The Project

World-class classical music at a corner bar in Cleveland? Ensemble HD's performances at the Happy Dog have been so warmly embraced that we'd love to share them broadly. We plan on recording live concerts on December 4th & 5th, 2012, releasing a double vinyl album (complete with digital download codes for your listening convenience) on Tuesday, May 14th, 2013.

The Musicians

Ensemble HD is led by Joshua Smith, Principal Flute of The Cleveland Orchestra, and includes fellow Cleveland Orchestra members Amy Lee, Associate Concertmaster on violin, Frank Rosenwein, Principal Oboe, Charles Bernard, Assistant Principal Cello, Joanna Patterson-Zakany, viola, as well as Christina Dahl, Assistant Professor of Music at SUNY Stony Brook on piano. In addition to extensive coverage locally, Ensemble HD's performances at the Happy Dog have been featured on NPR's Weekend Edition, and in The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among others.

The Message

The quality of Cleveland's classical musicianship, combined with the city's accessibility, position it as a prime place for bringing classical music to new audiences. The success of Ensemble HD's performances at the Happy Dog have led to monthly concerts by the local chapter of Classical Revolution - a national movement to bring classical music to non-traditional venues and new audiences. Earlier this year, The Cleveland Orchestra announced that in May 2013, it plans to do a neighborhood residency in the Gordon Square Arts District, home to the Happy Dog. The record release date has special significance, since it is scheduled to happen at the Happy Dog, during a Classical Revolution concert, in the midst of the Orchestra's groundbreaking residency in Gordon Square.  We hope this record shows new audiences how exciting live classical music can be, and encourages classical musicians and institutions to take risks to reach new audiences. 

What Others are Saying 

For more information on Ensemble HD's performances at the Happy Dog, check out these stories:

"No disrespect to Severance Hall or anything, but the hottest place to catch the Cleveland Orchestra these days is a bar in the Gordon Square Arts District." - Zachary Lewis, Cleveland Plain Dealer: http://www.cleveland.com/musicdance/index.ssf/2010/10/classical_musicians_bring_thei.html 

 "You ever hear the one about the cellist who walked into a bar? Really, this is no joke: He and several colleagues from the Cleveland Orchestra have been playing pickup gigs at a local watering hole, providing a cultural mash-up of Beethoven and beer. It's standing room only at the Happy Dog, a neighborhood bar on Cleveland's near-west side." - NPR Weekend Edition: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130596864 

 "The Key Was B Flat; The Beer Wasn't" - The New York Times Week in Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/weekinreview/17grist.html?src=tptw 

 "There's no Cleveland counterpart to Manhattan's Poisson Rouge, but there is a certain ex-polka bar known as the Happy Dog. 'It's a place where you can have a beer and a really good hot dog with a check list of 50 or 60 possible toppings, from gourmet kimchi to Fruit Loops,' (Joshua Smith) says. 'We thought we should do popular or crossover repertoire, but decided that wouldn't be honest and stuck to what we do well - Beethoven, Janacek, Tchaikovsky's Souvenier de Florence. The first night, we had people lining up around the block.'" - David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer: http://articles.philly.com/2011-12-13/news/30512182_1_flutists-flute-unrequited-love