Photo courtesy Apollo's Fire
It’s Valentine’s Day all week, and there are a number of ways to follow the new advice of gifting your love interest experiences rather than things. Here are some.
The next Urban Troubadour exploration sticks to one Akron building, but there’s lots to enjoy under the roof of Greystone Hall. “Romantic Valentine’s Evening” on Thursday, February 14 begins with a libation in Barristers’ Lounge, proceeds to a chamber music concert in the Doric Room, and ends in the Ballroom with entertainment, dancing, small plates, and a cash bar. The chamber musicians are flutist Jane Berkner, harpist Jody Guinn, violist Michael Strauss, and cellist Cathy Partlow Strauss, and the Ballroom talent includes vocalist Helen Welch and The Wind Machine. Go here for reservations.
“Lovers, Lutes & Lyres — an Old English Valentine” is the title of Apollo’s Fire’s Baroque Bistro evenings that feature soprano Amanda Powell and master of many plucked instruments Brian Kay. There are three performances: Thursday, February 14 at 7:30 pm at the Music Box Supper Club in Cleveland, Friday, February 15 at 7:00 pm at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights, and Saturday, February 16 at 7:15 pm at Mustard Seed Market in Montrose. Dinner is available each evening at 6. At press time, both the 15th and 16th were sold out and a wait list was being kept. Check out details and make your reservations here.
The Cleveland Orchestra identifies Mozart with Valentine’s Day — perhaps a bit of a stretch, but hey, the second movement of his Eine kleine Nachtmusik is titled “Romanze.” This weekend, Harry Bicket will lead the ensemble in that perennial favorite as well as a Fantasia for mechanical clock and the “Prague” Symphony, and the brilliant soprano Kiera Duffy will star in his motet Exsultate, jubilate. Concerts are on Thursday, February 14 at 7:30 pm, Friday, February 15 at 7:00 pm, Saturday, February 16 at 8:00 pm, and Sunday, February 17 at 3:00 pm. Tickets here.
All those are ticketed events, but trombonist Jiggs Whigham will join the Case Jazz Ensembles for a free Valentine’s Day concert on February 14 at 7:30 pm in Harkness Chapel.
Another brilliant soprano will visit Cleveland on Friday, February 15 at 7:00 pm as BW alumna Jennifer Rowley returns to campus for a solo recital with pianist Jason Aquila. Since her graduation, Rowley has appeared all over the globe, and returned to New York’s Met Opera this season to make her title role debut in Adriana Lecouvreur. This March she sings the title role in Tosca. Her recital in Gamble Auditorium is free.
New music events cap off this edition of SCENE picks. No Exit new music ensemble continues its Cleveland Composers series on Friday, February 15 at 7:00 pm at Heights Arts and Saturday, February 16 at 8:00 pm at SPACES. The free programs will feature world-premiere performances of commissioned works by Keith Fitch, Buck McDaniel, Christopher Auerbach-Brown, Nasim Khorassani, and Greg D’Alessio. A third performance comes later — Friday, March 1 at 7:00 pm at Wolfs Gallery.
And on Saturday, February 16, Kent State’s Vanguard Guest Artists Series will host pianist Brianna Matzke in “The Response Project: works written in response to pre-existing works or ideas.” The 7:30 pm program in Ludwig Recital Hall pays tribute to Bob Dylan, and includes Aurie Hsu’s This Train, Blue Shine (2018) in response to “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry,” Rob Deemer’s HWY61RVSTD (2018) in response to “Highway 61 Revisited,” Marc Mellits’ Izaya (2018) in response to “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” and Sara Corry’s From Desolation Row (2018) in response to — you guessed it — “Desolation Row.” The concert is free.
Check out details of these and other events on our Concert Listings page.
