Saturday, November 11, 2023 – 7:00 PM

Nature’s Beauty

Matthew Salvaggio, conductor
Andrew Hosler, saxophone
Griffin Candey, guest composer

Location: Federated Church, 76 Bell St., Chagrin Falls

Program:

Margaret Brouwer: Path at Sunrise, Masses of Flowers

Griffin Candey: Double Aviary: Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra

Andrew Hosler, saxophone
Griffin Candey, guest composer

World premiere

Frank Bridge: The Sea

Hailed as “the ideal collaborator for new music” by Brutal New Music Review, and as a “new music virtuoso” by Leslie Tate – saxophonist and new music curator Drew Hosler (he/him/his) is an advocate for contemporary music. Drew’s playing has been praised for its “beautiful tone and technique” by Brutal New Music Review and described as “rich and soulful” by Louis Yungling of COMPASS Concerts. Drew has commissioned, premiered, and collaborated on over 200 pieces by award-winning composers such as Andrew Mead, Jamie Leigh Sampson, David Heinick, Marilyn Shrude, Matthew Kennedy, Quinn Mason, and Gregory Wanamaker. His upcoming debut solo album, delta waves, features thirteen world premiere recordings of 21st century works for the tenor saxophone funded in part by the EXCEL Enterprise Fund and ArtsEngine. His 2020 self-released EP Hope Will Carry Us COVID-19: Music for Solo Tenor Saxophone features eleven world premiere recordings from composers all over the world. It was featured on WSMR Florida’s Classical Music Station’s Modern Notebook hosted by Tyler Kline.

Learn more about him at www.andrewhosler.com.

Saturday, March 9, 2024 – 7:00 PM

French Favorites

Matthew Salvaggio, conductor
Corey Knick, piano

Location: Disciples Christian Church, 3663 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland Heights

Program:

Maurice Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess

Francis Poulenc: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

Corey Knick, piano

Camille Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 1

Corey Knick has performed extensively as a solo and collaborative pianist throughout northeast Ohio. A strong advocate for audience cultivation and engagement, he strives to seek out unique and unconventional performance opportunities in order to reach people in new and exciting ways. In addition to the standard piano repertoire, Corey enjoys performing with singers and instrumentalists through art song and chamber music where collaboration plays an integral role in music making. As a church musician and accompanist, Corey has played with several choral groups including the Oberlin Choristers, Choral Spectrum, and was most recently on the staff at United Church of Christ Congregational in Vermilion where he served as pianist and organist for twelve years. Corey taught private lessons at the Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School and Skyline Music and has served as an adjudicator for the OFMC Junior Music Festival. Additionally, he has an extensive background in theater and has worked as a music director and actor at several local theaters including Clague Playhouse, Cleveland Public Theatre, the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, French Creek Theatre, and Tri-C West. 

Corey is a 2011 graduate of the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory where he was a student of Robert Mayerovitch. While at BW, he participated in masterclasses with several notable pianists including Andrew Rangell, Kirill Gerstein, Nelita True, and Menahem Pressler and was a finalist in the annual Concerto Competition. He attended both the Brevard Music Center and the CCM Prague International Piano Institute and completed his master’s degree at Kent State University in 2015 under the tutelage of Donna Lee. Corey is currently the Artist and Production Manager at Piano Cleveland, presenters of the Cleveland International Piano Competition. 

Saturday, May 25, 2024 – 7:00 PM

Symphony for Ferguson

Matthew Salvaggio, conductor
Kira McGirr, mezzo-soprano

Location: Rocky River Presbyterian Church, 21750 Detroit Rd., Rocky River

Program:

Jessie Montgomery: Overture

Edward Elgar: Sea Pictures

Kira McGirr, mezzo-soprano

Barbara Harbach: Symphony No. 10, “Symphony for Ferguson”

Click HERE for the PDF Concert Program

Noted for the richness of her voice, and “clear, focused sound,” mezzo-soprano Kira McGirr is a dynamic and versatile vocalist, equally at home as a soloist and collaborator, whose repertoire spans from the Baroque to contemporary cutting-edge compositions. Ms. McGirr has been featured as soloist in Handel’s Messiah; Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass; Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, Op. 86; JS Bach’s BWV 166; and Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and Rejoice in the Lamb, among many other choral works. Highlights of the 2023/24 Season include solo debuts with Canton Symphony Orchestra (Mozart’s Requiem), Lima Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9), Cleveland Repertory Orchestra (Elgar’s Sea Pictures), and Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra. She is a frequent collaborator with SheScores, a concert series through Local4Music featuring the work of living female and female-identifying composers, and returns for the 2024 Series.

 Ms. McGirr sings with Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra as well as the Cleveland Chamber Choir, Cleveland Consort of Voices, and Schola Cantorum Lorain. Ms. McGirr is the Executive Director of the Cleveland Chamber Choir and The Singers’ Club of Cleveland.

kiramcgirrmezzo.com