NEWS
Debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Brett Mitchell will make his debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra later this season, leading a pair of concerts on the orchestra's ReMix series on March 11 and 12, 2016. On the program are Wojciech Kilar's Orawa, Adam Schoenberg's Finding Rothko, and Bryce Dessner's Lachrimae and St. Carolyn by the Sea. Brothers Bryce and Aaron Dessner, founding members of GRAMMY®-nominated indie rock band The National, will be the featured soloists on electric guitars on St. Carolyn by the Sea. To read the press release from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra about these performances, please click here. To purchase tickets, please click here.
Brett Mitchell to lead world-premiere collaboration between The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Play House
CLEVELAND, OH – Cleveland Play House (CPH) and The Cleveland Orchestra announce details of their latest collaboration, The Good Peaches, a play commissioned by CPH and written by Pulitzer Prize and Roe Green Award-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes. The play will make its world premiere April 14–16 on the Allen Theatre stage. The Good Peaches features three actors and a 55-piece orchestra, and will be directed by CPH Artistic Director Laura Kepley and conducted by the Orchestra’s Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell. This presentation marks the third collaboration between CPH and the Orchestra, and will feature music excerpted from Benjamin Britten’s Sea Interludes and John Adams’s Shaker Loops.
Aurora’s task is simple: Deliver a wedding dress to the queen. But when an unexpected storm hits, the young girl finds herself on an adventure beyond her wildest imagination. Music and theater will collide through the bursting swells of a massive storm and in an extraordinary teaming of actors and chamber orchestra. Set amongst the stirring melodies of Benjamin Britten and John Adams, The Good Peaches combines a compelling drama of survival with live music performed by a world-class orchestra.
CPH Artistic Director Laura Kepley states, “Only two other major plays for actors and orchestra exist, so we are very proud to be working with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Hudes, and collaborating with the world-class Cleveland Orchestra to add another play to the canon. Cleveland audiences will experience it first but I am certain that orchestras around the country will be lining up to add this beautiful, evocative, girl versus nature musical odyssey to their seasons.”
Brett Mitchell, Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra, adds, “All of us at The Cleveland Orchestra are enormously excited to collaborate with Cleveland Play House on this groundbreaking project. Working with the entire CPH team throughout this process has been an absolute dream, and we're delighted that these great orchestral works of John Adams and Benjamin Britten are such an integral part of telling this magnificent new tale, written in such beautiful poetry by Quiara Hudes and brought to life with such spirit by this extraordinary company.”
To learn more, please view these articles in The Plain Dealer and Broadway World.
Previews: "Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Orchestra collaboration with Pulitzer-winning playwright set for April"
The Plain Dealer and Broadway World have published articles announcing an upcoming, world-premiere collaboration between Cleveland Play House and The Cleveland Orchestra, which will be led by associate conductor Brett Mitchell. From The Plain Dealer:
"The Good Peaches," the hotly anticipated play for actors and orchestra written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, will make its world premiere at the Allen Theatre April 14-16 as part of the New Ground Theatre Festival, the Cleveland Play House's annual showcase of new theatrical works.
Hudes's new tale follows the heroic journey of a young girl named Aurora, tasked with delivering a wedding dress to a queen. But a violent storm knocks her off-course and into an adventure beyond her wildest imaginings.
Conducted by the Cleveland Orchestra's associate conductor, Brett Mitchell, the play will feature three actors and a 55-piece chamber orchestra performing selections from Benjamin Britten's "Sea Interludes" and "Shaker Loops" by John Adams.
To read The Plain Dealer's complete article, "Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Orchestra collaboration with Pulitzer-winning playwright set for April," please click here. To read Broadway World's article, "Cleveland Play House & The Cleveland Orchestra to Present THE GOOD PEACHES," please click here. To read Crain's Cleveland Business's article, "Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Orchestra to partner for play's world premiere," please click here.
Essay: 'The Masur I Knew'
Kurt Masur and Brett Mitchell after performing together at the Manhattan School of Music on March 12, 2004.
I first met Kurt Masur as a graduate student in March 2004, when I was one of a handful of young conductors he selected to attend his first weeklong conducting seminar at the Manhattan School of Music. During our first encounters, I was enormously intimidated by the recently named Music Director Emeritus of the New York Philharmonic, but by the end of the week, we were sharing the second half of the seminar’s culminating concert (which was also my New York debut). I began with the Haydn Variations (while Maestro peered on from just offstage – no pressure!), and he concluded with Till Eulenspiegel.
Two years later, after another seminar together at the Manhattan School, Maestro invited me to Paris to audition to become one of his assistant conductors at the Orchestre National de France. Not speaking a word of French, I took him up on his offer, and ended up working with him in Paris and on tour for the next three seasons. Among the many extraordinary musical memories from those years, two in particular stand out: a desperately moving War Requiem at the Basilica of St Denis, and his unforgettable 80th-birthday concert at the BBC Proms, played by the combined forces of his two orchestras at that time: the ONF and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2008, Maestro selected me as one of his first two Mendelssohn Scholarship recipients, which allowed me to spend a month learning from him as we traveled from Vienna to Leipzig, from Berlin to New York. (It was during this trip that Maestro posed for the photograph below, which captures perfectly the lighthearted, humorous, even silly man that rarely made a public appearance.) Over the course of that trip, Maestro asked me to lead a rehearsal of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Gewandhausorchester, and to accompany an impromptu vocal rehearsal for St. Matthew Passion at the New York Philharmonic. Throughout all these experiences, Maestro helped me grow with both a watchful eye and an open heart. The countless meals and conversations we shared during that month—especially those at his home in Leipzig—will remain dear to me for the rest of my life.
Kurt Masur at Vienna International Airport in February 2008. (Photo by Brett Mitchell)
Kurt Masur and Brett Mitchell at the Musikverein in February 2008.
Over the many years we worked together, Maestro became for me the greatest mentor a young conductor could hope for, offering far more than technical advice and “tricks of the trade.” Nothing illustrates better the musician and human being I came to know than the time I asked him about a certain crescendo he requested of an orchestra: “Maestro, if Mozart wanted a crescendo there, why didn’t he just write one?” Masur replied, “Because if he wrote it down, you’d do it with your head instead of with your heart.” For Maestro, music was never about sharps and flats, dots and dashes; at its core, music was about communicating thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Technique was important, yes, but only insofar as it served the music; everything else was superficial.
When I learned of Maestro’s passing this past Saturday morning, I was stunned. Yes, he was 88 years old, and yes, had struggled with health issues for some time, but I don’t think any of us ever imagined a world without him in it until he left. As we all mourn his loss, my great hope is that the artistry and humanity he shared for almost nine decades will light the way for those of us who strive to continue in his footsteps.
Farewell, dear Maestro, and Godspeed.
Watch Mr. Mitchell’s culminating performances from Maestro Masur’s 2004 and 2006 masterclasses at the Manhattan School of Music.
BRAHMS — Variations on a Theme by Haydn
(March 2004)
MOZART — Finale from Symphony No. 40
(January 2006)
Review: "Cleveland Orchestra sets holiday bar higher with live 'Back to the Future' performance"
The Plain Dealer has published a review of The Cleveland Orchestra's live performance of Back to the Future, presented last Thursday under the baton of Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell.
Every performance is demanding in its way, but the expertise and attention required in "Back to the Future" were exceptional. Likely the intermission that broke up the show wasn't for the audience so much as the orchestra and associate conductor Brett Mitchell, who faced and rose to a marathon task of concentration and precision...
The presentation as a whole was powerfully immersive, boasting a visceral, immediate quality no sound system on Earth could replicate. Dolby stereo was still cutting-edge 30 years ago, when the film premiered. On Thursday, however, old-fashioned orchestra instruments handily trumped technology.
To read the complete review, please click here.
Video: Brett Mitchell discusses upcoming Cleveland Orchestra performances on Cleveland 19 News
Brett Mitchell appeared on this morning's Cleveland 19 News (CBS) to discuss The Cleveland Orchestra's upcoming performances of Back to the Future and Home Alone. To watch this interview, please click here.
Previews: Cleveland Orchestra "At the Movies"
Cleveland Scene and Cool Cleveland have listed two of Brett Mitchell's upcoming performances with The Cleveland Orchestra as must-see events this holiday season. To read the article in Cleveland Scene about Back to the Future, please click here. To read the article in Cool Cleveland about Home Alone, please click here.
Audio: Brett Mitchell discusses upcoming Cleveland Orchestra concerts on Majic 105.7
Brett Mitchell appeared this morning on Majic 105.7 to discuss The Cleveland Orchestra's upcoming performances of Back to the Future and Home Alone. To hear this interview, please click here, then advance the player to 58:22. (Please note that an iHeartRadio account is required.)
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.