Sunday Sounds are rocking on the third Sunday of the month through November.
At the season opener in September, the Marimba Masters of Cleveland led by Joe Adato drew a crowd of more than 50 people, said Nancy Fester, programs chair for Friends of Westlake Porter Public Library.
The best part is that it’s free!
In October, Mary Beth Ions will take attendees on a musical journey with her program "Violin: Up Close and Personal." Ions will travel through time with great composers like Bach, Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, mixing country fiddle, fiery Gypsy music and the sounds of Broadway with violin parts in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and American Idol. The performance starts at 2 p.m. Oct. 16.
Ions said she will be doing some story-telling as well, talking about the history of the instrument and "how this queen of instruments has developed through the centuries into the shining star it is today."
Ions said she has been an active musician in the Cleveland area for over 25 years.
She plays in the Opera Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Trinity Cathedral Chamber Orchestra, and Playhouse Square productions of touring Broadway shows such as Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Showboat, South Pacific and The Color Purple.
She also regularly provides back-up music for Mannheim Steamroller, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Rod Stewart, Smokey Robinson, Yanni, Sarah Brightman, Jewel, Clay Aiken and Josh Groban.
During the summer, Ions performs as principal second violin with the Blossom Festival Orchestra, and in July, she performed for the world premiere of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean with a live orchestra.
She performed with the Broadway touring productions of South Pacific and Shrek the Musical in early 2011, and West Side Story in May.
In November, the poets of the 2100 Lakeside Emergency Men’s Shelter will visit with their new book of poetry. These poets, who have lived on the streets, will be joined by facilitator Annie Holden at 2 p.m. Nov. 20. The Friends of Westlake Porter Public Library will be collecting donations of men’s socks and underwear, hygiene and sundry items, gently used clothes and coats and cash for the Lakeside Men’s Shelter.
