Minchae Kim

Kiarra Saito-Beckman

Colin Henley

Trevor Kazarian

CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra

Join us for a captivating musical journey, "MoonStrike," at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Murch Auditorium on Sunday, March 10, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. This unique event, part of the CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra series, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing through the enchanting lens of American Indian stories and folk songs.

"MoonStrike," composed by the renowned Chickasaw composer and U.S. Cultural Ambassador Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, is a half-hour children's production that embraces storytelling, space, and folk song in a universal celebration. The performance features three diverse American Indian legends, narrated by Tate himself, and is accompanied by a live string quartet. The quartet includes Kiarra Saito-Beckman and Minchae Kim on violins, Colin Henley on viola, and Trevor Kazarian on cello, bringing these tales to life with music that captures the imagination.

The production opens and closes with an arrangement of a Calusa Corn Dance, a traditional dance of various Native American tribes in the Southeastern US, marking the Harvest Moon and the commencement of the yearly corn harvest. Through vibrant tales, unexpected twists, and intriguing trickster characters, "MoonStrike" weaves a narrative that is as educational as it is entertaining.

The event takes place at the Murch Auditorium in The Natural History Museum of Cleveland, located at 1 Wade Oval Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106. Parking is available for guests in the attached garage, with entrance on Level 2, or through the front gardens along Wade Oval. General parking rates apply, with a fee of $10 for the first two and a half hours and $1 for each additional half hour, up to a daily maximum of $18. Special-event rates may vary.