Thursday evenings will be especially sweet this summer thanks to CIPC ArtsConnect and the talents of local instrumentalists and vocalists. With strong support from Steinway Piano Gallery Cleveland and the City of Beachwood, CIPC ArtsConnect will present a Summer Concert Series at the Beachwood Community Center, nine special concerts that are free and open to the public. All concerts are held indoors, rain or shine.
CIPC ArtsConnect, the music outreach program of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, works with a group of top-tier musicians throughout the year to bring concerts directly to people who have limited access to traditional concert venues. Performances in nursing homes, hospitals, hospices, community centers, and schools provide a way for extraordinary music to reach all members of the Greater Cleveland community.
Program Director Sophié van der Westhuizen wanted to do something different for the summer months. “The summer concert series will be held at the Beachwood Community Center, and it is completely open to the public,” she said. “The concerts have been carefully selected to be very family friendly and appeal to a broad range of musical styles and tastes. We really want to reach out to every corner of the community with the amazing talents of our local musicians.”
Steinway Piano Gallery Cleveland will sponsor the use of pianos for all of the concerts where pianos are needed, although van der Westhuizen stressed that the programming will be diverse. “We will have everything from classical, to cabaret, to jazz, to pop, with pianists, violinists, guitarists, vocalists, and more,” she said.
For more information regarding CIPC ArtsConnect, including how to book one of the ArtsConnect instrumentalists or vocalists, please contact Sophié van der Westhuizen at [email protected].
Meanwhile, a complete list of the Beachwood Summer Concert Series appears below. All concerts begin at 6:30 pm and last for approximately 90 minutes.
June 19
The Aurora Trio
Yuka Nakayama (piano), Andrea Belding (violin), and Jenny Hublin (clarinet) perform beautiful classical works.
June 26
Arianna Körting, piano
A rising star in the classical music world, Ms. Körting was the winner of the 2012 CIPC Young Artists Competition.
July 3
Miss Alexandra Huntingdon and The Gentlemen’s Intermission
Kick off your holiday weekend with this entertaining jazz, pop, and musical theater cabaret.
July 10
The Westhuizen Duo, piano
Pierre and Sophié van der Westhuizen, the dynamic husband-and-wife keyboard partners will entertain and captivate.
July 17
Summer Serenade: An evening of romantic music for piano and violin
Andrew Focks (piano) and Aniela Eddy (violin) will put stars in your eyes! Relax and enjoy the romance.
July 24
Delightful Divas
Cleveland Institute of Music sopranos Liz Huff and Tina Beltavski join pianist Marshall Griffith for an evening of opera arias, duets, and art songs.
July 31
Jazz Impressions of Cleveland
Marshall Griffith (piano), Linda White (flute), and Dean Newton (bass), capture the spirit of Cleveland landmarks such as the Bob Stop, House of Blues, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and Lake Erie in the changing seasons using jazz styles in this unique program. Works by Dave Brubeck and Oscar Peterson also will be performed.
August 7
Time Canvas: Dancing through the ages
Joshua Stauffer (guitar), Chiara Stauffer (violin), Robert Nicholson (cello), and Joel Negus (bass) perform music written specifically for dancing, ranging from the Renaissance to the present day, with styles varying from Classical to popular.
August 14
Rhymes, Lullabies, and Letters, Oh My!
Join sopranos Rebecca Tinsley Freshwater and Maribeth Crawford, accompanied by pianist Sophié van der Westhuizen, for an amazing, child-friendly program featuring puppets and fun, interactive moments for the whole family. You’ll laugh out loud and maybe even shed a tear or two as you take a walk down memory lane with featured works including Leonard Bernstein’s “I Hate Music,” and Irving Fine’s “Childhood Fables for Grownups.”