Since 2018, the main focus of Case Western Reserve University’s Maltz Performing Arts Center has been highlighting local ensembles and classical music performances through its Silver Hall Concert Series. Now, in response to the pandemic, the center has been stretching their musical imagination to host LIVE! streamed @ Silver Hall, a series that lends a helping hand to all musicians in the area, of all genres.
“There are all these bands in Cleveland who normally would not play in our venue, but have been displaced by COVID-19 because bars and other venues are no longer open,” says Jason Cohen, director of the Maltz Performing Arts Center. “We are giving them an opportunity to reach their fans.” The venue has hosted more than 29 performances so far and will continue the series through May 26. We spoke to Maltz Performing Arts Center box office and marketing manager Rob Van Auken about what to expect from the March lineup.
March 3, 8 p.m.
Corry Michaels
Cleveland-based singer-songwriter Corry Michaels brings a contemporary sound to the concert hall, which typically sees more classical performances than mainstream up-and-comers. His genre-bending pop style is bold, groovy and perfect to jam out to. “We were missing out on that in this leg of the series,” Van Auken says. facebook.com/corrymichaels
Mach 17, 8 p.m.
Benevolent Love Praise Team
Cleveland’s Benevolent Love Ministries, located east of Slavic Village, utilizes an 11-person praise team comprised of a choir and live band to deliver powerful hymns and sermons. Since 2010, they’ve been performing every Sunday at the church and other locations nationwide. “This is as close as we can get to something that is familiar to us right now,” Van Auken says. benevolentloveministries.org
March 12, 8 p.m.
Moises Borges Quartet
Brazil native Moises Borges and his band frequently played at local bars and restaurants such as Nighttown, but with COVID-19 came the opportunity to play Silver Hall, with its state-of-the-art recording equipment. “Brazilian guitar with a quartet is something that we most likely would not have been able to bring into the venue [before],” Van Auken says. The opportunity allows Borges to expose new audiences to the fingerpicking, jazz, samba and bossa nova music he’s known for. moisesborges.com
March 24, 8 p.m.
Worry Stone
The choice to include Cleveland-based indie folk trio Worry Stone in the streaming series lineup was an easy one for Van Auken: he used to work with singer Hannah Stakolich. “I love Worry Stone,” he says, “It was a no-brainer for me to just shoot her a text and say, ‘Hey, are you interested in this?’ ” Worry Stone’s fun and calming vibe is great for reminiscing about pre-pandemic late nights around the fire with friends.
worrystonemusic.com
