The Kent Blossom Music Festival experience returns, presenting a full season of concerts featuring festival faculty and young artists participating in a five-week, immersive celebration of orchestral and chamber music. This 54 year-old partnership between and The Cleveland Orchestra is the only partnership of its kind between a major American orchestra and a public university.
Kent Blossom Music brings together select graduate and undergraduate students from around the world with members of The Cleveland Orchestra, Kent State music faculty, and internationally acclaimed guest artists. Throughout the summer, young artists participate in individual lessons, coachings, workshops, masterclasses, and perform concerts around Northeast Ohio.
From Sun., July 3 through Mon., August 8, the festival will host four faculty concerts, 11 young artist concerts, and a culminating side-by-side performance at Blossom Music Center. This year's faculty series includes performances by Cleveland Orchestra members, Kulas Visiting Guest Artists the McGill/McHale Trio, and the festival’s quartet-in-residence, the Miami String Quartet and pianist Spencer Myer.
Our Faculty Concert Series opens on Wed., July 6 at 7:30 p.m. featuring The Cleveland Orchestra’s Associate Concertmaster, Amy Lee; Principal Oboe, Frank Rosenwein; and various guest artists.
The following week will feature our Kulas Visiting Guest Artists the McGill/McHale Trio on Wed., July 13 at 7:30 p.m. The McGill/McHale Trio was founded in September 2014 and each member brings with them vast professional experience in chamber and orchestral music as well as solo and festival performances. The trio blends flute, clarinet, and piano with virtuosity, creating a dazzling listening experience.
Next, the Miami String Quartet will perform with pianist Spencer Myer on Tues. July 19 at 7:30 p.m. The Miami String Quartet has long been established as one of the most respected quartets in America. The New York Times describes them as having “everything one wants in a quartet: a rich, precisely balanced sound, a broad coloristic palette, real unity of interpretive purpose and seemingly unflagging energy.” They have won numerous awards and toured extensively through the United States and Europe and continue to redefine the standard for string quartets. Joining forces with the Miami String Quartet will be acclaimed pianist and recently appointed associate professor of music in piano at The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Spencer Myer.
Finally, the Faculty series will conclude with a concert featuring various guest artists and members of The Cleveland Orchestra including Assistant Principal Bassoon, Barrick Stees; First Assistant Principal Cello, Richard Weiss; and recently retired Principal Keyboardist, Joela Jones performing on Wed., August 3 at 7:30 p.m.
All faculty concerts will be presented in Ludwig Recital Hall, located in the Center for the Performing Arts at (1325 Theatre Drive, Kent, OH 44242).
Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit /blossom/ticket-information.
The Young Artist Concert series is free and open to the public. These concerts will be presented throughout Northeast Ohio on the weekends of July 15-17 and July 28-31.
The culminating event of the festival will be at Blossom Music Center on Sun., August 7. First, showcasing the Kent Blossom Music Festival Chamber Orchestra at 6 p.m. and then featuring a special performance of the young artists playing side-by-side Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 “Choral” with The Cleveland Orchestra at 7 p.m.
For more information on all these concerts, please go to /blossom/concert-schedule
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Media Contact:
Joni Koneval, 330-672-0116, jkoneval@kent.edu
Photo Identification:
McGill/McHale Trio by Matthew Septimus