Company Profile
Company Overview
In performances at home and around the globe, The Cleveland Orchestra remains one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world and Northeast Ohio’s most visible international ambassador. In concerts at its winter home at Severance Hall and at each summer’s Blossom Music Festival, in residencies from Miami to Vienna, and on tour around the world, The Cleveland Orchestra sets standards of artistic excellence, creative programming, and active community engagement. With the 2013-14 season, Franz Welser-Möst enters his twelfth year leading the ensemble, with a commitment extending to the Orchestra’s centennial in 2018.
This artistic partnership continues to move the ensemble forward through a series of new and ongoing initiatives, including expanded education and community programs including annual "At Home" local neighborhood residencies, ongoing residencies nationally and internationally, the return of ballet and opera, creative new artistic collaborations and a concentrated and successful effort togenerate future generations of audiiences as we create the youngest audience in the country!
Company History
The Cleveland Orchestra was founded in 1918 by a group of local citizens intent on creating an ensemble worthy of joining America’s ranks of major symphony orchestras. Over the ensuing decades, the Orchestra quickly grew from a fine regional organization to being one of the most admired symphony orchestras in the world. The opening in 1931 of Severance Hall as the Orchestra’s home brought a special pride to the ensemble and its hometown, as well as providing an enviable and intimate acoustic environment in which to develop and refine the Orchestra’s artistry. Year-round performances became a reality in 1968 with the opening of Blossom Music Center, one of the most beautiful and acoustically admired outdoor concert facilities in the United States.