Arts Collinwood Concerts start with a bang

If you think of classical music concerts as boring and expensive, patronized by people who look down their noses at you if you clap at the wrong time or don’t know the name of the composer: think again. Arts Collinwood’s M4M (Music for Miles) concerts on Sunday afternoons are relaxed, informal, free, unintimidating and in the neighborhood. You don’t have to dress up (you do have to dress); you can arrive late and leave early (please do it quietly); you can sip a glass of wine or a cup of tea while you listen; and the musicians tell you everything you need to know about the music, and hang around to chat afterwards.

And did I mention that the concerts are free?

With help from Local 4 Music Fund and the Music Performance Trust Fund, Arts Collinwood has turned its chamber music experiment into a continuing series. Launched in memory of Arts Collinwood benefactor Miles Kennedy, Music for Miles concerts will be performed monthly during the season.

The current season started on September 23 with—literally--a bang: the percussion ensemble Duo Anime used drums, cymbals, gongs, marimbas and coffee cans to create remarkably beautiful sounds.

If you missed that concert, take heart—there are more to come. The M4M season will continue with Amphion’s Strings Quartet (Sunday October 14), Silver Keys clarinet trio (Sunday November 11) and a seasonal piano performance at Arts Collinwood’s much loved Holiday Sale in early December (there are rumors of a Teddy Bear’s tea party).

One pleasure of these concerts is the background of the gallery’s current show; in October the artist will be James March, who paints multi-layered interconnections of space and color; in November, Sam Martineau’s idiosyncratic record sleeves.

An added pleasure is the cup of tea with scones (or the glass of wine with nibbles) served at 3 pm for a modest charge. The concerts themselves are free, thanks to additional support from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and the Arts Collinwood Friends Committee.

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