Piano Cleveland’s Piano Days 2025 continues through Aug. 2 with performances by world-class musicians at venues across northeast Ohio. The festival features six international pianists presenting programs that blend classical music with contemporary influences.
Tonight at 6 p.m., Piano Cleveland hosts a Community Showcase at The Music Settlement’s Glick Recital Hall celebrating recipients of the Piano Donation Program. The free event will feature pianists of all ages and skill levels who have benefited from the initiative that makes pianos accessible to artists across northeast Ohio.
Thursday brings a special double feature with 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition winner Kotaro Fukuma. At noon, he’ll perform a sound installation at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Ames Family Atrium featuring works by Karen Tanaka, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Toru Takemitsu, inspired by the contemporary aesthetic of the Takashi Murakami exhibition. That evening at 7:30 p.m., Fukuma presents “Shimmering Water” at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall, juxtaposing French Impressionist music from Debussy and Ravel with contemporary Japanese composers.
Friday features a 10 a.m. masterclass with Fukuma, open to the public at Mixon Hall.
The festival concludes Saturday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 p.m. with Natalie Tenenbaum’s “THE PIANO // RE-IMAGINED” at Playhouse Square’s Hanna Theatre. The Juilliard-trained pianist, singer-songwriter and storyteller incorporates live electronics and lighting design into what Piano Cleveland calls a “genre-bending show that reimagines soundscapes.”
“Our goal is always to push the boundaries of what people think of when they think about classical music,” said Piano Cleveland Executive Director Marissa Moore. The festival also includes free pop-up concerts and community programming designed to make classical music accessible to broader audiences.
Piano Days 2025 showcases Piano Cleveland’s commitment to supporting competition laureates while introducing innovative approaches to classical performance. Tickets for ticketed events are available online at pianocleveland.org.
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