LSO Concert – Verb, ‘Ohio Contemporary Ballet’

PURCHASE PASS & PARKING

Under the direction of Music Director & Conductor Daniel Meyer, the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra (LSO) continues its summer residency in Lakeside with a concert, accompanied by Verb, ‘Ohio Contemporary Ballet’, with soprano Meghan DeWald at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11 in Hoover Auditorium. This concert is supported by the Iva M. Clark Memorial Endowment.  

Glazunov    Autumn from ‘Seasons’

Intermission

Strauss, Richard     Vier Letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs)
1. Frühling (Spring)
2. September
3. Beim Schlafengehen (At Bedtime)
4. Im Abendrot (In the Evening Glow)
Meghan Dewald, soprano

Intermission

Shostakovich     Concertino for Two Pianos in A minor, Op. 94
Arr. Kaplan, Elliot

Lakeside Symphony Orchestra

The LSO, established in 1963, is a celebrated tradition at Lakeside and a key component of our arts programming. More than 80 musicians from across the country are members of the symphony, many of whom have devoted years of service to Lakeside. 

This summer brings a series of LSO performances for all ages with extraordinarily talented guest artists and new opportunities for audiences to share their love of music and the symphony. 

Pre-Concert Lecture

This season, Lakeside Chautauqua is providing lectures prior to select Lakeside Symphony Orchestra (LSO) concerts. Join Dr. Margaret Carlson at 6:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11 in the Fountain Inn Aigler Room to understand and enjoy the evening’s symphony concert more fully

Dr. Margaret Carlson was an original member of the Cleveland Ballet, serving as a Principal dancer from 1972-1983. A member of Actors Equity, she also performed in numerous musical theatre tours throughout the 1970s and for many years, choreographed for the Cleveland Opera. Carlson previously served as Director of the School of Dance at the University of Akron, Dean of the School of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Development and Education Director for the Cleveland San Jose Ballet. She received her doctorate from Durham University in the United Kingdom.

Arts programming at Lakeside Chautauqua is supported by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The Ohio Arts Council is funded in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature. The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically. oac.ohio.gov

About Verb, “Ohio Contemporary Ballet”
(formerly Verb Ballets)

Ohio Contemporary Ballet engages people through bold performances and strives to be a vital community asset by providing access to dance opportunities and education. We are a uniquely Midwestern company. People throughout the Midwest are known for their work ethic; they have a penchant for building for the future while honoring the past and for caring their community. As an organization we embrace and embody these values. The professional dance company aims to commission choreographers that are reflective of our times, while upholding the deep roots of the ballet-based companies that preceded it in the Great Lakes region. Formerly known as Verb Ballets, the company was originally founded in 1987 by an all-female contemporary dance collective. Today, the company vision is led by Dr. Margaret Carlson, former principal dancer for the original Cleveland Ballet, and Richard Dickinson, MFA, former Ohio Ballet dancer. The company seeks to attract and maintain top dancers with a company that reflects diverse backgrounds across the country and globe. We believe and invest in programs that foster international cultural exchange and lift marginalized voices to promote diversity, equity and inclusion through dance.

Housed at the Ohio Contemporary Ballet Center for Dance in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, the 6,000 ft facility includes studios, offices and gathering space for the professional company as well as two divisions of education and outreach: The Academy Division for youth and the Community Engagement Division. We welcome the community into our space and bring dance to meet people where they live, work and learn. In that spirit, we strive to use dance as an art form to build community,  nurture an appreciation for the arts and engage in a fun, healthy activity. More information can be found at ohiocontemporaryballet.org.

Verb, “Ohio Contemporary Ballet” 2023-24 Company Listing:

• Dr. Margaret Carlson, Producing Artistic Director
• Richard Dickinson, MFA, Associate Artistic Director

Company Dancers: Katherine Chang, Joel Hathaway, Isaac Hileman, Sikhumbuzo Hlahleni, Kia Jimmy, Mathis Joubert, Kelly Korfhage, Antonio Morillo, Tailys Poncione, Kate Webb

Trainees: Adrienne Chan, Ladislas Etzol

Meghan DeWald, soprano

Meghan DeWald most recently performed the roles of Barbarina in the Student Matinee of Pittsburgh Opera’s “Le nozze di Figaro” in November 2022 and Iris in Pittsburgh Opera’s acclaimed production of “Semele” in May 2021.  She has enjoyed performances as a soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, North Carolina Master Chorale, Butler County Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Pro Musica, Pittsburgh Camerata and Chatham Baroque, Bloomington Chamber Singers and Resonance Works. DeWald earned her Doctor of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she also earned her Master of Music degree. She graduated magna cum laude from the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.  She currently serves as Voice Area Coordinator for the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University. 

Music Director & Conductor: Daniel Meyer

Daniel Meyer was named Music Director of the Lakeside Director of the LSO in 2019. As Music Director of the Erie Philharmonic and Artistic Director of the Westmoreland Symphony and Cleveland’s BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, Meyer has reinvigorated orchestras with his innovative programs, engaging presence and keen musical intellect.

In addition to collaborating with world-renowned soloists such as Marc-André Hamelin, Sharon Isbin, Gil Shaham, Jeremy Denk, Daniil Trifonov, Midori and Emanuel Ax, Meyer has commissioned new works by Michael Torke, Vivian Fung, Richard Danielpour and Zhou Tian. Meyer recorded the music of Hanson, Diamond and Daugherty for the Bavarian Radio with the Bamberger Symphoniker, and his recent guest appearances include the Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Portland Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, Württembergische Philharmonie, Staatsorchester Darmstadt and the Nuremberg Symphony in Germany. In his role as Director of Orchestral Activities at Duquesne University, Meyer embarked on a recording project of the concertos of American composer Lynn Purse.

In recent seasons he conducted the Rochester Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony, as well as guest engagements with the Indianapolis, Columbus, Phoenix, Eugene, Alabama, Toledo and Knoxville Symphonies. His critically acclaimed European debut took place with the Staatstheater Stuttgart Orchestra and violinist Thomas Zehetmaier, and he returned to Germany soon after for concerts with the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen and to Austria with the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna and the Wiener Jeunesse Orchestra. Meyer’s summer festival appearances have included the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom, the Aspen and Grand Teton Music Festivals, the Chautauqua Festival and the Brevard Music Center.

Upon the invitation of Mariss Jansons, Meyer was named Resident Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Music Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, where he served until 2009. A native of Cleveland, Meyer studied conducting at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and is a graduate of Denison University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He composed and conducted works for ensembles at both schools, including a Stabat Mater for soprano, chorus and orchestra. At Boston University, Meyer received the Orchestral Conducting Honors Award and was awarded the prestigious Aspen Conducting Prize from David Zinman. He received an honorary doctorate from Edinboro University in 2016.