Hitting the High Notes

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CIM Opera Theater :: Sensational Scenes, April 17-19

True to form, CIM Opera Theater Artist Director David Bamberger has selected a unique and interesting array of Sensational Opera Scenes. Accompanied on piano by Musical Director John Simmons, our singers perform select works from renowned operas grand and light that will thrill and delight!

Join us for an evening performance or the Sunday matinee to enjoy:

Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 at 7:30pm Matinee on Sunday, April 19 at 3pm Cleveland Institute of Music | Kulas Hall 11021 East Boulevard in University Circle Tickets: $20 | $15 | $10 cim.edu or 216.795.3211 Free parking on a first come, first served basis!

Pieces will be performed from the following operas:

OFFENBACH Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher Columbus) MASSENET Werther OFFENBACH La Perichole GLUCK Alceste VERDI Simon Boccanegra MOZART Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) BELLINI Capuleti E Montecchi (The Capulets and the Montagues) DONIZETTI L'elisir D’amore (The Elixir of Love) WEBER Der Freischütz (The Marksman)

Each piece is sung in its original language with projected text so you don’t miss a word! Don’t delay -- get your tickets today!

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CIM in the Community :: Opera offers international music and voices, March 31

An international blend of music and voices will be presented at the FYI: Opera program at 7:30pm on Tuesday, March 31, at the Westlake Porter Library when Cleveland Institute of Music opera singers from three countries perform arias from French and Italian operas.

Tuesday, March 31, at 7:30pm  FYI: Opera David Bamberger, narrator Kristen McConnell, soprano (Canada) Charlotte Ushela, soprano (Peru) Erika Rodden, mezzo-soprano (America) Kevin Adamik, tenor (America) Free Performance at Westlake Porter Library 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake

Bamberger, artistic director of the CIM Opera Theater, narrates a program that will includes music from Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love and Massenet’s Werther. 

According to the Westlake/Bay Village Observer, the Westlake-Westshore Arts Council has sponsored the FYI: Opera programs for over a quarter of a century and offers them FREE to the public. 

The performance previews CIM’s own popular Sensational Scenes program, which runs April 17-19 in Kulas Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music (11021 East Boulevard in University Circle). Tickets are available online or by calling the CIM Box Office at 216.795.3211.

[PHOTO: American tenor Kevin Adamik as Tito in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, presented by the CIM Opera Theater, February 2015. © 2015 CIM/Leigh-Anne Dennison, photographer]

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To Do Around Town :: Take in "Crescendo! The Power of Music" at CIFF | March 24 & 25

CRESCENDO! THE POWER OF MUSIC, playing at the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) March 24 and 25, follows students in two youth orchestra programs -- Play On, Philly! in West Philadelphia and the Harmony Program in Harlem, New York City -- both of which were inspired by the El Sistema program created 38 years ago in Venezuela by Dr. José Antonio Abreu (CIM HDMA'13) to help foster social change by building youth orchestras among disadvantaged children.

The film’s young musicians struggle against significant emotional and cultural roadblocks, sometimes set up by their own families. We meet Raven, a natural violinist whose rambunctiousness gets her in trouble (“Fortissimo, y’all!”); Zebadiah, an introspective boy who makes friends via the viola; and Mohammed, whose father insists he quit the trombone if he keeps failing classes.

Music educators Stanford Thompson and Anne Fitzgibbon are heroes in these kids’ lives, helping them and countless others unlock their potential through the inspirational power of classical music.

In the years since its creation, El Sistema has grown into a musical movement, counting among its graduates Gustavo Dudamel -- the charismatic Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Locally, Cleveland's Rainey Institute has an El Sistema program launched by CIM alumna Isabel Trautwein. 

The Cleveland International Film Festival runs through March 29. Visit their website for more details on this and other films. 

[Photo: Dr. Jose Abreu with CIM alumna Isabel Trautwein greeting Rainey Institute students and their parents following CIM's 2013 Convocation Ceremony. (c) 2013 CIM/Leigh-Anne Dennison, photographer]

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To Do Around Town :: Final Week of The Pianist of Willesden Lane at CPH, March 17-22

From time-to-time, we like to share the other cool events and happenings around town that might be of interest to our audience as well as folks on and around campus. Case in point...

Only one more week remains to see The Pianist of Willesden Lane at the Cleveland Playhouse. Don't miss this uplifting story of resilience, family, and the empowering strength of music.

At age 14, pianist Lisa Jura was separated from everything and everyone she knew and loved. In The Pianist of Willesden Lane, Jura’s daughter, renowned pianist Mona Golabek, brings her mother’s true tale of survival and triumph to the stage. Featuring live performances of classics by Chopin, Beethoven, and Debussy, Pianist is a deeply moving story infused with hope and the life-affirming power of music.

Scene Magazine says of that “Elegant Storytelling Shines” in this production while Cleveland.com reviewer Andrea Simakis calls it “a moving tribute to the children saved from the Holocaust.” 

“Though the details of her life fascinate, Lisa Jura's story stands in for the more than 10,000 children spared from the gas chambers by a seat on the Kindertransport. As their numbers dwindle with each passing year, so do their stories of survival. This is something Golabek knows. Her every stroke of the gleaming keys echoes the words that swirled up from the ashes of a war torn world: ‘Never forget’."

The play runs this week from Thursday, March 17 through Sunday, March 22 at the Cleveland Playhouse in PlayhouseSquare (1407 Euclid Avenue in Downtown Cleveland). 

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the CPH Box Office at 216.241.6000 or visit clevelandplayhouse.com.

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Faculty Recital :: An Evening of Rachmaninoff, Schumann & More, April 15

Cleveland Institute of Music is please to present a faculty recital featuring renowned artists (top, left-right) Sharon Robinson, Jaime Laredo, Stephen Rose, (bottom, left-right) Robert Vernon, and Sandra Shapiro on Wednesday, April 15 in Mixon Hall.

Wednesday, April 15 at 8pm Jaime Laredo, violin Stephen Rose, violin Robert Vernon, viola Sharon Robinson, cello Sandra Shapiro, piano Cleveland Institute of Music | Mixon Hall 11021 East Boulevard in University Circle Free seating passes:  216.795.3211 or cim.edu

The program will feature:

RACHMANINOFF   Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19 SCHUMANN   Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 MOZART Violin and Piano Sonata No. 19 in E-flat Major, K. 302

Although this concert is presented at no cost, due to limited seating free seating passes are required. Passes will be available beginning April 8, 2015 and can be reserved by calling the Box Office at 216.795.3211 or by visiting cim.edu.

This recital is presented in appreciation of Donley’s, Inc. For those outside the Northeast Ohio area or unable to make it the concert in person, you can tune in to WCLV 104.9 FM (and wclv.org) for a live broadcast, with support from Audio-Technica.

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Concert Series :: 22nd Annual Darius Milhaud Performance Prize Concert, April 11

Join us for the 22nd Annual Darius Milhaud Performance Prize Concert at the Cleveland Institute of Music on Saturday, April 11. CIM students compete for cash prizes for best performance of a work by Darius Milhaud.

Saturday, April 11 at 3pm Cleveland Institute of Music | Kulas Hall CIM Student Musicians 11021 East Boulevard in University Circle Sponsored by the Darius Milhaud Society

Thanks to the generous support of CIM donors, like you, this event is free and open to the public. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the event start time. Winners announced at a reception that follows.

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Wow, Cleveland Institute of Music faculty member and concert pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi is busy in Fresno this (spring break) week. He'll be performing the Complete Piano Concertos of Beethoven at Paul Shaghoian Hall tonight, March 13; tomorrow, March 14; and Sunday, March 15.

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CIM Alumni :: Rick Robinson and fellow alumni on The Sound of Applause, February 2015

Dan Polletta welcomes Detroit musician and Cleveland Institute of Music alumnus Rick Robinson (BM'86) into the Key Bank studio to perform with fellow CIM alumni who are members of Classical Revolution Cleveland for The Sound of Applause on WCPN 90.3 FM ideastream. 

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CIM Prep :: Music from the Western Reserve features pianist Megan Lee in March 15 Concert

Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory division piano student Megan Lee is the Music from The Western Reserve's Featured Young Artist and will perform March 15 at Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson.  

Sunday, March 15 at 5pm MFTWR Fifth Concert Megan Lee, piano Christ Church Episcopal 21 Aurora Street in Hudson, Ohio Details: MFTWR.org | 330.840.8429

Megan studies at CIM with Dr. Sean Schulze, chair of the CIM Prep division piano department and director of CIM's Summer Sonata program. She will perform works by Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel and Liebermann with an artist meet-and-greet reception immediately following the concert. 

For more details, visit MFTWR.org or call 330.840.8429.

Megan Lee, Piano

A 17-year-old senior at Hudson High School and scholarship recipient of the 2011-2012 Anthony Quinn Foundation Scholarship Program in the Performing Arts discipline, Lee has performed at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall ten times. 

Last March, Lee won first prize in the National Finals of the 2012-2013 MTNA Senior Performance National Competition and gave solo performances at the 2013 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago in July.  

She has performed as a soloist with the Suburban Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Pops Orchestra at Severance Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music Conservatory Orchestra (pictured above; photo by Leigh-Anne Dennison/CIM), and soloed with the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra as the winner of the 2014 Frieda Schumacher Young Artists Competition.  In April, 2014 Lee performed at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in Kalmazoo, Michigan. 

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CIM Faculty receive rave reviews on their performance with The Cleveland Orchestra in Miami

Kudos to The Cleveland Orchestra on "an intense and audacious performance" of Mahler's Sixth Symphony in Miami this past weekend, including several Cleveland Institute of Music faculty members in The Orchestra who were recognized out by name for their outstanding contributions. 

Although we're sure our shared members would have liked to have been simultaneously in Miami AND CLEVELAND so they could play and witness their students performing inspirational repertoire by some of America's most icon composers, acknowledgement of their exceptional performances is a lovely consolation. 

The grim march that opens the symphony moved at a crisp pace and the secondary theme was almost frenzied, the romanticism underplayed. An ominous motif from the trombones turned into a macabre death chant when taken up by the full ensemble. The splendid, unison strings produced a plush vibrant sonority and the large brass section sounded terrific in the big climaxes. In a brief solo moment of repose, concertmaster William Preucil’s honeyed violin tone offered a touch of Viennese schmaltz.

and

...The tinkle of the celesta was precisely balanced and clear over strings and winds, and the clarion ring of Michael Sachs’ trumpet streamed through the orchestral texture.

and  

The Clevelanders were in magnificent form, playing like the world-class orchestra they are when at their best. First-chair wind and brass players were particularly outstanding. Richard King imbued the horn solos with both power and poignant emotion. Also contributing important and demanding moments were oboist Frank Rosenwein, flutist Joshua Smith, clarinetist Ricardo Morales, bassoonist John Clouser, and Massimo La Rosa, trombone.

Read the complete review online at South Florida Classical Review.

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Tamara Wilson, soprano discusses Performance Anxiety.

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Tips on how to channel or harness nerves into enthusiasm for your performance to overcome those "butterflies."

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CIM Alumni :: Lenore Rosenberg to Receive Gerda Lissner Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award

In recognition of a 29-year career with The Metropolitan Opera, Cleveland Institute of Music alumna Lenore Rosenberg (AD ‘84, Vassos) will receive the Gerda Lissner Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to young singers and the musical arts. The award will be presented in Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall this April.

The Gerda Lissner Foundation is dedicated to providing young opera singers with the financial support they need to pursue their craft and excel in the world of opera.

Read more on cim.edu...

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CIM Alumni :: Conrad Jones solo debut with the Tucson Symphony is “flawless”

Cleveland Institute of Music alumnus and principal trumpet of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Conrad Jones (BM’11, Michael Miller) performed George Tsontakis’s trumpet concerto “True Colors," February 13 and 15 to tremendous acclaim.

Jones, 24, was appointed to the principal trumpet of the Orchestra just last year. Of his performance reviewer Dr. Donald J. Behnke of the Green Valley News & Sun wrote:

The stated purpose of “True Colors” is to explore the colors of the trumpet as well as the true colors of the composer. Jones handled his part brilliantly, not only with his incredible embrasure but also a series of mutes and homemade devices to display the audio range of the instrument.

His performance was flawless and amply demonstrated his interest in and conquest of the various venues in which the trumpet is typically heard — classic hall, jazz club, blues room. It was all stunning and outstanding. To those of us reared on virtuosic trumpet solos like “Carnival of Venice,” this work provides a broader, fascinating exploration of musical shadings and audio tints that help to soften its basic atonal structure.

The pièce de résistance was Jones’ encore, offered unaccompanied and darkly muted — a jazzy, uniquely improvised Rodgers and Hart favorite, “My Funny Valentine.” Needless to say, the audience loved it.

Read the entire review for yourself online and then step back in time, and check out this article on Tucson.com to learn how Jones prepared for the concert. 

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Concert Series :: Kimbo Ishii Conducts the CIM Orchestra in Kulas Hall, April 8

Guest artist Kimbo Ishii returns to the Cleveland Institute of Music for an orchestra concert in Kulas Hall on Wednesday, April 8, featuring works by Chopin, Brahms and Gunther Schuller, CIM’s first Kulas Grant Artist.

Wednesday, April 8 at 8pm Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra Kimbo Ishii, guest conductor Aileen Gozali, piano Cleveland Institute of Music | Kulas Hall 11021 East Boulevard in University Circle

The program will feature:

SCHULLER   Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee (1959) CHOPIN   Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 BRAHMS   Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

This concert is presented in appreciation of Ohio CAT  and is free and open to the public. Doors open 30 minutes prior to concert start time. For the latest information about this and other CIM concerts and events, visit cim.edu. 

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Benefit Event :: Celebrate with CIM at Severance Hall, March 7

Please join us on Saturday, March 7, at 8pm at Severance Hall when the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra celebrates the inspirational music of iconic American Composers -- from Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber to Glenn Miller and John Williams!

Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 8pm Severance Hall - 11001 Euclid Avenue in University Circle Concert-Only Tickets: $20 [Under 18 Free] Tickets from the Severance Hall Box Office 216.231.1111 or clevelandorchestra.com

This benefit is presented by the Women’s Committee of the Cleveland Institute of Music and, in addition to helping fund student scholarships, it will honor the legacy of longtime CIM supporters Mal and Barb Mixon.  

The players:

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC ORCHESTRA JOEL SMIRNOFF, conductor CARL TOPILOW, conductor/clarinet CHAD HOOPES, violin, guest artist VINSON COLE, tenor MARK NOLAN, narrator, guest artist

BONUS! Listen to an interview by former CIM YAP student and special guest soloist Chad Hoopes with Bill O'Connell, WCLV 104.9FM, on wclv.org. 

The program for this special concert includes:

GOULD American Salute BARBER Violin Concerto, Op. 14 WARD Jubilation Overture COPLAND Old American Songs WILLIAMS Midway March WARD America the Beautiful MILLER Glenn Miller Medley LOWDEN Armed Forces Salute SOUSA Stars and Stripes Forever

Get your tickets NOW! You don't want to miss this amazing evening of American classics! 

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CIM Opera Theater :: La Clemenza di Tito, Feb 25 | Cleveland Classical Review

J.D. Goddard, Cleveland Classical, offers kudos and "rounds of applause" to CIM's production of La Clemenza di Tito. in his review of the opening night performance, Wednesday, February 25, in Kulas Hall. 

Often praise is given to the orchestra as a whole and accolades go to the singers, so it is nice to read a special call out to clarinetist Jaewon Kim. Goddard wraps up the review by saying "...this was a generally well-paced and enjoyable show. It’s always a pleasure to hear and see such exceptional young talent perform."

And, of course, you should read the review in its entirety for yourself.

NOTE: All CIM productions are dual cast (Wednesday/Friday and Thursday/Saturday) to provide more opportunities for student singers to perform and to allow each cast a day of rest between performances, while the chorus and orchestra remain the same through all four performances. The photograph is of the Thursday/Saturday cast.

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CIM@Severance :: The CIM Orchestra Plays Severance Hall for the Last Time...this Season, April 1

NO FOOLING -- the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra takes the Severance Hall stage for the last time this season on Wednesday, April 1. Conducted by Jaime Laredo, the Orchestra will perform works by Corigliano, Beethoven and Tchaikovksy. Pianist Shen Lu, winner of the CIM Concerto Competition and the 2014 Hilton Head International Piano Competition is the soloist.

Wednesday, April 1 at 8pm Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra Jaime Laredo, conductor Shen Lu, piano Severance Hall - 11001 Euclid Ave, Cleveland FREE Tickets available from the Severance Box Office 216.231.1111 or clevelandorchestra.com

The program will include:

CORIGLIANO   Voyage (for string orchestra) (1976) BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73, “Emperor” TCHAIKOVSKY   Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, “Pathétique”

Presented in appreciation of Baker Hostetler, there is no cost to attend this concert; however, tickets are required for seating. Please contact the Severance Box Office at 216.231.1111 or visit Clevelandorchestra.com to reserve your tickets today.

If you live outside the Northeast Ohio area or cannot make it downtown for this concert, you may enjoy it live on WCLV 104.9 FM and wclv.org, with support from Audio-Technica. Please note: Doors open approximately 30 minutes prior to the performance start time.