Kevin McLaughlin, Author at The Land

Kevin McLaughlin

Kevin McLaughlin is a native of Seattle, WA. Formerly the Library Director at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he is now a freelance writer, podcaster and editor. He has published music reviews in ClevelandClassical.com and Cleveland.com (Plain Dealer). He is a member of the Music Critics Association of North America. His weekly podcast on early jazz, “At the Jazz Band Ball,” may be found on a variety of podcast platforms.

“Just do it”: Lakewood eighth grader heads to Carnegie Hall

By Kevin McLaughlin ● Arts & Culture ● November 26, 2025

For all the high-profile performances, Mikey Klein’s approach to stage fright is disarmingly straightforward. “I just tell myself, stop being scared. Just do it,” he says. “I don’t try to say, ‘Oh, it’s going to be okay.’ I just say, ‘Go up there, stop being scared of it, just do it.’ And it works all the time.”

Art House opens “Creative Garden” with ribbon-cutting and new sculpture by Brinsley Tyrell

By Kevin McLaughlin ● Arts & Culture ● November 4, 2025

For now, the Creative Garden is both a finish line and a beginning, a place where art, ecology, and community take root together.

AsiaTown’s Mid-Autumn Festival brings art, community and permanence to once-empty lot

By Kevin McLaughlin ● Arts & Culture ● October 2, 2025

The Mid-Autumn Festival drew hundreds of residents and visitors into what has long been known informally as the Square Dancing Park — a former parking lot now transformed into a gathering place.

Larchmere launches 1st Cultural Arts Festival, to be held July 11-13

By Kevin McLaughlin ● Arts & Culture ● June 16, 2025

“This is about elevating and amplifying the voices of Cleveland artists,” said Vince Robinson, co-creator of the festival and founder of Larchmere Arts. “We wanted to create a space for our community to experience art in all its forms — from gallery walls to poetry slams, from African drumming to documentary film.”

City Stages 2025: Concert series promises electric debuts in Cleveland

By Kevin McLaughlin ● Arts & Culture ● May 22, 2025

Set against the vibrant backdrop of Transformer Station,1460 West 29th Street, City Stages transforms Church Avenue into a block party of sound, rhythm and cultural connection.

Cleveland Silent Film Festival partners with Cleveland Public Library

By Kevin McLaughlin ● Arts & Culture ● March 11, 2025

Beginning on March 15, the Cleveland Public Library and the Cleveland Silent Film Festival & Colloquium (CSFF) will partner for a series of classic silent films to be shown at the main library downtown in honor of the branch’s 100th anniversary.

John Ewing: Talking movies with the man who co-founded Cleveland’s Cinematheque…before he rides into the sunset

By Kevin McLaughlin ● Arts & Culture ● June 27, 2024

For nearly four decades, John Ewing has served as director at the Cinematheque at the Cleveland Institute of Art in Cleveland’s University Circle district. On June 30, he will show his final three films — three of his all-time favorites — before, like Alan Ladd in Shane, he rides off on his horse to final credits.

How ClevelandClassical.com brought attention to the city’s classical music scene

By Kevin McLaughlin ● Arts & Culture ● June 12, 2024

In September of 2023, ClevelandClassical.com celebrated its fifteenth anniversary as the local web journal of classical music in Cleveland. Here’s how the publication got rolling.

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