Masterpieces old and new highlight adventurous spring 2025 season at CIM

Never mind the snow and cold temperatures. At CIM, spring has sprung.  

The spring concert season, that is.  

On Monday, Jan. 6, just as students began returning from winter break, CIM announced its musical plans for spring 2025, revealing a calendar full of ambitious and enticing programs around the region.  

“CIM is thrilled to again offer the community such a strong slate of concerts in the new year,” said Scott Harrison, CIM’s Executive Vice President & Provost. “With this lineup, we’re reminding Northeast Ohio that we are truly Cleveland’s Institute of Music.” 

Even as the renovation of Kulas Hall continues through the spring, on pace and on budget, CIM will remain both a destination for, and a source of, great performances.  

CIM patrons in 2025 can look ahead to substantial offerings from the CIM Orchestra, CIM Opera Theater, and CIM New Music Ensemble, as well as new performances within the ongoing Perspectives and Insiders series.  

CIM’s Mixon Hall will remain the school’s primary venue during renovation. Meanwhile, many events typically held in Kulas Hall will take CIM musicians and guests into other venues around Northeast Ohio including Severance Music Center, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Lorain County Community College, and the Maltz Performing Arts Center. Notably, CIM Opera Theater will return to Playhouse Square.   

That, though, is just the big picture. What makes the spring 2025 season truly exciting are the details, the specifics with regards to performers and programs.  

Among the highlights:  

• Three appearances by the CIM Orchestra at Severance Music Center, with conductors Tito Muñoz, Sameer Patel, and JoAnn Falletta. 
• New productions by CIM Opera Theater of Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters, at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, at Playhouse Square.  
• CIM New Music Ensemble programs featuring the music of Claude Baker and former CIM Composition Department Head Margaret Brouwer, on the occasion of her 85th birthday.  
• A performance by the Gateways Brass Collective highlighting CIM’s renewed affiliation with the Gateways Music Festival. 
• A benefit performance by members of CIM’s Black Student Union. 
• Four Insiders series chamber music concerts by CIM faculty members.   

A detailed list of events is below. Most events are free with tickets required, but a few select performances entail paid admission. All tickets are available now. For more information or to order tickets to spring 2025 season events, visit cim.edu/events.  

CIM thanks its spring 2025 season sponsor, Eaton Corporation. All visiting artists, including guests with the CIM Orchestra, are generously supported by the Kulas Foundation.   

CIM ORCHESTRA 

Three of CIM Orchestra’s four concerts this spring will take place at Severance Music Center, beginning Jan. 29 with guest conductor Tito Muñoz, continuing Feb. 25 with guest conductor Sameer Patel, and concluding March 26 with Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor JoAnn Falletta. One additional CIM Orchestra performance, on Feb. 13, takes place at Stocker Arts Center at Lorain County Community College, led by Associate Conductor Jake Taniguchi (GD ’24).  

CIM OPERA THEATER 

After delighting audiences with Chabrier’s L’Étoile last fall, CIM Opera Theater turns its attention Feb. 1 and 2 to something quite different: Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters, with guest conductor Rakefet Hak, in a new arrangement conceived for Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The season concludes in dramatic fashion on April 23 and 25 with a new production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni in the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square, directed by CIM Opera Theater interim artistic director JJ Hudson, led by CIM Opera Theater music director Harry Davidson and featuring guest artists Andrew Allen Hiers as the Commendatore and Bryan Myer (MM ’14, Southern) in the title role. In between, on March 1 and 2, the company will present its annual Opera Scenes program, directed by Jeremy Paul, in Mixon Hall. CIM Opera Theater is generously supported by the John P. Murphy Foundation. 

CIM NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE 

CIM’s New Music Ensemble, directed by Composition Department Head Keith Fitch, will convene Feb. 16 to celebrate the life and music of Margaret Brouwer, CIM’s former Head of Composition, who turns 85 this year. The group will perform her Shattered Glass, Mountains of the Moon, and Justice March. Less than two months later, the group gathers again to highlight the music of Claude Baker, professor emeritus of composition at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. The CIM New Music Ensemble is generously supported by the Roy Minoff Family Fund.  

PERSPECTIVES AND INSIDERS SERIES 

CIM’s two named concert series get off to a rousing start Feb. 4 with the Gateways Brass Collective, on the Perspectives series. This event signals the renewal of an affiliation between CIM and the Gateways Music Festival, the Rochester-based organization connecting and supporting professional classical musicians of African descent. The Insiders series features four concerts by members of CIM’s illustrious chamber music faculty: violin faculty Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler performs alongside her son, Daniel Kaler (BM ’20, Kosower), a cellist in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (Feb. 18); a celebration of the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth by piano department head Antonio Pompa-Baldi (March 21); and the always highly anticipated Carolyn Warner and Friends (April 15). In between, on April 4, comes a recital by guest clarinet faculty Mariam Adam, a member of Imani Winds. 

CIM ACADEMY 

The Conservatory isn’t the only source of fine music at CIM. The school’s pre-college training program also presents high-level performances, all of which are free and open to the public. See the calendar below for the full schedule of Academy solo recitals and concerts by all levels of Academy Choir, Academy Orchestra, and Academy Chamber Music.  

SPRING 2025 SEASON DETAILS 

Wednesday, January 29 

7:30pm | Severance Music Center 

CIM Orchestra 

Tito Muñoz, guest conductor 

   Kulas Foundation Visiting Artist 

Zachary Brandon, violin, student artist 

TCHAIKOVSKY   Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 

STRAVINSKY   The Rite of Spring 

Severance Ticket Office: clevelandorchestra.com or 216.231.1111 

Governing Member VIP Tickets: 216.795.3160 

Saturday, February 1 

Sunday, February 2 

2pm | Gartner Auditorium, CMA 

CIM Opera Theater 

JJ Hudson, director 

Rakefet Hak, guest conductor 

   Kulas Foundation Visiting Artist 

MUHLY   Dark Sisters (2011) 

Tickets: $18 | $15 CMA members 

CMA Ticket Center: clevelandart.org/calendar or 216.421.7350 

CIM Opera Theater is supported by a grant from the John P. Murphy Foundation. 

Tuesday, February 4 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Gateways Brass Collective 

   Kulas Foundation Visiting Artists 

CIM’s partnership with the Rochester-based Gateways Music Festival goes public with a rousing performance by the festival’s highly acclaimed resident ensemble. 

Reserve free seating passes at cim.edu/events. 

Thursday, February 13 

7:30pm | Stocker Arts Center, LCCC 

CIM Orchestra  

Jake Taniguchi, conductor (GD ’24) 

RAVEL   Le Tombeau de Couperin 

KORNGOLD   Much Ado About Nothing Suite, Op. 11 

MONTGOMERY   Strum (2006, rev. 2012) 

STRAVINSKY   Pulcinella Suite 

Reserve free seating passes at cim.edu/events. 

Sunday, February 16 

4pm | Mixon Hall 

New Music Ensemble 

Keith Fitch, director 

Margaret Brouwer, guest composer 

   Kulas Foundation Visiting Artist 

Celebrating the 85th birthday of Margaret Brouwer 

FOX   Shaking the Pumpkin (1986)  

BROUWER   Shattered Glass (2007)  

BROUWER   Mountains of the Moon (1985) 

BROUWER   Justice March (2022)  

New Music Ensemble is generously supported by the Roy Minoff Family Fund. 

Reserve free seating passes at cim.edu/events. 

Tuesday, February 18 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler, violin  

Daniel Kaler, cello (BM ’19) 

   Kulas Foundation Visiting Artist 

Michelle Bushkova, piano, student artist 

MARTINŮ   Duo No. 1 for Violin and Cello, H. 157 

KODÁLY   Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7 

TURINA   Piano Trio No. 2 in B minor, Op. 76 

Reserve free seating passes at cim.edu/events. 

Saturday, February 22 

6pm | Church of the Saviour 

Academy Recital 

Tuesday, February 25 

7:30pm | Severance Music Center 

CIM Orchestra 

Sameer Patel, guest conductor 

   Kulas Foundation Visiting Artist 

Viviana-Zarah Baudis, piano, student artist 

BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15 

BRAHMS   Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73 

Severance Ticket Office: clevelandorchestra.com or 216.231.1111 

Governing Member VIP Tickets: 216.795.3160 

Thursday, February 27 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Black Student Union Benefit Concert 

Presented by the CIM Black Student Union 

Tickets: $25 | free for students 

All proceeds go to the Black Student Union’s Student Assistance Fund. 

Saturday, March 1 

4pm | Church of the Saviour 

Academy Piano Recital 

Saturday, March 1 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Sunday, March 2 

3pm | Mixon Hall 

Opera Scenes  

A program of arias and ensembles from the opera repertoire. 

CIM Opera Theater is supported by a grant from the John P. Murphy Foundation. 

Reserve free seating passes at cim.edu/events. 

Tuesday, March 4 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Percussion Ensemble Concert 

Friday, March 21 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Antonio Pompa-Baldi, piano 

Ilya Kaler, violin 

Si-Yan Darren Li, cello 

Annamarie Wellems, cello, student artist 

Ravel at 150: A Celebration 

RAVEL   Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in A minor, “Posthume” (1897) 

PIANA   Ravel en Rêve (2024) 

RAVEL   Gaspard de la nuit (1908) 

MOSCARDI   Theme and Variations on the name Maurice Ravel, Op. 50 (2024) 

   World premiere 

RAVEL   Piano Trio in A minor (1914) 

Reserve free seating passes at cim.edu/events. 

Sunday, March 23 

3pm | Church of the Saviour 

Upper Academy Recital 

Wednesday, March 26 

7:30pm | Severance Music Center 

CIM Orchestra 

JoAnn Falletta, guest conductor 

   Kulas Foundation Visiting Artist 

Jake Taniguchi, conductor (GD ’24) 

HISAISHI   Symphonic Variation “Merry-go-round” from Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) 

KODÁLY   Dances of Galánta (1933) 

DVOŘÁK   Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 

Severance Ticket Office: clevelandorchestra.com or 216.231.1111 

Governing Member VIP Tickets: 216.795.3160 

Wednesday, April 2 

7:30pm | Maltz Performing Arts Center 

CIM Wind Ensemble 

Ryan Scherber, conductor 

MPAC Box Office: case.edu/maltzcenter or 216.368.6062 

Friday, April 4 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Mariam Adam, clarinet 

Reserve free seating passes at cim.edu/events. 

Sunday, April 6 

2pm | Gartner Auditorium, CMA 

New Music Ensemble 

Keith Fitch, director 

Claude Baker, guest composer 

   Kulas Foundation Visiting Artist  

HYLA   Ciao Manhattan (1990)  

BAKER   A Voice Passes… (2021)  

FITCH   still (2022-23)  

BAKER   Années de Pèlerinage: Italie (2016-17) 

CMA Ticket Center: clevelandart.org/calendar or 216.421.7350 

New Music Ensemble is generously supported by the Roy Minoff Family Fund. 

Sunday, April 6 

3pm | Church of the Saviour 

Academy Faculty Recital 

Tuesday, April 8 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

31st Annual Darius Milhaud Performance Prize Concert 

CIM students compete for cash prizes for best performance of a work by Darius Milhaud. 

Made possible through funds from CIM’s Darius Milhaud endowment. 

Sunday, April 13 

3pm | Church of the Saviour 

Upper Academy Recital 

Tuesday, April 15 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Carolyn Gadiel Warner, piano 

Ilya Kaler, violin 

Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler, violin 

Philip Setzer, violin  

Lisa Boyko, viola (BM ’85) 

Stanley Konopka, viola (1987-90) 

Daniel Kaler, cello (BM ’20) 

   Kulas Foundation Visiting Artist 

Si-Yan Darren Li, cello 

Scott Dixon, double bass 

BLOCH   Piano Quintet No. 1 (1923) 

SCHUBERT   Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667, “Trout” 

Reserve free seating passes at cim.edu/events. 

Wednesday, April 23 

Friday, April 25 

7pm | Mimi Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square 

CIM Opera Theater 

JJ Hudson, director 

Harry Davidson, conductor 

CIM Orchestra 

MOZART   Don Giovanni 

Tickets: $20-$50 

Playhouse Square Box Office: playhousesquare.org or 216.241.6000 

CIM Opera Theater is supported by a grant from the John P. Murphy Foundation. 

Thursday, April 24 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Intensive Duo Concert 

Saturday, April 26 

12pm | Mixon Hall 

Academy Choirs and Wind Ensembles Concert 

Saturday, April 26 

1:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Academy Orchestras Concert 

Sunday, April 27 

4pm | Mixon Hall 

Composition Department Recital 

Featuring new works by CIM student composers. 

Tuesday, April 29 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Brass & Woodwind Ensembles Concert I 

Wednesday, April 30 

7pm | Church of the Saviour 

Continuing Education and Upper Academy Recital 

Wednesday, April 30 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Brass & Woodwind Ensembles Concert II 

Thursday, May 1 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

String & Piano Ensembles Concert I 

Friday, May 2 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

String & Piano Ensembles Concert II 

Saturday, May 3 

3pm | Mixon Hall 

String & Piano Ensembles Concert III 

Saturday, May 3 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

String & Piano Ensembles Concert IV 

Sunday, May 4 

3pm | Mixon Hall 

Lower Academy Recital 

Monday, May 5 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Advanced Piano Trio Program Concert 

Tuesday, May 6 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Advanced String Quartet Program Concert 

Saturday, May 10 

2pm | Mixon Hall 

Academy Chamber Music Recital 

Wednesday, May 14 

7:30pm | Mixon Hall 

Academy Showcase Recital