i-connect Community Calendar

i-connect is a community calendar designed to provide you with information about public meetings, educational opportunities, health programs, arts performances, and other events of interest happening in your neighborhood and throughout Northeast Ohio. i-connect reflects ideastream's mission to connect the community through preeminent programming and services that enrich, respond, and relate to our lives.

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Community Sponsorships

Cleveland Museum of Art VGAT

Cleveland Museum of Art VIVA! & Gala 2009-2010
Get ready for another spectacular season of enlivening performances by VIVA! and Gala. From the dazzling Shaolin Warriors of China to the charismatic Berlin-based Max Raabe and Palast Orchester, and from vanguard composer-improviser John Zorn and his New Masada Sextet to the Baroque and Renaissance music sung and acted by the Romeo and Juliet Choir of the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Stockholm, VIVA! & Gala promises another entertaining and enlightening year. See more information about this event here.

2010 Great Big Home & Garden Expo

Saturday, February 6 – Sunday, February 14

The all-new Great Big Home and Garden Expo will be at the I-X Center!  Featuring three custom built “idea” homes, 21 gardens, over 600 retailers featuring home products, plus a visit from Ty Pennington, official spokesperson for the Great Big Home and Garden Expo.  PBS Kids characters, Maya and Miguel, will visit the Expo on Saturday, February 6.  More information on the Expo, including tickets and parking, is available at www.greatbighomeandgarden.com

MOCA Cleveland Announces Two Dynamic Winter/Spring Exhibitions

The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland presents two dynamic exhibitions: From Then to Now: Masterworks of Contemporary African American Art, which explores the rich contributions of 27 artists to the culture of our time and All Falls Down, a stunning visual journey by 2009 Joyce Award winner *Iona Rozeal Brown. Opening Night Celebration at MOCA on Friday, January 29th, including a talk by *Iona Rozeal Brown at 6pm, followed by a party with fellow art lovers from 7-10 pm. Details at mocacleveland.org.

Pat Metheny Orchestrion Tour at Lorain Palace Theater on May 15th

Live Nation is pleased to present an evening with critically acclaimed jazz musician, Pat Metheny, at Lorain Palace Theater on Saturday, May 15 at 8:00 p.m.

By the age of 15, guitarist Pat Metheny was working regularly with the best jazz musicians in Kansas City, Missouri, entering the international jazz scene in 1974.  Metheny’s signature style blends a loose and flexible articulation, customarily reserved for horn players, with an advanced rhythmic and harmonic sensibility - a way of playing and improvising that is modern in concept but deeply grounded in jazz tradition of melody, swing and the blues.  Metheny’s body of work includes compositions for solo guitar, small ensembles, electric and acoustic instruments, large orchestras and ballet pieces with settings ranging from modern jazz to rock to classical.

Over the years, Metheny has won countless polls as “Best Jazz Guitarist” and awards including three gold records for (Still Life) Talking, Letter from Home, and Secret Story.  He has also won 17 Grammy Awards spread out over a variety of different categories including Best Rock Instrumental, Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, Best Jazz Instrument Solo, Best Instrumental Composition.  the Pat Metheny Group won and unprecedented seven consecutive Grammies for seven consecutive albums.  Metheny has spent most of his life on tour, averaging between 120-240 shows a year since 1974.  At the time of this writing, he continues to be one of the brightest stars in the jazz community, dedicating time to both is own projects and those of emerging artists and established veterans alike, helping them to reach their audiences as wella s realizing their own artistic visions.

For more information on Pat Metheny, please visit patmetheny.com

Tickets for his May 15th concert at the Lorain Palace Theater available exclusively at Live Nation, the Loraine Palace Theater ticket office and charge by phone (877) 598-8703.
*tickets will also be available at the House of Blues box office and select Blockbuster Video locations*

Choosing to Participate Exhibit at the Western Reserve Historical Society

Choosing to Participate, an interactive exhibition at the Western Reserve Historical Society, has won national praise for encouraging people from across the globe to consider the effects of their every day choices and inspiring them to make a positive difference in their own community. Presented by the educational organization Facing History and Ourselves, Choosing to Participate presents powerful stories of individuals and communities confronting prejudice and intolerance and the courage, initiative and compassion they demonstrate to protect democracy and human rights.

Choosing to Participate is open through February 2010 at the Western Reserve Historical Society’s University Circle Complex and runs through February 2010.

Museum & Exhibit hours are:
Tuesday through Saturday
10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Choosing to Participate Exhibit is Free with Paid Admission to WRHS University Circle Complex. WRHS Members Free guided tours will be available.

For more Information: 216-721-5722 ext. 251

For more information on the Exhibit Choosing to Participate and the Facing History and Ourselves Organization visit:
www.choosingtoparticipate.org

The Cleveland Play House World Premiere Adaption of Jane Austen’s Emma

The Cleveland Play House … brings the classic tale of clever, witty Emma Woodhouse to the stage in a world premiere adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma. At The Cleveland Play House February 26th through March 21st. Tickets now available at 216-795-7000 or at cleveland playhouse.com.

NorthCoast 99

NorthCoast 99 is an annual recognition program that honors 99 great workplaces for top talent in Northeast Ohio. View the 2009 winners now.

Great Lakes Science Center - Water: H20 = Life

Water… it’s our most precious resource. The beauty and wonder of water are explored in Water: H₂O = Life, now on view at Great Lakes Science Center. This thought-provoking exhibition examines how water shapes our life on Earth and illuminates the many challenges to protecting our planet’s water. Water: H₂O = Life – now at Great Lakes Science Center. Details at GreatScience.com.

Oberlin College’s Artist Recital Series 2009-2010

Oberlin College’s esteemed Artist Recital Series is one of the oldest continuing concert series in the United States. Since its inception in 1878, more than 1,000 of the most acclaimed and accomplished musicians, conductors, orchestras, chamber ensembles, and composers have graced the stage of historic Finney Chapel. Stars of such international stature as Dave Brubeck, Alicia de Larrocha, Juan Diego Flórez, Glenn Gould, Denyce Graves, Jascha Heifetz, Vladimir Horowitz, Yo-Yo Ma, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Isaac Stern, George Szell, and Eugene Ysaÿe have performed under the auspices of Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series, enriching the College, the town of Oberlin, and northern Ohio. This growing roster is more than an impressive “Who’s Who.” It is an illumination of the finest of serious music, spanning the late 19th century to the present.  Concert and ticket information at:  1-800-371-0306 or online at http://www.oberlin.edu/arseries.

Apollo’s Fire 2009-2010 Season

Taking its name from the classical god of music and the sun, Apollo’s Fire is dedicated to the performance of 17th and 18th century music on the period instruments for which it was written.  Music Director Jeannette Sorrell gathers a select pool of dynamic and creative early-music artists from throughout North America and Europe.  Experience this cultural gem of Northeast Ohio, now in its 18th season!
Upcoming concerts include:
--Praetorius Vespers:  12/9 Akron, 12/10 Clv. Trinity, 12/11 & 12 Shaker Hts, 12/13 Rocky River
--Philippe Jaroussky:  One Night Only - 1/16, 8pm in Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music
--Bach Fireworks:  2/4 Akron, 2/5 & 2/6 Clv. Heights, 2/7 Rocky River, 2/9 Willoughby Hills
--Mozart Celebration:  3/12 Akron, 3/13 Severance Hall, 3/14 Oberlin
Apollo’s Fire.  Passion.  PERIOD.  To reserve tickets, call 216.320.0012 or 800.314.2535, x. 1 or online at http://www.apollosfire.org.

The Cleveland Orchestra

Long considered one of America’s great orchestras, The Cleveland Orchestra stands today among the world’s most-revered symphonic ensembles.  In concerts at home in Severance Hall, at Blossom Music Center, in residence in Miami, and on tour, The Cleveland Orchestra continues to set standards of performing excellence and imaginative programming that serve as models for audiences and performers alike.  Severance Hall, the Orchestra’s home from September through May, is hailed as one of America’s most beautiful concert halls. For more information on the Cleveland Orchestra’s upcoming events, click here.

CIM, Cleveland Institute of Music

The Cleveland Institute of Music is the place to experience the energy of classical music!  CIM is a leading international conservatory, with graduates who perform with the world’s most acclaimed musical organizations, including 38 members of The Cleveland Orchestra. Explore your passion for music with a choice of hundreds of CIM concerts – most free of charge.  Engage your creativity with programs for all ages.  Explore your musical potential with lessons at CIM’s main facility or at one of four branch locations.  Be inspired by the next generation of classical musicians!  More information at cim.edu or (216) 791-5000.