Cleveland Chamber Choir Announces 10th Anniversary Season All Concerts Pay-What-You-Wish

The Cleveland Chamber Choir, the region’s premier professional choral ensemble, continues its mission of performances of unique and diverse repertoire in its 10th anniversary, 2024-25 season. The pay-what-you-wish concerts blend music by living composers with ten centuries of choral tradition, and emphasize the works of composers historically excluded from the concert hall.

“Ticket prices can scare people away from classical music concerts,” said Artistic Director, Gregory Ristow. ”With our pay-what-you-wish programs, we hope to bring the healing power of choral music, sung by Cleveland’s top professional singers, to more people.”

The concert lineup showcases the choir’s continued commitment to social awareness and advocacy. Over the course of the season, the choir will partner with local charities to help raise awareness of and funds for their work.

Additionally, Cleveland Chamber Choir has been named Artists in Residence at Trinity Cathedral, a historic Cleveland church with a storied history of bringing vibrant performances to downtown Cleveland. The season will open and close at Trinity Cathedral, as part of their revitalized performance series.

The season begins with Meditations and Mysticism, on October 26th and 27th. In a hectic time, this program invites us to, “Take a moment, take a breath, take time, take care,” as composer Reena Esmail says. The concert features well-known choral works such as Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, excerpts from Philip Glass’s opera Einstein on the Beach, and Gregorian chant by Hildegard of Bingen. It will also offer moments for meditation and communal music making. “We’ll invite audience members to join us in a sonic meditation, which is a beautiful moment of coming together to create and enjoy harmony,” Ristow says.

This concert is presented in partnership with award-winning mental health program, Ghetto Therapy™️, which offers free therapy sessions open to the public for all age groups. Therapy sessions include a healthy dinner, facilitated discussions by guest speakers and exposure to different forms of therapy including Reiki, sound, art, meditation, and yoga.

Our Saturday performance will also feature a fundraiser, celebrating 10 years of making music in Cleveland. There will be raffle baskets, with goods and experiences generously donated by Cleveland businesses and organizations; raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the event. Following the performance, you can join us for a reception ($20 suggested donation). We hope you will celebrate with us!

On December 20th and 21st, the choir will present David Lang’s Pulitzer-Prize Winning The Little Match Girl Passion, a modern day retelling of the 1845 Hans Christian Andersen story, influenced by Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. This will be a captivating, immersive experience, featuring new connective music by award-winning local composer Tom Lopez and a visual arts collaboration with the students of the Cleveland School of the Arts. Lang’s work will be interspersed with holiday works from a variety of choral traditions.

This concert is presented in partnership with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, aligned with the themes of David Lang’s award-winning work. The concerts are presented with the support of the Cleveland School of the Arts and a grant from The Amphion Foundation.

The Choir will present the music of trailblazing Jewish Renaissance composer, Salamone Rossi on March 1st and 2nd. In Synagogue and Salon: The Hebrew Psalms and Madrigals of Salamone Rossi, the choir will share both the pioneering sacred choral music for Jewish services, and also the secular music Rossi wrote for the Court of Mantua, where he, along with his contemporary Monteverdi, was among the most celebrated of composers of the time.

The Choir will partner with the youth choir HaZamir Cleveland for these concerts. HaZamir is a youth movement that offers high schoolers the opportunity to learn and sing Jewish choral music, and create enduring friendships that transcend geographic, political, social, and denominational differences.

The season concludes on a major scale on May 17th, with the choir joining forces with BlueWater Chamber Orchestra for I Believe! Margaret Bond’s Credo sets the text of W.E.B. DuBois, the pioneering sociologist, civil rights activist, and co-founder of the NAACP. Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor captivates with its timeless elegance and intricate arrangements. The program features soprano Katherine Jolly in both works, an accomplished singer who has appeared on opera stages throughout the country and is the winner of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals.

Influenced by themes from Credo, and following our collaboration from December, the Choir will partner with the music program at the Cleveland School of the Arts.

Prior to each concert this season, Charles Edward McGuire, PhD, from Oberlin College & Conservatory, will present a pre-concert talk, offering insightful perspectives on the music to be performed that evening. He will delve into the historical context of the works performed, as well as techniques the composers used. A distinguished scholar and captivating speaker, McGuire’s pre-concert talks promise to heighten the appreciation and understanding of the music for the listeners. “I am looking forward to this season, and the future of CCC: Greg has created an incredible season of provocative, beautiful music that will be as fun to talk about as it will be to hear,” McGuire remarked.

The choir is grateful for the full season grant support provided by The George Gund Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, and season underwriting from KeyBank.

More information about the Cleveland Chamber Choir, its singers, leadership and concerts may be found at clevelandchamberchoir.org.

The Choir is pleased to announce that we will perform at the Ohio Music Education Association Conference on Friday, February 7, 2025, as the only professional ensemble selected. The public is welcome to attend the performance; more details to come!

Meditations and Mysticism – Register for Tickets

Saturday, October 26, 2024, at 7:00pm at Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave.,Cleveland Sunday, October 27, 2024, at 4:00pm at First Lutheran Church, 1019 W. 5th St.,Lorain

David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion – Register for Tickets

Friday, December 20, 2024 and Saturday, December, 21, 2024, 7:30pm
Both performances at the Cleveland School of the Arts, 2064 Stearns Rd.,Cleveland

Synagogue and Salon: The Hebrew Psalms and Madrigals of Salamone Rossi

Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 8:00pm, Location to be Announced
Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 4:00pm at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, 20401 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River

I Believe! – Register for Tickets

Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 7:30pm, at Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave., Cleveland

All concerts with “pay what you wish” tickets. Thank you for your support!