Cleverness from Cleveland: SalonEra, a real treasure-trove

On one level, SalonEra, created in 2020, is an irrational endeavor. The highly-regarded online video series, the work of Cleveland-based baroque ensemble Les Délices, is neither profitable nor convenient to produce. And yet, for a multitude of reasons, SalonEra is easy to justify. Indeed, now in its sixth season, this series with its wide-ranging themes continues to demonstrate its ever-renewed richness: a veritable gold mine of musical knowledge whose value and variety, aimed at an ever-growing audience around the world, continues to grow. Let’s take a look back at this original project, co-directed by oboist Debra Nagy and violinist Shelby Yamin.

Looking back, “I’m amazed at what we’ve produced,” said oboist Debra Nagy, founder of Les Délices and the primary host of SalonEra programs. “For us, it’s a way to think outside the box, and that’s why I think it’s still worthwhile to do.”

The benefit to viewers is beyond question. Not only has SalonEra long outlasted its origins as an effort to survive the pandemic. It has developed into an incredible resource, filling a gap no one in Early Music, not even Nagy herself, initially recognized.

The first episodes, which aired in 2020, were similar to what many other organizations were doing at the time. They essentially stood in for the live performances Les Délices would have been presenting, but with greater frequency.

A need for connection and collaboration

Nagy recalls “dying” to collaborate with her peers, even remotely, unable as an oboist to play a whole piece of music alone. New programs appeared roughly twice a month, for a total of 17 the first season.

Over the ensuing years, as regular operations resumed, the frequency of new episodes ticked down – season five consists of just eight programs – but the depth and overall quality of production increased.

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