The Cleveland Orchestra Does Valentine's Day and the Rest of the Classical Music to Catch This Week

Credit: Courtesy the Cleveland Orchestra

This is a big week for classical orchestra concerts and for lovers, and some of our recommendations manage to combine the two.

– On Thursday evening at 7:30, The Cleveland Orchestra plays at Severance Music Center under Dallas Symphony music director Fabio Luisi. After joining countertenor Tim Mead in the U.S. premiere of Silvia Colasanti’s Time’s Cruel Hand, the ensemble will mightily move the air in Mandel Concert Hall with Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 (repeated on Saturday at 8).

– On Friday and Sunday at 7:30, The Cleveland Orchestra switches into movie mode to play romantic film scores for Valentine’s Day under the baton of Keith Lockhart.

– On Friday the 14th, Valentine’s Day itself, Stars in the Classics presents “Love Is in the Air,” a free 6 pm concert in the Atrium of the The Cleveland Museum of Art. And at 7 pm in CMA’s Gartner Auditorium, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory Opera presents the Cleveland premiere of Michael Ching’s humorous one-act opera, Speed Dating Tonight! (repeated on February 15 at 3:00 and 7:00 pm, and on February 16 at 3:00 pm.) Tickets available online.

– But back to orchestras! On Saturday at 7 pm, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra celebrates Valentine’s Day weekend with classics by Frank Sinatra and George Gershwin at Music Box Supper Club (tickets available online).

– Two orchestral events are on the books for Sunday. At 3 pm, The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra gives its Winter Concert with The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. Daniel Reith leads Francis Poulenc’s Gloria, Johannes Brahms’ Shicksalslied, and Igor Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird at Severance Music Center (tickets available online). And at 3:30, Cleveland Orchestra principal oboe Frank Rosenwein joins Travis Jürgens and Heights Chamber Orchestra in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Concerto for Oboe and Strings, and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, at Gilmour Academy, It’s free.

– Also on Sunday, Cleveland Composers Guild gives a chamber music concert (3 pm at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church), St. James Catholic Church in Lakewood is planning a 3:30 pm Festival of Sacred Music featuring Thomas Fielding & Adam Chlebek, organists, the Cathedral Choir of St. John the Evangelist (Thomas Fielding, dir.), the Now Chorale (Oberlin Conservatory, Matthew Brown, dir.), Case Western Reserve Early Music Singers (Elena Bailey, dir.) and Musica Sacra Chamber Choir (James Flood, dir.), and the CIM New Music Ensemble, Keith Fitch, director, will feature three works by guest composer Margaret Brouwer in a 4 pm concert in Mixon Hall (free, but tickets required — register online.)

For details of these and other classical events, visit the ClevelandClassical.com Concert Listings.

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