Never a dull moment with the Cleveland Pops! Labor Day weekend featured the Pops in two concerts, the first on Saturday, September 3 at Elyria Town Square, and the second on Sunday, September 4, at the Oktoberfest celebration at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea.
The concert in Elyria was played in close to 90 degree heat! Despite the temperature, the large crowd enjoyed the concert immensely. It did get cooler as the night went on, and it turned out to be a delightful summer evening, in contrast to the cool temperatures of last year’s concert.
We were joined by vocalist Helen Welch, whose singing and charming personality were a big hit with the crowd. Her selections featured her first performance of a new medley of songs called “Ella”, in an arrangement patterned after the great Ella Fitzgerald. I really enjoyed Helen’s version of The Trolley Song, in a terrific arrangement by Pops principal trombonist Paul Ferguson. The Pops also played Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone with narrator Gordon Leigh Petitt filling us in on the details of the story, as well as our first performance of the theme from Zorba the Greek. I had a chance to play my green, white, and red clarinet, honoring the colors of the Italian flag, in a medley of Neapolitan songs.
One of the things that we do in the week preceding our outdoor concerts is to check the weather reports, which tend to change daily. Saturday’s concert looked a little iffy, but as it turned out, there was hardly a cloud in the sky. However, Sunday’s forecast was less promising. We had a choice of either moving to Monday, our rain date, or consider moving into the large events tent, since many people had come to hear the orchestra on Sunday. Although the day was overcast, there was no rain, but the decision was made to move the concert into the events tent. As we prepared to start the concert, a large black cloud could be seen approaching from the west. As I was about to go on stage to start the concert, the skies opened up in a torrential downpour. While it was definitely the right call to move indoors, just about everyone attending that day ran into the tent, whether they were interested in attending the concert or not. We finally began with the Star Spangled Banner, and the concert was enjoyed by the huge and enthusiastic crowd. We were joined by the Tanz und Spielkreis Austrian Dancers, whose colorful concerts and lovely dancing added much to the concert of Viennese Music. After the concert, we enjoyed the food and exhibits of the Oktoberfest. I also enjoyed dancing the polka with Shirley!
From successful concerts to a hole in one, summer in Northeast Ohio has yielded some exciting moments since my return from Breckenridge, CO.
The Cleveland Pops was privileged to play a concert on Saturday evening, August 20, at the Magnificat High School honoring the 1955 Founders Society Inductees. The program, featuring vocalist Joan Ellison, highlighted many Cleveland Pops favorites, and was received with great enthusiasm by the audience. Joan sang selections from shows including My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, Sound of Music, and I had a chance to play my Italian Medley on my red, white, and green clarinet. Mell Csicsila was a big hit playing Xylophonia and Sing, Sing, Sing. A Pops string quartet, consisting of Nancy Patterson, Priscilla Eva, Alexandra Vago, and Gayle Klaber, serenaded the patrons at the pre-concert cocktail hour.
We’re looking forward to our upcoming concert at Ely Park in downtown Elyria at 7:00 PM on Saturday, September 3. In case of rain, we’ll be at the Stocker Performing Arts Center at Lorain County Community College.
The next day, September 4, we’ll be playing for Oktoberfest at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea, Ohio at 7:15 PM for a Viennese evening. Rain date will be September 5. This concert will include the costumed Gottscheer Tanz Und Spielkreis Austrian Dancers for several of the selections.
Both the Elyria and Oktoberfest performances are free to the public. Our orchestra members always enjoys seeing the thousands of people who come out to see the POPS perform, many for the first time, at these free summer events.
On August 23, Pops principal trumpet Gary Davis and I played 9 holes on the Maple Course at Fowler’s Mill. I was present to witness a hole in one by Gary on the 4th hole!
After a rewarding summer season inBreckenridge,CO with the National Repertory Orchestra, I returned to a very special happening with the Cleveland POPS. On Saturday evening, August 6th, the Viking Store at Legacy Village sponsored a POPS Wine Pairing party featuring master chef Adam Wilson’s delicious cuisine and wine expertise.
Over sixty people attended and enjoyed a wonderful and tasty experience. I performed, accompanied by Jack Ciarniello on keyboard. Our event planner and Board vice president Sondra Boyd announced the door prizes while my charming daughter Emily handed the brightly wrapped gifts to surprised guests.
The Wine Pairing ended at 9:00 p.m. and the POPS happy guests left with go-green shopping bags filled with treasures, and a new perspective on pairing the perfect wine with the perfect food.
We are looking forward to our upcoming concerts on August 20th at Magnificat Center for the Performing Arts with Broadway vocalist Joan Ellison, September 3rd at Elyria Town Squarewith jazz vocalist Helen Welch, and September 4th for Oktoberfest at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea with Tanz and Spielkreis Austrian Dance Group.
The NRO began its preparation for Wednesday’s concert on Monday, diving into three difficult works, Dan Welcher’s Zion, Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration, and Ibert’s Escales (Ports of Call). In addition, we are featuring NRO clarinetist Joe Morris, one of the two winners of our concerto competition, in the first movement of Weber’s Clarinet Concerto #1.
During the rehearsal progress, we were thrilled to have Mr. Welcher present to help us interpret his music, adding valuable suggestions and telling us the genesis of the piece. It is based on two hymns, Zion’s Walls and Zion’s Security, and his music depicts the grandeur of the West as well as the struggle of the Mormons as they escaped persecution, finally settling into what is now Utah.
Any Strauss tone poem requires both technical and musical mastery, and we worked in great detail to prepare this incredible work. Ibert’s Escales is not often played, yet is a stirring and colorful piece, depicting cities visited by Ibert during his service in the French navy. Joe is very well prepared, and his beautiful sound and solid technique were both displayed in rehearsal.
Mr. Welcher began the concert by explaining his music in a most informative yet familiar manner, as the orchestra illustrated the two themes before playing the piece in its entirety. The complex score received an excellent performance, and Dan was delighted by both the playing and the warm response from the audience. The orchestra was in fine form for the Strauss, bringing out the tremendous contrasts and struggles; the last section, the transfiguration, was particularly moving. The orchestra began the opening section of the Weber, and upon reaching a big chord, the lights went out, as if on cue! The timing was pretty funny, and we were prepared to wait it out, but the lights came back on in about two minutes. Undaunted, Joe’s performance was excellent! We are so fortunate that the Town of Breckenridge replaced the tent in 2008 with a permanent structure, allowing us to play in any weather condition. I wasn’t even aware during the evening of the rain that was falling. Thank you Breckenridge!
We concluded with the Ibert, which featured Jennifer Berg’s beautiful oboe solo in the second movement, entitled Tunis/Nefta, which depicted the exotic sounds of Tunisia, perhaps specifically of a snake charmer. The outer movements were also evocative and characteristic.
My golf season wound up on Tuesday evening, as I battled the rain, which came up on the 5th hole, and the ensuing cold. However, I made a par on #8 of the Beaver course, the number 1 handicap hole, which definitely made my round and capped off a fun summer of golf in Summit County.
We are looking forward to our closing concert on Friday evening, which includes Prokofief’s Lt. Kije Suite, and Holst’s Planets.
We have been so fortunate to have as our guest conductors this summer the most wonderful musicians and individuals! Peter Oundjian, music director of the Toronto Symphony and frequent guest conductor of the Colorado Symphony, led our musicians in a program of Brahms, Beethoven, and Mozart which was moving and heartfelt. His work during the rehearsals was inspiring to our young musicians.
My week included a trip to Baltimore to conduct a Gershwin program with the Baltimore Symphony. I was asked by Erik Finley, an NRO alumnus who is now the assistant to music director Marin Alsop, and enjoyed my work with the orchestra immensely. Soprano Kishna Davis and pianist Terrence Wilson were a joy to work with, and fortunately the two concerts were indoors, considering the extreme heat and humidity! We played at the stunning new Strathmore in Bethesda and the beautiful Meyerhoff in Baltimore. In addition to conducting, I had a chance to play the clarinet for several selections with the orchestra as well.
Upon returning to Breckenridge, I did the second half of our annual joint concert with the BMF, conducting the first movement of the Mahler Symphony #2 and Daphnis and Chloe Suite #2. The BMF’s roster has 18 NRO alumni! The sound of such a large orchestra was just tremendous.
Sunday evening led to another annual event, a concert in Dillon at the Snake River Music Festival. I had the opportunity to collaborate as clarinetist with the Carpe Deum String Quartet and pianist Cameron Bennett in music by Prokofief, Gershwin, and Schickele. Chas Wetherbee, first violinist in the quartet and former NRO concertmaster, is an amazing violinist, and I am always honored to play with such fine musicians.
Before heading over to Dillon, I was able to squeeze in some golf at the Breckenridge course, playing the Beaver 9. Thanks to a valuable lesson with Errol Miller, the course pro, my game has improved drastically, and I shot 43 yesterday and 42 last week, about as well as I can manage (albeit from the white tees).
