Blossom Music Festival
The Blossom Music Festival comprises 21 concerts, 19 of which are by The Cleveland Orchestra. Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Möst conducts Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 (July 8); a special evening of opera favorites by Mozart, Verdi, Strauss, and others, featuring soprano Erin Wall (July 9); and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 plus works by Milhaud and Roussel (July 15). In celebration of Independence Day, "A Salute to America" will be performed by the Blossom Festival Band under the direction of Loras John Schissel (July 3 & 4). Other Blossom programming highlights include "Tchaikovsky Spectacular" featuring the 1812 Overture (July 1 & 2), "Best of Broadway" (July 16), "Dvo?ák's New World" (July 22), "Romantic Rachmaninoff" (July 29), "Tchaikovsky Favorites" featuring the composer's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 5 (August 5), "Hollywood Heroes and Superheroes" (August 13), "The Planets" (August 26), and "A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald" in celebration of her 100th birthday (August 27). Three concerts featuring Steven Spielberg's masterpiece E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial shown in HD with the John Williams film score played live by The Cleveland Orchestra (September 1, 2, and 3) round out the season, which takes place at Blossom Music Center from Fourth of July weekend through Labor Day Weekend (July 1 - September 3, 2017).
Blossom Program Update - July 23 Concert
The July 23 concert, previously listed as "The Carole King Songbook," has been changed to a program titled Fire & Rain: Folk Anthems of the 1970s. This performance will be conducted by Rob Fisher, with AJ Swearingen and Jayne Kelli on guitar and vocals. AJ Swearingen appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra in the "Sounds of Simon & Garfunkel" concert at Blossom in July 2013.
Summers@Severance Series
The Summers@Severance series, now in its fourth year, is a three-concert series at Severance Hall on select Fridays with a concert start time of 7:00 p.m. The front terrace of Severance Hall is transformed into a pre- and post-concert party for these concerts. The concert series, sponsored by Thompson Hine LLP, begins on July 14 with Music Director Franz Welser-Möst conducting an all-Beethoven program comprised of Symphonies Nos. 1 and 5, and the Overture to Egmont. On July 28, Susanna Mälkki will conduct a program featuring Schumann's Symphony No. 3 ("Rhenish") and Scriabin's Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor with Bertrand Chamayou as soloist, in his Cleveland Orchestra debut.
Summers@Severance Guest Artists Update
The August 18 program features Mozart's Requiem, conducted by Patrick Dupré Quigley, making his Cleveland Orchestra conducting debut. A slate of soloists will sing alongside the Blossom Festival Chorus: soprano Lauren Snouffer, mezzo-soprano Emily Fons, tenor Steve Soph, and bass-baritone Dashon Burton.
Series tickets (all three concerts as a package) for the Summers@Severance series start at $60 and are now on sale through the Severance Hall Ticket Office or online at clevelandorchestra.com. Individual concert tickets start at $25. For more information about purchasing tickets, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or visit clevelandorchestra.com.
Lawn Ticket Books of ten vouchers are now available for $160 (a savings of up to $100). Lawn vouchers qualify for youth admission as part of the "Under18s Free" program. Youth admission tickets can be requested after individual concert tickets go on sale. Contact the Box Office or visit clevelandorchestra.com for information about this program.
A Create Your Own Series package is being offered for Blossom Music Festival concerts again this season. When purchasing 4 or more concerts, there is a savings of 10% off the individual concert ticket prices. There is no limit to the number of Create Your Own Series purchases. All subscribers receive free parking in Lot B.
Pavilion ticket prices start at $25. Individual concert tickets go on sale by telephone, in person at the Severance Hall Ticket Office, and online at clevelandorchestra.com on May 1. The Blossom Box Office opens for the season beginning on Saturday, June 3, and will be open throughout the summer on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. through intermission on concert days.
Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Call the Cleveland Orchestra Group Sales Office at Severance Hall at 216-231-7463 for more information.
The 2017 Blossom Music Festival features two five-concert "Classics" series, a four-concert "Celebrations" series, and a five-concert "Pops" series. Ticket packages, on sale now, offer approximately 20% savings off individual concert ticket prices. Ticket package prices start at $80, which includes free Lot B parking and access to Kulas Plaza. Box-seat ticket packages include complimentary parking in First Energy Lot A behind the main Box Office in addition to access to Kulas Plaza
Full details of the 2017 Blossom Music Festival season, including Festival as well as Cleveland Orchestra soloist and conductor debuts, plus the Summers@Severance series, are available online at clevelandorchestra.com. All programs, artists, and prices are subject to change.
Blossom Music Center, which opened in 1968 as the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra, is located 25 miles south of Cleveland just north of Akron, Ohio. The Center's name honors the Dudley S. Blossom family, major supporters of The Cleveland Orchestra throughout its history. Blossom is situated in the rolling hills of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which protects 33,000 acres along the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland. Blossom lies within the city limits of Cuyahoga Falls, an Ohio community first settled in the early 1800s, at 1145 West Steels Corners Road in Summit County. Blossom reopened in 2003 following the completion of the Blossom Redevelopment Project, which featured a highly-acclaimed renovation of the facility and improved patron amenities. The Blossom Redevelopment Project was the first major capital improvements project in the history of the facility, which serves more than 400,000 visitors each summer. The Blossom Music Festival is a smoke-free environment; smoking is not permitted at concerts and other events during the Blossom Music Festival.
The Summers@Severance series was created to expand The Cleveland Orchestra's summertime offerings and showcase the ensemble as an integral part of its home neighborhood all year round. The series presents concerts of popular classical works, with an early start time surrounded by convenient pre- and post-concert opportunities to socialize with friends or family in the outdoor beauty of University Circle. The Summers@Severance programs on Friday evenings this summer in July and August present popular orchestral programming in the acclaimed acoustics of Severance Hall. The series celebrates and adds to the diversity of summer cultural offerings in the University Circle area, while augmenting the Orchestra's ongoing offerings each summer at Blossom Music Center. The Front Terrace of Severance Hall will be open before and after each concert, with beverage service and seating areas. Special "happy hour" drink prices will be offered in the hour prior to each concert, with attendees encouraged to arrive early and enjoy the outdoors.
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