Season 2 of The Cleveland Orchestra's IN FOCUS Premieres February 4

Today, The Cleveland Orchestra announced details of the second season of In Focus, its digital streaming concert series on adella.live and the Adella digital streaming app. Following its successful launch in 2020 and series of fifteen episodes in Season 1, the second season of In Focus, running from February to June, includes a total of six new episodes. Details of In Focus Season 2 are included in the Calendar Listing and Program Information section below.

In Focus Season 2 includes three performances led by music director Franz Welser-Möst, as well as guest conductors John Adams, Herbert Blomstedt, and Jane Glover. Guest soloists featured are pianists Imogen Cooper, Jeremy Denk, and Igor Levit, as well as saxophonist Stephen Banks and soprano Latonia Moore. Among the highlights are video recordings of the world premiere performances of two Cleveland Orchestra commissions: Hans Abrahamsen's Vers le Silence, a co-commission, and Berndt Richard Deutsch's Intensity for orchestra. Other music selections include works by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvořák, Mozart, and Nielsen and the contemporary voices of John Adams, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Carlos Simon, Gabriella Smith, and George Walker. While live concert performances are central to each episode, the broadcasts of In Focus: Season 2 are not just video captures of weekly, live, in-person concerts at Severance. Rather, each episode will provide a window into the singular world of The Cleveland Orchestra with intimate stories and artist insights, bringing the viewer deeper inside the music and creative process. The season's episodes are drawn from the second half of the Orchestra's 2021-22 Classical Season.

With funding from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, the Orchestra has embarked upon an ambitious upgrade to its video recording capabilities in Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center. Dan Slentz, chief video engineer, and Clyde Scott, video system designer, have overseen the installation of new camera and recording equipment that has allowed the filming of performances with minimal disruption to the live audience experience. The goal is to expand access to The Cleveland Orchestra across the globe by investing in digital infrastructure and providing audiences with increased program and content choices through the Adella streaming platform. Adella Premium subscribers can continue to enjoy all broadcast episodes as well as both seasons of The Cleveland Orchestra's podcast, On a Personal Note, currently available on the platform. For more information, visit clevelandorchestra.com/attend/seasons-and-series/in-focus/ and clevelandorchestra.com/attend/adella/.

In Focus Season 2 is produced by Lumahai Productions with music and performance capture directed by Habib Azar, Matthew Diamond, and Elena Park. Elaine Martone is Audio Producer and Gintas Norvila, Chief Audio Engineer, on the project.

"Today's digital world requires a digital vision: to fully utilize the power of technology to deepen the audience's experience and create an online community of symphonic music and Cleveland Orchestra lovers. With the Adella platform and In Focus, we envision a space where a community of curious individuals can connect around great music and storytelling; where they can discover new works and artists or revisit favorite performances, said André Gremillet, President & CEO of The Cleveland Orchestra.

"Recently, we've come to consider The Cleveland Orchestra, among its many traits, as a digital content creator. To that end, with music director Franz Welser-Möst, in 2020 The Cleveland Orchestra launched Adella and our flagship series of broadcasts, In Focus. The music we make, the ways in which we make it, and the thoughts and conversations that infuse everything we do, is all dynamic content. The Mandel Foundation's extraordinary gift, for which we are incredibly grateful, is integral to helping us realize our bold digital strategy. Music has a unique ability to comfort, to move, to surprise, and to inspire us. That power allows to meet our audiences wherever they are: Severance or Blossom Music Centers, Miami, on tour around the world, or online."

The inspiring debut season of In Focus, has reached music lovers throughout Northeast Ohio and around the world, offering extraordinary musical performances by The Cleveland Orchestra and celebrated guest artists, across thirteen episodes (and two bonus broadcasts). To date, videos on the Adella site and app have been viewed close to 86,000 times and more than 169,000 people have visited the site and app; people are watching from all 50 states and in over 40 countries. In addition to the concert performances, each episode of In Focus includes behind-the-scenes interviews and features about the music and music-making. Of Season 1, cleveland.com said "...orchestra patrons now are being served digital programming at its finest," and "...the Adella streaming app, which again delivers a rich, engaging, and musically satisfying experience." When the Covid-19 pandemic halted in-person audiences and live concerts in spring 2020, The Cleveland Orchestra accelerated its long-term plans for a digital broadcast series and In Focus was launched with five episodes later that fall. Music Director Franz Welser-Möst was intimately involved in reshaping and reprogramming the music for the series, leading ten performances of the inaugural season's fifteen programs. In addition to guest collaborators (including pianists Emanuel Ax and Yefim Bronfman, organist Paul Jacobs, and nine Cleveland Orchestra principal players), the inaugural season featured two solo recital bonus episodes, created by pianist Mitsuko Uchida and cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

Subscriber access for another season: Severance Subscribers and Monthly Giving Partners have been automatically renewed for another full season as a benefit of their ongoing support of The Cleveland Orchestra. No credit card or promo code required: It is no longer necessary for a valid credit card to be on file for Adella Premium subscriptions to be enabled and no promotional code is required. Qualified subscribers will receive an email to complete the setup process once their account has been activated. If Adella Premium Subscribers have questions about their account or these changes, please contact adellahelp@clevelandorchestra.com during business hours Monday to Friday, 9:00AM to 5:00PM and provide the best phone number to call, and an AdellaHelp Team Member will be in contact.

For patrons paying monthly for Adella Premium access, payments have been paused until the second season of In Focus begins in February 2022. Beginning in February payments will resume at the new, lower price of $15/month. Adella Premium subscribers will still have access to all the current and new content on the platform during this time.

Adella is The Cleveland Orchestra's digital streaming service premiered in October 2020. The Adella app and digital media offering is named after the Orchestra's founder, Adella Prentiss Hughes. Adella is free to download and access, and includes free content from the Orchestra's Archives, On A Personal Note podcast, and other performance highlights. For more information, visit clevelandorchestra.com/attend/adella/ and adella.live/.

To view premium content, such as the Orchestra's In Focus concert series, guests will need access to Adella Premium. This service can be purchased for $15.00/month or $120.00/annually. Adella Premium is also automatically available to The Cleveland Orchestra's Severance Subscribers (including Members Club and Frequent Fan Card holders) and donors who are Monthly Giving Partners and give more than $25.00 per month. Those interested in purchasing a Severance 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.