Cleveland trumpeter Theresa May talks about the challenges of navigating a career in classical music for Black women, and her work with the popular band Mourning [A] BLKstar.

It's been five years since Northeast Ohio saxophonist Chris Coles began working on "Nine Lives Project," a 40-minute music and performance piece intended to heighten awareness of ongoing racial injustice in America after the 2015 Charleston church shooting. Now, the project is complete and its four movements have been recorded. Coles says the project is intended to celebrate the achievements and greatness of Black Americans, rather than solely mourning the nine Black lives lost.

It's been five years since Northeast Ohio saxophonist Chris Coles began working on "Nine Lives Project," a 40-minute music and performance piece intended to heighten awareness of ongoing racial injustice in America after the 2015 Charleston church shooting. Now, the project is complete and its four movements have been recorded. Coles says the project is intended to celebrate the achievements and greatness of Black Americans, rather than solely mourning the nine Black lives lost.

In 2018, singer-songwriter Angie Haze led a performance with her theatrical ensemble, The Angie Haze Project, at the Akron Civic Theatre.

There are some venues that are trying to reinvent themselves to keep their doors open.

Backline Cleveland, a gener8tor program made possible by the City of Cleveland and The Finch Group, launched in June to grant local musicians the chance to elevate their careers. The 12-week accelerator offers coaching opportunities with industry professionals, as well as the chance to connect and collaborate with other artists.

Mourning [A] BLKstar is a diverse collective of Cleveland-based artists with layered identities. Its members aim to blur the lines of gender and genre while expressing their individual realities through music.

Across the state of Ohio, local music venues are struggling as the coronavirus pandemic has forced these entertainment hotspots to keep operations at a standstill. Local musicians who rely on live performances to earn a steady income have suffered with planned concerts canceled or postponed indefinitely.

On what would have been the 12th annual celebration of Record Store Day on April 18, local music shops remained dark, empty and closed. The event is an annual celebration of independently owned record stores and brings crowds of music fans to these local businesses to buy exclusive or new music releases.

With widespread social distancing measures in place due to the COVID-19 outbreak, classical music performances have shifted from concert halls to virtual platforms. Piano Cleveland , a local organization that supports performing artists through education, competitions and outreach programming, has launched The Quarantine Concerts .