Daniel Hathaway, ClevelandClassical.com — Dec 7, 10

When Quire Cleveland presented its first round of carol concerts last December, the event gave every indication of becoming an instant tradition. Sure enough, Carols for Quire 2 (perhaps a nod to David Willcocks’ famous Oxford University Press Carols for Choirs books) found this excellent professional vocal ensemble back at Trinity Cathedral for two concerts on December 3 & 4, now under the direction of artistic director Ross W. Duffin. As one would expect, the 16-voice Quire was nearly flawless in its elegant vocal journey through representative carols of Spain, England, France, Germany and the New World, with a few motets mixed in to provide some liturgical gravitas. I heard the concert on Saturday evening along with an enthusiastic audience that filled all the chairs set out in Trinity’s nave and transepts. Read more »

Donald Rosenberg, Cleveland Plain Dealer — Dec 5, 10

Audiences tend to flock to the familiar at holiday time, embracing such favorites as Handel’s “Messiah,” “The Nutcracker” and “A Christmas Carol.” Fine and dandy, but there’s a world of other seasonal works waiting to touch hearts and captivate ears.

Quire Cleveland, the professional chorus founded in 2008, last year began performing a holiday program filled with selections most listeners likely had never heard.

For its second annual “Carols for Quire” program over the weekend at Trinity Cathedral in downtown Cleveland, the ensemble and artistic director Ross Duffin repeated many pieces they presented at the inaugural event, while adding new — meaning old and older — material. Read more »

(2nd annual) — Dec 4, 10

The Christmas season has engendered so much beautiful and inspiring music, from solemn motets to danceable villancicos. In view of the success of last year’s holiday concerts, Quire Cleveland and Music & Art @ Trinity present the second annual Carols for Quire program, featuring some of the most exquisite holiday music from Renaissance Europe to Colonial Mexico, New France, and America. Artistic Director Ross W. Duffin conducts this delightful program, entertaining and accessible to all. Read last year’s rave reviews.

December 3 & 4, 2010, at 7:30 pm
Trinity Cathedral
2230 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH

These glorious sounds are guaranteed to make your holiday season more harmonious!

TICKETS: $15 adult; $10 senior (65+); $7 student (full-time); 1 child FREE with adult, senior, or student; $5 additional child. Free parking at Trinity Commons; nearby parking also available at Cleveland State University Lot SG (free with parking ticketed validated at Trinity).

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Janet Podola, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio — Dec 3, 10

Some have the advanced Ph.D. degrees that accord them the title of doctor before their names. Others are church music ministers, college professors, or high school music teachers; and most have a surprisingly wide assortment of other professional callings, most relating to music. But all the members of Quire Cleveland are professional vocalists, organized for their second season of concerts in Northeast Ohio, and they’ll sing at 7:30 p.m. today at Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.

They use their voices as the instruments to create their music instead of relying on accompaniment from traditional instruments, even though several of them play instruments outside the settings of Quire. Read more »

Mike Telin, ClevelandClassical.com — Nov 30, 10

Every year at this time audiences look forward to their favorite annual holiday events, whether it be attending a performance of Messiah or Nutcracker, hearing David Sedaris recite his Santaland Diaries, or if you find yourself in New York, watching the Rockettes kicking their way across the stage at Radio City Music Hall. Whatever our holiday entertainment tastes may be, we take comfort in these traditions. For arts organizations, programming these traditional events is a balancing act between keeping things fresh without changing something that has kept your audience returning time and again.

A relatively new concert tradition in the area will take place this weekend at Trinity Cathedral, when Quire Cleveland, under the direction of its artistic director, Ross Duffin, presents “Carols for Quire Two”, its second annual Christmas concert, on Friday and Saturday, December 3rd and 4th at 7:30 pm. The program once again features some of the most beautiful holiday music from Renaissance Europe to Colonial Mexico, New France, and America. These performances also coincide with the release of Quire Cleveland’s debut recording, Carols for Quire from the Old and New Worlds, recorded live during last season’s performances at Trinity Cathedral. Read more »