The Cleveland Orchestra Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert
45TH ANNUAL
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert
JANUARY 19, 2025
Dear Friends,
It is a pleasure to welcome you all to Severance Music Center for the 45th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert. Each year, we are delighted to bring together members of our Greater Cleveland community for a joyous evening of music that honors the remarkable and enduring legacy of Dr. King.
Tonight’s program takes us on a journey through the life of Civil Rights leader and author Coretta Scott King, the wife of Dr. King. The music selections depict her growth as an accomplished soprano and activist, who used music to inspire, uplift, and mobilize people during the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. These works will be brought to life by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Chorus under the direction of Dr. William Henry Caldwell, soprano Laquita Mitchell, and The Cleveland Orchestra with Associate Conductor Daniel Reith.
We will also take the opportunity to recognize impactful contributions within our own community. Last year, after two decades, The Cleveland Orchestra refocused the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Awards to especially acknowledge community service in music and the arts. Our honorees this year are music director and educator Dr. David M. Thomas , Hispanic architect and arts advocate Richard K. Levitz , and Benjamin Smith’s Splice-Cream Truck , which connects communities through art and sound. We encourage you to read about their exceptional achievements on pages 10-13.
Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the Orchestra’s longstanding Community Access Partner KeyBank and Jayne Zborowsky for their generous support. For those who could not attend or would like to revisit tonight’s concert, it will be available to stream for free on Adella.live, the digital home of The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Orchestra’s YouTube channel.
We also hope you will return to Severance on Monday, January 20, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, for a free community open house from 11:30 AM to 5 PM, with music, dance performances, and other special activities throughout the hall. A complete schedule and more information are available at clevelandorchestra.com.
On behalf of the entire Cleveland Orchestra family, we thank you for joining us to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and our beloved community.
Warmly,
André Gremillet President & CEO, The Cleveland Orchestra
Dear Clevelanders,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 45th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert.
On behalf of the City of Cleveland, I want to express our gratitude to The Cleveland Orchestra for its vital contributions to our city’s world-class arts and culture scene. This annual celebration is a reminder of how music brings people together across diverse backgrounds. The Cleveland Orchestra embodies this spirit, creating a shared space where we can connect, reflect, and celebrate the transformative beauty of art.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day calls us to honor the life and legacy of a heroic leader who championed social justice, civil rights, and equality for all. Dr. King’s unfaltering courage and determination in confronting systemic racism inspires us to work toward a more just and equitable society.
Dr. King’s movement for justice would not have been made possible without the trailblazing partnership of Coretta Scott King, a visionary leader in her own right. A gifted soprano with a bachelor’s degree in music and education and a graduate degree in voice from the New England Conservatory, Coretta Scott King understood the unifying power of music. She directed her gifts not just toward her artistry but also toward empowering a global movement centered on peace, justice, and equality. Together, Mrs. King and Dr. King inspired the world to confront hatred with love and division with hope.
As Clevelanders, it is our shared responsibility to carry forward this legacy. Let us honor Dr. King and Mrs. King by recommitting ourselves to their vision of unity, hope, and justice. Take this moment to celebrate their remarkable contributions and reflect on how we can each play a role in advancing their dream of equality for all. Enjoy this program and thank you for joining us for this meaningful celebration.
Sincerely,
Justin M. Bibb Mayor, City of Cleveland
one open door can open doors across a community.
one open door can open doors across a community.
Our most important work happens outside the four walls of our bank. KeyBank gets involved, supporting people who make a difference and working with community-focused organizations through investments, philanthropy, and volunteering. We believe that together we can keep our communities full of hope, compassion, and opportunity, one open door at a time.
Our most important work happens outside the four walls of our bank. KeyBank gets involved, supporting people who make a difference and working with community-focused organizations through investments, philanthropy, and volunteering. We believe that together we can keep our communities full of hope, compassion, and opportunity, one open door at a time.
We're proud to support The Cleveland Orchestra on this special day of celebration, honoring the the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
We're proud to support The Cleveland Orchestra on this special day of celebration, honoring the the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thank you for making a difference.
Thank you for making a difference.
JACK, JOSEPH AND MORTON MANDEL CONCERT HALL AT SEVERANCE MUSIC CENTER
The 45th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert
Dr. William Henry Caldwell, chorus director and conductor
PROGRAM
Opening Remarks
André Gremillet , President & CEO, The Cleveland Orchestra
Invocation
Reverend Dr. Lisa M. Goods, Senior Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church
City of Cleveland Welcome
Rhonda K. Brown, Senior Strategist Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Sponsor Remarks
Eric Fiala , Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, KeyBank & CEO, KeyBank Foundation
Severance Music Center Welcome
Jejuana C. Brown, Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Community Relations, The Cleveland Orchestra
Presentation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Service in the Arts Awards
Jeffery J. Weaver, Chair, The Cleveland Orchestra Community Engagement Committee
Kevin Conwell, Cleveland City Council
Yvonne Conwell, Cuyahoga County Council
Recipients: Richard K. Levitz | Dr. David M. Thomas
Benjamin Smith’s Splice-Cream Truck
KeyBank is the Community Access Partner for the 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert. The Cleveland Orchestra recognizes and thanks Mrs. Jayne M. Zborowsky for her support of this concert. With gratitude to the New England Conservatory Archives and Aaron Flagg for their contributions to tonight’s program.
THE PROGRAM
J. Rosamond Johnson
Lift Every Voice and Sing (1873–1954)
MLK Chorus (arr. Hale Smith)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Ballade in A minor, Op. 33 (1875–1912)
Traditional
Ain’t That Good News! (arr. William L. Dawson)
MLK Chorus; Dr. William Henry Caldwell, conductor
Traditional My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord (arr. Glenn L. Jones)
MLK Chorus; Laquita Mitchell, soprano; Dr. William Henry Caldwell, conductor
Love Let the Wind Cry ... How I Adore Thee (1904–1989)
Laquita Mitchell, soprano (orch. Nicholas Hersh)
Valerie Coleman
Umoja: Anthem of Unity (b. 1970)
Traditional Amazing Grace (arr. Tim Berens)
MLK Chorus
Tonight’s program will be broadcast live on WCLV 90.3 and WKSU 89.7, and livestreamed on Adella.live and YouTube. It will be available on replay for 10 days following the concert.
Thank you for silencing your electronic devices.
Jeffery J. Weaver, trustee, chair
KeyBank
Anthony Wynshaw-Boris, trustee, vice chair
Case Western Reserve University
Charles Bernard
The Cleveland Orchestra, musician
Robin Dunn Blossom
The Cleveland Orchestra, trustee
Richard J. Bogomolny
The Cleveland Orchestra, trustee
Jennifer Coleman
The George Gund Foundation
José C. Feliciano
BakerHostetler (retired ),
The Hispanic Roundtable
Iris Harvie
The Cleveland Orchestra, trustee
George Hwang
Pearl of the Orient Restaurant
Reverend Courtney Clayton Jenkins
South Euclid United Church of Christ
Dr. Wael Khoury
Marymount Hospital
Dennis LaBarre
The Cleveland Orchestra, trustee
Richard K. Levitz
R.K. Levitz LLC
Cecil Lipscomb
United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland
Stephen McHale
The Cleveland Orchestra, trustee
Deborah McHamm A Cultural Exchange
Toussaint Miller
Harvard University ’25
Ioana Missits
The Cleveland Orchestra, musician
Patricia Moore-Smith Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra
Tony Sias Karamu House
R. Thomas Stanton
Squire Patton Boggs
Karis Tzeng
ThirdSpace Action Lab
STAFF LIAISONS
Jejuana C. Brown
The Cleveland Orchestra, Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Community Relations
Joan Katz Napoli
The Cleveland Orchestra, Vice President of Education & Community Engagement
Teagan Webb
The Cleveland Orchestra, Director of Community Engagement
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
2025 SERVICE IN THE ARTS AWARDS
The Cleveland Orchestra and the City of Cleveland are pleased to announce the recipients of these annual Service in the Arts Awards, as we honor two remarkable community members and an extraordinary organization selected from the many who have dedicated their lives to focus on positively impacting Cleveland through music and the arts in the spirit of Dr. King’s work and teachings:
| Dr. David M. Thomas Benjamin Smith’s Splice-Cream Truck
The award recipients have demonstrated the following qualities:
Using music and the arts to promote social justice
Recognizing musicians and artists of color
Improving access to music and arts education
Advocating for music and the arts
Award Selection Committee:
Robert Hubbard, M. Carmen Lane, Joan Katz Napoli, Jeffery J. Weaver, Teagan Webb
THE 2025 AWARDEES
Richard K. Levitz
Hispanic architect and arts advocate
Richard K. Levitz is an accomplished architect, planner, and urban designer who has worked with numerous local, national, and international clients, including Stark Enterprises, Cuyahoga Community College, MetroHealth, University Hospitals, and Case Western Reserve University. Originally from Colombia, South America, he moved to Cleveland in 1996, largely drawn by the rich cultural life of the city, The Cleveland Orchestra in particular.
Levitz has served with distinction on the Orchestra’s Community Engagement Committee for decades. Stemming from his Colombian roots, he feels a special kinship to the Hispanic/Latino community. In 1997, he initiated the first meeting between the Orchestra’s leadership and ten regional Hispanic/Latino organizations, which led to the first Hispanic Heritage Concert at Severance Music Center in 1998. Since those early initiatives, Levitz has helped establish
concerts by Orchestra members at the Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center, La Placita, and La Sagrada Familia Church. He also played a key role in implementing Hispanic Family Nights at Blossom and the continuation of the Orchestra’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration Concerts at Severance.
In addition to his work with the Orchestra, Levitz has served on the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board since 1997, helping to create and grow Hispanic businesses. He was a member of the Capital Campaign Steering Committee for the mixed-use Hispanic market CentroVilla25 and is a charter member and board member of Campo 25, which was responsible for repurposing the historic Astrup Awning Building into the Pivot Center for Art, Dance, and Expression in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood. Levitz has also spearheaded artistic programs in collaboration with Playhouse Square, Piano Cleveland, and The Cleveland Cello Society.
Levitz holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in architecture from New York’s Columbia University and The Ohio State University, respectively. He also completed architecture courses at New College, Oxford, and conducted research in Spanish colonial, urban planning, and civic code in Colombia, South America. In addition, Levitz is a graduate of Leadership Cleveland’s class of 2000.
THE 2025 AWARDEES
Dr. David M. Thomas
Music director and educator
Dr. David Manning Thomas is a music educator and project manager for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and music director of the district’s Emmy-nominated All-City Arts Program. Over his 25+ year teaching career, he has received numerous awards — including the Louis & Carl Stokes Jazz Legend Award and Tri-C Jazz Legend Award — and earned the distinction of being listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Education. Alongside his education career, Thomas serves as resident music director at Cleveland’s historic Karamu House. Notably, he was the music director, composer, and arranger for Karamu’s 2022 and 2023 productions of Black Nativity, the latter of which received honorable mention in the category of “Best Musical Direction” by the Cleveland Critics Circle Theater Awards. Thomas has also served as music director for shows such as , , Bubbling , , , Blues in the , Ain’t Misbehavin’, and , among others.
Thomas’s original compositions and arrangements have been recorded and performed by many amateur and professional ensembles, including the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland All-City Chorus, and Pieces of a Dream. His music has been published by GIA Publications, Inc. and he is the co-author of All Night, All Day: A Child’s First Book of African-American Spirituals, which received the Coretta Scott King Award. Originally from Youngstown, Thomas relocated to Cleveland after performing on many tours with Dizzy Gillespie, Albert Ayler, Jean Carne, Major Harris, and Rose Royce. He studied at the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from Case Western Reserve University and a master’s degree in composition from Cleveland State University. Thomas did postgraduate work at Royal Holloway (University of London) and Camden University (London) before completing his studies in the Doctor of Music program at Kent State University. In addition, Thomas is a member of the Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society and Phi Delta Kappa International.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. DAVID M. THOMAS
Benjamin Smith’s Splice-Cream Truck
A mobile recording studio that connects communities through sound
The Splice-Cream Truck is a fully analog recording studio — housed in a converted ice cream truck — whose purpose is to “splice together” communities that have been historically separated by color lines and virtual borders. Created by Benjamin Smith , the Splice-Cream Truck records and shares people’s stories across the city of Cleveland, creating an aural bridge between communities. As an incentive for participating in interviews, individuals receive an ice cream treat or a “SPLICEE” (an Icee-like drink), as well as an on-the-spot, 45rpm “vinyl” record.
Originally from California, Smith is a composer, vintage electronics tinkerer, aural/visual artist, and an overall glasshalf-full dreamer. He loves video game music, analog gear of all sorts, and old BBC television programs, but his true
passion in life is connecting with people through art and sound, especially those who wouldn’t normally be presented with the “opportunity of community” collaboration. He uses and creates sometimes forgotten analog and acoustic (tangible) musical devices to bring a hands-on approach to bringing people together — teaching while creating.
As a person of color, Smith has experienced firsthand how important it is to be seen, heard, and accepted as a unique individual. He seeks to teach that everybody, no matter how “different,” should be treated equally and encouraged to let their light shine brightly, using the vehicle of music to share their stories.
Smith’s other projects include the See Our Light art exhibit, which is currently on display at the Glenville Public Library.
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS
presented by The Cleveland Orchestra
2004
Broadway: Diversity in Progress
Charles L. See
2005
Ted Ginn, Sr.
Murtis H. Taylor Multi-Service Center
2006
Case Western Reserve University
Akil Marshall
2007
Consortium of African American Organizations
Dr. Charles S. Modlin
2008
The Cleveland Cavaliers
Norma Harko
Kevin Hatcher
2009
Esperanza, Inc.
Howard Johnson
Robert P. Madison
Danny R. Williams
2010
Theodore (Ted) J. Horvath
The Presidents’ Council
Ebony Summers
2011
Baldwin-Wallace College, Student Affairs Division
Dr. Julian M. Earls
Cedric Thorbes
2012
Dontea Gresham
The Horvitz YouthAbility Program
Donshon Wilson
2013
Care Alliance Health Center
Cory United Methodist Church
Justin Orr
Dr. Betty K. Pinkney
2014
Block By Block
Takarria Cannady
Duffy Liturgical Dance
Arnold R. Pinkney
Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton
2015
The Distinguished Gentlemen of Spoken Word
E. F. Boyd & Sons Funeral
Home & Crematory
El Barrio Center for Workforce Development
Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.
2016
Judge Jean Murrell Capers
Toussaint J. Miller
The Honorable Louis Stokes (posthumously)
2017
Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
The Honorable George L. Forbes
Chelsea Kellie Hodge
The Honorable Carl B. Stokes (posthumously)
2018
Councilman Kevin Conwell
Titus Hicks
KeyBank
2019
Rev. Dr. E. T. Caviness
Positive Education Program
Kayla Thomas
2020
Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell
Congresswoman Marcia Fudge
Margaret Mitchell
Betty Pinkney
2021*
Craig Arnold (Eaton)
Black Lives Matter
Cleveland City Council
The Cleveland Foundation
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Cleveland Public Theater
Cuyahoga County
The George Gund Foundation
Greater Cleveland Partnership
Karamu House
William Lacey (GE Lighting, a Savant Company)
Fred Nance (Squire Patton
Boggs)
Urban League of Greater Cleveland
2022
Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center
Joan Southgate
Dolores White
2023
Dr. William Henry Caldwell
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Celebration Chorus
LaJean Ray
2024
Darelle Hill
Christopher Jenkins
Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland
* Honored virtually during the pandemic for extraordinary community service amidst a period of racial reckoning
Lift Every Voice and Sing
Music by J. Rosamond Johnson
Words by James Weldon Johnson
Lift ev’ry voice and sing, Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list’ning skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chast’ning rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
Ain’t That Good News!
Traditional
I got a crown up in the Kingdom, Ain’t that good news!
I’m gonna lay down this world, Gonna shoulder up my cross, Gonna take it home to my Jesus, Ain’t that good news!
I got a harp up in the Kingdom, Ain’t that good news!
I’m gonna lay down this world …
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way; Thou who has by Thy might, Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand. True to our God, True to our native land.
I got a robe up in the Kingdom, Ain’t that good news!
I’m gonna lay down this world …
I got a Savior in the Kingdom, Ain’t that good news!
I’m gonna lay down this world …
My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord
Traditional
In the Lord, in the Lord, My soul’s been anchored in the Lord.
My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’s blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly lean on Jesus’s name.
My soul’s been anchored in the Lord …
Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, While the tempest is still high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, Till the storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide, O receive my soul at last.
In the Lord, in the Lord, My soul is anchored in the Lord!
O Divine Redeemer
Music by Charles Gounod
Words by Alfred William Phillips
Ah! Turn me not away, Receive me though unworthy. Hear thou my cry, Behold, Lord, my distress. Answer me from thy throne, Haste thee, Lord, to mine aid, Thy pity shew in my deep anguish. Let not the sword of vengeance smite me, Though righteous thine anger, O Lord. Shield me in danger! O regard me; On thee, Lord, alone will I call!
O Divine Redeemer!
I pray thee grant me pardon And remember not my sins. Forgive me, O Divine Redeemer!
Night gathers round my soul! Fearful, I cry to thee! Come to mine aid, O Lord! Haste thee, Lord, haste to help me!
Hear my cry! Save me, Lord, in thy mercy. Come and save me, O Lord!
O Divine Redeemer! …
Save in the day of retribution, From Death shield thou me, O my God. O Divine Redeemer, have mercy!
Help me, my Savior!
Hold On!
Traditional
Noah, Noah, let me come in, The door’s all fastened and the window’s pinned. Keep your hand on the plow. Hold on, hold on!
Noah said, “You done lost your track, You can’t plow straight and keep a-lookin’ back.”
Keep your hand on the plow.
Hold on, hold on!
If you wanna get to heaven, let me tell you how,
Just keep your hand on the Gospel plow. If that plow stays in your hand, Land you straight in the promised land.
Keep your hand on the plow.
Hold on, hold on!
Mary had a golden chain, Every link spelled my Jesus’s name.
Keep on climbin’ and don’t you tire, Every rung goes higher and higher. Keep your hand on the plow.
If my Jesus wills, I do believe, I’ll overcome someday.
Gonna sing a new song. Gonna sing a new song.
Gonna sing a new song someday.
If my Jesus wills, I do believe, I’ll overcome someday.
We shall live in peace. We shall live in peace. We shall live in peace someday.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall live in peace someday.
We shall overcome. We shall overcome. We shall overcome someday.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall overcome someday.
Hold Fast to Dreams
Music by Florence Price
Words by Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Reprinted by permission of Harold Ober Associates, Inc.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow
Love Let the Wind Cry ... How I Adore Thee
Music by Undine Smith Moore
Words by Sappho; Translation by Bliss Carmen and H.T. Wharton
Love let the wind cry
On the dark mountain, Bending the ash trees
And the tall hemlocks
With the great voice of Thunderous legions, How I adore thee.
Let the hoarse torrent
In the blue canyon, Murmuring mightily
Out of the gray mist
Of primal chaos
Cease not proclaiming How I adore thee.
Let the long rhythm
Of crunching rollers, Breaking and bursting
On the white seaboard
Titan and tireless, Tell, while the world stands, How I adore thee.
Love, let the clear call Of the tree cricket, Frailest of creatures, Green as the young grass, Mark with his trilling Resonant bell-note, How I adore thee.
But, more than all sounds, Surer, serener, Fuller of passion And exultation, Let the hushed whisper In thine own heart say, How I adore thee.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was blind, but now, I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved: How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believed.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.
MAR 28 l FRI 7:30 PM MAR 29 l SAT 7:30 PM
Daniel Reith, Associate Conductor
SIDNEY AND DORIS DWORKIN CHAIR
Daniel Reith was appointed assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and music director of The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO) starting in the 2022–23 season, being promoted to associate conductor in June 2024. As COYO’s music director, Reith oversees the ensemble’s artistic planning, selects personnel for the ensemble, and leads rehearsals and performances of the Youth Orchestra. He’s also actively involved with the Orchestra’s education programs and community performances, and provides assistance for the Orchestra’s Severance and Blossom Music Festival seasons.
Reith was the 2019 winner of Opptakt, Talent Norway’s program for fostering young conductors, and has since performed with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra,
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, and the Norwegian Armed Forces. In 2022, Reith made his debuts with the Kristians and Symphony Orchestra and Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. He also served as assistant conductor for the Norwegian Opera production of Orpheus in the Underworld.
In addition to his conducting work, Reith is a talented pianist and chamber musician, having performed in concerts and competitions throughout Germany, Norway, and other countries. Reith has been awarded several scholarships in Germany, where he’s worked with orchestras such as the Hamburg Philharmonic and Neubrandenburg Philharmonic.
Reith grew up in Bühl, Germany, and studied music in his home country as well as Norway. He received bachelor’s degrees in piano from Freiburg’s Academy of Music and the Norwegian Academy of Music. He also received a bachelor’s degree in music theory at Freiburg’s Academy of Music, followed by a bachelor’s degree in conducting at Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. In 2021, he received his master’s degree in conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music.
Aseelah Shareef
Host
Aseelah Shareef offers a unique combination and understanding of inspirational leadership, operations and logistics, organizational programming, and artistry, developed through intense non-profit environments demanding excellence, flexibility, and the capacity to master multiple roles. Just a few of those roles include performing with Step Afrika! — the world’s only professional dance company dedicated to the art of stepping (body percussion), which toured nationally and internationally — and teaching and co-creating new curriculum for Dance at Cuyahoga Community College.
Shareef was the former executive director of Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre, events manager for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and director of dance for Cleveland
School of the Arts. Her current role is vice president & chief operating officer at Karamu House, where she implements operational efficiencies across product lines, has developed new arts residency programs, and curates socially and culturally responsive community arts experiences, including after-school and weekend arts education models for lifelong learners. She recently and concurrently served as the interim executive director of the Cleveland Arts Prize, the nation’s oldest municipal arts award.
Shareef is a 2023 YWCA of Greater Cleveland Woman of Achievement and was a member of the inaugural 2019 Arts & Culture Leaders of Color Fellowship cohort sponsored by Americans for the Arts, The Joyce Foundation, and American Express. Her community involvement includes membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., The International Association of Blacks in Dance, Ohio Advisory Group of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, OhioDance, 10K Movement, and the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation.
Shareef holds a master’s degree in arts administration and a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Florida State University.
Laquita Mitchell Soprano
Soprano Laquita Mitchell consistently earns acclaim on opera and concert stages worldwide, having recently been nominated for a Grammy for her contribution in the world premiere of Paul Moravec ’s Sanctuary Road with the Oratorio Society of New York. This season, she makes her long-awaited debut as Aida with Dayton Opera. Mitchell also joins the California Symphony for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the Charleston Symphony for Sanctuary Road, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra for a program of American songs, and The Austin Symphony for a concert production of Porgy and Bess. Mitchell’s recent operatic highlights include performances with New Orleans Opera, Portland Opera, and Bard SummerScape. She also reprised the role of Julie in Omar at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which she originated in the opera’s world premiere at the Spoleto Festival USA. Mitchell has sung the role of Bess in Porgy and Bess numerous times, including at San Francisco Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Tanglewood, Toledo Opera, and the Margaret Island Open-Air Theatre in Budapest.
An active concert artist, Mitchell has appeared with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, and Cincinnati May Festival, among others.
Mitchell is an alum of the Houston Grand Opera Studio and San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program. A native of New York City, she was a 2004 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions grand prize winner and was awarded a Sara Tucker Award. She also won first prizes at the Wiener Kammeroper’s Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition — making her the first American to win this competition in more than 20 years — and at the Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers.
Mitchell holds a Master of Music degree and a Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music and completed undergraduate studies at Westminster Choir College.
Dr. William Henry Caldwell
Chorus Director & Conductor
Working with some of the world’s finest orchestral conductors, Dr. William Henry Caldwell has prepared choruses for the Indianapolis Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Cincinnati May Festival, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, and Dayton Bach Society, among others.
Since 2003, Caldwell has served as resident conductor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Chorus for The Cleveland Orchestra, preparing the ensemble to sing with stars such as Ryan Speedo Green , Lawrence Brownlee, Jacqueline Echols, and Solomon Howard. He also serves as resident conductor for the Classical Roots Community Choir for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Stained Glass Community Chorus for the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2024 Juneteenth Celebration.
Caldwell was a professor and chairman of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Central State University and was director of the Central State University Chorus for more than 30 years. Currently, he is artistic director of the Vocal Arts Mastery Program, sponsored by the Cleveland Foundation and the Tri-C Creative Arts Division, and music director at the historic First Baptist Church of Dayton.
Caldwell attended Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, where he earned degrees in music and English. He pursued further graduate studies at The University of Texas at Austin, The Ohio State University, and the University of CincinnatiCollege Conservatory of Music. In 2022, he was awarded the Doctor of Arts degree from Alma College.
Caldwell is a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and is an active board member for the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, Miriam Rosenthal Foundations for the Arts, Dayton Public Radio, Cincinnati Youth Choir, and Cincinnati May Festival. He was recently awarded one of nine Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio for 2025.
A native of Demopolis, Alabama, he continues to sing as a lyric baritone and currently lives in Dayton.
ROSTER
Patricia Alexander
Arlene Allen
Artrelle Allen
Kiara Anderson
Patricia Armstrong
Laurel Babcock
Ernestine Baker-Hall
Rita Banks
Anna Barnes
Victor Barnes
Lawrence Beasley
Patricia Bennett
Kiana Black
Jason Blade
Cheryl Blockson
Eva Blount
Margie Boggoney
Nalani Brooks
Michelle Broome
Latasha Brown
Robert Brown
Betty Bryant
Catherine Buhrow
Carlisa Burge
Alicia Burkle
Charlie Burrell
Nickol Calhoun
Deidre Carter
Mary Carter
Christina Cary
Cathie Chancellor
Pauline Chen
Sharon Brown Cheston
George Chuparkoff
Kathy Chuparkoff
Cynthia Clark
Duane Clemmons
Barb Clugh
Lawrence Crittenden
Renee Crumb-Lake
Bill Davis
Nicholas Davis
Reginald Davis
Susan Dennis
Michael Dixon
Carroll Dunn
Celia Edochie
Anthony Ellis
Pamela Ensley
Carl S. Ewing
Emily Flood
Lana Gardner
Samantha Garner
Kate Gill
Crystal Gladden
Donna Glenn
Melissa Gordy
Michelle Gore
Paula Gray
Barbara Harris
Dianne Harris
Teri Harris
Patricia Dyas Harwood
Willa Hatter
Kacie Heldt
Kevin Henderson
Karen Hicks
Lynda Hill
Marguerite Hinkle
Rosalyn House-Story
Greta Jackson
Shalimar Jackson
Shirley Jefferson
Robert Jenkins
Bonita Johnson
Lynn Johnson
Natalie Johnson
ShaRon Johnson
Denise Kennedy
Rivia Keys
Mark Kiec
Rebecca King
Mary Kolar-DeNunzio
Eliza Kriz
Juanita Lattimore
Linnette E. Lawson
Wendy Lewis
Justine Gates Lockwood
Ida Love
Helen Mack
Kent Maghacut
Sophia Marshall
Bobbi Mastri
James May
Carletta McCoy
Rochelle McCrayer
Felicia McDonald
Marcia McDonald
Pamela Mendez
Ethel Y. Middlebrooks
Jeanette Moore
Denice Moore-Walker
Kathleen Moreland
Marsha Myhand
Karen Neal
Karen Nemelka
Jenine Ogletree
Patsy Orosz
Jonea Patton
Genise Penn
Delores Perry
Catherine Phelps-Garrett
Ronald Pitts
John Powell, Sr.
Sarah Powell
Mary Price
Andrenée Fant Priest
Charlie Radcliff
Rachel Rawles-Abernathy
Nancy Rebert
Mario Riley
Kim Robinson
Anna Rogers
Cynthia Rose
Rae Russell
Kwabena Sankofa
Gale Sawyer
Greg Scruggs
Alice Seifullah
Angela Seldon
Paula Shaw
Bridget Sherman
Karlett Shoates
Lezlee Sims
Wanda Smart
Katherine Smith
Kevin Smith
Kimberly Smith
Ann Smrekar
Wanda Solaru
Linda Sowell
Valerie Stewart
Kathy Stiles
Beverly Suber
Charita Sullivan
Janice M. Taylor
Victoria Taylor
Martha Thomas
Janet Thompson
Carla Tillman
Kaala Toney
Lynn Turman
Crystal Turner
JoeAnn Turner
Josephine Tyson
Samuel Vawters
Tammy Walker
Elizabeth Ouida Ward
Raymond Weeden
Phyllis Weeden-Oliver
Steven Weems
Sherry Widdowson
Chanel Williams
Charles Williams
Kelly Wilson
Jennifer Woda
Amanda Wood
Shantina Woods
Kenneth Yancey
Lily Yee
Mary Yee
Managed by Teagan Webb, Director of Community Engagement
JOIN US FOR THE
MLK COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE & DAY OF MUSIC
Monday, January 20 11:30AM – 5 PM
SEVERANCE MUSIC CENTER
FREE
A day of performances & programs honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Blakk Jakk Dance Collective | Tiamoyo Chorale |
The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus |
The Cleveland Orchestra Bassoon Farm |
The Cleveland Orchestra Crescendo Ensemble |
The Cleveland Orchestra Music Mentor student
showcase | The Stix Quintet | The Dance Centre |
The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
Plus interactive activities throughout the day!
ABOUT THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
NOW FIRMLY IN ITS SECOND
CENTURY, The Cleveland Orchestra, under the leadership of Franz Welser-Möst since 2002, is one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world. Year after year, the ensemble exemplifies extraordinary artistic excellence, creative programming, and community engagement. In recent years, The New York Times has called Cleveland “the best in America” for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like musical cohesion.
Founded by Adella Prentiss Hughes, the Orchestra performed its inaugural concert in December 1918. By the middle of the century, decades of growth and sustained support had turned the ensemble into one of the most admired around the world.
The past decade has seen an increasing number of young people attending concerts, bringing fresh attention to The Cleveland Orchestra’s legendary sound and committed programming. More recently, the Orchestra launched several bold digital projects, including the streaming platform Adella.live and its own recording label. Together, they have captured the Orchestra’s unique artistry and the musical achievements of the Welser-Möst and Cleveland Orchestra partnership.
The 2024 – 25 season marks Franz Welser-Möst’s 23rd year as Music Director, a period in which The Cleveland Orchestra has earned unprecedented
acclaim around the world, including a series of residencies at the Musikverein in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra, and a number of celebrated opera presentations.
Since 1918, seven music directors — Nikolai Sokoloff, Artur Rodziński, Erich Leinsdorf, George Szell, Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Franz Welser-Möst — have guided and shaped the ensemble’s growth and sound. Through concerts at home and on tour, broadcasts, and a catalog of acclaimed recordings, The Cleveland Orchestra is heard today by a growing group of fans around the world.
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director
KELVIN SMITH FAMILY CHAIR
FIRST VIOLINS
Liyuan Xie
FIRST ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
Virginia M. Lindseth, PhD, Chair
Jung-Min Amy Lee
ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
Gretchen D. and Ward Smith Chair
Stephen Tavani
ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
Dr. Ronald H. Krasney Chair
Wei-Fang Gu
Drs. Paul M. and Renate H. Duchesneau Chair
Kim Gomez
Elizabeth and Leslie Kondorossy Chair
Chul-In Park
Harriet T. and David L. Simon Chair
Miho Hashizume
Theodore Rautenberg Chair
Jeanne Preucil Rose
Larry J.B. and Barbara S.
Robinson Chair
Alicia Koelz
Oswald and Phyllis Lerner Gilroy Chair
Yu Yuan
Patty and John Collinson Chair
Isabel Trautwein
Trevor and Jennie Jones Chair
Katherine Bormann
Analise Handke
Gladys B. Goetz Chair
Zhan Shu
Youngji Kim
Genevieve Smelser
SECOND VIOLINS
Stephen Rose*
Alfred M. and Clara T. Rankin Chair
Jason Yu2
James and Donna Reid Chair
Eli Matthews1
Patricia M. Kozerefski and Richard J. Bogomolny Chair
Sonja Braaten Molloy
Carolyn Gadiel Warner
Elayna Duitman
Ioana Missits
Jeffrey Zehngut^
Sae Shiragami
Kathleen Collins
Beth Woodside
Emma Shook
Dr. Jeanette Grasselli Brown and Dr. Glenn R. Brown Chair
Yun-Ting Lee
Jiah Chung Chapdelaine
Gawon Kim
VIOLAS
Wesley Collins*
Chaillé H. and Richard B.
Tullis Chair
Stanley Konopka2
Mark Jackobs
Jean Wall Bennett Chair
Lisa Boyko
Richard and Nancy
Sneed Chair
Richard Waugh
Lembi Veskimets
The Morgan Sisters Chair
Eliesha Nelson^
Anthony and Diane Wynshaw-Boris Chair
Joanna Patterson Zakany
William Bender
Thomas Lauria and Christopher Lauria Chair
Gareth Zehngut^
CELLOS
Mark Kosower*
Louis D. Beaumont Chair
Richard Weiss1
The GAR Foundation Chair
Charles Bernard2
Helen Weil Ross Chair
Bryan Dumm
Muriel and Noah Butkin Chair
Tanya Ell
Thomas J. and Judith Fay Gruber Chair
Ralph Curry
Brian Thornton
William P. Blair III Chair
David Alan Harrell
Martha Baldwin
Dane Johansen
Paul Kushious
BASSES
Maximilian Dimoff*
Clarence T. Reinberger Chair
Derek Zadinsky2
Charles Paul1
Mary E. and F. Joseph Callahan Chair
Mark Atherton
Thomas Sperl
Henry Peyrebrune
Charles Barr Memorial Chair
Charles Carleton
Scott Dixon
HARP
Trina Struble*
Alice Chalifoux Chair
FLUTES
Joshua Smith*
Elizabeth M. and William C.
Treuhaft Chair
Saeran St. Christopher
Jessica Sindell2^
Austin B. and Ellen W. Chinn Chair
Mary Kay Fink
PICCOLO
Mary Kay Fink
Anne M. and M. Roger Clapp Chair
OBOES
Frank Rosenwein*
Edith S. Taplin Chair
Corbin Stair
Sharon and Yoash Wiener Chair
Jeffrey Rathbun2
Everett D. and Eugenia S. McCurdy Chair
Robert Walters
ENGLISH HORN
Robert Walters
Samuel C. and Bernette K. Jaffe Chair
CLARINETS
Afendi Yusuf*
Robert Marcellus Chair
Robert Woolfrey
Victoire G. and Alfred M. Rankin, Jr. Chair
Daniel McKelway2
Robert R. and Vilma L. Kohn Chair
Amy Zoloto
E-FLAT CLARINET
Daniel McKelway
Stanley L. and Eloise M. Morgan Chair
BASS CLARINET
Amy Zoloto
Myrna and James Spira Chair
BASSOONS
John Clouser*
Louise Harkness Ingalls Chair
Gareth Thomas
Jonathan Sherwin
CONTRABASSOON
Jonathan Sherwin
HORNS
Nathaniel Silberschlag*
George Szell Memorial Chair
Michael Mayhew§
Knight Foundation Chair
Jesse McCormick
Robert B. Benyo Chair
Hans Clebsch
Richard King
Meghan Guegold Hege^
TRUMPETS
Michael Sachs*
Robert and Eunice Podis
Weiskopf Chair
Jack Sutte
Lyle Steelman2^
James P. and Dolores D. Storer Chair
Michael Miller
CORNETS
Michael Sachs*
Mary Elizabeth and G. Robert Klein Chair
Michael Miller
TROMBONES
Brian Wendel*
Gilbert W. and Louise I. Humphrey Chair
Richard Stout
Alexander and Marianna C. McAfee Chair
Shachar Israel2
BASS TROMBONE
Luke Sieve
EUPHONIUM & BASS TRUMPET
Richard Stout
TUBA
Yasuhito Sugiyama*
Nathalie C. Spence and Nathalie S. Boswell Chair
TIMPANI vacant
PERCUSSION
Marc Damoulakis*
Margaret Allen Ireland Chair
Thomas Sherwood
Tanner Tanyeri
KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS
Carolyn Gadiel Warner
Marjory and Marc L. Swartzbaugh Chair
LIBRARIANS
Michael Ferraguto*
Joe and Marlene Toot Chair
Donald Miller
Gabrielle Petek
ENDOWED CHAIRS CURRENTLY UNOCCUPIED
Elizabeth Ring and William Gwinn Mather Chair
Blossom-Lee Chair
Clara G. and George P. Bickford Chair
Sandra L. Haslinger Chair
Paul and Lucille Jones Chair
Charles M. and Janet G. Kimball Chair
Sunshine Chair
Otto G. and Corinne T. Voss Chair
Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Smucker Chair
Rudolf Serkin Chair
CONDUCTORS
Christoph von Dohnányi
MUSIC DIRECTOR LAUREATE
Daniel Reith
ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR
Sidney and Doris Dworkin Chair
Lisa Wong
DIRECTOR OF CHORUSES
Frances P. and Chester C. Bolton Chair
* Principal
§ Associate Principal
1 First Assistant Principal
2 Assistant Principal
^ Alum of The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
This roster lists full-time members of The Cleveland Orchestra. The number and seating of musicians onstage varies depending on the piece being performed. Seating within the string sections rotates on a periodic basis.
WINTER
FEB 7–9
ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA
Thomas Guggeis, conductor
Mark Kosower, cello
R. STRAUSS Also sprach
Zarathustra
DUTILLEUX Tout un monde lointain...
RAVEL La valse
FEB 13 & 15
BRUCKNER’S SEVENTH
Fabio Luisi, conductor
Tim Mead, countertenor
SILVIA COLASANTI Time’s Cruel Hand
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7
SPECIAL
FEB 14 & 16
THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Selections from Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., Harry Potter, and more
FEB 20 & 22
ADÈS CONDUCTS ADÈS
Thomas Adès, conductor
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
SIBELIUS The Oceanides
SAARIAHO Oltra Mar
THOMAS ADÈS America: A Prophecy
IVES Orchestral Set No. 2
RECITAL
FEB 23
ÓLAFSSON & WANG IN RECITAL
Víkingur Ólafsson, piano
Yuja Wang, piano
Works by Berio, Schubert, Cage, Nancarrow, John Adams, Arvo Pärt, and Rachmaninoff
FEB 27–MAR 1
BEETHOVEN’S EROICA
Alan Gilbert, conductor
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 2
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”
MAR 6–9
TCHAIKOVSKY’S FOURTH SYMPHONY
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Seong-Jin Cho, piano
RAVEL Rapsodie espagnole
RAVEL Piano Concerto in G major TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4
MAR 13 & 15
HAYDN & STRAUSS
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Asmik Grigorian, soprano
HAYDN Symphony No. 52
R. STRAUSS Four Last Songs
JANÁČEK Suite from From the House of the Dead
PUCCINI Final Scene from Suor Angelica
MAR 14
HAYDN & STRAVINSKY
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
HAYDN Symphony No. 52
STRAVINSKY Pétrouchka
MAR 22 & 23
YUJA WANG PLAYS TCHAIKOVSKY
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Yuja Wang, piano
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
SPRING
RECITAL
MAR 27
ANDSNES IN RECITAL
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
Works by Grieg, Tveitt, and Chopin
RECITAL
APR 8
IN THE FIDDLER’S HOUSE
Itzhak Perlman, violin
Hankus Netsky, music director, arranger, saxophone, piano
Andy Statman, clarinet, mandolin
Michael Alpert, vocals, violin
Lorin Sklamberg, vocals, accordion
Judy Bressler, vocals, percussion
Frank London, trumpet
Klezmer Conservatory Band
APR 17–19
BACH’S EASTER ORATORIO
Bernard Labadie, conductor
Joélle Harvey, soprano
Adèle Charvet, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Haji, tenor
Gordon Bintner, bass-baritone
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
J.S. BACH Easter Oratorio
J.S. BACH Sinfonia from Cantata No. 29
J.S. BACH Magnificat
APR 24–26
MOZART & ELGAR
Kazuki Yamada, conductor
Francesco Piemontesi, piano
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25
ELGAR Symphony No. 1
Give
RECITAL
MAY 7
KISSIN IN RECITAL
Evgeny Kissin, piano
Works by Beethoven, Chopin, and Shostakovich
MAY 8–10
MOZART’S SYMPHONY NO. 40
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
MOZART Symphony No. 40
ALLISON LOGGINS-HULL New Work
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 3 *
MAY 17, 22 & 25
JANÁČEK’S JENŮFA
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Latonia Moore, soprano
Pavol Breslik, tenor
Miles Mykkanen, tenor
Nina Stemme, soprano
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
JANÁČEK Jenůfa
Opera presentation sung in Czech with projected supertitles
MAY 23 & 24
VOX HUMANA
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Sarah Aristidou, soprano
Tony Sias, narrator
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
POULENC La voix humaine
J.S. BACH Concerto from Komm, Jesu, komm
USTVOLSKAYA Symphony No. 5, “Amen”
J.S. BACH Aria from Komm, Jesu, komm
R. STRAUSS Symphonic Fantasy on Die Frau ohne Schatten
* Not performed on the Friday matinee concert
Generous support for the 2024–25 Recital Series provided by the Reyzis Family Foundation
POINTS
LATE SEATING
As a courtesy to the audience members and musicians in the hall, late-arriving patrons are asked to wait quietly until the first convenient break in the program. These seating breaks are at the discretion of the House Manager in consultation with the performing artists.
CELL PHONES, WATCHES & OTHER DEVICES
As a courtesy to others, please silence all electronic devices prior to the start of the concert.
PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEOGRAPHY & RECORDING
Audio recording, photography, and videography are prohibited during performances at Severance. Photographs can only be taken when the performance is not in progress.
HEARING AIDS & OTHER HEALTH-ASSISTIVE DEVICES
For the comfort of those around you, please reduce the volume on hearing aids and other devices that may produce a noise that would detract from the program. For Infrared Assistive-Listening Devices, please see the House Manager or Head Usher for more details.
IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY
Contact an usher or a member of house staff if you require medical assistance. Emergency exits are clearly marked throughout the building. Ushers and house staff will provide instructions in the event of an emergency.
AGE RESTRICTIONS
Regardless of age, each person must have a ticket and be able to sit quietly in a seat throughout the performance. Classical Season sub-
FREE MOBILE APP TICKET WALLET
Download today for instant, secure, and paperless access to your concert tickets.
For more information and direct links to download, visit clevelandorchestra.com/ticketwallet or scan the code with your smartphone camera to download the app for iPhone or Android.
Available for iOS and Android on Google Play and at the Apple App Store.
Cleveland Orchestra performances are broadcast as part of regular programming on ideastream/WCLV Classical 90.3 FM, Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 4 PM.
scription concerts are not recommended for children under the age of 8. However, there are several age-appropriate series designed specifically for children and youth, including Music Explorers (for 3 to 6 years old) and Family Concerts (for ages 7 and older).
FOOD & MERCHANDISE
Beverages and snacks are available at bars throughout Severance Music Center. For Cleveland Orchestra apparel, recordings, and gift items, visit the Welcome Desk in Lerner Lobby.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE
We are so glad you joined us! Want to share about your time at Severance? Send your feedback to cx@clevelandorchestra.com Hearing directly from you about what we are doing right and where we can improve will help us create the best experience possible.
The Cleveland Orchestra is grateful to the following organizations for their ongoing generous support of The Cleveland Orchestra: the State of Ohio and Ohio Arts Council and to the residents of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.
The Cleveland Orchestra is proud of its long-term partnership with Kent State University, made possible in part through generous funding from the State of Ohio.
The Cleveland Orchestra is proud to have its home, Severance Music Center, located on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, with whom it has a long history of collaboration and partnership.
