At the Cleveland Museum of Art, All the World’s a Stage

Blog Post
Events and Programs

September 7, 2018

Groups of people dancing to a band performing on a stage with a sign that says "City Stages." — Orquesta el Macabeo performing in Ohio City. Images courtesy Scott Shaw Photography for Cleveland Museum of Art.

It’s been an extraordinary summer of music for City Stages, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s acclaimed summer concert series featuring artists from around the world. This year the museum partnered with FRONT International for six free concerts in five neighborhoods, bringing music throughout the city to audiences of all ages, including the final concert from Tel Aviv–based Gili Yalo on the Nord Family Greenway at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Cheick Hamala Diabate performing in Mall C, Downtown Cleveland. Images courtesy Scott Shaw Photography for Cleveland Museum of Art.

“Teaming up with FRONT International has enabled us to take these popular summer concerts around town, shining a light not only on the various FRONT installation locations but also several neighborhoods and venues — great music, great fun, and a boon for the entire city,” says Tom Welsh, director of performing arts, music, and film at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Music at the Cleveland Museum of Art has a history nearly as long as the institution itself. The Department of Performing Arts endeavors to mirror the collection in its breadth and range, honoring the past while looking to the future. Audiences have a unique opportunity to experience the museum and the world through its performance series in a way that distinguishes this institution and elevates the region. City Stages is a notable example of this commitment.

For the final 2018 City Stages concert at the CMA, Yalo brought his blend of Ethiopian roots music with a modern touch of jazz and soul.

Listen to this year’s incredible international lineup of artists and check out images from downtown, Ohio City, and Glenville performances.

Jupiter & Okwess — From Kinshasa, Jupiter Bonkodji and his band infuse a wealth of traditional Congolese rhythms into contemporary African music.

Sidi Touré — A highly acclaimed practitioner of Songhai music whose band features the most exciting new faces on the Malian music scene, Sidi Touré makes danceable, dynamic, trance music that overflows with joy and is carried by the beauty of his voice.

Orquesta el Macabeo — One of the great sensations of the current Puerto Rican salsa scene, Orquesta el Macabeo recovers the island’s salsa tradition and updates it with new ideas and energy.

Cheick Hamala Diabate — Diabate explores West African rhythms in the griot tradition and successfully fuses the traditional rhythms and vocals of his ancestors with the more electric American sounds he has absorbed while living in the US over the past decade.

M.A.K.U. Soundsystem — Juxtaposing the traditional percussion of their Colombian homeland with drums, electric bass, guitar, and vocals, NYC-based M.A.K.U. Soundsystem create an explosive performance filled with unshakable grooves — a unique sound encompassing their immigrant experience.