Music for Miles: Classical music comes to Waterloo

Waterloo Road  is already famous for the Beachland Ballroom; now it’s adding a little classical music.

Clarinetist Bill Meyer (an Arts Collinwood board member) presents mellow classics every month in the Cafe at Arts Collinwood, played by himself and visiting artists. Cafe Music, as the name implies, provides a pleasant background for an evening out. For more serious listening, Bill, in concert (pun intended) with Nan Kennedy has arranged a concert series in memory of Nan's husband Miles Kennedy, who was a founder of Arts Collinwood and deeply devoted to both Waterloo Road and classical music.

M4M (Music for Miles) will present a series of classical concerts at Arts Collinwood, with support from the Cleveland Federation of Musicians Local Four and the Arts Collinwood Friends Committee.

Sunday, April 29, 4 pm: Patricia Harris (who has a five-octave range and has sung for everyone from Barry Manilow to president Bill Clinton) and William Clarence Marshall, whose impressive bass has been heard in performance from Severance Hall to Karamu House, performing opera selections, art songs and spirituals, with piano accompaniment.

Sunday, May 20, 4 pm: The Athena String Quartet, who learned to play at such places as Eastman, CIM, Oberlin and Juilliard.

Sunday, July 8, 4 pm: Mary Kay Fink, who began playing the flute when she was ten, and has been the Cleveland Orchestra piccoloist since 1990 – than which no more need be said..

These are all distinguished musicians; Mary Kay Fink has the added distinction of living in North Collinwood and being married to composer/pianist Nicholas Underhill, who has also appeared at Arts Collinwood with the No Exit experimental music ensemble.

More concerts are planned for this series; details will be announced. Contact Arts Collinwood at 216-692-9500 or www.artscollinwood.org for information.

Nan Kennedy is a founding member of Arts Collinwood; chair of the Arts Collinwood Advisory Board; president of the Lakeshore/Collinwood Garden Club; writer of neighborhood events e-letter; grandmother of Emma, Jane and Attila.