NEWS
Video: 'The Colorado Symphony: A Cultural Catalyst in Denver'
DENVER — Colorado Symphony Music Director Brett Mitchell appears in a new video about the orchestra's longtime role as a cultural catalyst in Denver, contributing to its unique history and culture.
Video: 'Gods and Monsters: The Musical Journey of Wagner's Ring Cycle'
CLEVELAND — Brett Mitchell has created, written, and presented a new television special about Richard Wagner's music for the Ring Cycle, produced by Ideastream in Cleveland. In Gods and Monsters: The Musical Journey of Wagner's Ring Cycle, Mitchell demonstrates at the piano how Wagner crafted and combined leitmotifs to tell one of the greatest stories of all time.
Video: Bringing Music to Life
DENVER — Brett Mitchell has filmed a promotional video for Bringing Music to Life, a Denver-based not-for-profit that enriches the lives of Colorado children and their communities by collecting, repairing, and distributing donated musical instruments to schools and music programs, providing children who otherwise might not have the opportunity with the benefits that come from learning to play.
Feature: "The new face of the Colorado Symphony"
DENVER — Next with Kyle Clark, the 6 p.m. newscast from Denver's NBC affiliate, has produced a profile of Brett Mitchell as he continues into the second half of his inaugural season as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony.
Brett Mitchell featured on Denver 8 TV's "ArtScene"
DENVER — Brett Mitchell is featured in the latest episode of Denver 8 TV's ArtScene, discussing his musical background and upcoming projects during his inaugural season as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony.
Video: Brett Mitchell takes The Cleveland Orchestra into community schools
CMSD News (Cleveland Metropolitan School District) has produced a video about Brett Mitchell's recent education program—called "The Sounds of the Orchestra"—presented with The Cleveland Orchestra at the East Professional Center. The video includes footage of the performance and a post-concert interview with Mr. Mitchell.
To view this video on Facebook, please click here. To view this video on Twitter, please click here.
Video: Brett Mitchell leads The Cleveland Orchestra
CLEVELAND — Complete video of Brett Mitchell's recent concert with The Cleveland Orchestra is available for on-demand streaming worldwide until Thursday, August 18.
0:00 [Introduction]
1:25 BERNSTEIN - Overture from Candide
6:35 [Remarks]
10:15 WILLIAMS - Air and Simple Gifts
16:05 SMALLWOOD (arr. Panion) - Total Praise
20:30 HAWKINS (arr. Panion) - Oh Happy Day
25:05 GERSHWIN - An American in Paris
44:30 [Remarks]
46:00 COPLAND - Lincoln Portrait (Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon, narrator)
1:02:10 [Remarks]
1:03:15 JOHNSON (arr. Smith) - Lift Every Voice and Sing
To view a story about this event that appeared on WVIZ/PBS's ideas, please click here.
Video: Brett Mitchell leads The Cleveland Orchestra in concert at Patrick Henry School
CMSD News (Cleveland Metropolitan School District) has produced a video about Brett Mitchell's recent education program—called "A Matter of Time: What Makes Music Tick?"—presented with The Cleveland Orchestra at Patrick Henry School, including footage of the performance and a post-concert interview with Mr. Mitchell.
Video: Cleveland Orchestra Miami 10th Anniversary Season
The Cleveland Orchestra has produced a video about the history and impact of Cleveland Orchestra Miami on the occasion of its 10th anniversary season. The video features Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell in conversation, and contains video of his performances with the Orchestra at both the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center.
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra completes nine-day, four-city tour of China
Music Director Brett Mitchell (top center) and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra on the Great Wall in June 2015 during their four-city tour of China.
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and music director Brett Mitchell have returned from a highly successful nine-day, four-city tour of China, the ensemble’s second international tour and their first to Asia.
DATES & VENUES
Sun, Jun 14
Severance Hall - Cleveland, OH
—
Thu, Jun 18
Forbidden City Concert Hall - Beijing, China
Fri, Jun 19
Tianjin Grand Theatre - Tianjin, China
Sun, Jun 21
Shanghai Oriental Art Center - Shanghai, China
Mon, Jun 22
Ningbo Cultural Plaza Grand Theatre - Ningbo, China
REPERTOIRE
SHOSTAKOVICH - Festive Overture
KILAR - Orawa
BARBER - Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance
TCHAIKOVSKY - Symphony No. 4
ENCORE
Flower Drum Song from Feng Yang (arr. Huang Ruo)
ANNOUNCEMENTS & PREVIEWS
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's plans for new season include tour of China
–The Plain Dealer (Nov 18, 2014)
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra to Launch China Tour and More This Summer
–Broadway World (May 13, 2015)
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra looks to draw closer on upcoming tour of China
–The Plain Dealer (Jun 9, 2015)
Maestro Minutes (audio): Brett Mitchell previews the repertoire for COYO’s China tour
–Ideastream (Jun 22, 2015)
SEND-OFF CONCERT
Music Director Brett Mitchell leads the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra in performance at Severance Hall. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Listen to complete audio of COYO’s send-off performance at Ideastream or via the player below.
Review: An orchestra “many cities would be happy to have as their professional orchestra”
On Sunday, June 14 at Severance Hall, a large and enthusiastic audience was treated to a thrilling send-off concert when music director Brett Mitchell led his talented young musicians in works by Shostakovich, Kilar, Barber, and Tchaikovsky.
The program opened with an exuberant performance of Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. Following the grand brass fanfare, Mitchell set a fast tempo for the wind section’s opening melodic lines, which they played with aplomb. Throughout, the orchestra produced a clear, lush sound…
Mitchell led COYO’s string section in an inspired performance [of Wojciech Kilar’s Orawa] and they sounded splendid…
Samuel Barber gives the wind section ample opportunity to shine in [Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance], and shine they did. Mitchell kept the tempos in check without losing any of the work’s wonderfully hysterical qualities.
Following intermission, Mitchell and his brass section held back nothing as they launched into Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. As this ensemble has proven in the past, it is one that many cities would be happy to have as their professional orchestra. Mitchell again led a technically clean and musically thoughtful performance.
— Cleveland Classical (June 18, 2015)
VIDEOS FROM THE ROAD
INTERVIEW: TIANANMEN SQUARE
INTERVIEW: TOUR WRAP-UP
TOUR FAREWELL SPEECH
‘SOUND OF APPLAUSE’ RECAP
Upon returning home, Brett Mitchell sat down with host Dee Perry on Sound of Applause for a debrief to wrap up the tour. Listen at Ideastream or via the player below.
PHOTOS
Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing
Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing
Tianjin Grand Theatre, Tianjin
Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Shangai
Ningbo Cultural Plaza Grand Theatre
Dress rehearsal at Ningbo Cultural Plaza Grand Theatre
Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Shanghai
Shanghai program cover
The 2014-15 Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and music director Brett Mitchell at home in Severance Hall. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Video: China tour farewell speech
Brett Mitchell addresses the members of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra on the final evening of their four-city tour of China.
Video: China tour wrap-up interview
David Burnett interviews Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra music director Brett Mitchell on the final evening of their four-city tour of China.
Video: Brett Mitchell calls the shots in the broadcast control room
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture has published a behind-the-scenes video of the control room during a live Cleveland Orchestra video broadcast. In this segment (featuring John Williams's March from Superman), Brett Mitchell calls the shots (literally) as Assistant Director.
New York Times Video: Brett Mitchell leads The Cleveland Orchestra
CLEVELAND — Video footage of Brett Mitchell's last-minute subscription debut with The Cleveland Orchestra in March appears in an article in today's New York Times: "Finding Tomorrow’s Classical Fans."
Mr. Mitchell leads the orchestra in Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with pianist Rudolf Buchbinder and J. Strauss II's Csárdás from Ritter Pázmán.
Video: Brett Mitchell stars with Houston Symphony in ‘A Soundtrack for the City’
HOUSTON — A Soundtrack for the City, an original short film dedicated to the promotion of Houston and its creative community, features an original score recorded by Brett Mitchell and the Houston Symphony, whose performance appears throughout.
Brett Mitchell and the Houston Symphony record ‘A Soundtrack for the City’ in Jones Hall on March 12.
Video: Brett Mitchell's "conducting pointers" at Classical 91.7
Brett Mitchell has filmed a video offering pointers to the contestants as work their way through excerpts from Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra in Classical 91.7's "air conducting contest."
Video: Brett Mitchell leads Musiqa in concert
Video of Brett Mitchell's recent performance with Musiqa of Pierre Jalbert's L'oeil écoute with film by Jean Detheux is now available. Please watch the video embedded in this post, or click here to watch the performance on Vimeo.