The Cleveland Orchestra

ONE OF THE FEW major American orchestras founded by a woman, The Cleveland Orchestra’s inaugural concert took place in December 1918, at a time of renewed optimism and progressive community ideas. By the middle of the century, with its own concert hall, the decades of growth and sustained effort had turned the ensemble into one of the most-admired around the world. Under the leadership of Franz Welser-Möst since 2002, The Cleveland Orchestra has extended its artistry and musical abilities and remains one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world — year after year setting standards of extraordinary artistic excellence, creative programming, and community engagement. In recent years, the New York Times has called it “the best in America” for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like musical cohesion, “virtually flawless,” and “one of the finest ensembles in the country (if not the world).”

       A long history of strong community support from across the ensemble’s home region continues to drive the Orchestra forward with renewed energy and focus. Recent years have seen an increasing number of young people attending concerts, bringing fresh attention to the Orchestra’s legendary sound and committed programming.  A series of annual opera presentations, in innovative staging and pairings, has also showcased the ensemble’s unique artistry and collaborative work ethic.  Recent productions have included Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos (2019), Debussy’s Pelléas and Mélisande (May 2017), a doublebill of Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin and Bluebeard’s Castle (April 2016), and an innovative presentation of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen (May 2014, with encore performances in Cleveland and Europe during the autumn of 2017).

       The partnership with Franz Welser-Möst, begun in 2002 and entering its 19th year with the 2020-21 season, has earned The Cleveland Orchestra unprecedented residencies in the U.S. and around the world, including one at the Musikverein in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra. It also performs regularly at important European summer festivals. The Orchestra’s 100th season in 2017-18 featured two international tours, concluding with the presentation on three continents of Welser-Möst’s Prometheus Project featuring Beethoven Symphonies and overtures; these Beethoven concerts were presented in May and June 2018, at home in Cleveland, in Vien­na’s Musikverein, and in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall.

       The Cleveland Orchestra has a long and distinguished recording and broadcast history.  A series of DVDs (available through Clasart Classics) and CD recordings under the direction of Mr. Welser-Möst continues to add to an extensive and widely praised catalog of audio recordings made during the tenures of the ensemble’s earlier music directors.  In addition, Cleveland Orchestra concerts are heard in syndication each season on radio stations throughout North America and Europe. 

       From 2020 forward, a number of new digital media initiatives are being launched to share and extend the ensemble’s artistry globally.  These include debut releases on the Orchestra’s own recording label, an ongoing series of podcasts titled “On A Personal Note,” archival concert streaming with TCO Classics, a new digital streaming platform named Adella (after the Orchestra’s founder Adella Prentiss Hughes), and a series of premium concert broadcasts created from the 2020-21 season titled In Focus. 

       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 since its founding in 1918.  Through concerts at home and on tour, via radio broadcasts and a catalog of acclaimed recordings, The Cleveland Orchestra is heard today by a broad and growing group of fans around the world. For more information, visit: www.clevelandorchestra.com.


October 2020

The Cleveland Orchestra

ONE OF THE FEW major American orchestras founded by a woman, The Cleveland Orchestra’s inaugural concert took place in December 1918, at a time of renewed optimism and progressive community ideas. By the middle of the century, with its own concert hall, the decades of growth and sustained effort had turned the ensemble into one of the most-admired around the world. Under the leadership of Franz Welser-Möst since 2002, The Cleveland Orchestra has extended its artistry and musical abilities and remains one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world — year after year setting standards of extraordinary artistic excellence, creative programming, and community engagement. In recent years, the New York Times has called it “the best in America” for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like musical cohesion, “virtually flawless,” and “one of the finest ensembles in the country (if not the world).”

       A long history of strong community support from across the ensemble’s home region continues to drive the Orchestra forward with renewed energy and focus. Recent years have seen an increasing number of young people attending concerts, bringing fresh attention to the Orchestra’s legendary sound and committed programming.  A series of annual opera presentations, in innovative staging and pairings, has also showcased the ensemble’s unique artistry and collaborative work ethic.  Recent productions have included Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos (2019), Debussy’s Pelléas and Mélisande (May 2017), a doublebill of Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin and Bluebeard’s Castle (April 2016), and an innovative presentation of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen (May 2014, with encore performances in Cleveland and Europe during the autumn of 2017).

       The partnership with Franz Welser-Möst, begun in 2002 and entering its 19th year with the 2020-21 season, has earned The Cleveland Orchestra unprecedented residencies in the U.S. and around the world, including one at the Musikverein in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra. It also performs regularly at important European summer festivals. The Orchestra’s 100th season in 2017-18 featured two international tours, concluding with the presentation on three continents of Welser-Möst’s Prometheus Project featuring Beethoven Symphonies and overtures; these Beethoven concerts were presented in May and June 2018, at home in Cleveland, in Vien­na’s Musikverein, and in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall.

       The Cleveland Orchestra has a long and distinguished recording and broadcast history.  A series of DVDs (available through Clasart Classics) and CD recordings under the direction of Mr. Welser-Möst continues to add to an extensive and widely praised catalog of audio recordings made during the tenures of the ensemble’s earlier music directors.  In addition, Cleveland Orchestra concerts are heard in syndication each season on radio stations throughout North America and Europe. 

       From 2020 forward, a number of new digital media initiatives are being launched to share and extend the ensemble’s artistry globally.  These include debut releases on the Orchestra’s own recording label, an ongoing series of podcasts titled “On A Personal Note,” archival concert streaming with TCO Classics, a new digital streaming platform named Adella (after the Orchestra’s founder Adella Prentiss Hughes), and a series of premium concert broadcasts created from the 2020-21 season titled In Focus. 

       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 since its founding in 1918.  Through concerts at home and on tour, via radio broadcasts and a catalog of acclaimed recordings, The Cleveland Orchestra is heard today by a broad and growing group of fans around the world. For more information, visit: www.clevelandorchestra.com.


October 2020