October 26, 2016
Faculty Performances Score High Praise
Rave reviews for Cleveland Institute of Music faculty keep rolling in. Piano faculty Antonio Pompa-Baldi “dazzled” in his performance with the West Virginia Symphony, head of the CIM organ department Todd Wilson, displayed “incomprehensible skill and limitless imagination” at his recital at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Washington and head of the CIM guitar department Jason Vieaux made “everything look and sound easy” at the Bethesda at the Westmoreland Congregational Church in Maryland.
The reviewer at Wilson’s Sunday performance went on to say that “Wilson’s harmonic and coloristic audacity continued to build to a conclusion that left the audience thrilled, exhausted and grateful.”
Pompa-Baldi’s Saturday performance had one reviewer reeling, saying “it was one of the best performances I have heard in Charleston.” He went on to say that Pompa-Baldi “deftly shaped each note with clarity and color. The sweeping scales and arpeggios had an unforced panache.”
Of Vieaux’s performance on Saturday, one reviewer was impressed by the repertoire, saying that Vieaux, “found some deliciously fresh material to include with the old standbys.” He also commented that Vieaux “seems immersed entirely in the moment. Every note comes out fully formed, but nothing he does feels premeditated, and the music, just a little understated, speaks eloquently for itself.”
Bravo CIM faculty!
Read full Pompa-Baldi Review in the Charleston Gazette Mail