CLESFF IN THE NEWS

Sentiment, Satire, Horror, and Noir in Silent Film (May 10)
May 30, 2024 | by Mike Telin, clevelandclassical.com.

““The Many Moods of Melodrama: Sentiment, Satire, Horror, and Noir” was a fascinating and thoroughly entertaining evening that featured five short silent films exploring the melodramatic mode, with original scores performed by the students.”

Many Moods of Melodrama: Sentiment, Satire, Horror, and Noir in Silent Film
May 8, 2024 | by Mike Telin, clevelandclassical.com.

“ . . . one of the objectives of the class — Music and Melodrama on Stage and Screen — was for the students “to get a feeling of music in melodrama, and to get a sense of the history of the silent film genre by learning how to compile a musical score.””

Cleveland Silent Film Festival 3: Heart of Cleveland (1924) & Man With a Movie Camera (1929), Sept. 8
September 19, 2023 | by Daniel Hathaway, clevelandclassical.com

“Now in its second season, the Silent Film Festival has obviously attracted a following. The crowd gathered on Friday evening September 8 in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art so far exceeded expectations that attendees were asked to recycle their programs for the Saturday screening”

Silent Film Festival Presents Four Days of Classical From the Past
September 4, 2023 | Cool Cleveland

“Bask in that artistry this weekend when the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Cinematheque, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Silent Film Festival and Colloquium present the four-day Silent Film Festival at three different venues.”

Cleveland Silent Film Festival Opener to Feature Organist Clark Wilson
August 31, 2023 | by Daniel Hathaway, clevelandclassical.com

“Organist Clark Wilson is one of the most prominent scorers of silent photoplays in America today. His accompaniments reflect the techniques and materials of the musical performances given in major picture palaces during the heyday of silent film.”

Second Annual Silent Film Festival to Run September 6-9
August 31, 2023 | by Mike Telin, clevelandclassical.com

“When you create something successful, people want more. Such is the case with the Cleveland Silent Film Festival & Colloquium, which made its debut in January of 2022.”

Cleveland's Silent Film Festival . . . Bringing the Sound of Music to Silent Film
March 23, 2022 | by Peggy Turbett, Currents, page 20

“Midway through the silent film “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans",” a reunited couple passionately embrace in the middle of a traffic intersection swirling with annoyed motorists. The chaotic scene is so cinematically vibrant, you would swear you heard the staccato bleats of an angry car horn…”

The First Cleveland Silent Film Festival Honors Music Pioneer JS Zamecnik
February 11, 2022 | by Kabir Bhatia, Ideastream Public Media

“At the very first Academic Award ceremony in 1929, Best Picture went to the silent film, “Wings.” Unlike today, there were no categories for anything sound-related, but there was an original score to go with the movie…”

Cleveland Silent Film Festival and Colloquium Features Live Music Feb. 13-20
February 10, 2022 | by Jacqueline Gerber, Ideastream Public Media

“WCLV's Jacqueline Gerber chats with Emily Laurance of the Oberlin Conservatory about a new event focusing on silent movies and the music written for them…”

Cleveland Silent Film Festival & Colloquium: The Fascinating Life of John Stepan Zamecnik
February 9, 2022 | by Mike Telin, ClevelandClassical.com

“Until recently, only a select few would have recognized the name John Stepan Zamecnik (1872–1953) if it had come up in conversation. But in the past few months the Cleveland-born violinist and composer is experiencing a resurgence. His music and accomplishments are being featured as part of the Cleveland Arts Prize Past Masters Project…”

Delving into the silent era: Cleveland Silent Film Festival & Colloquium
February 8, 2022 | by Mike Telin, ClevelandClassical.com

“When we think of film composers, the names Miklós Rózsa, John Williams, and Randy Newman immediately come to mind. But who were the important composers from the silent era?…”

Filling the silence: CLE Silent Film Festival will celebrate the music of J. S. Zamecnik
Febrary 2, 2022 | by Dennis Dooley, freshwatercleveland.com

“The first-ever Cleveland Silent Film Festival and Colloquium: Music That Once Filled the Silence will this month celebrate the emergence of music paired with films at venues around Northeast Ohio…”

Cleveland Silent Film Fest Debuts, Honoring Cleveland-Born Film Composer
February 2022 | CoolCleveland.com

“Cleveland has a seemingly endless stream of film festivals: festivals devoted to documentaries, LGBTQ+ films, Black subjects, Jewish subjects, shorts, indie films — and of course, the biggie, the Cleveland International Film Festival. But now there’s a new event: the Cleveland Silent Film Festival and Colloquium: Music That Once Filled the Silence, which kicks off at the Hermit Club in Playhouse Square on Sunday February 13…”

New silent film festival and colloquium highlights Cleveland composer J.S. Zamecnik
January 21, 2022 | by Zachary Lewis, cleveland.com

“CLEVELAND, Ohio – A little-known Clevelander and star of the silent film era is about to enjoy a local renaissance. This week, the Cleveland Arts Prize announced a new Cleveland Silent Film Festival and a colloquium focused on John Stepan Zamecnik, a Cleveland-born composer whose music supported some of the biggest titles of the era…”