The Cleveland Orchestra Announces Family Concert And Music Explorers Series

The Cleveland Orchestra announced on Tuesday its 2022-23 Family Concert and Music Explorers Series. From October to April, these concerts and interactive events will bring seven kid-friendly performances to Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Concert Hall and Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Music Center.

The Family Concert Series, featuring The Cleveland Orchestra, has been a memory-making tradition for Northeast Ohio families for more than 50 years, while the Music Explorers Series, which highlights individual orchestra musicians and their instruments, is an interactive experience for younger children. The 2022-23 Family Concert Series is supported by Anne H. Jenkins and Tom H. Jenkins.

The Cleveland Orchestra kicks off the series with the Halloween Spooktacular on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Severance Music Center. Back by popular demand, this event is an afternoon of magical tricks and musical treats, like Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries," the enchanting Sorcerer's Apprentice, and highlights from Harry Potter. Come dressed in your Halloween best for the pre-concert costume contest. Cleveland Orchestra musicians will be dressed up too.

The Cleveland Orchestra teams up with the Cleveland Ballet and other local dance ensembles for Gotta Dance! on Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. The fun starts one hour before the concert with interactive activities in the Smith Lobby. Then, enjoy the dazzling music and dance performances including Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

The series concludes with Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra on Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. A combination of animated film and live music performed by The Cleveland Orchestra, this program follows a magical sprite on a journey to discover how sound is made to bring instrument families together. Philharmonia Fantastique is the creation of composer Mason Bates, Oscar-winning director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and animator Jim Capobianco. More information here.

The Music Explorers Series is an ideal way for children and families to learn about the instruments of the orchestra. Programs feature Cleveland Orchestra musicians, special guests, and an engaging host who encourages audiences to sing, clap, and move to the music. Each half-hour adventure features brief musical selections and instrument demonstrations created to inspire and entertain young children, ages 3 to 6. These performances are October 2022 through April 2023 on select Fridays and Saturdays, at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. respectively, at Severance Music Center.

The Victorious Viola will be presented on October 21 and 22, with Cleveland Orchestra violist Lisa Boyko in Reinberger Chamber Hall.

The Christmas Brass Quintet will be presented on December 16 and 17 with Cleveland Orchestra musicians Michael Miller and Lyle Steelman on trumpet, Hans Clebsch on horn, Rick Stout on trombone, who are joined by Kenneth Heinlein on tuba, in the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Concert Hall.

The Cool Clarinet will be presented on February 17 and 18, with Cleveland Orchestra clarinetist Robert Woolfrey in Reinberger Chamber Hall.

The Velvet Violin will be presented on April 28 and 29, in Reinberger Chamber Hall with Cleveland Orchestra violinist Miho Hashizume and students from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's Mound STEM School, where they are guided by Cleveland Orchestra musicians through the Crescendo program.

The Cleveland Orchestra's Under 18s Free program offers free tickets (one per regular-priced adult paid admission) to young people 17 and under, for the Family Concert Series supported by the Weiss Family Foundation. Under 18s Free tickets are not available for box seating.

Under 18s Free is a program of The Cleveland Orchestra's Center for Future Audiences. The Center, created with a lead endowment gift from the Maltz Family Foundation, was established to fund programs to foster new generations of audiences for Cleveland Orchestra concerts in Northeast Ohio. Under 18s Free continues to develop young audiences by making Orchestra concerts affordable for families, offering free tickets to young people, 17 and under, for select Severance Music Center performances. More information on Under 18s Free and other Center for Future Audiences ticketing programs here.

Tickets to Music Explorers programs are free for students and educators thanks to the Jane B. Nord Concert Access Fund. Call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at 216-231-1111, email boxoffice@clevelandorchestra.com, or visit clevelandorchestra.com. For information about parking for Severance Music Center concerts, click here.

The Cleveland Orchestra's commitment to education and community service was central to the establishment of the Orchestra in 1918 and has never been more important. Over the past 100 years, The Cleveland Orchestra has introduced more than four million young people to symphonic music through live concert experiences. Today, with the support of many generous individual, foundation, corporate, and governmental funding partners, the Orchestra's education and community programs reach thousands of young people and adults annually, helping to foster a lifelong relationship with music. Music Director Franz Welser-MÓ§st's commitment to music education and community engagement is based on his belief that every child's life should include music. He continues to emphasize that the arts are critical to a well-rounded education and that learning is a lifelong pursuit and journey.

As we look to the future, we strive to be Cleveland's Orchestra, engaging our diverse citizenry and building community through music, removing barriers to participation, advocating for and helping to facilitate equitable access to comprehensive music education in schools, nurturing the next generation of musicians and audience members, and harnessing the life-changing power of music to make the world a better place through new initiatives developed for even greater impact. For more information, please visit these links: Education, Community, and Learning Resources.

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