Kent Blossom Music Festival returns July 14 in a blended format with four live, in-person concerts as well as virtual educational programming for a select group of invited young artists. All in-person concerts will be ticketed and take place in Kent State University Glauser School of Music’s Ludwig Recital Hall. Each concert will also be livestreamed for free.
“I’m thrilled to be able to offer a festival experience that blends in-person and virtual elements,” said Ricardo Sepulveda, director of the Kent Blossom Music Festival. “Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the Kulas Foundation, we’re able to offer two concerts on our Kulas Visiting Artist Series featuring four internationally renowned artists as well as two more concerts featuring the Miami String Quartet and members of the Cleveland Orchestra.”
The first Faculty Concert Series performance on Wednesday, July 14, at 7:30 p.m. will feature Kulas Visiting Artists violinist Paul Huang and pianist Helen Huang. Works on this concert include sonatas by Mendelssohn, Corigliano, Ysaÿe and Franck. On the second concert will be Kulas Visiting Artists flutist Demarre McGill and pianist Rodolfo Leone performing diverse works by Valerie Coleman, Lowell Liebermann, William Grant and Yuko Uebayashi. This concert is Wednesday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m. More information about these internationally acclaimed artists can be found at www.kent.edu/blossom/kulas-visiting-artist-series.
Kent Blossom Music Festival’s third concert on Friday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. marks the return of Northeast Ohio favorites the Miami String Quartet — Festival Quartet-in-Residence — to the Ludwig Recital Hall stage. Violinists Benny Kim and Cathy Meng Robinson, violist Scott Lee and cellist Keith Robinson will present a program featuring works by Haydn, Schulhoff and Dvorak.
Concluding the 2021 Faculty Concert Series will be members of the Cleveland Orchestra and festival faculty. Specific performers and repertoire for this Wednesday, July 28, at 7:30 p.m. concert will be released soon. More information about the performers and concerts can be found at www.kent.edu/blossom/concerts.
Subscriptions and single tickets for all four performances can be purchased by the general public starting June 7. Pricing per ticket starts at $25 for single tickets or $100 for all four concerts. Those who are 18 and under are free. Seating was recently expanded from the original 50 individuals to now 200 individuals. It is recommended to order tickets in advance, but some may be available at the door one hour before the start of each concert. Masks are requested for all unvaccinated individuals for the duration of their visit to the Glauser School of Music. Detailed ticket order and safety information can be found at www.kent.edu/blossom/ticket-information.
All concert livestreams can be viewed for free at www.kent.edu/blossom/live-streaming. Kent Blossom Music Festival is a 53-year-old educational partnership between Kent State, the Cleveland Orchestra and Blossom Music Center. During the summer, young artists from around the world study with members of the Cleveland Orchestra, Glauser School of Music faculty and guest artists on Kent State’s Kent Campus. On average, 16 faculty and young artist concerts are presented every season.
These performances are not part of the independent programming of the Cleveland Orchestra and Blossom Music Center. For information regarding concerts of the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center, please visit www.clevelandorchestra.com.