Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 1

BLOSSOM NOTES NEWSLETTER OF BLOSSOM FRIENDS OF

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA Volume 1, Issue 7 July 2016

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

1 Message from the President, An Interview with Brett Mitchell

2 Brett Mitchell continue

3 Brett Mitchell continued, Kent/Blossom Music Festival, Name

a Seat Campaign

4 Kent/Blossom Music Festival Student Concert Series

5 Chapter News, Volunteers Needed for Blossom Info Centers

6 Orchestra News, Opening Night

7 Calendar of Events including Blossom Music Center,

Summers@Severance and Gourmet Matinee Series

Message from Our President

Our July edition of Blossom Notes is special! Liz McCormick, editor, Blossom Notes, interviewed Brett Mitchell, Associate Conductor. I think you will agree with her assessment after the interview - “What an amazing and interesting conversation. His travels and experiences could fill up a notebook!”

Liz and I thought it would be appropriate to feature a hidden gem – the Kent/Blossom Music Festival (page 3). We traveled to Kent State University’s Hugh A. Glauser School of Music and were fortunate to interview 3 students during their rehearsal break. Their stories and pictures will be featured in the August edition of Blossom Notes.

July at Blossom – so many opportunities to experience exceptional repertoire, world class performances and special events featuring The Cleveland Orchestra. Please join us for Blossom Friends’ Opening Night Celebration on July 9th as well as the Gourmet Matinee Series which begins July 12th.

Lis Hugh, President

Cleveland Orchestra (TCO) and Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO) where he envisioned his future self you would have heard “I want to make great music with the world’s best orchestra; The Cleveland Orchestra which is the greatest orchestra in the world”. When first approached in 2012 by TCO, he was surprised and honored as the vast majority of his predecessors had been hired in their 20’s and here he was approaching mid 30’s with a successful career as Music Director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra. Brett was thrilled to have the opportunity to conduct an orchestra that he had idolized for many years.

Continued on Page 2

Five years ago, if you would have asked Brett Mitchell, Associate Conductor of The

The Makings of a Conductor… Brett Mitchell

Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 2

Brett Mitchell

continued from Page 1

Brett’s storied career started in Seattle. As the “black sheep” in a nonmusical family, he embraced piano at the age of 6, followed by studies of percussion and saxophone. He still remembers the excitement as a 4-year old hearing “Mandy” by Barry Manilow and wanting to play the song on his Fisher-Price player so his mom and caretaker could share in the love he felt for this song. On Friday nights, he could be found studying scores of music, and at the age of 16, he had the opportunity to conduct his first performance at Lynnwood High School. As an undergrad in music composition at Western Washington University, he realized that playing the piano meant lots of alone time, and composing music meant writing alone and not being part of the final performance. Conducting on the other hand allowed him to be with other people, “I love music and I want to share my love with other people.” In defining who he is as a conductor, two of his mentors come to mind. In 2008, Brett was selected by his former Master class teacher Kurt Masur, Music Director of the Orchestra National de France, to receive the inaugural Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Scholarship which allowed him to work closely alongside and assist Maestro Masur with concerts throughout Europe and American. Mr. Mitchell fondly remembers working on a Mozart piece and Masur asked him why he wasn’t putting a crescendo on a downbeat to which Brett replied, “it isn’t written that way”. Masur promptly replied “well if Mozart would have written it down you would be performing it with your head, not your heart.” From his other mentor, Lorin Maazel, former Music Director of TCO, he learned the technical prowess of music. These two traits, performing from your heart while still maintaining the technicalities of the score is what defines the conducting of Brett Mitchell. As a guest conductor, he pays attention to the material, what the composer wants and the end result, “the music is the music, the piece is the piece”.

Prior to accepting his position at TCO, Brett has also directed opera and the orchestra as Director of Orchestra’s and Music Director at Northern Illinois University (2005-2007), been an Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre National de France (2006-2009), and has conducted over 150 performances during his tenure with the Houston Symphony (2007 to present) before landing in Michigan as Music Director with the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra (2010-2012). Having the opportunity to travel and conduct throughout Europe and America, Brett shared several of his most memorable times: visiting the Central Cemetery in Vienna it “became real” seeing the composers that are buried there (including Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Strauss), traveling with COYO to China where they were treated like celebrities, and the chance to perform in Severance Hall where his all-time benchmark of great musical performances would be George Szell’s Beethoven Symphony. Mr. Mitchell’s work with TCO includes covering as conductor for Severance Hall and Blossom Music Festival performances as well as Music Director for COYO. In working with the young, talented musicians of COYO his biggest challenge is remembering that for the majority of these musicians they are approaching a musical piece for the first time.

For those young musicians who wish to pursue a career

in music, Mr. Mitchell likes to echo LeBron James

sentiment “Nothing is given, everything is earned”.

Continued on page 3

One of his favorite composer’s would be Gustav Mahler

due to his belief that a symphony "should be like a world.

It must embrace everything." A single score can include

major differences in sounds and moods.

Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 3

Memories last a lifetime Name a seat in Blossom Pavilion.

Call Brian Deeds, Individual Giving Associate, 216-231-7556 for

more information.

Kent/Blossom Music Festival 2016 Season

The Kent/Blossom Music Festival began when The

Cleveland Orchestra and Kent State University

launched a partnership in 1968, the year the Blossom

Music Center opened. For five weeks from June 26th

thru July 31st, Kent/Blossom Music Festival’s

advanced training program brings musicians from

around the world to Ohio for professional training in

chamber music and orchestral studies with members

of The Cleveland Orchestra and other elite faculty.

Accepted students have daily lectures and Master

classes, individual practice, recitals and concerts.

Currently there are 47 students participating in the

KBMF. Since its inception, more than 2,200 young

artists and world class professionals have had the

opportunity to be part of the Kent/Blossom

experience.

The Cleveland Orchestra has greatly benefited from

this arrangement as 22 former KBMF students are

members of TCO. Other known career placements

include 157 chairs in US and international orchestras,

14 chamber ensembles and more than 52 US and

foreign music faculties.

On July 30, 7:00 pm, participants will come together,

under the direction of Brett Mitchell, as the

Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra to present a pre-

concert program prior to The Cleveland Orchestra’s

evening performance. Featured will be Andrew

Norman's "The Great Swiftness" and Beethoven's 8th

Symphony. Conductor Hans Graf leads the evening

program, which features Hindemith’s Overture

toCupid and Psyche, Pinchas Zukerman playing

Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 (“Turkish”), and

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique.” The

Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra will join The

Cleveland Orchestra in a side-by-side performance of

the Tchaikovsky Symphony.

Brett Mitchell continued from Page 2

It’s important that he take the time to help these musicians understand his interpretation and style of a piece. When asked what is the biggest piece of advice he can give to a budding musician, it would be “there is no substitute for hard work. If you love what you are doing it won’t feel like work. You can’t control talent but you can control hard work”. Brett has also had the opportunity to work with the Kent/Blossom Music Festival (KBMF) for the past several years. This year he will be joining the musicians during the final week with a pre-concert performance on July 30th. Last year he completed a conductor’s ‘marathon’ – not only conducting the KBMF prelude concert but also the 2nd half of the TCO orchestra which meant a challenging 9 ½ hours on the podium. On a personal level, Brett recently celebrated his two year wedding anniversary on June 14th with a visit to Ireland. Due to his lifetime commitment to music it is no surprise that he met his wife, Angela when he was conducting an opera in Houston and she was the singer. When not on the podium, Brett enjoys reading and it was in Ireland that he checked an item off his bucket list when he attended Bloomsday – a celebration of the life of James Joyce and a reliving of “Ulysses” (of which he is currently reading). When asked where he sees himself in 10 years, he replied “doing the best work I can do, with whatever opportunities come about. I want to make great music with the best orchestra”. For Brett Mitchell, working with The Cleveland Orchestra that vision of the future has become his reality for today. Article based on an interview with Brett Mitchell by Elizabeth McCormick

Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 4

Kent/Blossom Music Festival Student Concert Series

The public is invited to enjoy the talents of the world’s finest young musicians performing in Kent/Blossom Music Festival’s Student Concert Series which are

free and open to all.

Recital No. 1 - Friday, July 8 at 7:30 pm, Ludwig Recital Hall, Kent State University

Sonata No. 1 in G Major Serenade in C Minor, K. 388 Caprice on Danish and Russian Airs, Op. 79 Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34

Gioachino Rossini Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Camille Saint-Saëns

Johannes Brahms

Recital No. 2 - Saturday, July 9 at 2 pm, Ludwig Recital Hall, Kent State University

Horn Trio, Op. 40 Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 103 Concertino for Flute, Viola and Double Bass (1925) Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57 (1940)

Johannes Brahms

Ludwig van Beethoven Erwin Shulhoff Dmitri Shostakovich

Recital No. 3 - Sunday, July 10 at 2 pm, Hudson Library & Historical Society

Bachianos Brasileiras No. 6 (1938) Serenade in C Major, Op. 10 (1902) Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20

Heitor Villa-Lobos Ernő Dohnányi Felix Mendelssohn

Recital No. 4 - Sunday, July 10 at 7:30 pm, Ludwig Recital Hall, Kent State University

Sextet for Piano and Winds (1981) Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op.115 Piano Quintet in C Minor

Lee Hoiby Johannes Brahms Alexander Borodin

Recital No. 5 - Friday, July 22 at 7:30 pm, Ludwig Recital Hall, Kent State University

Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet (1953) Piano Trio in D Major, Op.70, No.1 "The Ghost" Quintet in G Minor, Op. 39 (1923) Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 15

György Ligeti Ludwig van Beethoven

Sergei Prokofiev César Franck

Recital No. 6 - Saturday, July 23 at 2 pm, Ludwig Recital Hall, Kent State University

Romans de Rois (2007) Phases for Wind Quintet (2007) Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34 (1919) Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11

Margaret Griebling-Haigh

Jeffrey Rathbun Sergei Prokofiev Robert Schumann Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Recital No. 7 - Sunday, July 24 at 2 pm, Hudson Library & Historical Society

String Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 108 (1960) String Quartet No. 61, Op. 76, No. 2 “Fifths” Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet (1942) String Sextet in A Major, Op. 48

Dmitri Shostakovich Franz Joseph Haydn Jean Françaix

Antonín Dvořák

Recital No. 8 - Sunday, July 24 at 7:30 pm, Ludwig Recital Hall, Kent State University

Miniatures for String Quartet (1945)

Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81

Suite for Two Violins and Piano, Op. 71 (1903) Suite in B-flat Major, Op. 4

Sulkhan Tsintsadze

Antonín Dvořák

Moritz Moszkowski Richard Strauss

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Volunteers Needed for Blossom Music

Center Information Booth

Volunteers are still needed for the following concerts:

Disturbed - July 13th

Vans Warped Tour - July 20th

Darius Rucker - August 26th

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Plays Bach – August 27th

Jason Aldean - September 3rd

Remember, volunteers need to be a Blossom Friend

member. If you are able to volunteer please contact

Jean Matthews at 330.608.6245 or

jmathews0114@yahoo.com.

The Northeast Chapter’s Gourmet Matinee on

the Road at the Mentor Harbor Yachting Club

featuring the Heimet String Quartet and flutist

John Rautenberg on May 15th.

The Aurora Chapter’s ‘Luncheon at Country

Inn’ fundraiser on May 26th at the Thorncreek

Winery featuring The Canterbury Quartet.

The three

musicians from

TCO are from the

left, William

Preucil, Sonja

Braaten Molloy,

and Alexandra

Preucil.

Gourmet Matinee Series

Music and Luncheon with Cleveland

Orchestra musicians in Knight Grove, 12 –

2p, presented by Blossom Friends

Tuesday, July 12

The Cleveland Bluegrass Group

featuring:

Trina Struble, fiddle, Mark Dumm,

banjo, Jeffrey Zehngut, mandolin, Henry

Peyrebrune, guitar and Derek Zadinsky,

bass

Wednesday, August 3

Shachar Israel, trombone and Alan

Harrell, cello

Thursday, September 1

Michael Miller, trumpet

-----------------

Tickets can be ordered online at

clevelandorchestra.com/Gourmet

Matinee

Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 6

André and Ginette Gremillet are the proud parents of their son Etienne Gremillet, born on Sunday, June 19 and weighing 7 lbs. and 15 oz. Mom and baby are doing well and are now home with Dad and big brother Olivier. Needless to say, Father’s Day was extra-special this year and we wish them all the best! Please welcome the five artists that have recently joined The Cleveland Orchestra: Dane Johansen – cellist, Cleveland Institute of Music graduate, formerly with the Escher String Quartet Analise Denise Kukelhan – violinist and Cleveland Institute of Music graduate, former member of the North Carolina, Akron and Canton Symphony Orchestra Gareth Thomas – Bassoonist, former principal bassoon of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra Corbin Stair – oboist, Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia graduate Thomas Sherwood – percussionist, former principal percussionist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Overture to Blossom’s Best

Opening Night at Blossom Music

Center

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Presented by Blossom Friends of

The Cleveland Orchestra

Knight Grove Pavilion at Blossom Music

Center

5:30 p.m.-Enjoy Cocktails at the Cash Bar

6:15 p.m.-Steak and Salmon Buffet

Dinner

8:00 p.m.-The Cleveland Orchestra

Concert: Lawn or Pavilion seating

The Cleveland Orchestra concert,

conducted by Franz Welser-Möst :

ADÈS Overture, Waltz, and Finale from

Powder Her Face

BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion,

and Celesta

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica")

Dinner Reservations are $75.00 per

person. Make checks payable to : Blossom

Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra

Concert Tickets, either lawn seats or

Pavilion seating are required for dinner

attendance and are to be purchased

separately. Order concert tickets by

calling the Severance Hall Ticket Office

at 216-231-1111 (or 1-800-686-1141) or

order online at clevelandorchestra.com.

R.S.V.P. by July 1, 2016. For information

contact Kathy Moock, 440--838-5938

From left is Corbin Stair, oboe; Analise Denise Kukelhan, violin; Thomas Sherwood, percussion (in back); Gareth Thomas,

bassoon; and Dane Johansen, cello.

Associate Conductor of TCO and Music Director of COYO, Brett Mitchell recently celebrated his two year wedding anniversary with his wife in Angela in Ireland.

Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 7

Return Address

Street Number and Name

City, State 98765-4321

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ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Mailing Address

Street Number and Name

City, State 98765-4321

2016 Blossom Music Festival &

Summers@Severance Concert Calendar: (check clevelandorchestra.com for tickets and additional information)

July 2nd and 3rd – 1812 Overture, 8:00pm. Johannes Debus, conductor with The Cleveland

Orchestra. A blockbuster all-Russian opening weekend!

July 4th – A Salute to American, 8:00 pm. Loras John Schissel, conductor with the Blossom Festival

Band. Great music, fireworks and fun for the whole family!

July 8th – Summers@Severance, 7:00 pm, Franz and Brahms, Franz Welser-Möst, conductor with

The Cleveland Orchestra

July 9th – Opening Night, Beethoven’s Heroic Symphony, 8:00 pm. Franz Welser-Möst, conductor

with The Cleveland Orchestra. Fireworks!

July 16th – London Symphony, 8:00 pm. Michael Francis, conductor with The Cleveland

Orchestra. In collaboration with Cuyahoga Valley National Park, this performance salutes and

celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the creation of the United States National Park Service by Act

of Congress in 1916.

July 17th – An American in Paris, 7:00 pm. Bramwell Tovey, conductor with The Cleveland

Orchestra

July 22nd – Summers@Severance, 7:00 pm. Stars of Tomorrow, Jahja Ling, conductor with the

Cleveland Orchestra and Live Finals of the 2016 Thomas & Evon Cooper Int’l Piano Competition

July 23rd – Thibaudet Plays Grieg, 8:00 pm. Jahja Ling, conductor with The Cleveland Orchestra

July 24th – Magic of the Movies, 7:00 pm. Michael Krajewski, conductor with the Blossom Festival

Chorus

July 29th – Free Concert at Cleveland Public Square, 9:00 pm. Star Spangled Spectacular. Loras

John Schissel, conductor with The Cleveland Orchestra

July 30th – Pinchas Zukerman Plays Mozart, 7:00 pm. Hans Graf, conductor with the Kent/Blssom

Chamber Orchestra (KBCO conducted by Brett Mitchell performs at 7:00 pm)

July 31st – Michael Feinstein’s Broadway, 7:00 pm. Jack Everly, conductor with The Cleveland Orchestra