Cleveland Orchestra January And February 2021 Severance Hall Performances Postponed

Today, The Cleveland Orchestra announced that due to the ongoing pandemic, and an abundance of caution to maintain the health and safety of musicians, staff, guests and volunteers, the Orchestra will not have any audiences in Severance Hall in January and February as originally planned.

"Our guiding principal throughout the Covid-19 pandemic is the health and safety of The Cleveland Orchestra's musicians, staff, guests and volunteers," said André Gremillet, President & CEO of The Cleveland Orchestra. "As the number of cases has increased dramatically in Ohio and will likely continue to do so in early 2021, we've made the decision to postpone our performances at Severance Hall in January and February. It is our plan to have a limited audience back the weekend of March 4 for our next concerts as we continue our In Focus digital concert series."

The following are updates to The Cleveland Orchestra's In Focus premiere broadcast schedule and special additions to the Adella digital streaming app and www.adella.live for January. They include The Cleveland Orchestra's 38th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert available for free on Thursday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m. and an update to the premiere broadcast of In Focus Episode 5, Musical Patterns on Thursday, January 28 at 7:00 p.m. for Adella premium members. Additional information is included below.

Details of The Cleveland Orchestra's March, April, May, and June programming will be announced in January 2021. Ticket holders will receive information by mail in December 2020 and can contact the Ticket Office by phone at 216-231-1111 or e-mail boxoffice@clevelandorchestra.com with any questions.

In Focus Concert Series
Premiering in October 2020, The Cleveland Orchestra's In Focus series is a new @Home broadcast presentation recorded in high definition audio and video, combining Cleveland Orchestra performances together with a backstage look at the Orchestra's musicians and music-making. Each one-hour episode is recorded live at Severance Hall and will be available to view exclusively through The Cleveland Orchestra's new digital streaming service, Adella. Details about how to access In Focus and Adella can found at adella.live and clevelandorchestra.com/adella.

Adella Digital Streaming and App
Adella is The Cleveland Orchestra's all-new digital streaming service. Premiering in October 2020, this app and digital media offering is named after the Orchestra's founder, Adella Prentiss Hughes. Adella is free to use and download, and includes several pieces of free content from the Orchestra's Archives, On A Personal Note podcast, and other performance highlights.

To view premium content, such as the Orchestra's new In Focus concert series, users will need access to Adella Premium. This service can be purchased for $34.99/month. Adella Premium is also automatically available to all Cleveland Orchestra subscribers (including Members Club, The Circle, and Frequent Fan Card holders) and donors who contribute more than $300 annually. Those interested in purchasing a subscription or membership can contact the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office by phone at 216-231-1111, e-mail boxoffice@clevelandorchestra.com, or at clevelandorchestra.com.

The Cleveland Orchestra is grateful for the following supporters:
Season Presenting Sponsor: J.M. Smucker Co., Digital & 2020-21 Season Sponsors: The Dr. M. Lee Pearce Foundation, Inc., Ohio CAT, Jones Day, and Medical Mutual as well as Leadership Partner: CIBC.

January Adella Content and In Focus Updates
The Cleveland Orchestra's 38th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert (free on Adella)

Available for free on Adella: Beginning Thursday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m. until Wednesday, April 14

The Cleveland Orchestra's 38th annual free concert in celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took place at Severance Hall on January 14, 2018 conducted by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. One of the highlights of the Orchestra's Centennial season was the Prometheus Project, an exploration of the myth of Prometheus, the daring Greek Titan who defied Zeus to bring the gift of fire on humanity. This gift is linked to the spark of creativity that has powered and inspired humanity, the belief in justice and goodness, the fight for right, and individual freedoms. Dr. King is a modern day Prometheus, and Music Director Franz-Welser Möst explored his life and legacy - and his dedication to the struggle for racial equality - through a program of music inspired by his spirit. This concert was sponsored by KeyBank and supported by a grant from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.

The January 14 program featured classical selections by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Verdi, as well as traditional hymns and spirituals such as "Down by the Riverside," "Precious Lord," and "Lift Every Voice and Sing." The complete program is listed below. The Cleveland Orchestra was joined for this performance by:

· Narrator James Pickens Jr., a Cleveland native who is best known as Dr. Richard Webber on Grey's Anatomy and Deputy Director Alvin Kersh on The X-Files;

· Guest soloist Ryan Speedo Green, called "a show stopper" by The New York Times;

· The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus - an all-Cleveland community volunteer chorus - directed by William Henry Caldwell.

This program is part of The Cleveland Orchestra's annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2021, the annual Cleveland Orchestra Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Concert and Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Open House will take on a virtual format beginning Thursday, January 14, with videos from community partners and Cleveland Orchestra musicians released in honor of Dr. King's life and legacy on The Cleveland Orchestra's social media channels. More details coming soon.

UPDATE: MUSICAL PATTERNS In Focus Episode 5 premiere on Thursday, January 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Pianist Marc-André Hamelin will join Cleveland Orchestra Assistant Conductor Vinay Parameswaran on Bach's Keyboard Concerto No. 5 and Glass's Glassworks: Opening. Also included on the program is Arvo Pärt's Fratres (for solo violin, strings, and percussion) with Cleveland Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Jung-Min Amy Lee and John Adams's Shaker Loops for string orchestra. This concert celebrates connections between old and new, between today's musical patterns and the timeless, structured elegance of Johann Sebastian Bach. Rhythm, melody, and pattern remain the building blocks of music, here showcased in intriguing modern, minimalist, and Baroque works filled with lush transparency - and enveloping and involving the listener anew.

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