Akron Symphony Orchestra

The Akron Symphony presented the event of the year this past weekend when they offered "Porgy and Bess." The voices excelled and the orchestra was magnificently led by Maestro Wilkins. Tutti Bravi!

What a wonderful event, decided at the last minute to attend, great seats, very uplifting, would recommend.to attend if you can

The combination of the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus, and dance troupe presented an awesome performance of Orf's Carmina burana.

Brian K. Johnson sang a profound Opera backed by a flawless orchestra. I was amazed, speechless and my jaw dropped durring the performance several times. The song to the moon was amazing. If you haven't been to an opera before I would suggest going to one. In fact, I would suggest anyone put an opera on their bucket list (List of things to do before you die, or kick the bucket), and this one would do just fine for that requirement. This show was high quality and the orchestra and singers did not make any mistakes.

Very enjoyable evening.... Putting together the Orchestra, with the Chorus and the Opera Singers makes for an incredible performance. Well done.

While the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Chorus were enjoyable, the sound from the chorus seemed muted as they were seated behind the orchestra. The strings had a feature which was quite lovely. The featured performer, Dina (soprano), was disappointing, although part of that was due to my distraction with the uncomplimentary shawl she frumpily wore and which always seemed ready to fall to the floor in the first half. The tenor seemed very nervous and inexperienced while the baritone stole the show for me. He had a rich, beautiful tone. While EJ Thomas was not very full, ticketmaster's system did not allow us to purchase different tickets even though I made several attempts at different seating under the same price range. It kept coming back to the original offered seats.

They did a beautiful job! The cast was very talented and amazing!

My husband and I had a good time and especially enjoyed the placement of the 'chorus' in the balcony. It was a surprise when they stood up during the show and sang. It created an added interest for us. The actors had to work in a small stage area with spartan props, but did a good job bringing the story to life.

I enjoyed this show because it was so well done, also for its historical and controversial value, and because it provided me an opportunity to explore racial issues with a friend who met me at the show.

Trying to read the words above the actors was tricky to keep up with what was going on on the stage

The music for Porgy and Bess was wonderful. The local singers were excellent vocalists and actors. They seems to be having fun, too. What talent we have in the Akron area.

Started promptly at 8 PM, as advertised. This was the full operatic version ... everything sung with just a little dialog (eg the police detective). Parking was adaquate. Leaving took a while. The presentation was in 3 acts, with an intermission mid way through. It took a full 3 hours. Although the seating was comfortable, it tended to get harder by the end of the performance. If E. J. Thomas has one downside, it is its lack of a center aisle. If seated in the center, you had to wade through one half of the entire row to leave. The cast was wonderful, and the Akron Symphony Orchestra outdid itself. It was handy to have the actual words being sung projected on a small screen high above the actors. The scenery was minimul ... little more than a few stairs and platforms, used throughout the performance (3 acts). The cast was quite spirited in their efforts, adding an extra element to the overall performance.

The show was top notch and well attended. Feedback was very positive.

The actors were amazing and the singing was heavenly ! I definitely would attend this event again, and I hope it comes back every year. There was good harmony and synchronization between the opera and the Akron Symphony. Great job done by all!

Show was great. Cavanaugh was incredible! Would go see him anytime.

Fantastic evening. Michael and his band blended seamlessly with the Akron Symphony resulting in a magical performance. Michael has only gotten better since his broadway performances in Movin' Out, showing off his wide range of vocals and instrumental abilities (playing the saxophone, guitar, piano, and harmonica...what's next drums?). Would love to see the "Songs of John" show come to town!

Michael is a fantastic performer and a very multi-talented musician. I would highly recommend seeing him again. He did mention that he does a "Music of Elton John & More" also, and I would love to see this come to E.J. Thomas as well.

We had seen him in Cleveland for Moving Out and knew we had to see him again. The performance was fabulous. The crowd amazing. We need this type of entertainment more frequently...Not just Akron Symphony, but people appearing with them.

AKRON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: MUSIC OF BILLY JOEL: MICHAEL CAVANAUGH was absolutely WONDERFUL! H The entire orchestra played in perfect sinc with Micheal's band. It was extra special to see the conductor enjoying thew music as much as WE WERE! I sure hope you decide to do this again! Thanks.

Great concert! Michael Cavanaugh is an extremely talented musician who engages the audience non-stop for 2 hours. Beautiful backing by the Akron Symphony Orchestra.

Having never heard of the artist, I did not have high hopes. After the first song, I knew I had a winner. His music whether by Billy Joel, Elton John or written by him were all extraordinary. The Akron symphony was just superb. The String section was fantastic. I would have paid double what I paid to see this performance.

I became a fan of Michael Cavanaugh when I saw him in Movin' Out in Cleveland. He is extremely talented and doing the music of Billy Joel in conjunction with the Akron Symphony was brilliant! I hope he will be invited back to E.J. Thomas--it was a great venue for a performance like this!

We enjoy this "event" every time. The energy was high and the message was powerful. Brought friends this time and know that they and we will return next year. Thanks again to all!

Wonderful and very uplifting performance!! Several of the songs brought a tear to my eye and gave me goosebumps

Joy came to all present when Gospel met Symphony at E.J. Thomas for the eighteenth straight year shouting and playing to God. Truly it was an occasion when we all came together as God's children. We were reminded in music that God is love. The King James version of the Bible teaches us in the Book of Corinthians that ...faith, hope and CHARITY are the greatest virtues, and that CHARITY is the greatest! I shall never forget the charity(love) for community given by all participants (including the audience) at this event. To God be the glory! So be it!

This was our first Gospel meets Symphony concert. You do NOT have to be a believing Christian to enjoy this event. (We're Jewish.) The music and performances were WONDERFUL. Just a ton of fun.

When I watch figure skaters or skilled acrobats, or listen to an operatic soloist, the better and more effortless the performer, the more relaxed I become in enjoying the performance. A real professional makes it look easy. That's the way I felt this last Saturday with the Akron Symphony. I'm not able to appreciate the modern approach to "piano playing" taken by Eighth Blackbird. Judging by the applause, others did and we always need to be open to experimentation but I liked the Vaughn Williams and Stravinski. We live in Hudson and it's nice to know such satisfying music is close at hand in winter ( we have Blossom in summer). I always enjoy an excuse for going to EJ Thomas. There isn't a bad seat in the house.

The sound anywhere in the hall is great and the program was great but the view is not. The program was great but hard to see. Would prefere to see what seats are available and make my own choice as to location and not rely on price. There were open seats further bace in the center which would have been more sutable. I dislike the inability to see in advance where the seats are and would not have choosen these. Section - GT4R , Row - P, Start Seat 3, End Seat 4

Very disappointed. Had expected orchestra only. Professional vocalists okay,. Had not realized the high school choir would be performing as well. Choreography tacky. Would not have purchased tickets for this event if we knew it was a 'community' event.

excellent music, sad that there were so few attendees

I rated this lower than I normally would because there were times that the music was so loud that we couldn't hear the girls voices and that is what we wanted to hear. The girls voices were awesome, truly a nice representation of Abba. If they toned down the music a little, then I would have rated this a 5. The Theater is truly beautiful and very comfortable. Last year we saw the Jersey Boys in Cleveland and the seats were so crunched together that it made the night a horror.

Great show. I didn't like the review in the Akron Beacon. I went to hear the ABBA show which was oustanding. Having the Akron Symphony Orchestra there was not necessary. I didn't go to the show to see them.

Arrived 45 minutes early & still no room in parking garage. Thank goodness weather was not a problem. How does one get parking space in underground garage? Then, will call closed slowing down entire tickets dispersment because the will call personnel "called off" & no back-up in place. Who manages the logistics? Can we give them some help to make our Beautful concert hall more user friendly?

Titanic: The Musical left tears in your eyes. Enjoy he music.

It was like heaven on earth! This must what it will be like when the Lord sends his angels to pick me up. What talent! God's grace sure shown through!

Titanic was amazing. Each person stood out. The only person who didn't stand out as an outstanding perform was the man who portrayed the role of Captain E.J. Smith, who seemed to only be cast in the role because he could act and had a beard. Other than that the voices were astonishing. I teared up during the song sung by the character of Fred Barrett about how he would return home in less than two weeks and marry his girl. Truly an OUTSTANDING show. I just hope that this group does more shows this phenomenal and for more than one night.

Wow! Amazing! This was such a magical night - 100 years ago to the hour, the Titanic sailed the Atlantic and sealed its dreadful fate. Watching the musical and knowing the significance of the date and time, made the night even more special. It was a great show - the Akron symphony and the cast were simply splendid!!

Seeing Titanic: The Musical at the Akron Civic Theatre was a fitting tribute to the 100th anniversary of the sinking. I don't know what, but I have always been fascinated by all things Titanic. I heard about the show several months ago and knew I just had to go. It was a one-night only affair and I did not want to miss out. Well they did not disappoint. While we arrived a few minutes late due to unforeseen circumstances, we were able to 99% of the show. We didn't even have great seats but the music was fantastic and the actors were great. I had never been to see the symphony or anything else at Akron Civic Theatre. I am a sucker for old ornate scenery, and the venue made me feel like I was one of the first-class passengers, minus the whole iceberg thing. I definitely would recommend this show, or something similar to it since it was one night only. And I am only 26! So it's not like I'm the stereotypical crowd you would see at an event like this.

Wow how disappointing! When I called the box office they assured me that this show was both the orchestra and the play. A play has sets. This was nothing but a bunch of people running on the stage singing. I was misled by the box office about this production. The music was great, but it's always great. They really dropped the ball though with the lack of props.

The acting and singing were outstanding. The cast was well studied. The orchestra played very well and blended with the performers quite well. The only drawback was the sound technicians. They should have showed up for another rehearsal or two. They missed cues and reached beyond feedback threshold limits a time or two. Otherwise, enjoyable show.

I felt that over all the performance was great. The 1st half was a bit long and the songs were a little wordy, but the 2nd half was strong and really kept me interested and glad to be there. I did not like seeing the orchestra on the stage , it was often hard to see who was singing and who was not. There were also too many sound problems as well. I would recommend this show to a friend.

The production was magnificant. I took my granddaughter, who is 12, to see Titanic. It was her first musical production. She is hooked. The Civic, as always is a great house, as well. We both totally enjoyed the evening. The only negative thing I could say is that is was very warm inside the theater.

Titanic: The Musical was very enjoyable! Great show! The only complaints we had about the event was that they seemed to be having some technical difficulties with the sound system with a few incidents of feedback and several times not being able to hear the actors speak/sing. Also, and I can only speak for the back of the orchestra seating area, it was very hot! But, like I said above, the show itself was great!

The problem was the temperature of the room was way too hot which made me sleepy. The room was also dry and I had trouble with my contacts because of the dryness.

I've always loved the Akron Civic Theater, having grown up in Akron and having attended productions at the Civic in all its stages of progress. It is a grand jewel of a theater, a work of art in itself. It was, therefore, an inspired choice for staging the musical, "Titanic," on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster. The Akron Symphony performed (beautifully), and their artistic directors and designers put together a moving and credible performance. They assembled accomplished actor/ singers from the amazing pool of talent in the greater Cleveland/ Akron area. Their casting choices were excellent . The set was simple and functional, creating just the right amount of dramatic flow. The orchestra occupied the center of the stage, and one had the feeling that they were on board the ship, playing until the very end. The whole production was emotionally and esthetically very satisfying. It was-- please forgive me-- A Night to Remember.

My husband and I enjoyed the show very much. Music and vocalists were great. There was trouble with the microphones at times throughout the show.

The orchestra program was very well done and much appreciated by the audience. The violin soloist was amazing...such wonderful tone and depth of feeling in a performer so young is unbelievable. As always the accoustice in the hall were top notch. Nicely planned program and extremely well executed. Bravo !

Another unforgettable year enjoyed by our entire crew and guests. Can't wait for the 20th next year!

The choir and orchestra were so good. So much good talent in the show. Maestro Wilkins is top notch and The LeGrair Brothers were out of this world! That talent should not go unnoticed or untapped.

I was looking for gospel music more like the style that James Brown performed in The Blues Brothers movie i.e. up-beat, and hard rocking. Or something like the gospel sound of Elvis Presley. In my opinion, gospel and symphony do not work well together. The rhythm section and choir overpowered the orchestra.

Show was really nice. Lots to see. Chorus, orchestra and soloists. All were entertaining even the conductors.Music was beautiful. Well rehearsed yet spontaneous.

They just keep getting better !. How can you choose a favorite with so many great performers.No one would have thought they were volunteers singers, They were all class act. professional.

My entire family - my two daughters (16 & 5) my husband and myself thoroughly enjoyed our evening.

This was a fun concert for our 14 yr old musical theatre crzed daughter.

We enjoyed the evening so much! The Divas were outstanding and complemented each other very well. As always, the Akron Symphony was wonderful. All in all, a great evening filled with great music and talent.

My wife and I enjoyed about half of the songs. Nicole was by far the better vocalist, we didn't think much of Ali at all. I was disappointed at the large number of instrumental orchestral selections, when the show had been billed as a "Diva" vocal performance. The rhythm section of the orchestra was off-time to the point of being distracting throughout most of the pieces, and the orchestra at times felt sloppy and unpracticed. The highlight, no question, was Nicole doing the piece from Spamalot. She was funny and held the audience in her hand, whereas Ali's nasal voice and distracting vibrato torpedoed every song she sang. Overall it was an OK show, but I wouldn't recommend it.

singers where amazing, orchestra was so so, overall nice evening out.

It was awesome - their voices are great! The symphany was great! Loved the comraderie between the Diva's and the conductor.

Balcony seats were cheaper AND we had a great view! The volume wasn't outstanding, though the orchestra was great! Also, the staff working the event that night were VERY courteous and helpful.

The show was astounding!!! I cannot wait to see them again!

The music was wonderful. I especially liked the "unannounced" music that was added to the program. The soloist was also wonderful. I am thrilled that we can bring such high-quality musicians into Akron.

What a wonderful evening! Took my teenage children and they enjoyed it and said they would like to go again next year!! I think we started a family tradition!

Amazing concert. So many talented soloists. Conductor was very personable and kept the show moving.

Very good performance. Would go to see again. My 9 year old son enjoyed also.

A great performance by an excellent pianist backed by an awesome orchestra !!!! We are very fortunate to have Christopher Wilkens as our conductor who brings insight and a wonderful performances to us. Thank you ASO !!!!

Joshua is such an amazingly talented and charming young man. I've seen him perform several times. The story of his Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius is so fascinating - I was a bit disappointed that the story was not shared in the program. Simply knowing that Joshua's violin is over 300 years old is breathtaking and noteworthy. (Not to mention it's value!)

Joshua Bell was wonderful, but he only played for a small part of the evening. We felt cheated.

Akron Symphony always does a lovely job. It was neat to see performers working alongside the symphony to further enhance the performance.

I am now expecting them to get better as the season progresses, though I've no doubt they'll outdo themselves each time.

Wonderfully reminiscent of John Denver! Took us back to his times.

The music presentation and the vocals were excellent. The video projection on the back screen was distracting and not always in sync with the musical presentation. The video introductions of the performers were dated and very distracting and lasted much too long into the musical presentation. The swirling blurry circles identifying the performers was outdated, kept appearing well into the program and belonged at a grade school presentation and not at an Akron Symphony music presentation.

THE AKRON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WAS AMAZING.IT WAS FUN TO WATCH THEM HAVE FUN WITH JIM CURRY AND HIS BAND PLAYING THE DENVER MUSIC. I HAVE EVERY SONG JOHN DENVER WROTE OR SANG! SO I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR JIM SING " YELLOWSTONE".I DIDN'T KNOW HE WROTE AND SANG THAT IN TEXAS BEFORE HE DIED.

Excellent thoroughly enjoyed it. Love the music of John Denver . Orchestra was great with. Parking was easy to get to. Price within my budget.

Totally enjoyed Jim Curry and his wife and band as well as the orchestra. The videos really added to the experience. Loved the closeups of the eagle. I am glad I went to the concert. Thank you.

If you were a fan of John Denver's music, you must see Jim Curry. Akron Symphony added so much to the evening.

A truly wonderful production combining a superb symphonic ensemble with gifted vocalists, dancers, and acting. Each element of the production was solid, but combined they made for a very stirring performance. Technically, this show must have been a real challenge to execute. The number of participants seemed to almost outnumber the audience. Nonetheless, they were able to mount a near perfect production and I would recommend this production to anyone.

My spouse and I attended this event last week. Our seats were in the 1st balcony, about 5 rows back and just right to center. This production included an orchestra, the Akron Youth Ballet and area actors portraying the characters. The orchestra was set in the center of the stage and the actors flowed around the musicians as they acted out the play. The orchestra did a beautiful job with Mendolsson's music. I would have enjoyed just listening to it alone, but incorporating it with the actors and ballerinas made the show even better. The play part of the production was cut to 3/5th of the original lines, but this didn't hurt at all as it was still easy to follow. The actors did a wonderful job and the youth ballet dancers were a flowery addition as they played the forest fairies. The costuming of the fairies were very cute, although I have to say, the garb of the main players left a lot to be desired. Maybe because it was only a one night production they didn't feel the need to put a lot into the women's dresses, but they really hung terribly and were a distraction to the rest of the show. E.J. Thomas is beautiful, but the seats are not positioned well at all for seeing the stage. It seems no matter what, someone's head is blocking the stage. This was made worse because the players were forced to act mostly in the front part of the stage (since the orchestra had taken center stage) which was blocked even more.

From the orchestra, to the ballet, to the actors themselves, everything was simply superb! I was exceedingly pleased with the entire production. It truly was a wonderful evening.

The actors were fantastic. This is a very funny play when performed well, and the cast went all out for laughs. The symphony sounded great.

Wonderful music, fun play. The orchestra was great. The young actors were amateur, but they were young and charming.

Inexpensive tickets, great seats, amazing performance!!! I love what the Akron Symphony has done with their concerts and shows!!!

So disappointed in EJ Thomas for this event. Was disappointed the Gospel Singers were not in the forefront. The sound was so bad that at times the cymbals were heard louder than the Choir. Plus for the first 1/2 hour of the show the usher kept directing people to their seats, right in the middle of a song. I had to ask the usher to shut the door so the hallway noise was not heard in the concert hall.

This event is consistently good over the years. One of the great shows in Akron. Each year is fresh, new and vibrant. If you haven't attended and you love Gospel, Symphony or both, you will LOVE this! Get there!

The Four Seasons performance was absolutely amazing! I wished there were 4 more seasons when it was over. My heart was full of joy. This rivaled any orchestra or symphony performance I've seen to date!

The evening was perfect. The Akron Symphony was excellent and the selection of the first piece was spot on as it was in its own way as diverse as Rite. The choreography and its execution by Groundworks was brilliant. Having only one performance gave it extra urgency and immediacy. Having seen other versions including the original, this was a night to cherish.

This was excellent. The music and dance were vivid and well done. We are so lucky to be able to see original work of this quality in our community. Too bad the woman next to me had to take out her iPad during the performance.

While the Dvorak piece in Saturday nights Akron Symphony was great, the Rite of Spring was amazing. The professional dancers from Groundworks Dance Theater were powerful and expressive, connecting to the audience from the first moment. The correography and the story were understandable and perfectly attuned to the music and to the dancers. But what made the performance so poignant was the inclusion of local non-professional dancers. They were amazing. And the ability of the professionals to lead the newcomers, to encourage them, to model for them, and to support them was wonderful to see. This was most obvious during the long ovation, when the Groundworks dancers beamed and applauded every time their younger counterparts went to the front of the stage. It was an uplifting moment.

Amazing...Dvorak was beautifully played and the Rite of Spring production was compelling with regard to masterfully played music to beautifully depicted expression through dance...BRAVO!!

I have watched internet versions of ROS for years. I was excited when I learned that Groundworks was going to perform this challenging piece. I was very disappointed by the dance, the new choreography was frankly boring, incoherent, and at times inappropriate given the age of the performers. The only things this piece shared with the original was the score and the title. My advice to Groundworks? Smaller venues, fewer dancers, better delivery, more suitable repetoire.