CLEVELAND — Cleveland might be the city of rock, but a new leader in the classical music world hopes to make the city the gold standard of classical music education.
Carlos Kalmar got the star treatment for his introduction with music, confetti and a banner.
“It feels amazing. I already said I want a welcome like this everyday I come to work. I do not think this is what it will be,” Kalmar said laughing.
After a few photo opportunities, the new principal conductor for the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) watched the students who helped lead him to Cleveland.
“I saw the excitement and the energy of the students when I came here,” said Kalmar. “When I came here, I think it was by the end of February for a second time with a reduced orchestra, it was just exciting.”
One of those taking the stage is conducting student Duo Shen, who is excited to learn from the well-respected composer.
“We were sort of assistants to his concert. So we get to listen to all his rehearsals, his passion, his charisma, his interest in music making and helping orchestra and push us to a different level, it was just absolutely amazing to watch,” said Shen.
Conducting student Jorge Sarneeientos was also excited by Kalmar’s hiring.
“It’s really exciting to have an artist of his caliber here at the institute. I think it’s going to be a really important thing to all of us, to the conducting students, to the musicians, the orchestra. It’s going to be great,” said Sarneeientos.
Kalmar is originally from Uruguay and comes to CIM after a three-decade-long career that includes being the principal conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago and music director of the Oregon Symphony. Now he brings his love of music to Cleveland.
“It’s like taking a breath, drinking a glass of water, eating something wonderful. It’s just part of my existence and I can’t live without it,” Kalmar said.
And Kalmar is hitting the ground running, meeting students and faculty, saying he wants CIM to be the gold standard of orchestral education in the country.
“My first plan of action is a lot of listening. That is very important because what I’m going to do is I’m going to chair kind of a new design of what orchestral education and conducting education at CIM can even be,” Kalmar said.
He hopes to bring a new day for the sounds of classical music in the City of Rock.
