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friday, january 20, 2023 volume LIV, issue 15 estd. 1969
Cleveland Orchestra showcase: A guide to past and upcoming performances Zachary Treseler Staff Writer
Imposing over the end of the Binary Walkway at Case Western Reserve University is Severance Hall, which houses the Cleveland Orchestra, one of Cleveland’s crown jewels. In the rest of its 2022-2023 season, Jen Steer, the Cleveland Orchestra’s media relations manager, notes there will be three new show concerts within the next month. The Cleveland Orchestra just wrapped up a series of concerts led by Franz Welser-Möst, its music director. Steer explains that his compositions “juxtapose two works by Franz Schubert with Alban Berg’s ‘Lyric Suite’” along with “extremely talented vocalists, as well as the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus,” led by Lisa Wong. In addition, Lauren Menke, a student ambassador for the Cleveland Orchestra, notes, “Sometimes the performances are more than just the orchestra—one time, two opera singers were featured. I realized I had never heard opera singing in person and that the two amazing soloists had traveled across an ocean to perform on a stage in Cleveland. The descriptor ‘a voice like an angel’ is overused, but I have no better way to describe the soprano soloist.” In mid-February, Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä will conduct six perfor-
mances in Cleveland. Steer notes he is the principal conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic and “one of classical music’s young rising stars.” Between the two performances, the Cleveland Orchestra will wrap up its residency in Miami with two performances of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique and Violin Concerto. Lastly, from Feb. 16-18, the Cleveland Orchestra will present Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and the Mozart and Strauss program from Feb. 23-25. Steer notes that these concerts are great if you are “new to classical music” and that “you don’t have to be an expert on classical to appreciate the music.” Going to the Cleveland Orchestra is something that many CWRU students have experienced. Menke explained that she originally got into orchestra music because her SAGES First Seminar professor took her class to see a Cleveland Orchestra performance. She expresses, “I have always liked music (especially live music) and it was amazing to me that such a great performance takes place every week practically on campus!” The vibe of going to the Orchestra is different, as Menke explains, “Though Severance Hall is next door to Kelvin Smith Library, it feels completely dif-
The Cleveland Orchestra still has a few more concerts in the 2022-2023 season, which students can attend with a Frequent Fan Card or a Student Advantage Membership. Courtesy of Zachary Treseler ferent.’’ It allows concertgoers to escape the stresses of university life, as the attendees enter the Art Deco and Egyptian Revival style Severance Music Center. And even then, not only has she seen CWRU students every time she has attended, but Menke notes now that you do not have to dress up and “that other concertgoers are happy to see young people attending orchestra concerts. Plus, no one really cares who is sitting
next to them; it is all about the music!” To access these experiences, Steer says that students may either purchase a Frequent Fan Card for $35 to get unlimited access to the season’s performances or obtain a Student Advantage Membership, which enables them to buy $15 performance tickets. You can sign up at any time either by email or in person at their box office, and the perks start instantly.
Cleveland plans to expunge marijuana convictions en masse Shreyas Banerjee Executive Editor
Cleveland may soon be making strides towards cannabis policy reform by expunging convictions related to misdemeanor marijuana cases. Mayor Justin Bibb came into office promising to reform the city’s approach to criminal justice, primarily when it came to drug-related charges. While marijuana has been decriminalized in the city of Cleveland since 2020, with fines and jail time being eliminated for individuals carrying up to 200 grams of marijuana, thousands of Clevelanders remain who have been charged with marijuana-related crimes prior to 2020 and hundreds of those who were mistakenly charged by city prosecutors. Marijuana remains illegal in the state of Ohio except for medical usage so prosecutors are still able to technically supersede city law and charge individuals for marijuana usage, leading to the discrepancy. To honor the spirit of the city’s decriminalization, Bibb moved to expunge over 4,000 convictions for misdemeanor marijuana cases in April 2022, with the cases being affected dating back to 2017. However the mayor’s plan hit a snag as Ohio state law did not allow the city to file a motion clearing charges from the records of residents unilaterally, with individuals instead having to be the ones to initiate the expungement by filing their own motion. In the months since Bibb’s motion was blocked, the city has been trying to provide information to eligible residents to have their marijuana charges expunged or sealed via the Cleveland Municipal Court, but this remained a stop-gap solution. Now, however, the city of Cleve-
Mayor Justin Bibb (left) and City Council President Blaine Griffin (right) carry court motions on April 6, 2022 in their first failed attempt to expunge marijuana convictions and charges. Courtesy of Jake Zuckerman/Cleveland. com
land intends to try again following the passage of Ohio Senate Bill 288, which was signed into law by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Jan. 3. An amendment to the bill now allows prosecutors to initiate the process of sealing or expungement of fourthdegree or minor misdemeanor drug charges rather than requiring defendants to do so. With the law going into effect in April, the city will be able to try again to process and expunge the convictions in question. The amendment came about due to lobbying by the Bibb administration for changes to state law regarding drug charges. While the Ohio state legislature is controlled by Republican supermajorities and Bibb is a Democrat, Bibb was able to work with state legislators on this issue, even if other policy conflicts surrounding issues like gun control and taxation remain between the deeply Democratic city and the increasingly Republican state. “I think Republicans recognize the economic consequences,” Bibb said. “If folks can’t get a job or start a business, it doesn’t make us a competitive state long-term.” Once the city moves to expunge or seal the convictions, it may still take time to completely settle as defendants must consent to having their charges revoked and judges must still approve each expungement individually, allowing them to factor in other charges the defendant may have and the city government’s case to wipe away the convictions. “We’re going to go through a very deliberative process to get this done right,” Bibb said.