WCLV Arts Calendar
If your organization is planning an event you would like us to consider adding to the WCLV Arts Calendar, submit detailed information to John Simna via email.
Akron Art Museum
Current shows at the Akron Art Museum include Oliver Jeffers: 15 Years of Picturing Books, and William Richards: The Vastness Beyond Vision. Both shows will be on view through July 27th. The Akron Art Museum will present She Said, She Said: Contemporary Women Artists, a new exhibition that opens in the Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries on Saturday, March 22nd and will run through Sunday, August 10th.
Apollo's Fire
Apollo's Fire will present its own Bach Festival in April and into May. Jeannette Sorrell will conduct four performances of Bach's Mass in b April 4th through 8th at four different locations. There'll also be Baroque Bistro performances, Family Concerts, Conductors’ Workshop, and more.
Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival
The ninety-third annual Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival will take place on Friday and Saturday, April 11th and 12th in B-W’s Kulas Musical Arts Building. This year's festival will includes the Bach Motets performed by B-W-V: Cleveland’s Bach Choir and, for the first time at a B-W Bach Festival, Handel’s “Messiah.” Other Festival events include lectures, presentations, master classes and additional performances.
Baldwin Wallace University and Playhouse Square join to present [title of show] as the 18th Annual Collaboration Musical. [title of show] will run for one weekend only, with performances on April 25th through 27th at the Helen Theatre at Playhouse Square.
Beck Center
Coming to Lakewood's Beck Center in April will be Jose Gonzales's Under a Baseball Sky, playing i the Studio Theater from April 4th to May 4th. 216-521-2540
Bop Stop
Coming to the Bop Stop, There'll be an evening with vocalist Helen Welch on the 28th, a live recording session by the big band of Stephen Philip Harvey, and an installment of the She Roars series, an afternoon of music by living female composers.
Canton Ballet
The Canton Ballet will give two performances of Serge Prokofiev's Cinderella at the Canton Palace Theater on Friday and Saturday, April 4th and 5th.
Clague Playhouse
Clague Playhouse will present The Half-Life of Marie Curie, written by Lauren Gunderson, through Sunday, April 13th. Performances are Thursdays through Sundays. 440-331-0403
Cleveland Cello Society
The Cleveland Cello Society's annual cello extravaganza I Cellisti! 2025 will take place on Friday evening, April 4th at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. Jonathan Dormand will be the featured guest artist, joining all-star cast of cellists of Greater Cleveland in a program including the world premiere of the CCS-commissioned work Suite - Three Traditional Spirituals arranged for cello ensemble by Rollo Dilworth. Mr. Dormand will be featured in Douglas Moore’s arrangement for cello ensemble.
Cleveland Cinematheque
Cleveland Cinematheque will feature the new 4K restorations of Compensation, Charles Burnett’s The Annihilation of Fish starring Lynn Redgrave and James Earl Jones; and Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 953 thriller The Wages of Fear. Cleveland premieres include the Italian box office hit There’s Still Tomorrow and Belgian Oscar entry Julie Keeps Quiet.
Cleveland Institute of Music
CIM Opera Theater's season finale will be two performances of Mozart's Don Giovanni at Playhouse Square 's Mimi Ohio Theater on Wednesday and Friday evenings, April 23rd and 25th. 216-241-6000
Cleveland International Film Festival
This year's Cleveland International Film Festival is showcase of new and independent films from around the world, at Playhouse Square, with local and global filmmakers, panel discussions, audience Q&As, and more. CIFF49 runs through April 5th in person, and CIFF Streams follows from April 6th through the13th online.
Cleveland Museum of Art
At the Cleveland Museum of Art in Gallery 115 is Creation, Birth, and Rebirth, continuing until July 27th. It explores some of the fundamental moments in the sacred narratives of the medieval world: the creation of the universe, the birth of its gods and its humans, and visions of the end of life conceived as a new beginning.
Cleveland Orchestra
Guest Conductor Bernard Labadie will lead the Cleveland Orchestra, Chorus and Soloists in Bach's Easter Oratorio and Magnificat April 17th, 18th and 19th.
There's also a special concert coming up at Mandel Concert Hall. Violinist Itzhak Perlman will bring his Klezmer Conservatory Band in for a program called In the Fiddler's House on Tuesday evening, April 8th.
The Cleveland Orchestra will present pianist Evgeny Kissin in recital in music by Bach, Chopin, and Shostakovich. That concert will take place on Wednesday evening, May 7th at Severance Music Center.
Cleveland Philharmonic
The Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra's next concert will feature Schumacher Competition winner James Carson performing Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1. The concert will also include Dvořák Symphony 5. There are two performances, on Saturday evening, May 3rd at Westlake Performing Arts Center, and Sunday afternoon, May 4th at Cleveland State's Waetjen Auditorium.
Cleveland Play House
Cleveland Play House will present Alan Ayckbourn's Season's Greetings, performed by the Cleveland Play House-Case Western Reserve MFA Graduate Class of 2026 through April 25th in The Helen at Playhouse Square.
Cleveland Public Theater
Cleveland Public Theatre and Teatro Público de Cleveland will present ‘El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom.’ Comic book artist Alex and alter-ego El Coqui are on a mission to save Nuyoricans through April 5th.
Cleveland Public Theatre will stage The Body Play, a comedy about embodiment, chronic illness, medical personnel, and the healthcare system, through April 13th.
Cleveland Public Theatre will present Y-Haven Theatre Project, a partnership between Cleveland Public Theatre and Y-Haven, a branch of the YMCA. Cast members share personal stories of recovery and perseverance April 10th through the 12th.
Cleveland Silent Film Festival
The Cleveland Silent Film Festival is presenting a series at the Cleveland Public Library which continues on April 5th with the classic Alfred Hitchcock 1929 thriller Blackmail. A live compilation score will be performed by the five-piece ensemble the Cleveland Photoplayers, directed by Eric Charnofsky.
Convergence-continuum
Convergence-continuum theater, a company which produces alternative/experimental theater work by living playwrights, begins its 2025 season with The Squirrels by Robert Askins. The Squirrels runs Thursday through Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons through April 19th at Convergence-continuum’s Liminis Theater on Scranton Road in the historic Tremont neighborhood.
216-687-0074.
Divinity Lutheran Church
At Divinity Lutheran Church in Parma Heights, as part of Divinity Lutheran's Arts in Action Concert Series, the next concert will feature the Duo Balalaika in a free concert on Sunday afternoon, April 27th. The concert will also be streamed live.
Fairlawn Lutheran Church
At Fairlawn Lutheran Church the Concert Series will present organist Todd Wilson in recital on Sunday afternoon, April 6th. He'll offer music by Dupre, Bach, Widor and others.
Firelands Symphony Chorale
The Firelands Symphony Chorale, under the direction of Michael Shirtz, will present a choral concert featuring Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem as well as a collection of contemporary works. The performance will take place on Sunday afternoon, April 6th at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sandusky.
Good Company: A Vocal Ensemble
The next concert by Good Company: A Vocal Ensemble is called Voice of Earth, celebrating planet and the fundamental element of earth. There'll be music of Ola Gjeilo, Johannes Brahms, Katerina Gimon, Ralph Vaughan Williams as well as the premieres of new works by local composer Adam Smith and Good Company’s Music Director That concert is Sunday afternoon, April 13th at Lakewood Presbyterian Church.
Good Shepherd Christian Church
Good Shepherd Christian Church will have a Good Friday Blues and Lamentations Concert on Friday evening, April 18th. The Church is in Shepard Road in Macedonia. 330-467-5644
Great Lakes Theater
Great Lakes Theater's production of Shakespeare's Tweflth Night is at the Hanna Theater in Playhouse Square through April 6th.
The backstage farce Noises Off will be next on the Great Lakes schedule, with performances at the Hanna Theater April 25th through May 18th.
The Higgler
At Disciples Christian Church in Cleveland Heights, there'll be two performances of Margi Griebling-Haigh's chamber Opera The Higgler on Saturday and Sunday, June 7th and 8th.
Kent State Tuscarawas
The Kent State University Performing Arts Center in New Philadelphia will feature Broadway performer Mandy Gonzalezand the Tuscarawas Philharmonic performing songs from Broadway and beyond Friday evening, April 11th. Kent dot e-d-u slash T-U-S-C P-A-C.
Lakeland Community Chorus
Lakeland Community College will host the Lakeland Civic Chorus performing a program called Be Still, its title taken from the setting of Psalm 46 by Christopher Aspaas. That program will also include It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing), The Seal Lullaby, O vos omnes, and more. The concert takes place Sunday afternoon, April 6th at the Rodehorst Performing Arts Center. Lakeland C-C dot E-D-U.
Maltz Museum
The Maltz Museum is presenting Degenerate: Hitler’s War on Modern Art, with nearly 100 original works by renowned artists labeled “degenerate” by the Nazi party, including Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky and more.
It's on view through April 20th.
Messiah Sing Along
At Rocky River United Methodist Church, the Gifts of Music Concert Series will present Messiah Sing-along on Saturday afternoon, Arch 12th. You can join in the singing or just be part of the audience.
Music at Bath
The Music at Bath Concert Series at will host a program called Romantic Strings, with violinist Andrew Sords and his Quintet, featuring music by Brahms, Arensky, Handel-Halverson, and Schumann. That concert will take place on Saturday afternoon, April 5th.
National Center for Choreography Akron
The National Center for Choreography-Akron will present an artist talk and film screening of the Loïe Fuller documentary , in partnership with the Nightlight Cinema, on on Tuesday evening, April 15th.
Nightlight Cinema
The Nightlight is a non-profit arthouse cinema, located in Downtown Akron. It has been making indie films available since 2014. The schedule will include On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Eephus and The Penguin Lessons.
Oberlin Artist Recital Series
The next event in the Oberlin Artist Recital Series will showcase the Martha Redbone Roots Project. This ensemble will bring its blend of American Roots music—a mix of folk, blues, and gospel—to the Finney Chapel stage in Oberlin on Sunday evening, April 6th.
Ohio Contemporary Ballet
Ohio Contemporary Ballet will return to E. J. Thomas Hall on Friday evening, April 25th for a program honoring Heinz Poll. The evening will celebrate the legacy of Heinz Poll, a choreographer whose influence is still felt. The performance pays tribute to Poll's brilliance and will feature dancers who share deep connections to his work and Akron. The program assemble by Dr. Margaret Carlson, Producing Artistic Director of Ohio Contemporary Ballet, will showcase the panorama of his choreographic style. In addition to his signature work Bolero, the program will feature the revival of two works unseen since his passing: Planes/Configurations (1990) and Light Breeze (1984).
Piano Cleveland
Piano Cleveland has announced its musical lineup for the continuing series, Piano Cleveland Live. The series will include a half-dozen free public performances, including three evening performances at Cleveland pubs and three lunchtime concerts at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Concerts will include Cleveland International Piano Competition Semi-Finalist Zhu Wang on Tuesday, April 15th at Noon at the Ames Family Atrium, Cleveland Museum of Art.
Playhouse Square
Individual tickets are now available for the touring company of the Tony-Award winning Kimberley Akimbo, which will make its Cleveland premiere at Playhouse Square July 15th through August 3.rd
Rocky River Chamber Music Society
The Rocky River Chamber Music Society's next concert on Monday evening, April 7th, will feature the North Coast Winds. They'll perform music by Valerie Coleman, Gunther Schuller, Darius Milhaud, William Grant Still Paquito de Rivera and Selections from Porgy and Bess. The concert will be performed at West Shore Unitarian Church and will also be streamed live.
Shaw Festival
The Shaw Festival's season begins in April, and will include productions of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Anything Goes and Wait Until Dark, all in the Festival Theater.
Singers' Club
The Singers' Club of Cleveland explores musical narratives in the group's spring concert, Let Me Tell You a Story. The program will include sea shanties, words of history and more. The concert will take place on Friday evening, April 11th at The Church of the Saviour on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights.
Talespinner Children's Theater
Talespinner Children’s Theater will present the world premiere of Ista and Her Garden, a new play for
children ages 1 through 8 written by Cleveland playwright Samantha Cocco, with original music by Eric
Utsler. This family-friendly production will take place May 17th through 26th, with showtimes in the morning and early afternoon at Talespinner’s home at 78th Street Studios on Cleveland's West Side.
Tri-C Classical Piano Series
The final performance of Tri-C’s Classical Piano Series will feature American pianist Clayton
Stephenson on Sunday afternoon, April 6th at the Metro Auditorium. Clayton Stephenson will perform music by Schubert, Albéniz, and Stravinsky. Pre-registration is required for this free program.
Trinity Lutheran Church
The Wednesday Noontime Music Near the Market continues at Trinity Lutheran Church on Lorain Road at West 30th Street. Wednesday, April 2nd Oberlin student Nataly Pak will play music by J.S. Bach, Sweelinck, and others.
Tuesday Musical
On Tuesday evening, April 22, Tuesday Musical’s Akron Concert Series will feature the full brass and percussion sections of The Cleveland Orchestra led by the Orchestra’s principal trumpet, Michael Sachs. Tuesday Musicalhas commissioned composer Peter Boyer to create and conduct the world premiere of Festive Fanfare (For Akron's Bicentennial) to open the Akron Bicentennial Concert.
University of Akron
On Monday, March 31st, The University of Akron's Music Department will present the Gateways Brass Collective, resident ensemble of the Gateways Music Festival. 330-972-7590
The University of Akron's Music Department will celebrate Jazz Week from April 7th though 11th with performances by the University Jazz Ensemble, Faculty Jazz Trio and guests trumpeter Sean Jones and saxophonist Joshua Redman as well as a special Jazz Vesper Service on Friday evening.
The month of April will also see a wide variety of student recitals, faculty and guest performances.
West Shore Chorale
The spring concert by the West Shore Chorale will include Beethoven's Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra and Mozart's Great Mass in c minor, K. 427. Artistic Director Michael Lisi will conduct the concert on Sunday evening, May 4th at Avon Lake High School’s Performing Arts Center.
Workshop Players
In Amherst, the Workshop Players will present the suspense drama Pack of Lies by Hugh Whitemore. The show opens April 3rd and runs through April 13th. 440-634-0472