Love Is in the Air in This Week's Classical Music Offerings Around Cleveland

Valentine’s Day inspires some of this week’s classical music picks. Here's what's on tap.

- On Wednesday, February 8, the Local #4 Music Fund of the Musicians Union will pick up the tab for the Amethyst String Quartet’s 1:30 concert on the Haff-Paluck Chamber series at Westlake Senior Center, and the CIM Orchestra and student pianist Soo Ji Lee will play Liszt’s Totentanz & works by Narong Prangcharoen and Tchaikovsky under Carlos Kalmar at Severance Hall.

- Thursday, February 9 at 7:30 finds the Canton Symphony teaming up with Cleveland indie soul/jazz singer-songwriter Bethany Joy on its home turf at the Zimmermann Symphony Center, while The Cleveland Orchestra takes on Unsuk Chin’s SPIRA—Concerto for Orchestra and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 at Severance Music Center, led by Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä (repeated on Saturday at 8).

- Two orchestras will be featured on Friday, February 10: the Baldwin Wallace Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 led by Douglas Droste (in-person at Gamble Auditorium or via live stream, program to be announced) and at 8, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and Chorus with Broadway and jazz singer Aisha de Haas, will celebrate Black History month at 7:30 at Severance Music Center,

- Black History Month celebrations continue on Saturday, February 11 at 7:30 with the Akron Symphony & Gospel Meets Symphony Choir, Christopher Wilkins, conducting, Jonathon Turner, choirmaster, in the Annual Gospel Meets Symphony concert at E.J. Thomas Hall (program to be announced).

- Sunday, February 12 will be a busy one. At 2 in Severance Music Center, Cleveland Ballet will present “Gotta Dance” with Daniel Reith conducting The Cleveland Orchestra. At 3:30 pm. M.U.S.i.C. (Musical Upcoming Stars in the Classics) will stage “Love is in the Air,” with songs by Fauré, Piaf & Lerner & Loewe, Dances by Debussy and Shostakovich & Romantic music by Schubert, Saint-Saëns & Bizet at the Church of the Western Reserve.

- Sunday at 4 brings the Cleveland Consort of Voices, Steven Plank, director, to the Church of the Saviour in Cleveland Hts., and at 6, The Cleveland Opera (formerly Opera Circle) will sing a “charmingly romantic” selection of favorites at First Baptist in Shaker Heights (refreshments at 5:15).

- Moving to online programs and podcasts, on Monday the 13th, Les Délices releases SalonEra 3.5: Finding Lisette, an exploration of how the Haitian Creole song “Lisette quitté la plaine” has become a major part of baritone/scholar Jean-Bernard Cerin’s professional life, and a lens through which we can explore the dynamic, fraught history of Haiti and its occupiers. Available online through June 30, 2023.

- Also on Monday, one of Baldwin Wallace’s distinguished graduates, soprano Jennifer Rowley, returns to Berea for a 7:30 guest recital, and CIM sponsors a Music for Food Concert in Mixon Hall to benefit the Cleveland Kosher Food Pantry.

- For Valentine’s Day itself, Tuesday, February 14, Gabrielle Haigh, soprano, Robert Woolfrey, clarinet, Jesse McCormick, horn, Margi Griebling-Haigh, English horn, and Randall Fusco, piano, have mined the repertoire for Romantic German Music appropriate for the day. Their concert in the chapel of Fairmount Church will feature works by Schubert and Schumann, and world premieres of two works by Griebling-Haigh.

Visit the Clevelandclassical.com Concert Listings page for more concerts and information.

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