Artist Concert Series

Rocky River Presbyterian Church (RRPC) is excited to announced that our Artist Concert Series is in full swing! The series offers free concerts, all open to the public. This program is an opportunity for you and our community to enjoy a variety of professional musicians in a comfortable, intimate setting. All are welcome, including children. Parking is free. Handicapped accessible. Click here for directions to the Church: 21750 Detroit Rd. (1 mile east of Clague Rd.).  Please contact Annette Oberst for more information – Cell 440.523.0758. or aoberst@riverpres.org

ANDREW SORDS – Sunday, September 21st, 4:00 PM  

RRPC Sanctuary 

Rocky River Presbyterian’s Artist Concert Series hosts works for voice, strings, and piano by the Baroque era’s “Red Priest”. Famous for his enduring tunes, Four Seasons, and flowing red hair, Antonio Vivaldi’s works come to life by some of Cleveland’s most prolific musicians, and guest artist Lara Nie (from New York City) lends her alluring mezzo soprano talents to the afternoon’s arias.

Lara Nie, mezzo soprano

Elizabeth DeMio, piano

Mari Sato and Andrew Sords, violins

Lynne Ramsey, viola

Nathanael Matthews, cello

Cost: Free and open to all, Donations greatly appreciated.

Learn more about Andrew Sords here.

  

BlueWater Chamber OrchestraFeaturing David McCarroll, violin

Sunday November 23rd, 2025, at 3:00 PM RRPC Sanctuary 

Waves of Passion  

Brouwer: The Art of Sailing at Dawn

Copland: Music for the Theatre

Beethoven: Concerto for Violin in D Major, Op. 61

We embark on an emotional journey that begins on Lake Erie at sunrise, in Cleveland composer Margaret Brouwer’s peaceful tone poem The Art of Sailing at Dawn.  Then flow to the jazzy undercurrent of Music for the Theatre, an early work by Aaron Copland, written during the Roaring Twenties. Finally, we arrive at the “King of Violin Concertos,” with David McCarroll, Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, as soloist in Beethoven’s monumental 1806 Violin Concerto, an unappreciated sleeper during the composer’s lifetime that became one of the most beloved works ever written for violin. Join us and immerse yourself in a vast musical voyage navigated via the baton of maestro Daniel Meyer.

COST: Free – Good-Will Offerings Appreciated. Learn more about BlueWater Chamber Orchestra here. 

Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 7:00 PM RRPC Sanctuary 

The Art of Joy 

Closing the season is a vibrant program off connection, collaboration, and cultural fusion. Isaac Ripple is featured on Jennifer Higdon’s Oboe Concerto. The program opens with Zhou Tian’s Joy, and concludes with Christopher Theofanidis’ Chamber Symphony No. 1.

This concert is generously sponsored by Rocky River Presbyterian Church as part of the RRPC Artist Concert Series. At the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra, our mission is to celebrate the rich diversity of orchestral music by honoring the traditions that shaped it and embracing the voices that continue to redefine it. In 2025-2026, we mark the United States’ 250th anniversary with 250 Years in Harmony, a season that explores the spirit of a nation through sound – from folk traditions and spirituals to bold contemporary statements, all woven into the fabric of American music.

COST: Free – Good-Will Offerings Appreciated
PAST EVENT

Sunday, May 4th, 2025, at 3:00 p.m.  – RRPC Sanctuary  

Songs from the 50’s and the 60’s with The Avon Lake Women’s Chorus with Special Guest Steppin’ Out. Avon Lake Women’s Chorus began in 1948 at the Avon Lake United Church of Christ.  It was started by a group of women who enjoyed singing at church, but wanted to sing a variety of secular music.  They perform everything from holiday music to old favorites, pop melodies, gospel, and rock ‘n’ roll.  Although they began with just Avon Lake members, they now have singers from Amherst, Avon, Bay Village, Elyria, Lorain, North Ridgeville, Rocky River, Sheffield Lake, Sheffield Village, and Westlake. New members are always welcome!! Steppin’ Out began as an all-female choir in 1956, named the Valley View Mothersingers.  In 1970 they became affiliated with the North Olmsted PTA Council and changed their name to the North Olmsted Choralaires.  Finally, in 1986, the group added dance numbers and became an all-female show choir called Steppin’ Out.  Today, the legacy continues with the Steppin Out Quartet, still offering entertainment on a smaller scale, but with the same big hearts for music!

COST: Free – Good-Will Offerings Appreciated
PAST EVENT

Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 7:00 PM – RRPC Sanctuary 
Cleveland Repertory Orchestra presents a program filled with color, energy, and musical brilliance! Featuring intimate and expressive works by Richard Strauss, Antonín Dvořák, Jennifer Higdon, and Igor Stravinsky, this concert highlights the warmth and vibrancy of wind instruments and chamber orchestra. From the youthful elegance of Strauss and the folk-inspired charm of Dvořák to the evocative beauty of Jennifer Higdon and Stravinsky’s dazzling neoclassicism, this is a program you won’t want to miss.

COST: Free – Good-Will Offerings Appreciated
PAST EVENT

Friday, November 22, 2024 – 7:30 PM – RRPC Sanctuary

BlueWater Chamber Orchestra – BlueWater Chamber Orchestra is committed to expanding the boundaries of what a chamber orchestra can be. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Daniel Meyer, the orchestra is creating an era of lively creative performance and educational experiences. Special educational and outreach concerts have taken the orchestra to Cleveland Metropolitan School District facilities, Rocky River, and Mansfield. BlueWater musicians also perform in various smaller ensembles throughout the region. Committed to welcoming new audiences while serving established chamber music aficionados, BlueWater celebrates the luminous world of inspiring chamber orchestra music.

COST: Free – Good-Will Offerings Appreciated. Learn more about BlueWater Chamber Orchestra here
PAST EVENT

Sunday, November 17, 2024 – 4:00 PM – RRPC Sanctuary*
*Note: This was a special performance and not part of the “Artist Concert Series”

Apollo’s Fire – Hope and Solitude. With the Acclaimed Reggie Mobley
RRPC was fortunate to host Apollo’s Fire in our very own Sanctuary. On Sunday, November 17 at 4:00 PM. The event featured internationally acclaimed singer Reggie Mobley, Apollo’s Fire concertmaster Alan Choo, and eight Apollo’s Fire friends for soulful music of Purcell and Bach, including Purcell’s O Solitude and Bach’s haunting Cantata no. 82, Ich habe genug, featuring oboist Debra Nagy. Two uplifting Southern spirituals round out this intimate evening of hope and renewal.
PAST EVENT

October 22, 2024

Apollo’s Fire – Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos 

Apollo’s Fire is an international Baroque orchestra whose home is right here in Northeast Ohio. This Grammy-winning ensemble will be performing at our very own Rocky River Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, October 22, in the main sanctuary. The event entitled, “Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos” begins promptly at 7:30 PM – please arrive 15 minutes early. Jeannette Sorrell leads the exhilarating Apollo’s Fire musicians in Bach’s masterpieces – featuring daredevil violinist Alan Choo in No. 4 and dazzling guest trumpeter Caleb Hudson of the Canadian Brass in No. 2.

Learn more about Cleveland Repertory Orchestra  here
PAST EVENT:

May 2024:

Violinist Andrew Sords & Friends – “An Afternoon of Romantic Chamber Music”
Music lovers came to enjoy an afternoon with American-born Violinist Andrews Sords. He and fellow performers Mari Sato, John Walz, Elizabeth DeMio, and Daniel Singer performed 19th Century favorites including works by Brahms, Clara Schumann, Massenet, and others. The event included strings, piano, and vocals.
Sords has a celebrated career as a soloist on four continents and in performances with other talented musicians. Having collaborated with 300 orchestras, Sords has been cited for combining visceral virtuosity with a ravishing tone.

Learn more about Andrew Sords here.

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