The Cleveland Orchestra Reveals 2024–25 Family Concert And Music Explorers Series

The Cleveland Orchestra revealed its 2024—25 Family Concert Series and Music Explorers Series at Severance Music Center.

Both family-friendly series are designed to introduce children to the world of classical music, creating fun and memorable experiences while helping to foster a lifelong appreciation for classical music and the arts in young people and their families. 

The Cleveland Orchestra Family Concert Series, great for children ages 7 to 12, features three programs in Mandel Concert Hall: Halloween Spooktacular, Dan Brown's Wild Symphony, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Daniel Reith conducts The Cleveland Orchestra. 

The Music Explorers Series introduces children ages 3 to 6 to the instruments of the orchestra, including the violin, harp, cello, and tuba, with shorter programs and a lively host in cozy Reinberger Chamber Hall.  

2024–25 Family Concert Series 

Dress up in your Halloween best for The Cleveland Orchestra's Halloween Spooktacular on Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27. This year's concert highlights superheroes, villains, and witches with music by John Williams (Superman); Alan Silvestri (The Avengers), Wagner (Ride of the Valkyries), and spooky Halloween classics such as Night on Bald Mountain! A costume contest starts one hour before the concert along with other fun pre-concert activities. Saturday is a sensory-friendly performance, a welcome and inclusive experience for people of any age with autism spectrum disorder or sensory sensitivities.  

Wild Symphony, by New York Times best-selling author Dan Brown, brings to life nearly two dozen musical portraits drawn from the animal kingdom on Sunday, March 2. From the joyous rhythms of the “Bouncing Kangaroo” to the mysterious melodies of the “Wondrous Whale” to the hair-raising harmonies of the “Brilliant Bat,” this is a very wild symphony indeed! 

The Enchantment Theatre Company joins The Cleveland Orchestra for this presentation of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade on Sunday, April 27. With stunning costumes, spellbinding magic, and spectacular puppets, our storyteller heroine, Scheherazade, and a colorful cast of characters embark on a journey of self-discovery and adventure, experiencing the kindness of strangers, the triumph of good over evil, and the miracle of forgiveness and love. 

2024–25 Music Explorers Series 

How many strings does a harp have? Is a cello heavy? What does a horn sound like? Discover the answers to these questions and more with Music Explorers, designed to introduce our youngest music lovers to the instruments of the orchestra. These 30-minute musical adventures, which feature Cleveland Orchestra musicians, an accompanist, and an engaging host, are just right for our youngest friends. 

The series starts with Vibrant Violin featuring Cleveland Orchestra violinist Kathleen Collins on September 27 and 28. That's followed by Heavenly Harps with Cleveland Orchestra harpist Trina Struble and Jody Guinn on October 18 and 19. 

Then it's time for Holiday Brass Quintet with members of The Cleveland Orchestra performing short sections celebrating the music of the season on December 13 and 14 in Mandel Concert Hall. 

The Music Explorers Series continues with Cheerful Cello and Cleveland Orchestra cellist Alan Harrell on March 7 and 8. It concludes with Totally Tuba and tubist Kenneth Heinlein on April 4 and 5. 

Under 18s Free  

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. 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.   

Ticket Information 

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.  

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