The Cleveland Chamber Symphony is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

chamber orchestra Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numbe ...

based in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. It is dedicated to the performance of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

, and has presented over 200 performance premieres.

History

The Cleveland Chamber Symphony (CCS) was founded in 1980 by composer Edwin London as a professional ensemble in residence at

Cleveland State University Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...

to perform new, primarily American music. Through the vision and expertise of Dr. London and the talent of a dedicated core of Cleveland musicians, the ensemble steadily grew in scope and stature throughout the following two decades, performing, recording and commissioning contemporary orchestral music. At the peak of its activity, CCS presented a concert series of eight programs and numerous recording sessions under the direction of Edwin London. Performances were offered at Cleveland State University and many other Cleveland venues, including the

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian ...

, Trinity Cathedral, Public Hall,

Karamu House Karamu House in the Fairfax neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, United States, is the oldest African-American theater in the United States opening in 1915. Many of Langston Hughes's plays were developed and premièred at the theater. ...

, Liberty Hill Baptist Church, Old Stone Church and

John Carroll University John Carroll University is a private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio. It is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts institution accompanied by the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business. John Carroll has an enrollment of 3, ...

. The ensemble offered "encore" performances in communities adjacent to

Cuyahoga County Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban County (United States), county located in the Northeast Ohio, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the Canada–United States border, U.S.- ...

and throughout the Midwest. Composers in Cleveland and around the world began to see the Cleveland Chamber Symphony as an important resource for their work and the work of their younger students. Composers of national and international stature whose works were being commissioned and performed by CCS were drawn to

as guest conductors and pedagogues. A hallmark of the ensemble was the close collaborative relationship it shared with many composers. In many ways, CCS set the standard for the performance of contemporary orchestral music. A critically acclaimed performance of

Bernard Rands Bernard Rands (born 2 March 1934 in Sheffield, England) is a British-American contemporary classical music composer. He studied music and English literature at the University of Wales, Bangor, and composition with Pierre Boulez and Bruno Maderna ...

' ''Canti Trilogy'' led to a national tour culminating in a memorable performance in Paine Hall at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. In 2007, the group won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in the

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) was awarded from 1959 to 2011. From 1967 to 1971, and in 1987, the award was combined with the award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) and aw ...

category, for its recording of Olivier Messiaen's ''

Oiseaux exotiques ''Oiseaux exotiques'' (''Exotic birds'') is a piece for piano and small orchestra by Olivier Messiaen. It was written between 5 October 1953 and 3 January 1956 and was commissioned by Pierre Boulez. It is dedicated to Yvonne Loriod, the composer ...

'' conducted by

John McLaughlin Williams John McLaughlin Williams (born 1957) is a Grammy award-winning American orchestral conductor and violinist. He attended the Boston University School of Music, the New England Conservatory and is a graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Music. Hi ...

with pianist Angelin Chang. The music director is Steven Smith, who has held the position since 2005

Young and Emerging Composers concert

Each Spring CCS holds their ''Young and Emerging Composers Concert'', a unique performance featuring only music by student composers selected through a competitive process. This concert, a staple of the Chamber Symphony's programming since its founding in 1980, represents the best in a longstanding tradition of collegiality, apprenticeship and collaboration. Through rehearsals, the performance, and interaction with highly trained professional musicians, the program offers student composers an interactive laboratory within which they can create, experiment with, and refine their music.

Select recordings

''Sound Encounters I'' (GM 2039 ) #

Libby Larsen Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer. Along with composer Stephen Paulus, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum. A former holder of the Pa ...

: What the Monster Saw #

Salvatore Martirano Salvatore Giovanni Martirano (January 12, 1927 – November 17, 1995) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. Born in Yonkers, New York, he taught for many years at the University of Illinois. He also worked in electronic music a ...

: LON/dons -

Howie Smith Howie Smith (born February 25, 1943), is a saxophonist, composer, jazz musician and educator Howie Smith was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania in 1943. He was an instructor for the University of Illinois Division of Music Extension from 1970 to ...

, saxophone #

: London Serenade #

Roger Reynolds Roger Lee Reynolds (born July 18, 1934) is a Pulitzer prize-winning American composer. He is known for his capacity to integrate diverse ideas and resources, and for the seamless blending of traditional musical sounds with those newly enabled by t ...

: The Dream of the Infinite Rooms - Regina Mushabac, cello ''The New American Scene'' (Albany Records, Troy 298) # Ronald Perera: Music for Flute and Orchestra - William Wittig, flute # Howie Smith: Songs for the Children - Howie Smith, wind controller/alto saxophone # Edwin London: una novella della sera primavera - Harry Sargous, oboe #

John Eaton John Eaton may refer to: * John Eaton (divine) (born 1575), English divine * John Eaton (pirate) (fl. 1683–1686), English buccaneer *Sir John Craig Eaton (1876–1922), Canadian businessman * John Craig Eaton II (born 1937), Canadian businessman ...

: Songs of Desperation & Comfort - Nelda Nelson, mezzo-soprano Cleveland Chamber Symphony Vol 6 (TNC CD 1515) # Danceanu: Chinonic, Op. 67 #

Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century. His m ...

: Oiseaux Exotiques (Exotic Birds) - Angelin Chang - piano # Ligeti: Chamber Concerto for 13 Instrumentalists #

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

: Concerto no. 1 for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 35 - Angelin Chang, piano :The recording of Oiseaux Exotiques by Olivier Messiaen has been awarded a 2007 Grammy Award in the category of ''Classical Music: Best Instrumental Solo with Orchestra''

Locations

The orchestra began at

, but is now based at the Cleveland Music School Settlement in partnership with Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music.

External links

*
NEOSonicFest
* * * *

by Bruce Duffie, January 29, 1989

History

Young and Emerging Composers concert

Select recordings

Locations

External links

See also