Cleveland, OH, April 7–10, 2005 –The Cleveland Orchestra, led by former resident conductor Matthias Bamert, performed Bruce Broughton’s Piccolo Concerto with soloist Mary Kay Fink.

Fink, referring to the concerto in an interview before the concert, said: “It’s written well for the instrument, and it’s very accessible, but it’s not simplistic. I knew right away that it would be a crowd pleaser.”

The Cleveland Orchestra’s performances were well received by both audience and critics. Donald Rosenberg, music critic for Cleveland’s newspaper, The Plain Dealer, wrote that the concerto “can stand proudly on the program…amid beloved music by Prokofiev and Sibelius. Fink’s exceptional performance of Broughton’s piece Thursday revealed a score of abundant charm and wit. The piccolo is portrayed as a mischievous character like an imp in the outer movements and toots sweetly in the slow movement. Broughton’s roots as a film and television composer can be discerned in the music’s swift change of moods and glowing instrumental sonorities.”

Rosenberg added: “Despite the breezy atmosphere, this is a sophisticated composition full of shimmering harmonic color and genial thematic writing…. Broughton challenges the soloist’s dexterity, but provides space for poetic shadings.”

Elaine Guregian of the Akron Beacon Journal wrote: “Broughton’s Piccolo Concerto is an appealing addition to this instrument’s small repertoire. The Los Angeles-born composer makes things easy on the listener, while letting the soloist dazzle us with what the instrument can do…. The orchestra was comfortable with the Broughton work.”

The New Dealer review concluded: “Bambert and the orchestra seemed to enjoy Broughton’s chipper sonic world enormously.”