The Friends of the Akron School for the Arts, formerly called Advocates for the Visual and Performing Arts, will host Celebration of the Arts III on Friday to support the arts program at Akron’s Firestone High School.
The gala, held at the Akron Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St., Akron, will begin at 6 p.m. with heavy hors d’oeuvres and dessert catered by Jeffrey Winer and Steve Sabo of the Orange Truk. The auction will feature items unique to the arts school, ranging from four tickets to the Black Keys concert April 30 in Pittsburgh (it includes a meet and greet with Firestone alumni Pat Carney and Dan Auerbach!) to jewelry and other artwork designed by Akron artists.
Entertainment will include Firestone High’s Vocal Jazz, Madrigals, Instrumental Jazz Combo, Orchestra String Quartet and Theatre Improv Group. Student artwork also will be displayed.
In the past, proceeds have funded visiting artist and master classes, equipment and resources for the school’s arts curriculum, grants for travel and continuing education, and scholarships for Akron School for the Arts graduates pursuing a career in the arts.
Cost is $40 general admission; $65 or $90 tickets include raffle tickets and gifts. For reservations, call the Civic box office at 330-253-2488 or call 330-865-6975. For information, see Celebration of the Arts III on Facebook or http://www.akroncivic.com/.
Apollo’s Fire plays Vivaldi
Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland’s baroque orchestra, will kick off its The Intimate Vivaldi concerts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Fairlawn Lutheran Church. Grammy-nominated lutenist Ronn McFarlane will join Apollo’s Fire’s chamber players for a performance of sparkling Vivaldi lute concertos. See his work at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDtBUePhlzU.
McFarlane will co-direct the concert with violinist Olivier Brault. Chamber players Johanna Novom (violin), Kristen Linfante (viola), René Schiffer (cello), and William Simms (theorbo and guitar) also will perform.
The chamber music of Vivaldi’s Italian predecessors, Castello and Marini, will also be featured with dueling violinists and theorbos (large, long-necked lutes developed in 1580s Italy).
Additional concerts will be held at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights and at 4 p.m. Sunday at Rocky River Presbyterian Church.
The concerts are part of Apollo’s Fire’s new, informal 90-minute “Fireside’’ series that includes conversation and hot drinks with the artists afterward. The events will include pre-concert talks one hour before.
Tickets start at $21. Student tickets are free in Fairlawn, thanks to the GAR Foundation. Call 216-320- 0012 or see www.apollosfire.org.
Eder comes to Cleveland
Northeast Ohio audiences will get an intimate look at Broadway leading lady Linda Eder performing Songbirds: Songs Made Famous by Women at 8 p.m. Saturday at PlayhouseSquare’s Ohio Theatre. Eder, 51, former wife of composer Frank Wildhorn, made her Broadway debut in 1997 as the tragic character Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde.
She launched her recording career in 1991 and has produced 14 solo albums. Her repertoire spans Broadway, standards, pop, country and jazz. Eder, whose concerts have been televised on Bravo and PBS, has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and Radio City Music Hall.
Tickets are $10 to $49.50. Call 216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org.
Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
