Tri-C Classical Piano Series: 20 Years of Artistic Excellence
For 20 years, the Classical Piano Series at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) has offered public access to free yet rarefied cultural experiences. Each year, the series brings international pianists — from renowned to up-and-coming — to Northeast Ohio.
Emanuela Friscioni, director of the Classical Piano Series and Tri-C’s Creative Arts Academy, founded the series in 2006, shortly after starting a piano performance academy at the College’s Eastern Campus.
“I felt like there was nothing completely dedicated to pianos,” she said. “It all started like a dream, and 20 years later, here we are still.”
Over that time, the piano series has established an enviable reputation, with a track record of booking early-career artists who have gone on to acclaim and embracing artistic risk-takers.
The Plain Dealer called it “the prime keyboard destination in Northeast Ohio.”
In May 2024, the Classical Piano Series hosted internationally renowned pianist Lang Lang and his 101 Pianists program. The free event was a coup for the College and gave those in attendance the chance to enjoy an inspiring presentation by one of the preeminent classical musicians of the day. The performance culminated in 100 Northeast Ohio youths accompanying Lang Lang on keyboards.
“We try to balance more established artists with upcoming artists, younger artists that are coming through the scene,” Friscioni, a touring pianist herself, said.
For example, Beatrice Rana, who performed in 2014, has since won multiple awards, released several albums and performed at esteemed concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall. She even played for Pope Leo XIV.
“Her career blossomed, and in a way, I feel very proud that she had her Cleveland debut with us,” Friscioni said.
Chelsea Guo, an accomplished soprano and a formidable pianist, performed as part of the series last year.
“In classical music, it is not that common that the pianist sings while she’s playing,” Friscioni said. “She did it all by herself, and she continues to have a career both as a concert pianist and a professional soprano singer.”
The 2024–2025 series featured Clayton Stephenson, who has since signed with Columbia Artists Music LLC.
“We were very lucky to have him before we could no longer afford him,” Friscioni said. “Having presented here in Cleveland and now seeing how his career is also blossoming, it is a full circle.”
For most of its life, the recitals took place at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium. However, due to renovations at Gartner, the series moved to Tri-C’s Metropolitan Campus Auditorium for its 2024–2025 season and remains there.
Donors, including the William O. and Gertrude Lewis Frohring Foundation, have allowed the series to remain free to the public.
“I am very proud because we are able to provide the series free of charge to the audience,” Friscioni said. “The financial support allows us to reach a wider audience.”
The 20th anniversary season kicks off Oct. 11 and keeps the same spirit of artistic excellence coupled with an open-door invitation to the community to experience top-notch live music. (Free tickets are required.)
Friscioni will inaugurate the season in a dual-piano performance with her husband, Antonio Pompa-Baldi.
“We perform a repertoire that is very dear to our hearts,” Friscioni said.
They will perform their program, featuring works by Rachmaninoff and Liszt, in Paris just days before bringing it to Cleveland, where attendees can see it without crossing the Atlantic.
October 05, 2026