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Cleveland Chamber Symphony

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Cleveland Chamber Symphony
chamber orchestra
Short nameCCS
Founded1980
Concert hallGamble Auditorium, Baldwin-Wallace University
Music directorSteven Smith
WebsiteClevelandChamberSymphony.org
The Cleveland Chamber Symphony preparing to perform.

The Cleveland Chamber Symphony (CCS) is an American chamber orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio, with a focus on performing contemporary classical music. Since its inception, the CCS has premiered over 200 works. The ensemble is affiliated with the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music.

Each year, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony holds the "Young and Emerging Composers Concert," featuring music created by student composers.[1]

History

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The Cleveland Chamber Symphony (CCS) was founded in 1980 by composer Edwin London as a professional ensemble with a focus on performing new music, primarily by American composers. Under London's leadership and with the commitment of a core group of Cleveland musicians, the ensemble expanded its activities over the next two decades and dedicated itself to performing, recording, and commissioning contemporary orchestral works.[2]

At its peak, the CCS presented a concert series featuring eight programs, alongside multiple recording sessions, all under London's direction. Performances took place at Cleveland State University and various other Cleveland venues, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Trinity Cathedral, Public Hall, Karamu House, Liberty Hill Baptist Church, Old Stone Church, and John Carroll University. The ensemble also performed in communities adjacent to Cuyahoga County and throughout the Midwest.

Composers recognized the Cleveland Chamber Symphony as a resource for their own work and that of students. Composers of national and international prominence, whose works were commissioned and performed by the CCS, were also invited to serve as guest conductors and educators. The ensemble fostered collaborative relationships with composers. A performance of Bernard Rands' Canti Trilogy at Harvard University followed a national tour.

In 2007, the group won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) for its recording of Olivier Messiaen's Oiseaux exotiques, conducted by John McLaughlin Williams with pianist Angelin Chang.[3][4]

The current music director of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony is Steven Smith.

Although the orchestra was originally formed at Cleveland State University, it is now based at the Cleveland Music School Settlement.

Select recordings

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Sound Encounters I (GM 2039)

  1. Libby Larsen: What the Monster Saw
  2. Salvatore Martirano: LON/dons - Howie Smith, saxophone
  3. Bernard Rands: London Serenade
  4. Roger Reynolds: The Dream of the Infinite Rooms - Regina Mushabac, cello

The New American Scene (Albany Records, Troy 298)

  1. Ronald Perera: Music for Flute and Orchestra - William Wittig, flute
  2. Howie Smith: Songs for the Children - Howie Smith, wind controller/alto saxophone
  3. Edwin London: Una Novella Della Sera Primavera - Harry Sargous, oboe
  4. John Eaton: Songs of Desperation & Comfort - Nelda Nelson, mezzo-soprano

Cleveland Chamber Symphony Vol 6↵ (TNC CD 1515)

  1. Danceanu: Chinonic, Op. 67
  2. Messiaen: Oiseaux Exotiques (Exotic Birds)- Angelin Chang- piano
  3. Ligeti: Chamber Concerto for 13 Instrumentalists
  4. Shostakovich: Concerto no. 1 for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 35- Angelin Chang, piano

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Young & Emerging Composers – Cleveland Chamber Symphony". Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  2. ^ "About the Cleveland Chamber Symphony".
  3. ^ "Cleveland Orchestra". clevelandorchestra.queue-it.net. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  4. ^ "49th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee List". CBS News. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
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