CIM tops off 2022-23 talent pool with renowned visiting faculty and guest artists

As the 2022-23 school year begins, CIM is excited to welcome a brilliant slate of visiting faculty and guests artists, including prominent members of major American orchestras and some of the nation’s leading soloists and ensembles.

While their areas of focus vary tremendously, all bring to the table distinguished records as performers, composers or educators, and CIM is delighted to offer their talents in addition to those of its existing full- and part-time faculty.

“All Clevelanders benefit from the richness that comes from such a diverse group of musical luminaries participating in concert and academic life at CIM, but the real beneficiaries will be our students,” said Scott Harrison, executive vice president and provost of CIM. “Legendary in their fields, these artists won’t just build on the world-class education we already offer. They’ll contribute invaluably to our culture of excellence and creativity, simply by being here.” 

New members of the visiting faculty include:

• Malcolm Lowe, former concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Wei Yu, principal cello of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
• Harold Robinson, principal bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra
• Steven Banks, saxophone
• She-e Wu, percussion

Guest artists for the 2022-23 season include:

• Michelle Cann (BM ’09, MM ’10, Schenly/D. Shapiro), piano
• Artina McCain (MM ’06, Brown), piano
• Martin McCain, bass trombone
• Alexandre Dossin, piano
• Xak Bjerken, piano
• Margaret Batjer, violin
• Mike Block (BM ’04, Aaron), cello
• Sandeep Das, tabla
• Cara Consilvio, stage director
• Anthony Parnther, conductor
• JoAnn Falletta, conductor
• Sebastian Currier, composer
• Marcos Balter, composer
• Billy Childs, composer
• Chen Yi, composer
• Sphinx Virtuosi
• Blue Ridge Trombone Quartet
• Wu Han-Philip Setzer-David Finckel Trio

These guest artists and visiting faculty complement CIM’s already robust slate of full- and part-time faculty, which include 35 members of The Cleveland Orchestra. Many are scheduled or planning to perform at CIM this season. For a complete calendar of their performances in the 2022-23 season, visit cim.edu/events. 

About the new Visiting Faculty

Saxophonist Steven Banks is a global ambassador for the classical saxophone. Through a wide variety of performances and collaborations, the 2022 Avery Fisher Grant winner showcases the instrument’s potential and works to expand its repertoire. He also is active as a composer and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in classical music. He holds degrees from Indiana and Northwestern universities.

Malcolm Lowe stepped down as concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2019, after a remarkable career of 35 years. A native of Canada, Lowe began with the Regina and Quebec symphony orchestras before moving to the US. In Boston, Lowe participated in more than two dozen international tours and performed with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, a group composed of section principals.

Cellist Wei Yu has been principal cello of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 2015. Before that, he was a member of the New York Philharmonic. A native of Shanghai, China, Wei Yu made his debut performing the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He has been invited to play at the Marlboro and Ravinia music festivals and has performed with many of today’s leading chamber musicians.

Harold Robinson has been principal bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1995. He previously served as principal bass of the National Symphony Orchestra, assistant principal bass of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and principal bass of the New Mexico Symphony. He is currently the bass instructor at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

She-e Wu is head of the percussion program at Northwestern University. Active as both a composer and a performer, Wu has appeared with major orchestras and festivals around the world and regularly presents premieres, including of her own works. Her music and performances are featured on numerous recordings, including Snapshot, Horn Muse and an album with the American Brass Quintet.