Dalcroze style

When kids experience music through the Dalcroze method, it's all about movement, whether you call it kinetics or call it hopping, clapping, and marching to the beat. On a recent day at Robert H. Jamison School of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District in southeast Cleveland, visiting instructor Laura Simna taught students musical terms without their even realizing it.  They knew they were supposed to pass the large ''forte'' bouncy ball to their neighbor in the circle when the music got loud and pass the small ''piano" ball when it got quiet.

In their circle, the students marched to brisk music, then took giant steps when the tempo slowed. They jumped into the air on high pitches and touched their toes on low notes.
The attentive four- and five-year-olds also had fun when Simna had them hop over a series of hula hoops on the floor in time to the music she played on a keyboard.

Classroom teachers Patricia Pace and Naeesha Grant watched proudly as the students performed a surprise song for Simna, singing along on a recorded version of "Down By the Bay" that featured orchestral instruments.  They have been looking at a poster of instruments provided by The Cleveland Orchestra and learning from the teachers how each one is held to be played.

The classes at Jamison are among many PNC Grow Up Great educational activities provided by The Cleveland Orchestra this year, including PNC Musical Rainbow concerts at Severance Hall, classroom visits by Cleveland Orchestra musicians, and teacher training opportunities to encourage the use of music in support of school readiness skills.

Franz Welser-Möst + Bruckner w/ 2 orchestras @ Suntory Hall

Photo: Cleveland Orchestra

Photo: Miyoshi Eisuko

Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra performed Bruckner's Seventh Symphony tonight at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, just seven days after he led the Vienna Philharmonic in Bruckner's Ninth Symphony at the same hall.  While comparisons will surface, the ovation tonight spoke for itself.  Following the last dramatic chord of the Finale, the audience brought Franz back to the stage to acknowledge the Orchestra time and time again, going on for nearly 10 minutes.  He led the musicians off stage and the lights came up in the audience, but they still wouldn't stop clapping.  He finally had to return to the stage for a solo bow in order to end the event.

The first half of the program was Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and Takemitsu's Dream/Window.  At intermission, the Clevelanders' video recordings of Bruckner symphonies and the latest all-Wagner recording on the Deutsche Grammophon label, all led by Welser-Möst, were for sale on a large table in the main lobby.

Photo: Cleveland Orchestra

Toru Takemitsu's wife and daughter were honored guests in the audience for the performance.  Maki Takemitsu, his daughter, who now works with the Saito Kainen orchestra, said she believed her father would be pleased that his piece followed the Debussy and that this performance drew out a particularly Japanese quality she doesn't always experience.  Here is her photo with the Orchestra's Executive Director Gary Hanson.

Orchestra members bring cheer to patients at Cleveland Clinic

Patients and visitors at the Cleveland Clinic recently got a rare treat: a performance from members of The Cleveland Orchestra.  A quartet from the Orchestra performed on November 2 in Cleveland Clinic's main hospital lobby to cheer patients and visitors.

The ensemble, including Marisela Sager (flute), Alicia Koelz (violin), Alan Harrell (cello), and Joanna Patterson (viola), performed all of Mozart's Flute Quartets. 

"When I told my oncologist that I was bringing a group to perform at the clinic, he said that you will never know the impact music can have on patients who are suffering," said cellist Alan Harrell.  "I did notice one girl who was clearly in the middle of chemotherapy treatments that stopped to listen. She was probably around twenty years old and was wearing a hat to cover her head. As a cancer survivor, I know that those moments, however brief, that can take your mind off of life's problems are indeed precious. Hopefully we can go again and encourage our colleagues and students to do the same."

Trombones in Tokyo

Today the trombone section of The Cleveland Orchestra visited Ichikawa Daigo Junior High School in Japan, as an outreach activity supported by TDK, a sponsor of the Orchestra's concerts at Suntory Hall.

Massimo La Rosa, Richard Stout, Shachar Israel, and Thomas Klaber arrived after an hour bus ride from the Akasaka prefecture where they are staying near Suntory Hall.  The school staff welcomed them with bento boxes for a quick bite to eat.

After a brief introduction to the event, they performed a  half hour recital including works by Haydn, Bruckner, Verdi, and Debussy.  Then they sat in front of the extremely attentive audience of 600 students to hear the student wind ensemble perform the finale of Stravinsky's Firebird.  The Cleveland trombonists took questions from the students, before appearing in a side-by-side piece - Bernstein's West Side Story Medley.  The event concluded when the students thanked the musicians with beautiful floral presentations and took special photos all together.


Many Japanese wear surgical masks to protect them from disease.  The masks can be seen everywhere, on all ages - it's not unusual.



Photos: Carol Lee Iott

Conn-Selmer in Tokyo

Cleveland Orchestra Principal Horn Richard King visited the Nonaka Brass Pro today in Shibuya, Tokyo to teach and perform.  Richard and the entire French horn section of The Cleveland Orchestra are Conn-Selmer Artists and play C. G. Conn Vintage 8D French Horns that are manufactured in Eastlake, just outside Cleveland.

In an interview for the Japanese Band Journal Magazine, Richard talked about his decades long association with the Conn-Selmer horns.  He discussed listening to The Cleveland Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic when he was young, and his horn idols Dennis Brain and Herman Baumann.  Richard said Cleveland Orchestra French horns have been playing the nickel, silver horns since 1950 and explained how the American horn sound is different from the European sound.  Richard likes the way the Conn horns project and are in tune with themselves and he believes they are easy to play.  He said, "I'm playing my dream horn."  When asked to give advice to young musicians, he said the most important thing is to play in between the notes, not just play the notes, and to play beautifully.  He thinks that brass players can sometimes lose sight that playing music is an art form, not an athletic event.

After the interview, Richard worked with three students on a Russian poem, and Strauss and Mozart concertos.  When he finished coaching them, three Japanese horn professionals joined him briefly to perform some of Lowell Shaw's Fripperies.

An interpreter was present the entire evening to translate Richard's advice to the students, and when the event was over, dozens of students lined up for autographs.  Cleveland to Shibuya - musicians can all speak the same language.

Tokyo Residency @ Suntory Hall

The Cleveland Orchestra began a four-concert Tokyo Residency tonight at Suntory Hall.  The first concert, with Mitsuko Uchida as soloist, was sold out.  Smooth oak lines the interior of the hall, with seating all around the stage. 

The special guest in the audience this evening was Music Director Franz Welser-Möst.  He arrived in Tokyo last week to lead the Vienna Philharmonic in two concerts at the same hall.  Lots of fans came up to him in the hall, and outside the entrance, to politely ask for autographs.

The all-Mozart program included a Divertimento for Strings, and Mozart's Piano Concertos 20 and 27.  As at previous tour concerts in Asia, a large long table in the lobby with Cleveland Orchestra recordings for sale was mobbed at the intermission.  The latest recording has been released in Japan to coincide with the tour.

At the end of the concert several members of the audience shouted out bravos and the applause went on for 5 straight minutes.

Photos provided by Suntory Hall

Amici Quartet at Osaka College of Music

Yesterday, most of the musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra who are on tour in Japan had a day off to practice and do some sightseeing.  But four musicians certainly weren’t resting.  They were sharing their passion for the music they love with students at the Osaka College of Music.  Violinists Takako Masame, Miho Hashizume, violist Lynne Ramsey, and cellist Ralph Curry have been performing together for years as the Amici Quartet.  Takako made an arrangement with a professor at the Osaka school for the quartet to come by and perform for the students, followed by a chamber music coaching.

Osaka College of Music is 90 years old, offering courses for both undergraduate and graduate students.  Both an opera house and a museum are a part of the campus.  On a cloudy afternoon, about 40 students met in a large rehearsal hall to welcome the Cleveland musicians to their school.  As the Amici Quartet performed music by Wolf, Ravel and Beethoven, the students sat absolutely rapt in attention.  They don’t even cross their legs and stay completely silent during the performance.  When cellist Ralph Curry announced a much desired encore – Piazolla’s Four for Tango, the students literally gasped with excitement when he mentioned the composers’ name.

After the performance, a string quartet of four young women performed a short and sorrowful Shostakovich quartet that was dedicated to his wife.  The looks on the faces of the young women, who were so eager to have comments from their professional counterparts were priceless!  Takako, Miho, Lynne, and Ralph praised their very well-prepared music making and encouraged them to challenge themselves to delve even deeper into the piece, and offered some technical advice on bowing technique and vibrato.  It was a fascinating exchange of cultures through music.  They touched so many young student’s lives personally in such a short time.

Photos: Cleveland Orchestra Media Relations

The Cleveland Orchestra in Japan

Sapporo > Osaka

The Cleveland Orchestra performed last night at Kitara Hall in Sapporo, Japan.  Listen to WCLV to hear more about the concert.

Today the Orchestra traveled from the north island by plane down to Osaka, Japan for a concert tomorrow night at the Hyogo Arts Center in Nishinomiya.  The third largest city in Japan, and among the top 20 international metropolitan populations in the world, Osaka is home to more than 8 million people. The region, including Kobe and Kyoto, has 17 million. Osaka boasts the world's first instant Ramen noodles, vacuum meals, utility knives, and calculators. 

Here are some shots of the huge city from the hotel: