For all the bitching and moaning about the Cleveland Public Schools, there are some dazzling bright spots. For over three decades, one of those has been the Cleveland School of the Arts, where students’ passion for expression through music, theater, dance, writing, and visual arts spills over into their academic accomplishments.
The school’s acclaimed R. Nathaniel Dett Concert Choir will be showcased at Arts Renaissance Tremont’s next presentation at Pilgrim Congregational Church on West 14th Street. They’ll be joined by the Sanctuary Choir of Antioch Baptist Church.
The program includes classical European selections by Mozart, Rossini, and Mendelssohn, as well as gospel, spirituals, and art songs by such African-American composers as Scott Joplin, William Dawson, Moses Hogan, and Nathaniel Dett, who was the first African-American student to graduate from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Dr. William B. Woods, the School of the Arts’ director of vocal music as well as the director of the Antioch Sanctuary Choir, will conduct, with Joanne Poderis accompanying on piano.
All Arts Renaissance Tremont performances are free; freewill donations are taken.
Go to Arts Renaissance Tremont’s website for a rundown on the whole 2013-2014 season.
http://artconcerts.org/cleveland-school-of-the-arts/