PEACH WEEKENDER | ART
Symphony closes its classics series
5/9/2018
Conductor Giordano Bellincampi returns to lead the Toledo Symphony's final ProMedica Classic Series performance of the season.
The Toledo Symphony closes this season’s ProMedica Classics Series with a musical powerhouse. Perennial favorite, guest conductor Giordano Bellincampi, returns to lead Bernstein’s Serenade and Mahler’s epic Symphony no. 1 in D, also known as Titan.
The Bernstein is offered in honor of the composer’s centennial and will feature Merwin Siu, the symphony’s artistic administrator and violinist. The work, scored for strings, percussion, and violin solo, was composed in the same period as West Side Story and Candide and shares their rhythmic, jazz-like style.
The Mahler, which appropriately was one of Bernstein’s conducting favorites, features a massive orchestration. It depicts the awakening of nature and celebrates the glory of life.
Performances take place at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle, 2445 Monroe St. For tickets and more information, call 419-246-8000 or visit toledosymphony.com.
■ Solungga Liu, an associate professor of piano at Bowling Green State University, reprises a recital performed last fall at the Library of Congress. The program features music drawn almost entirely from the libary’s manuscript collection.
The performance includes the Ohio premiere of a work by Charles Griffes, thought lost, but discovered in the archive: a piano transcription of Debussy’s Les parfums de la nuit from Iberia. Also on the program are works by Amy Beach and César Franck.
The free recital begins at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Great Gallery of the Toledo Museum of Art, 2445 Monroe St. For more information, call 419-255-8000 or visit toledomuseum.org.
■ The Toledo Jazz Orchestra presents saxophonist Mark Lemle at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Registry Bistro, 144 N. Superior St. Tickets are $30 and include light hors d’oeuvres. Call 419-242-2787 or visit toledojazz.org.
■ The Clarence Smith Community Chorus hosts a choral celebration of Mother’s Day with its annual spring concert at 6 p.m. Saturday at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 915 N. Reynolds Rd. For tickets and information call 419-243-1435 or 419-243-1958, or visit cscchorus.com.
■ Sumkali, one of the Midwest’s premier Indian music groups performs at 8 p.m. Saturday; tickets are $10 to $15. The Ellen Rowe Trio continues its jazz series “All About the Trio” at 2 p.m. Sunday; tickets are $5 to $30. The Donald Sinta Saxophone Quartet explores new music for the genre at 8 p.m. Monday; tickets are $5 to $30. All performances are at the Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor. For tickets and more information, call 734-769-2999 or visit kerrytownconcerthouse.com.
■ Michigan Opera Theatre concludes its season with Daniel Sonenberg’s The Summer King. The opera relates the story of Negro League baseball player Josh Gibson, and Michigan Opera Theatre is only the second company to produce the work since its April, 2017, premiere.
A pre-opening night panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. will include African-American trailblazers in the arts and sports, former Detroit Tiger Willie Horton and tenor George Shirley, the first African-American to sing at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Performances are slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, with additional performances on 6:30 p.m. May 19 and 2:30 p.m. May 20, all at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St., Detroit. Tickets are $30 to $155 and available at 313-237-7464 or michiganopera.org.
■ Three area composers have received Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Grants: Jim Ferris (Sylvania), Mikel Kuehn (Sylvania), and Daniel Williams (Perrysburg). Each received a $5,000 award as well as peer recognition of exceptional merit and growth in their chosen discipline.
■ The Arts Commission of Great Toledo has set the 2018 Accelerator Grant Deadlines and an information session for interested artists who live within 25 miles of downtown Toledo who wish to apply.
The Accelerator Grant program offers financial support with quick turn-around for area artists to advance their creative projects in media-literary, performing, and visual arts. Eligible categories of support include: equipment, supplies, professional development, and project support.
Deadlines are May 29, June 25, July 23, Aug. 27, and Sept. 24. An information session detailing guidelines is scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Arts Commission Offices, 1838 Parkwood Ave., Suite 120. For more information, call 419-254-2787 or visit theartscommission.org/forartists.
■ The Toledo Opera is holding open auditions for individuals wishing to become a part of the Toledo Opera Chorus. Interested singers should bring a prepared piece of music: opera arias, musical theater selections, or art songs are suitable repertoire. A pianist will be provided.
The auditions will be from 5 to 7 p.m. June 8 and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 9 at the Toledo Opera Offices, 425 Jefferson Ave. Contact James Norman, director of production, to schedule an audition time at 419-255-7464 or jnorman@toledoopera.org.
Send news of classical music and dance events at least two weeks in advance to classics@theblade.com.