Concert Preview: Carl Baldassarre & The Baldassarre Orchestra
“An Evening of Original Music with Carl Baldassarre, 45 Years in the Making”
Live at the Beachland Ballroom – August 23, 2025
BY DAVID KENNEDY
Carl Baldassarre played his first little concert at a middle school in Euclid, OH. He played his first big show, with his band Abraxas, at the old Cleveland Agora Ballroom on East 24th Street. (the Agora’s second location before moving to 5000 Euclid in 1986, more Agora History), a venue that gave prominent exposure to breaking local and national artists. His upcoming big show, as Carl Baldassarre & the Baldassarre Orchestra, promises to be an fantastic array of diverse styles spanning his career, from epic prog-rock to subtle string music. Carl took the time to talk with us about those early days and how excited he is to share his new works and new arrangements with an audience.
On his first big show, “The thrill of being on the stage (the Agora) that Springsteen and ZZ Top and Grand Funk and so many of the biggest new artists played in the late 70s/early 80s made it feel like making the big time.” Baldassarre recounts. Agora owner Hank LoConti took notice of the band and got them a record deal. LoConti funded Abraxas’ first recording session, at Agency Recording Studios in the Agora building (short list of some releases recorded at Agency). The first single from those sessions, “Pretty Poison”, hit the charts at #7 locally in March. “To hear your own music on the radio as a kid was pretty cool.”
Baldassarre also has high praise for another venue. “The Beachland Ballroom is the perfect room for me. It is my home. My parents moved from Italy to Collinwood. The Beachland is special, it is like the discovery music hall of Cleveland. It is a stage that stands in testament to the talent of our city”
From Carl’s first band Abraxas, one collaborator, bassist Al Rolik, has stayed with Baldassarre through the past 45 years, through all of the different styles, and changes in the industry, and eras of music. Joining Carl and Al for the big show at the Beachland Ballroom on 8/23 is newest Carl Baldassarre & the Baldassarre Orchestra member, vocalist Holly Sybilla (“a rockstar waiting to be discovered,” beams Baldassarre). Also in the big band are Billy Brock on keyboards, Jim Ruschman on drums, and singer Mark Boals (vocalist on multiplatinum records and big rock tours with artists like Yngwie Malmsteen, Dokken, Savoy Brown and Billionaire Boys Club). Leading local string quartet Opus 216 rounds out the 10-piece Orchestra.
The music for this special show at Beachland Ballroom spans fourty-five years, and genres from rock and pop to prog and classical. Baldassarre is a highly active composer, with over 70 recent compositions and all new arrangements of his previous work. The energy for furiously writing new, and reworking classic, pieces seems to come from his desire to connect with audiences, uplift them and send them home with a good feeling, ready to share the vibes and come back for more. “There is no substitute for building your audience one song, one show, one person at a time. That is still the most powerful way in music, or in almost any business.”
Baldassarre credits his longevity in music to his diverse musical tastes. “All of the changes (in the music business since he started) didn’t affect my music, because I write multiple styles and new music continues to excite me.” On the old ways of working compared to what musicians face now, “We went from top down, get signed by a label, get on the air, and that provided the advantages, because if you did, then the DJs and radio programmers were basically king makers. That isn’t the current landscape.” Today, “there is no one right way, because the business is so fragmented, it’s basically hand to hand combat” out there. “Now you have to reach out one to one” to accomplish your goals and get work done. “It’s good because the barrier to entry is gone but the barrier to getting noticed is hard, because of all the noise. Anyone can write a song and get it up on social media now.”
“What’s changed? Back in the day all we had was print and radio. And it was very localized. Friday magazine had an ad for every venue and go page by page and look at where everybody in Cleveland is playing and you could flip through and plan where you were going for the weekend. Now everything is atomized and it has put the pressure on the audience to go from venue website to website and find out what is going on. If we could solve that problem, it would help fans know where to start to find new live music in Cleveland. The number one issue is getting a bigger audience, we need a solution to help people find shows and learn about the artists.”
Live clip of the Baldassarre Orchestra classic rock rewind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDEcTy5b1mA
Concert Event link: https://www.beachlandballroom.com/e/13843544/carl-baldassarre-the-baldassarre-orchestra/
Doors: 7pm
Music: August 23 at 8pm
Tickets: $25 (plus any applicable fees)
Venue: Beachland Ballroom 15711 Waterloo Rd., Cleveland, OH 44110
