I think one of the little known things about the Cleveland area to outsiders is how incredibly rich this area is in the arts.  It all starts in University Circle, where the Case nerds still outnumber the artists, but the arts are what really shine.  The Cleveland Museum of Art is consistently one of the top ranked art museums in the country, Severance Hall plays home to one of the nation's most respected orchestras, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the equally excellent Cleveland Orchestra Chorus.

What's probably more impressive is the number of young people involved in music and the arts.  From local high schools (Medina High School had 420 kids in seven choirs, 250 in three bands, and another 100+ in orchestra when I went there, out of a student body of about 1,700) to the local colleges and universities, Cleveland's music has made up for where the city's sports have lacked.

A new addition to the city's repertoire is the Baldwin-Wallace College Men's Chorus, a group in its first year of existence.  What's unique about this chorus is it not only draws upon the talented student body of Baldwin-Wallace College (located in Berea, in Cleveland's Southwest side), but has allowed local community members to join.  This includes me, participating in my first musical endeavor since I was in Microsoft's Theater Troupe a couple of years ago.

This coming Monday, April 21st, we are going to be holding an open rehearsal for people who may be interested in singing this coming Fall.  If you're interested, send me a message through the blog or leave your email address in a comment and I'll get you all the appropriate information.

To finish it off, here's a YouTube video of their most recent performance at St. John's Cathedral in Cleveland, singing Biehl's arrangement of "Ave Maria":