NEWS
Reviews: "Violins of Hope" with The Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Classical and Cleveland Jewish News have both published reviews of The Cleveland Orchestra's recent "Violins of Hope" education concerts, programmed and conducted by Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell. These "six engaging, hour-long concerts that unflinchingly presented the events of the Holocaust in music, mime, and words," were presented at Severance Hall throughout the first week of December. According to Cleveland Classical,
It was completely evident in its playing on Thursday that The Cleveland Orchestra puts as much care into its school performances as it does into its subscription series and international tours. This well designed, expertly acted, and excellently played concert was informative, and held its audience in rapt attention without the need for video or any other technological gimmicks. Human voices and instruments in the hands of dedicated musicians were all that were needed.
To read the review in Cleveland Classical, please click here. To read the review in Cleveland Jewish News, please click here.
Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra expects 'Back to the Future' show to be blast from the past"
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published a preview of The Cleveland Orchestra's upcoming performance of Back to the Future, featuring Alan Silvestri's classic score led by Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell.
The Cleveland Orchestra isn't taking on "Back to the Future" because it's a cult classic or the year 2015 figures into its plot. It's playing the film because, like the soundtracks to "Psycho," "Fantasia" and others, the score by Alan Silvestri is genuinely worth playing. "The greatness of the music matters to us," Mitchell explained. "If you look at the caliber of projects we've chosen to do lately, you see we consider films only if the music in them is also great."
To read the complete preview, please click here. To purchase tickets to the event, presented this Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Severance Hall, please click here.
New Year's Eve with the Houston Symphony
Brett Mitchell will return to the Houston Symphony later this month to conduct their New Year's Eve gala program, an event he has led annually dating back to his tenure as the orchestra's Assistant Conductor from 2007 to 2011. For more information on this year's program and to purchase tickets, please click here.
Review: "Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra tackles tough scores with flair on season opener"
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published a review of the first subscription concert of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's 2015-16 season, led by music director Brett Mitchell:
One of the hallmarks of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra over the years has been the willingness to tackle difficult but rewarding repertoire outside the bounds of the usual middle-European fare of Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms.
Music Director Brett Mitchell has continued that tradition during his tenure with the orchestra, with commendable results. Nowhere was this more evident than in COYO's season opener Sunday night at Severance Hall, which featured, in addition to Schumann's "Rhenish" Symphony, a 2004 orchestral essay by contemporary American composer Kevin Puts titled "River's Rush" and the moving "Jeremiah Symphony" Symphony No. 1 by Bernstein....
COYO was supremely impressive in ["River's Rush"], which makes no outsized demands on individual players' technique, but challenges the group's ensemble playing to a great degree. The orchestra charged confidently into the ten-minute score, playing with commitment and style. Mitchell gave them everything they needed from the podium to keep this protean music on track to its monumental finish.
Bernstein's first symphony, like much of his concert music, is no longer encountered in the concert hall with the frequency it once enjoyed. COYO's performance Sunday made a strong case for its return to regular repertoire, with a first-rate reading...
The young players of COYO fitted themselves with surprising artistry into the somber score. They were especially strong in the middle movement, "Profanation," a wild dance that made great demands on their unity as an ensemble.
To read the complete review, please click here.
Audio: Intermission interview on WCLV
Brett Mitchell spoke with host Robert Conrad during the intermission of WCLV's live broadcast of yesterday's Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra concert, the first of their 2015-16 season. To hear this interview, please click here.
Audio: Brett Mitchell previews the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's first concert of the season on WCLV
Brett Mitchell joined host Bill O'Connell on WCLV this afternoon to discuss the first concert of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's 30th season, presented this Sunday evening at Severance Hall. To hear this interview, please click here.
Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra remains ambitious, enthusiastic going into 2015-16 season"
"Just try not to be impressed when the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra kicks off a new year Sunday night at Severance Hall."
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published an article previewing the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's first subscription concert of the 2015-16 season, featuring works of Kevin Puts, Leonard Bernstein, and Robert Schumann.
In an interview for this article, Brett Mitchell shared his thoughts about the current state of the orchestra at the outset of his third season as its music director: "The quality of the ensemble continues to go up and up. It's been a long line of gradually raising the bar and expectations. If you give a group a smart challenge, and help them execute it, the result will be so much more fulfilling than if you just play it safe."
Peppered throughout with references to the group's ambition, enthusiasm, "high standards," and "unrelenting appetite," the article details Sunday evening's program, and previews the remainder of the orchestra's 2015-16 season.
To read the article, please click here.
Preview: "The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra Performs at Severance Hall"
Cool Cleveland has published a preview of the first subscription concert of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's 2015-16 season, led by music director Brett Mitchell. The concert, which will be held this Sunday, November 22, at 8 p.m. at Severance Hall, will feature works by Kevin Puts, Leonard Bernstein, and Robert Schumann. To read this article, please click here.
Video: "MDCPS Students Treated to Cleveland Orchestra Concert"
NBC's Miami affiliate, WTVJ 6, has aired a story about The Cleveland Orchestra's recent education concerts at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts under the direction of Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell. To view this story, including footage from the performances, please click here.
Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra Miami warming up for special 10th anniversary season"
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published a preview of The Cleveland Orchestra's 10th anniversary season in Miami. Discussing the orchestra's Miami residency, Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell says, "It is quite literally our second home. We've really translated it into a second home, complete with another family."
Commenting on the pair of education programs he will conduct this season for several thousand students from around south Florida, Mr. Mitchell added, "Projects like this can be so fulfilling. Any time I get to interact with young people about music, what more could I want? That's why I went into this, to share this great music."
To read the complete article, please click here.
Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra's 'At the Movies' includes 'Back to the Future'"
The Hudson Hub-Times (Ohio) has published an article previewing The Cleveland Orchestra's 2015-16 "At the Movies" series, which includes two productions led by Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell: Alan Silvestri's score for Back to the Future on Thursday, December 10, and John Williams's score for Home Alone on Wednesday, December 16. To read this article, please click here.
Broadcast schedule announced for Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's 2015-16 season
WCLV 104.9 FM has announced that it will present live broadcasts of each of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's 2015-16 Severance Hall subscription concerts, followed by several rebroadcasts throughout the season. All broadcasts will be streamed live at WCLV.org. Complete broadcast schedule:
CONCERT 1
Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 8 p.m. (LIVE BROADCAST)
Sunday, February 28, 2016 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, August 28, 2015 at 4 p.m.
CONCERT 2
Friday, March 4, 2016 at 8 p.m. (LIVE BROADCAST)
Sunday, June 5, 2016 at 4 p.m.
Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 8 p.m.
CONCERT 3
Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 3 p.m. (LIVE BROADCAST)
Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 4 p.m.
Saturday, September 17, 2016 at 8 p.m.
There will also be a special rebroadcast of a performance from the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's 2014-15 season on Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 4 p.m. On the program are Ravel's Une barque sur l'océan, Debussy's La mer, and Fauré's Requiem with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus, soprano Marian Vogel, and baritone Nikola Budimir.
Brett Mitchell to lead selections from Wagner's "Ring" with Washington All-State Symphony Orchestra
Brett Mitchell will lead selections from Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung with the 150-member Washington All-State Symphony Orchestra on February 14, 2016, at the Capitol Theatre in Yakima, Washington. The performance will begin with "Ride of the Valkyries" from Die Walküre, followed by "Forest Murmurs" from Siegfried, and will conclude with "Siegfried's Funeral Music" and "Brünnhilde's Immolation" from Götterdämmerung. For more information and to purchase tickets for this event, please click here.
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra in "Symphony Magazine"
The Fall 2015 issue of Symphony Magazine features a synopsis of the League of American Orchestras' 2015 conference, highlighting the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's performance of works of Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns at the opening session: "The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO), conductor Brett Mitchell, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein, a COYO member from 1992 to 1994, were also featured in the opening session." To read the complete article, please click here.
Audio: 100th episode of "Classical Classroom"
Brett Mitchell is among an extensive roster of guests returning to Houston Public Media's Classical Classroom to celebrate the show's 100th episode. In this clip, Mitchell reminisces with host Dacia Clay about his first appearance on the program in April 2013. (To hear that original episode, in which Mitchell discusses John Williams's use of leitmotifs in his score for Star Wars, please click here.)
Preview: "Your guide to Cleveland Orchestra pops and youth concerts: 2015 Classical Music and Dance preview"
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published an article previewing The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's wide range of popular, family, holiday, and children's concerts throughout the 2015-16 Severance Hall season, many of which will be conducted by Brett Mitchell. To read this article, please click here.
Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra releases film schedule for upcoming 'At the Movies' three-concert series
Crain's Cleveland Business has published an article previewing The Cleveland Orchestra's 2015-16 "At the Movies" series, which includes two productions led by Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell: Alan Silvestri's score for Back to the Future on December 10, 2015, and John Williams's score for Home Alone on December 16, 2015. To read this article, please click here.
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra announces 2015-16 season
The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and music director Brett Mitchell have announced their 2015-16 season, comprising five concerts in and around the Orchestra's home of Severance Hall.
The Orchestra’s 2015-16 Severance Hall season begins on Sunday, November 22, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. with a program consisting of Kevin Puts’s River’s Rush, Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 (“Jeremiah”), and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 (“Rhenish”). A special preview performance will take place on Tuesday, November 17, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. at the Stocker Arts Center in Elyria, Ohio.
The Orchestra will perform a special concert for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Open House at Severance Hall on Monday, January 18, 2016, at 4:15 p.m. In addition to excerpts of works from their first two subscription concerts of the season, the Orchestra will perform the final movements of African-American composer Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson's Sinfonietta No. 1 and Lowell Liebermann's Flute Concerto with COYO alumna Rachel Johnstone.
The Orchestra’s second Severance Hall subscription concert of the season takes place on Friday, March 4, 2016, at 8:00 p.m. The program features Stravinsky’s Petrushka. The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus joins the Orchestra in performances of Brahms’s Schicksalslied [Song of Destiny] and Copland’s Canticle of Freedom.
The Orchestra’s third and final subscription concert of its 2015-16 Severance Hall season will be on Sunday, May 8, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. The program includes Richard Danielpour’s Toward the Splendid City and a work (to be announced in January 2016) featuring the winner of the Orchestra's 2015-16 concerto competition. Completing the program is Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances.
To read an article previewing this season in The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), please click here. To read the press release from The Cleveland Orchestra, please click here.
# # #
2015-16 SEASON OF THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA YOUTH ORCHESTRA
(All performances take place at Severance Hall unless otherwise noted.)
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. (Stocker Arts Center - Elyria, OH)
Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.
PUTS - River's Rush
BERNSTEIN - Symphony No. 1 ("Jeremiah")
SCHUMANN - Symphony No. 3 ("Rhenish")
Monday, January 18, 2016 at 4:15 p.m.
SCHUMANN - Finale from Symphony No. 3 ("Rhenish")
STRAVINSKY - "The Shrovetide Fair" and "Russian Dance" from Petrushka (1947 version)
LIEBERMANN - Finale from Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (Rachel Johnstone, flute)
PERKINSON - Finale from Sinfonietta No. 1
BERNSTEIN - "Profanation" from Symphony No. 1 ("Jeremiah")
Friday, March 4, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.
STRAVINSKY - Petrushka (1947 version)
BRAHMS - Schicksalslied (with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus)
COPLAND - Canticle of Freedom (with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus)
Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 3:00 p.m.
DANIELPOUR - Toward the Splendid City
CONCERTO - TBD (winner of COYO's 2015-16 concerto competition)
RACHMANINOFF - Symphonic Dances
Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra takes up American, contemporary music on 2015-16 season"
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published a preview of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's 2015-16 concert season, highlighting music director Brett Mitchell's increased programming focus on contemporary American works:
CLEVELAND, Ohio – When it comes to repertoire, the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra is giving its parent ensemble a run for its money.
In its just-announced 2015-16 season, the youth ensemble has included a notably high concentration of American and contemporary music. Higher, in fact, than that of its namesake.
"Part of the joy for me in programming for our young musicians is showing them how well contemporary music and old favorites can live side by side," said COYO music director Brett Mitchell. "[M]y aim with all these pairings is to share with our young musicians and audiences that classical music is just as relevant and meaningful to us in America in the 21st century as ever."
Over three concerts, from November to May, the orchestra and Mitchell will perform no fewer than two works by living composers, both of whom are American. Also on the programs: the rarely heard "Canticle of Freedom," by that most famous of American composers, Copland, and Bernstein's "Jeremiah" Symphony No. 1.
Not that there's anything wrong with older, European repertoire. On that front, too, COYO plans to excel, with performances of Schumann's "Rhenish" Symphony No. 3, Rachmaninoff's "Symphonic Dances," Stravinsky's "Petrushka," and Brahms' "Schicksalslied," with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus.
To read the complete article, please click here.
Review: "Cleveland and Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestras thrive on evening led by assistant conductor Brett Mitchell"
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has reviewed Brett Mitchell's performances with The Cleveland Orchestra, soloist James Ehnes, and the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra, given on Saturday, August 1 at Blossom Music Center:
Doubt not the abilities of Brett Mitchell, assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. On his official Blossom Music Center debut Saturday, the ensemble's second-in-charge sagely handled a double-header, conducting five substantial works and treating the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra with finesse. Mitchell is well known here, of course. Not until Saturday, however, was it so clear why the conductor was recently promoted from assistant to associate and given a contract extension. On this occasion, in short, he proved himself repeatedly.
Mitchell had little trouble coaxing from the orchestra a reading [of Dvořák's The Noon Witch] that was taut, nuanced, and keenly dramatic. Thus did a short piece make a major impact... Mitchell truly had his hands full after the second intermission, when the combined Kent/Blossom and Cleveland Orchestras took on Bartók's great Concerto for Orchestra. Out of an ensemble large enough to fill the stage, Mitchell coaxed a spacious, imposing, and at times remarkable performance.
To read the complete review, please click here.