Cleveland Rocks: PPF’s Professional Development Workshops are held on the third Monday of the month from 7-9pm at the Cleveland Rocks Shop (15801 Waterloo Rd.). Each workshop will focus on a different music-related topic with discussions from 7-8pm, followed by a 2×4 Songwriter Showcase from 8-9pm featuring 4 different artists, 2 songs each.
June Workshop:
Women in the Music Industry
- Panelists include: Cindy Barber, Meredith Pangrace, Shirley Cook, and Annie Zaleski.
- Moderated by: Maura Rogers
Stay for The 2×4 Songwriter Showcase immediately following the workshop.
2×4 Songwriter Showcase Artists:
• Rebecca Wohlever
• Angelle Sheridan
• Sheela Das
• Rachel Shortt
The Cleveland Rocks Shop is an intimate venue with LIMITED capacity. Please arrive early to grab a seat!
This event is made possible with support from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture
ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:
Annie Zaleski:
An award-winning author, journalist and editor with profiles, interviews, and criticism in a variety of publications. Bylines include Rolling Stone, NPR Music, The Guardian, Salon, Time, Billboard, The A.V. Club, Vulture, Classic Pop, Record Collector, The Los Angeles Times, Stereogum, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Las Vegas Weekly.
Meredith Pangrace:
Meredith Pangrace is a musician in several Cleveland projects including Maura Rogers & The Bellows and The Boys from the County Hell. She is also a seasoned designer that has created album art, promotional items, and videos for a wide array of bands and artists. She has recorded four albums with the Bellows, and contributed guest tracks on numerous local and national recording projects.
Cindy Barber:
Cindy Barber began working in the local music industry just out of high school. She did inventory control for MCA, bookkeeping at WEA and was assistant buyer at the ABC branch. After earning college degrees Media and Communications, she co-founded the Cleveland Express newspaper in the late ‘70s, in addition to managing local bands. In the ‘80s, Barber became production manager for Northern Ohio Live magazine, a job which included editing program guides for Playhouse Square and other arts organizations. Barber started her own publishing consulting business in 1986, and also co-wrote a music column for the Cleveland Edition with fellow music journalist Anastasia Pantsios. In 1992, she helped launch the Cleveland Free Times as assistant publisher and was moved into the editor’s position three months later. During her six years in that position, the paper won many awards including awards for Barber’s own writing. During this time she served on the national board of the Association for Alternative Newsweeklies. After the Free Times, she spent a year as editor of Northern Ohio Live. She then turned her energy to her own North Collinwood neighborhood, where she co-founded the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern in March 2000, a concert venue that has become a favorite stop to hundreds of national touring bands. She has served as president of the board of her local CDC, Northeast Shores Development Corporation, and was also president of Arts Collinwood, when the organization won a Northern Ohio Live Achievement Award in Economic Development for its work in North Collinwood. Ms. Barber has also served on the City of Cleveland’s Fair Housing Board, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, and the former Cleveland Music Group. In 2007, she was honored with a Cleveland Arts Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts.
Shirley Cook:
Shirley Cook is a sultry, smoky, and internationally acclaimed jazz singer. Ms. Cook has been bringing her improvisational jazz vocals to the Cleveland music scene for over 36 years. Ms. Cook’s captivating and highly interactive performances have a way of making you feel like she’s singing to you and only you.