Five Classical Music Events You Shouldn't Miss This Week

The editors of ClevelandClassical.com will drop by every week to highlight five of the best events in that arena. They'll also be reviewing and previewing shows. It'll be a mere taste of what you can find on their comprehensive site, so do click on through for more.

Brahmsfest at Severance: Super-human pianist Yefim Bronfman takes on both of Johannes Brahms’s concertos in two pairs of concerts with Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra (No. 2 on Thursday the 19th at 7:30 & Friday the 20th at 8, and No. 1 on Saturday the 21st at 8 and Sunday the 22nd at 3). More Brahms pieces fill out the two programs and in a first for the Orchestra, New York virtuoso Paul Jacobs will open the Saturday and Sunday programs with rare performances of the composer’s organ works on the lush E.M. Skinner instrument. (Tickets and info here.)

Free opera for students, youth & children: Opera Circle presents Gaetano Donizetti’s comic opera, “Don Pasquale” with the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra led by Robert Cronquist. Polish-American bass Pawel Izdebski takes his first spin in the title role and English supertitles will keep you in touch with the story. Friday the 20th at 7 and Sunday the 22nd at 3 at the Westlake Schools Performing Arts Center. Check out the free ticket details. (Tickets and info here.)

Quink vocal ensemble: the acclaimed a cappella quartet from the Netherlands has astounded audiences since 1978 with its captivating performance of eclectic programs. You might hear anything from Renaissance songs to 21st century Dada pieces and Dutch folk music on Friday the 20th at 7:30 at the Church of the Saviour in Cleveland Heights. (Tickets and info here.)

St. Lawrence String Quartet at Oberlin: The Canadian ensemble plays quartets by Joseph Haydn, Antonin Dvorak and John Adams on Oberlin’s prestigious Artist Recital Series in Finney Chapel on Friday the 20th at 8. If you like their playing, join in the Oberlin tradition of stamping your feet! (Tickets and info here.)
The St. Lawrence String Quartet has canceled due to injury and will probably be rescheduled for sometime in March. Stay tuned for an update.

Sandra Ross at Bop Stop: the mezzo-soprano who has logged nine seasons with Ohio Light Opera and frequently crosses the street to star both in opera and musical theater joins pianist Emily Grabinski for songs by Antonin Dvorak, Claude Debussy, and 20th century renegades Charles Ives and Kurt Weill. Here’s a vocal recital with a difference: sit at the bar or at cabaret tables and enjoy the music along with drinks and small plates on Sunday at 3. (Tickets and info here.)

Check out the details of these and many other classical concerts in Northeast Ohio on ClevelandClassical.com’s Concert Listings page.