Bascom Little Fund, a philanthropic organization celebrating it’s 50th anniversary this year, presents a Gala Concert celebrating great Cleveland area composers of the past, present and future, on Sept. 17th at 7:30pm, at CSU, Drinko Hall. "For You There Is No Song" and "The Return from Town" from Five Millay Songs by H. Leslie Adams will be performed. This event is co-sponsored by WCLV, Cleveland Public Library, and the Western Reserve Historical Society. There will be a champagne reception following the concert.
2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Bascom Little Fund. Several of last year’s grantees are helping to celebrate this milestone with special programming in their current season showcasing the support of the Bascom Little Fund and what it has done for composers, their music, performers, ensembles, audiences and the greater arts community over the past 50 years.
Leslie Adams (b. 1932) was the winner of the 2015 Cleveland Arts Prize Lifetime Achievement Award. Born in Cleveland, he attended school in California, and served many years as a choral conductor, show musical director, and educator. His unique music touches a wide variety of musical tastes and preferences. His stage work BLAKE was featured on the VOX Showcase of New York City Opera, and on the National Opera Association programs. His art songs have been sung by leading artists worldwide, in many languages. His orchestral works have been performed by the Prague Radio Symphony, Iceland Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra and Indianapolis Symphony, among others.
The Bascom Little Fund is a charitable trust created to support the work of Northeast Ohio Composers. This trust was created for the promotion through the media of concerts, publications, recordings, and otherwise, of serious and semi-popular music, newly composed and performed in or near Cleveland, Ohio.
Bascom Little (1910-1965) was a Cleveland architect and amateur composer who studied composition with Donald Erb at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He was deeply concerned about the difficulty of modern composers getting their music performed. His home included a concert facility and many performances of works by local composers were held there. After he died, his wife determined to perpetuate his memory and interests by creating a fund to enable performances and recordings of regional composers in order to promote their music.
