----- I 5) 03.28.18 -----
SPONSORED: ONLY @ OBERLIN Span six centuries in one breathtaking evening of music with the Brentano String Quartet! The groundbreaking ensemble reimagines Renaissance-era madrigals by Gesualdo and Monteverdi, plus Stephen Hartke’s modern set of madrigals The Fifth Book and Shostakovich’s dip into serialism, the String Quartet No. 12. Tickets: $35; students $10. Fri. 3/30.
SPONSORED: ONLY @ OBERLIN Overdue for date night? Snuggle up with Roomful of Teeth. The Grammy-winning vocal octet performs its otherworldly Partita for 8 Voices and other works inspired by Tuvan throat singing, Alpine yodeling, and a world of other sounds -- an unforgettable evening of the most captivating music you've never heard. Fri 2/16.
----- SF 6) 11.01.17 -----
YOUNG LOVERS & YOUNG PHENOMS: Take the plunge with Oberlin Opera Theater in Mozart's sophisticated and stunning comedy The Marriage of Figaro. $8-$10. Wed 11/1-Sun 11/5. Oberlin's Artist Recital Series continues with two outstanding young performers: British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor ("If you haven't heard him, hear him now" -L.A. Times) plays Bach's French Suite No. 5, Debussy's L'apres midi d'un faune, Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, and more. Sun 11/12.
Violinist Tessa Lark (hailed by VIOLINIST.COM for her guts and intensity) takes on Stravinsky's Suite Italienne, Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances, sonatas by Ravel and Strauss, and more. $10-$35. Sun 11/19.
SPONSORED: ONLY@OBERLIN Welcome fall with an unforgettable evening of music on campus: The Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Most celebrate their centennial season with an all-Beethoven program including the legendary Fifth Symphony on Tue 10/3. Also: Artist Recital Series begins Thu 9/28 with Punch Brothers. Both shows $30-$35; students just $10. Limited tickets available.
----- SV 5) 07.19.17 -----
Young violinists from all around the world gather at Oberlin Conservatory for a week-long competition of violin sonatas, show pieces, concerti, and more.
Ranging in age from 13-18 years old, these talented violinists compete for cash prizes and the opportunity to perform their selected concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall.
CoolCleveland's Stephan Haluska went to Oberlin Conservatory to meet competitor, Kiarra Saito-Beckman to find out more about the Cooper International Competition. Originally from Bend Oregon, Saito-Beckman is a third year at Cleveland Institute of Music at just 18, having finished high school early to begin her conservatory education.
----- SF 4) 04.05.17 -----
On back-to-back nights there are few places you can hear a concert by Indian sarod virtuoso Rajeev Taranath and tabla player Udayraj Karpur, followed by a show with award-winning jazz artists. April 11 and 12 are those nights. If chemistry is your thing, then you'll want to hear the reaction between these two rising stars: pianist and Oberlin alum Sullivan Fortner and singer Cecile McLorin Salvant, the vocalist celebrated at the 2015 Grammys for Best Jazz Vocal Album. "Salvant has inbuilt swing, an actor's stagecraft, an instrumentalist’s precision of nuance, and an appetite for dusting off rarely performed songs," (The Guardian). Details.
----- SF 3) 04.05.17 -----
Grammy-winning American pianist Richard Goode brings his celebrated interpretations of Classical and Romantic music to Oberlin's Artist Recital Series in Finney Chapel. The program features a Bach partita, two late Beethoven sonatas, and several Chopin pieces - a soulful nocturne, graceful dances, and a vivacious display. "A joy in the ear, a nourishment for the mind and an uplift for the spirit" (LA Times), Goode's music-making is noted for tremendous emotional power, depth, and expressiveness. Internationally revered by audiences and artists, this prolific concert and recording artist leaves lasting impressions everywhere he performs. Experience him live! Sun 4/9 at 4PM. Details.
SPONSORED: ONLY@OBERLIN Canada's Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra brings Bach: The Circle of Creation to Finney Chapel. This multimedia performance combines music with stunning projected video and images to explore the world of the artisans- papermakers, violin carvers, string spinners, and performers- who helped J.S. Bach realize his musical genius. 8PM on Tue 2/28.
----- SF 2) 11.02.16 -----
Two Comic Operas in One? That's Absurd: Oberlin Opera Theater brings to life Donizetti's Viva la Mamma -- about an inept opera company and its ridiculously doomed production -- and Poulenc's Les Mamelles de Tiresias, in which a fed-up housewife seizes her independence while her hubby stays home making babies -- lots and lots of babies. Wed, Fri, Sat 11/2-4-5 and matinee Sun 11/6.
Artist Recital Series: Hailed by the L.A. Times for its "dramatic fire and … hint of rock 'n' roll energy," the St. Lawrence String Quartet performs quartets by Haydn, Beethoven, and Adams' 2014 piece written for the ensemble. Fri 11/11. Oberlin Arts Guide
SPONSORED: ONLY@OBERLIN Welcome autumn with a couple of glorious nights: Jazz clarinetist Eddie Daniels and friends kick off the 2016-17 Artist Recital Series on Sat 9/17 with standards and inspired original charts. The Zukerman Trio follows on Fri 9/30 with romantic Schubert and searing Shostakovich trios. $35; $30 seniors/military; $10 students.
----- SF 1) 08.31.16 -----
Because campaign season isn't ridiculous enough already... the Reduced Shakespeare Company presents The Complete History of America (abridged): Election Edition, a thorough skewering of the events that got us this far, for one night only on Tue 9/6 in Oberlin's Finney Chapel. Also laughable: Tickets are just $10 ($6 seniors/students/military/alumni).
Then, on Sun 9/11, underground rock legends Yo La Tengo take over Finney Chapel for an acoustic evening with their old pal Dave Schramm on guitar. One of alt-rock's original critic's darlings, Yo La Tengo has long enjoyed a rabid cult following, but should not be mistaken for an actual cult. Tickets are $18 ($8 seniors/students/military/alumni).\\\