PEACH WEEKENDER | MUSIC

Toledo Symphony reaches for the stars

Prepares to open its KeyBank Pops Series

9/22/2016
BY WAYNE F. ANTHONY
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE
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    The Indian fusion band Sumkali is scheduled to present folk and devotional music at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Hindu Tmple and Heritage of Hall of Toledo.

  • The Toledo Symphony opens its KeyBank Pops Series with an evening of music to shoot one to the moon. The concert, “Carl Topilow: A Space Spectacular,” is an orchestral journey through the galaxy and beyond.

    Who is Carl Topilow? In short, he is the founding conductor and music director of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. His performances blend light classical, swing, jazz, Broadway, and Dixieland; his signature instrument is a red clarinet. As northeast Ohio’s equivalent to John Williams, he serves also as the conductor of the Firelands Symphony.

    The program features a potpourri of music: movie theme greats such as the openings of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Superman, and E.T.; pop tunes such Elton John’s “Rocket Man”; Broadway showstoppers from Man of La Mancha and Les Misérables; and well-known classics such as the opening of Carmina Burana and “Mars” from The Planets.

    NASA has put together a space video for the occasion, complete with Earth views, spacewalks, and rocket launches. An active member of the astronaut corps, Ohio native Navy Capt. Sunita Williams, will narrate and serve as emcee for the event. She holds the world record for the most time spent spacewalking by a woman: 85 hours during her two stints on the International Space Station.

    The out-of- this-world symphony experience begins this Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo. Tickets $26-$66 are available from the Toledo Symphony Box Office 419-246-8000 or toledosymphony.com.

    ■ Great Performances in the Great Gallery presents Hub New Music from Boston. The mixed quartet crafts new experiences in 21st century sound using an instrumentation of two winds and two strings. They specialize in newly commissioned and rarely performed works. The free performance will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Toledo Museum of Art, 2445 Monroe St. More information at toledomuseum.org.

    ■ Pianist Denine LeBlac will open the Cathedral Concert Series with a recital of works by Beethoven, Chopin, and Debussy and music by the contemporary composers Suzanne Farrin, Sara Buchanan MacLean, and Margaret Bonds. The free concert begins at 3 p.m. Sunday at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, 2535 Collingwood Blvd. More information at 419-244-9575 or rosarycathedral.org.

    ■ The Hindu Temple of Toledo and Sangett Music present the Indian fusion band Sumkali in an evening of folk, fusion, and devotional music at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Hindu Temple and Heritage Hall of Toledo, 4336 King Rd., Sylvania. Tickets are available at Sumkali.com/​Events. More information at 419-834-4440.

    ■ Jackie & Gary are a duo who honor the rich tradition of American folk music by singing “the good old songs.” Their repertoire includes music by Harry Chapin, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger. Jackie Davidson was one of the original New Christy Minstrels; Gary Brandt is a seasoned performer from Michigan. They are performing a free concert at 7 p.m. Friday in the Way Public Library, 101 E. Indiana Ave., Perrysburg. More information at 419-874-3135 or waylibary.info.

    ■ A special benefit concert is being held in honor of Clifford Murphy, one of Toledo’s most venerable jazz musicians. The afternoon will feature performances by Gunnar Mossblad, Gene Parker, Mike Whitty, Jim Gottron, and vocalist Ramona Collins. It begins at 4 p.m. Sunday in the University of Toledo Center for the Performing Arts Recital Hall, West Towerview Boulevard and West Rocket Drive on the University campus. All donations will assist Murphy with medical expenses. More information at 517-431- 2188.

    ■ Four concerts are on offer at the BGSU College of Musical Arts this week. The BG Philharmonia presents a concert of music by Mozart, Weber, Brahms, Elgar, and Wagner at 8 p.m. Saturday in Kobacker Hall, Moore Musical Arts Center. Tickets $3 to $10 are available at 419-372-8171 or bgsu.edu/​arts.

    Also in Kobacker Hall, the life of Roger Schupp, professor of percussion and jazz studies from 1992-2015, will be celebrated in a free memorial concert at 3 p.m. Sunday.

    Guest Artist Aaron Tindall, assistant professor of tuba and euphonium at the Frost School of Music will perform a free recital at 8 p.m. Monday in the Marjorie E. Conrad Choral Room, Wolfe Center for the Arts.

    Assistant professor of oboe Nermis Mieses will perform a free recital at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Bryan Recital Hall, Moore Musical Arts Center.

    ■ The Toledo Ballet has been selected to be a part of OhioDance’s interactive online dance studies resource that will document and interpret significant moments of the art form across Ohio.

    The developing website will serve as an archive from which scholars draw in their research of Dance.

    The Toledo Ballet is one of 10 individuals and organizations who will become founding contributors. The site will be unveiled in April during the OhioDance Festival Conference, which will be held at the studios of BalletMet.

    More information and a preview of the archive are available at the OhioDance website: vdc.ohiodance.org.

    Send news of music items at least two weeks in advance to classics@theblade.com.