Cleveland Cello Society presents i Cellisti!

The Cleveland Cello Society presents:

i Cellisti!

a cello ensemble extravaganza

Sunday, February 28, 2016 at 7:00 pm

Harkness Chapel

11200 Bellflower Road (in University Circle)

This season's Cleveland Cello Society (CCS) cello ensemble extravaganza will be a celebration of cellist Stephen Geber, who concludes his 42-year career at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) with the 2015-16 academic year.  Having served as the Principal Cellist of The Cleveland Orchestra from 1973 to 2003, as the founding President of the Cleveland Cello Society, and currently as its President Emeritus, there is much to celebrate about this remarkable man.  

 The evening will include cello ensemble music performed by:

• The Cleveland Orchestra principal cellist, Mark Kosower, and his CIM students;
• The Cleveland Orchestra First Assistant Principal cellist, Richard Weiss, and his CIM students;
• Cellists of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra;
• Pizzicato 4, a  Cleveland cello quartet;
• With guest artists Natasha Ospina Simmons, soprano, and Brett Mitchell, Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. 

Midway through the evening Messrs. Kosower and Weiss will hold an on-stage conversation with Mr. Geber, who will share anecdotes from his years with The Cleveland Orchestra.  The program will feature works by Handel, Mozart, Arvo Pärt, Olivier Messiaen, Heitor Villa Lobos, and a CCS commissioned work by Louisiana-based composer Tom Hundemer.  The evening will conclude with a cello choir performance of Randall Thompson’s Alleluia, featuring all 32 of the participating cellists, a massed ensemble of this instrument rarely heard.

 All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Cleveland Cello Society Scholarship Fund.  Tickets are $20 (suggested donation) and $50 for a limited number of reserved front row seats.  Call 216-921-3480 to reserve seats, and consult www.clevelandcello.com for more information.