NEWS RELEASE
Severance Hall offers free MLK Day
Community Open House on Monday, January 18
Event includes performances by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus
Ensembles including Cleveland Metropolitan School District
All-City Choir and Drum Line, Opera Per Tutti,
and Gabriel’s Horns to perform during the day
CLEVELAND, December 17, 2009 – Severance Hall will hold its eleventh annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Open House on Monday, January 18, 2010, from 12:00 to 5:15 p.m. The free day of activities and performances celebrates the legacy of Dr. King and will include performances by some of Cleveland’s finest community performing arts groups, including the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. Other performances include the Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Choir and Drum Line; “On Ma Journey: A Celebration of the Negro Spiritual” by Opera Per Tutti; and a big band/jazz performance by Gabriel’s Horns. Activities throughout the afternoon include the “I Have a Dream” wall where children can “color their dreams,” the “Picture Yourself At Severance Hall” photo activity, and popular DJ Terry Macklin’s Sounds of Entertainment.
Performances and Activities
The Community Open House kicks off in Reinberger Chamber Hall at 12:10 p.m. with a performance by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Choir. At 12:45 p.m., the Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Drum Line will lead concertgoers up into the Grand Foyer for their performance, then into the Main Concert Hall. The All-City Arts Program is a district-wide, after-school and weekend program providing artistic and college-readiness skill development for students of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
At 1:00 p.m. in the Main Concert Hall, an ensemble of French horn students from area middle schools, high schools, and colleges, and including members of The Cleveland Orchestra’s horn section, will perform selections by Weber, Schubert, and Bach, led by Loras John Schissel. The students are participating in a special day of clinics and masterclasses titled Hornapalooza, led by members of The Cleveland Orchestra’s horn section.
At 2:00 p.m., the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra will perform under its music director, James Feddeck. Their program includes Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, including members of The Cleveland Orchestra’s horn section; Copland’s “Simple Gifts” Theme from the Appalachian Spring Suite; Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major featuring Stephanie Lee as soloist; George Walker’s Lyric for Strings; and the first movement of Brahms’s Symphony No. 4. The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra is supported by generous grants from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, and many other donors. Endowment support is provided by The George Gund Foundation and Christine Gitlin Miles.
At 3:00 p.m. in the Main Concert Hall, Opera Per Tutti will perform On Ma Journey: A Celebration of the Negro Spiritual. Opera Per Tutti is a non-profit organization that brings opera to Northeast Ohioans at performances throughout the community including the Art Walk in Little Italy, the annual Home & Garden Show at Cleveland’s IX Center, and al fresco concerts at the Italian Cultural Garden in Rockefeller Park.
At 4:00 p.m., Gabriel’s Horns will perform big band and jazz music in the Main Concert Hall. The ensemble, directed by James T. May, Jr., is a Cleveland-based, non-profit community jazz-praise big band whose members include professional and amateur musicians, music teachers, youth pastors, ministers, high-school and college students, and talented youth.
The Community Open House concludes with a 4:45 concert by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus under its director, Frank A. Bianchi. The Youth Chorus program will feature music from around the world, including Glinka’s Russian folk tune Traveling Song, a traditional Negro spiritual Ezekiel Saw De Wheel (arranged by Moses Hogan), a Spanish folk song titled El Vito, and classical selections. The concert will conclude with a performance of Jai Ho, the theme song from the 2008 hit movie Slumdog Millionaire. The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus is supported by the Edward and Ruth Wilkof Foundation.
Throughout the day, and especially in between Concert Hall performances, attendees can enjoy a DJ from Terry Macklin’s Sounds of Entertainment – DJ-driven musical fun including line-dancing for the whole family, in the Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer.
Attendees will have an opportunity to write their “dreams for the world” or color line drawings of Dr. King, to be included on the ”I Have a Dream” Wall in Severance Hall’s Smith Lobby. And, attendees can participate in “Picture Yourself At Severance Hall” (sponsored by Macy’s Foundation) – a photo opportunity where you can pretend you are “performing” on the Severance Hall main stage
A complete schedule of “Community Open House” performances and activities follows.
Shopping, Food & Parking
The Cleveland Orchestra Store, located in the Lerner Lobby, will be open to the public from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. Offering a unique shopping experience, the store features Cleveland Orchestra recordings and signature merchandise as well as specialty musical gift items and children’s toys.
Light concessions will be available for purchase in the Smith Lobby.
Parking will be available in the Case Western Reserve University Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall). Convenient off-site and alternative parking options include the Cleveland Botanical Garden, which offers two levels of covered parking. The garage is located on the corner of East Boulevard and Wade Oval Drive. CWRU Lot 1, located off Euclid Avenue across from Severance Hall, and University Circle Lot 13A on Adelbert Road are surface lots within walking distance of Severance Hall. There is also metered street parking along East Boulevard between Severance Hall and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Visit universitycircle.org for more details on parking.
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The 2010 MLK Day Community Open House is sponsored by Medical Mutual of Ohio, the exclusive health insurer of The Cleveland Orchestra and a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence. Additional support is provided by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.
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All artists and performances are subject to change.
View a flyer for more about the MLK Day Community Open House.
Media Contact: Jennifer Schlosser, (216) 231-7518/ Email: jschlosser@clevelandorchestra.com
Severance Hall
MLK Day Community Open House
SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES & ACTIVITIES
MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2010
Doors open at 11:30 a.m.
12:10 – 12:40 p.m.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Choir
David Thomas, director
Reinberger Chamber Hall
12:45 – 1:00 p.m.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Drum Line
William Winfield, director
Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer and the Main Concert Hall
The All-City Arts Program is a district-wide, after-school and weekend program providing artistic and college-readiness skill development for students of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
1:00 – 1:40 p.m.
Hornapalooza Concert
Loras John Schissel, conductor
Main Concert Hall
An ensemble of French horn players from area middle schools, high schools, and colleges, and members of The Cleveland Orchestra’s horn section, will perform selections by Weber, Schubert, and Bach.
2:00 – 2:45 p.m.
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
James Feddeck, conductor
Stephanie Lee, piano
Main Concert Hall
The Youth Orchestra will perform works by Brahms, Walker, and Ravel, plus Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” featuring members of The Cleveland Orchestra’s horn section. The Youth Orchestra is supported by generous grants from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and the Surdna Foundation, and by many other donors. Endowment support is provided by The George Gund Foundation and Christine Gitlin Miles.
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
On Ma Journey: A Celebration of the Negro Spiritual
Opera Per Tutti
Main Concert Hall
4:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Gabriel’s Horns
Main Concert Hall
Gabriel’s Horns is a Cleveland-based, non-profit community jazz-praise big band whose members include professional and amateur musician, music teachers, youth pastors, ministers, high-school and college students, and talented youth. The ensemble is directed by James T. May, Jr.
4:45 – 5:15 p.m.
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus
Frank A. Bianchi, director
Main Concert Hall
The Youth Chorus will perform music from around the world, including a Russian folk tune, a traditional Negro spiritual, a Spanish folk song, and classical selections. The concert concludes with an exciting arrangement of Jai Ho, the theme song from the 2008 hit movie Slumdog Millionaire. The Youth Chorus is supported by the Edward and Ruth Wilkof Foundation.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES “I Have A Dream” Wall – writing and coloring activity
Smith Lobby
“Terry Macklin’s Sounds of Entertainment” DJ and Line Dancing
Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer
“Picture Yourself At Severance Hall” Photo Activity (Sponsored by Macy’s Foundation)
Smith Lobby
The 2010 MLK Day Community Open House is sponsored by Medical Mutual of Ohio, the exclusive health insurer of The Cleveland Orchestra and a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence. Additional support is provided by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.
All artists and performances are subject to change.
View a flyer about the event.
