The Cleveland Orchestra Announces 2021 Blossom Music Festival

The Cleveland Orchestra announces its 2021 Blossom Music Festival season, presented by The J.M. Smucker Co. Following last year's cancelation due to the global pandemic, the Festival returns this summer with an inspiring lineup of concerts, presented in accordance with local, state, and federal health guidelines. Eleven concerts are currently part of the 2021 Blossom Music Festival, which runs from Fourth of July through Labor Day weekends (July 3 - September 5) at the Orchestra's scenic summer home in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Subscriptions are on sale now, with individual tickets available for purchase on Monday, May 3.

"Notwithstanding the few guests who attended some of our recording sessions these past few weeks, it has been more than a year since The Cleveland Orchestra played concerts for a live audience, and we're eagerly looking forward to performing for music lovers across Northeast Ohio this summer," said André Gremillet, President & CEO of The Cleveland Orchestra. "After what has been a challenging and, for so many, a tragic time, we believe that the upcoming Blossom Music Festival season will provide a measure of joy and relief - offering an opportunity for our community to come together again through the extraordinary power of music. Enjoying picnics and music at Blossom is a beloved summertime tradition, and we hope this year's concerts will mark a joyful reunion for all of us - musicians, audience, staff, volunteers, and our entire Northeast Ohio community."

"This Blossom Music Festival season celebrates our community, with music that we know our fans have been eager to hear again," said Ilya Gidalevich, Artistic Administrator of The Cleveland Orchestra. "For this long-awaited return to the Blossom stage, audiences will experience some of their favorite classical music - like the works of Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Elgar, and Dvořák. As always, expect to see a mix of rising, international music stars and fan favorite conductors and soloists along with the unmatched musicians of 'America's finest Orchestra.'"

Program highlights include the following:

The Cleveland Orchestra begins the Blossom season with an explosive start in An American Celebration on July 3. To commemorate Independence Day and the Orchestra's first concert at Blossom since 2019, fan favorite and former Cleveland Orchestra associate conductor Brett Mitchell leads the Orchestra in a performance featuring patriotic hits and music by acclaimed American composers.

An all-Mozart program will be presented July 11 under the baton of Jane Glover, hailed as "one of the finest Mozartians of our day" by the Chicago Classical Review and named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2021 New Year's Honours. Featured on the Orchestra's Mozart in the Meadows program is the composer's beloved Symphony No. 40, often called his "Great G minor symphony."

The Great American Songbook comes to the Blossom stage, performed by Broadway star vocalist Capathia Jenkins and led by Lucas Waldin. Audiences will experience classic American songs by Gershwin and Ellington in this concert on July 18.

Venezuelan conductor and music director of the San Diego Symphony Rafael Payare makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut on July 25 in a concert featuring an audience favorite: Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World").

On August 1, legendary conductor Herbert Blomstedt returns to Blossom for a program featuring Beethoven's exquisite and energetic Symphony No. 7. A favorite of Northeast Ohio audiences, Blomstedt has appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra in 15 of the last 20 years.

The Classical Mystery Tour stops at Blossom on August 8, with a tribute to The Beatles. Hear "Penny Lane" with a live trumpet section, experience the beauty of "Yesterday" with acoustic guitar and strings, and lose yourself in the cascading crescendos of "A Day in the Life."

Karina Canellakis, American conductor and Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, makes her Cleveland Orchestra debut on August 15 with Tchaikovsky's passionate Symphony No. 4.

Former Cleveland Orchestra resident conductor and former music director of Blossom Music Festival Jahja Ling leads the ensemble in a romantic evening featuring Brahms's gorgeous Third Symphony on August 22.

Originally scheduled to make her Cleveland Orchestra debut last season, Elim Chan will lead the ensemble for the first time on August 28, in a program featuring Elgar's powerful and mysterious Enigma Variations.

Music of the silver screen will fill the summer air on Labor Day weekend, September 4 & 5, with Hollywood Under the Stars. Richard Kaufman, one of Hollywood's most sought after film score conductors, leads the Orchestra in a program featuring blockbuster favorites like Star Wars, Harry Potter, E.T., and more.

Further details of the 2021 Blossom Music Festival season, including list of Cleveland Orchestra and Festival conductor debuts, are available in the Calendar section below and online at clevelandorchestra.com. Additional repertoire and guest artists will be announced in May.

Subscription renewals are currently underway. For all subscription offerings and for questions about this summer's procedures, contact the Severance Hall Ticket Office at 216-231-1111 or 1-800-686-1141 or by e-mailing boxoffice@clevelandorchestra.com. Tickets and packages can also be purchased online at clevelandorchestra.com. The Blossom Box Office will be open throughout the summer season on festival performance days, starting three hours prior to each concert.

Individual tickets for the remainder of the Blossom Music Festival season go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 3. Tickets start at $25.

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