NEWS
"Colorado Symphony announces budget surplus and new Music Director"
Pizzicato has published an article about Brett Mitchell's appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
The Colorado Symphony is starting in the new season with a budget surplus of $1.7 million. Andrew Litton currently serves as Artistic Advisor, yet the orchestra just has appointed a new music director, Brett Mitchell, now associate conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. Mitchell will be music director designate for the 2016-2017 concert season, and will become music director in July 2017. Mitchell was born in Seattle in 1979. With approximately 150 musical performances per season the Colorado Symphony is one of the busiest orchestras in the United States.
To read the complete article, please click here.
"Cleveland Orchestra's Brett Mitchell named Music Director for Colorado Symphony"
The Classical Arts has published an article about Brett Mitchell's appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
Brett Mitchell, the current associate conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, has been named as the new music director for the Colorado Symphony's upcoming season. The new appointment was announced on Monday in a published press release from the Colorado Symphony.
The Colorado Symphony's announcement revealed that Mitchell will begin his tenure as music director with the famed orchestra next year. The four-year term finds Mitchell replacing Andrew Litton, who served in the symphony's prestigious music director post since the year 2012.
To read the complete article, please click here.
"Colorado Symphony Orchestra announce new music director"
(Photo by Gregg Barckholtz)
The Violin Channel has published an article about Brett Mitchell's appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
The Colorado Symphony Orchestra has today announced the appointment of 37 year old American conductor, Brett Mitchell as their new Music Director – effective from the commencement of the 2017/18 season.
A graduate of the University of Texas and the Western Washington University, Brett currently serves as Associate Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra and as Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.
“Mitchell was unanimously selected by musicians and artistic leadership alike — a rare occurrence in the orchestra world when making such a momentous change …” Chief Artistic Officer, Anthony Pierce has said.
“Brett’s skill, character, and creativity won us all over, and he’s completely on board with our mission for innovative artistry and financial success …” he has said.
“From the first downbeat of our first rehearsal together, it was clear that the Colorado Symphony and I had that special chemistry vital to any great artistic partnership,” Mitchell has said.
He will replace conductor, Andrew Litton – who has served the position since 2012.
To read the complete article, please click here.
"Just in: Cleveland aide becomes music director"
Norman Lebrecht's Slipped Disc has published a brief article about Brett Mitchell's appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
Brett Mitchell, Associate Conductor at the Cleveland Orchestra, has been named Music Director of the Colorado Symphony from next season. Brett, 37, has also been in charge of Cleveland’s youth orchestra. Colorado has bounced back from hard times with its first budget surplus.
To read the complete article, please click here.
"Colorado Symphony posts first budget surplus in 26 seasons, hires new music director"
The Denver Business Journal has published an article about Brett Mitchell's appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
The [Colorado Symphony] is announcing the appointment of a new music director — Brett Mitchell, now associate conductor of the acclaimed Cleveland Orchestra. Mitchell will have the title of music director designate for the 2016-2017 concert season, will conduct five concerts this season and will become music director in July 2017.
Mitchell is also planning to make Denver his home, unlike many music directors of the past who lived elsewhere. In an e-mail interview with the Denver Business Journal, Mitchell expressed excitement for the move to Denver.
“There are so many reasons this marriage between the Colorado Symphony and me seems to be such a perfect fit, but the biggest is that our respective visions for the future of orchestras are one and the same," he said.
"Once I read the symphony's mission statement, I knew that I had finally found my ideal match, as we've both spent decades crafting programs that feature that wonderful, compelling blend of music ... from the best of the past to the edge of the future," Mitchell wrote. “Knowing that we're starting on the same page, pursuing the same goals and sharing a common purpose gives us a huge advantage.”
To read the complete article, please click here.
Brett Mitchell named Music Director of the Colorado Symphony
DENVER, CO – Brett Mitchell has been named Music Director of the Colorado Symphony, beginning in the 2017-18 season. Prior to this four-year appointment, he will serve as Music Director Designate during the 2016-17 season. For more information, please see the official press release from the Colorado Symphony and the following media coverage:
- The Plain Dealer: "Cleveland Orchestra associate conductor Brett Mitchell scores top post at Colorado Symphony"
- The Denver Post: "Colorado Symphony targeting younger audiences with new music director"
- Colorado Public Radio: "Colorado Symphony introduces new music director Brett Mitchell"
- Cleveland Classical: "Brett Mitchell to take the helm of the Colorado Symphony"
- Denver Business Journal: "As season opens, Colorado Symphony's next music director looks ahead"
- Colorado Public Radio: "Brett Mitchell on becoming the Colorado Symphony's next Music Director"
- Slipped Disc: "Cleveland aide becomes music director"
- Denver Business Journal: "Colorado Symphony posts first budget surplus in 26 seasons, hires new music director"
- Musical America Worldwide: "Cleveland O Associate Conductor to Colorado" (subscription required)
- The Classical Arts: "Cleveland Orchestra's Brett Mitchell named music director for Colorado Symphony"
- The Violin Channel: "Colorado Symphony announce new music director"
- Pizzicato: "Colorado Symphony announces budget surplus and new music director"
Brett Mitchell to perform in The Concert Across America to End Gun Violence: Cleveland Edition
On Sunday, September 25, Brett Mitchell will perform in The Concert Across America to End Gun Violence. Mr. Mitchell will accompany several selections at the piano as part of the Cleveland edition of this nationwide event. More information from the official press release:
On September 25, artists and activists from coast to coast will band together for The Concert Across America to End Gun Violence with a series of live concerts brought together by social media. Our purpose is to use music to honor and remember the victims of gun violence, and to bring heightened visibility to this serious problem.
In Cleveland, a FREE concert will be held at U.S. Bank Plaza in Playhouse Square. Classically trained musicians will share selections on the themes of peace, remembrance, and non-violence.
For additional information, please see the nationwide homepage or the Cleveland event page.
Brett Mitchell to lead The Cleveland Orchestra in centennial celebration for the Rotary Foundation
On Sunday, October 23, 2016, Rotarians and guests from around the world will come to Cleveland, Ohio, to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of The Rotary Foundation on the eve of World Polio Day. The occasion will be marked with a special performance of The Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of associate conductor Brett Mitchell celebrating The Rotary Foundation from its humble beginnings with Founder Arch C. Klumph (a Cleveland native), through its global expansion and commitment to humanitarian works, to its present-day mission of eradicating polio throughout the world.
The program will feature works by Beethoven, Debussy, Chabrier, Liszt, and John Williams. For more information or to purchase tickets for this event, please click here. To visit The Rotary Foundation's Centennial Celebration website, please click here.
Review: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" at Blossom with The Cleveland Orchestra
ClevelandClassical has published a review of Brett Mitchell's recent performance of Raiders of the Lost Ark at Blossom Music Center:
Associate conductor Brett Mitchell led The Cleveland Orchestra in John Williams’s Oscar-nominated score.... The precision of the coordination was remarkable, leading to the somewhat ironic conclusion that The Cleveland Orchestra—at full force on Saturday—did not intrude in a splendid screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark....
The score is symphonic in scope, underscoring most of the film, except for a few extended passages of dialogue. Williams is a genius who can completely change character with one or two chords as the film cuts from one scene to the next. Themes for the characters and situations are developed with Wagnerian clarity, and the orchestral writing is virtuosic throughout. And unlike the original recording by the London Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra played the entire score non-stop. It likely contained more music—if perhaps less profound—than a Mahler or Bruckner symphony, and Brett Mitchell kept the whole thing moving.
To read the complete review, please click here.
Audio + Review: Brett Mitchell and The Cleveland Orchestra perform "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
Brett Mitchell is featured in Episode 237 of The IndyCast.
Brett Mitchell is featured in the current episode of The IndyCast, previewing his performances of Raiders of the Lost Ark with The Cleveland Orchestra that closed the 2016 Blossom Music Festival over Labor Day Weekend.
The program also includes a review of the performance given on Saturday, September 3:
The Cleveland Orchestra, Brett Mitchell - could not ask for a better performance. Spot on. Every punch, every whip crack, every crash, every explosion, every little moment, every little beat - all timed out perfectly.
There’s not much that can recapture the feeling of seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time, but this...comes awfully close.
To listen to or download this episode, please click here. Mr. Mitchell's interview begins at 1:09:50. The review begins at 1:53:00.
Audio: Brett Mitchell discusses John Williams with "Comic Book Central"
Brett Mitchell is featured in the current episode of Comic Book Central, discussing the music of John Williams in advance of his performances this weekend of Raiders of the Lost Ark with The Cleveland Orchestra. From Comic Book Central:
Indiana Jones and Superman are coming to musical life in Cleveland! On this special bonus episode of Comic Book Central, I sit down with the conductor and the artistic administrator of the Cleveland Orchestra, Brett Mitchell and Ilya Gidalevich, to chat about two action-packed events – Raiders of the Lost Ark: In Concert and Superman at the Symphony!
To listen to or download this episode, please click here.
Debut with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra
Brett Mitchell will make his debut with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra during the 2016-17 season, leading a performance at the orchestra's home of Kulas Hall on Wednesday, February 15. Repertoire for this program will be announced in Fall 2016. For additional information, please see the event page and the 2016-17 CIM Concert Guide.
Video: Brett Mitchell leads The Cleveland Orchestra
Complete video of Brett Mitchell's recent concert with The Cleveland Orchestra is available for on-demand streaming worldwide until Thursday, August 18. To watch this performance, please click here.
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.
Review: "Cleveland Orchestra inspires vigorous response at Hough Neighborhood Residency concert"
Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon made a guest appearance with the Cleveland Orchestra and conductor Brett Mitchell Thursday, Aug. 11 at East Professional Center, as the narrator in Copland's "Lincoln Portrait." (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published a review of Brett Mitchell's performance last night with The Cleveland Orchestra:
A vibrant, animated account of Gershwin's "An American in Paris" held down the classical fort, whisking off listeners to a now-faraway place and time when jazz when was young and incorporating it in concert music was gutsy and novel...
From the realm of Broadway, meanwhile, came Bernstein's Overture to "Candide." By way of a community concert opener, it was arguably the best of all possible selections, rife with catchy tunes and brought to life with abundant affection and sparkle.
No less evocative was Copland's "Lincoln Portrait." The orchestra turned in a momentous performance, and Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon proved a natural narrator, rendering the timeless text with vigor and heartfelt emotion. Also in this vein: John Williams' "Air and Simple Gifts," a moving adaptation of the Shaker hymn famously performed at the inauguration of President Obama.
To read the complete review, please click here.
"Meet the seven candidates vying to lead the Boise Philharmonic"
Brett Mitchell is one of seven conductors scheduled to lead the Boise Philharmonic during its 2016-17 season. (Photo illustration by Lindsie Bergevin)
The Idaho Statesman has published a feature about the seven conductors leading the Boise Philharmonic during its 2016-17 search for a new music director, concluding with Brett Mitchell in April 2017:
Brett Mitchell owes a lot to his high school music teacher Lesley Moffat. She encouraged him to get up in front of his peers and conduct his own composition when he was 16.
“She was an amazing, amazing teacher,” Mitchell says.
Mitchell, 37, started piano as a kid and originally pursued the pianist and composer route. But the more he went down that path, the lonelier it became.
“As a pianist you spend so much time alone practicing, and the end result is going on stage alone,” Mitchell says. “As a conductor, you spend time alone, but then you get together with 80 of your colleagues and play music. At the end of the day, I’m a people person.”
Mitchell seeks to make classical music accessible to everyone.
“Some people think of classical as this stuffy unapproachable genre,” he says. “If you’re in New York City, there are opportunities to hear great orchestral music every night. It’s regional centers, like Boise, that are geographically isolated, that need to have access to this music.”
To read the complete article, please click here.
A second article, "Boise Philharmonic embarked on a wide search for its new leader," details the search process the orchestra the orchestra went through to arrive at these seven conductors.
Audio: Brett Mitchell discusses upcoming Cleveland Orchestra performance
Brett Mitchell at the ideastream studios on Wednesday, August 10. (Photo by Angela Mitchell)
Brett Mitchell spoke with Mark Satola on WCLV Classical 104.9 this afternoon about The Cleveland Orchestra's concert tomorrow evening, which marks the culmination of the orchestra's summer-long residency in the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland. To hear this interview, please click here.
Reviews: Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra
Several media outlets have published reviews of Brett Mitchell's performance with the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra last Saturday evening:
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland): Mitchell and his Kent State University charges gave a well-paced and nicely balanced reading of Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F major, making of it so much more than simply an amuse-bouche before the main event.
• • • • •
Cleveland Classical: Andrew Norman’s The Great Swiftness saturated the stage with its architecturally inspired soundscape. The five-minute work tests the endurance of the ensemble, but the Kent/Blossom students never wavered, demonstrating Norman’s orchestrational feats of range, dynamics, and long tones. Another notable technique was the use of bass bows on the antiphonal vibraphones, whose sound forged a metallic sheen that glinted and gleamed throughout the pavilion.
Beethoven’s penultimate symphony, the second he had written in F Major, was a fitting choice for the chamber orchestra. While it’s firmly in the standard repertoire, Mitchell and the Kent/Blossom ensemble brought a freshness to the piece that is not often heard. Their spirited presentation and the perfect balance between winds and strings were especially refreshing.
The pairing of The Great Swiftness with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 seemed naturally symbiotic. The well-executed dynamics in the Beethoven could be perceived as a macro motive, an overarching structure similar to the soundscape in the Norman.
• • • • •
Bachtrack: Mitchell led credible performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F major and The Great Swiftness by the young American composer Andrew Norman. Norman’s work, inspired by Alexander Calder’s 1969 large public sculpture La Grande Vitesse in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is tonal, angular, and attractive. For the Beethoven, Mitchell chose brisk tempos and clear textures, mirroring the model of the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra’s sponsoring organization.
Preview: Cleveland Orchestra plays in Hough
Cleveland Scene has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's upcoming concert with The Cleveland Orchestra:
On Thursday, August 11 at 7:30 pm, the Orchestra will play a free Neighborhood Residency Concert at East Technical Auditorium in Hough, led by associate conductor Brett Mitchell. Word has it that all the tickets have already been distributed, but you can take your chances and line up for open seats at 7:15 pm. You can also tune in to WCLV 104.9 FM, or catch a webcast at clevelandorchestra.com or ideastream.org.
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Cleveland Orchestra announces program details for Hough concert
The Cleveland Orchestra has announced the program for the free community concert for the Orchestra's "At Home" in Hough neighborhood residency on Thursday, August 11, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at East Professional Center. The concert, led by Cleveland Orchestra Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell, includes Bernstein’s Overture to Candide, John Williams’s Air and Simple Gifts, Smallwood’s Total Praise, an arrangement of Oh Happy Day, J. Rosamond Johnson’s Lift Every Voice and Sing, Gershwin’s An American in Paris, and Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, which will be narrated by Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon.
The concert will be video streamed live online at www.clevelandorchestra.com and www.ideastream.org, and available for viewing through August 18, 2016. A live radio broadcast of the concert will air on WCLV Classical 104.9, and a delayed television broadcast will air on WVIZ/PBS on Friday, August 12 at 9:00 p.m. The television broadcast will repeat Sunday, August 14 at 3:00 p.m.
“All of us at The Cleveland Orchestra are so excited to spend time with our neighbors in Hough,” said Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell. “Our culminating concert will reflect the history of this extraordinary community, a deeply inspiring American story that we’ll celebrate through great American music. We’ll feature orchestral works by Leonard Bernstein, John Williams, George Gershwin, and Aaron Copland, and I'm particularly pleased that we'll have the opportunity to perform Lift Every Voice and Sing, Total Praise, and Oh Happy Day with our friends in the Hough Community Chorus.”
To read the complete news release, please click here.
Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra, Museum of Art seek to make 'partners forever' with Hough residency"
The Cleveland Orchestra appeared at Our Lady of Lourdes Church during its 2015 residency in the Broadway Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland. This year the group will give a free concert in the Hough neighborhood. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published a preview of The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Museum of Art's upcoming joint residency in Hough, a neighborhood just west of both institutions' homes in University Circle:
The centerpiece of the residency is a free community concert Thursday, Aug. 11, tickets to which are still available. On that night, associate conductor Brett Mitchell will lead the orchestra in a performance similar in spirit to its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Concert.
To read the complete article, please click here.