The Musical Arts Association

Blossom Musical Festival and Blossom Music CenterThe Blossom Music Festival returned in 2023 with an inspiring lineup of concerts and presentations. 24 concerts were part of the 2023 Blossom Music Festival, from Fourth of July through Labor Day weekends (July 1 - September 9, 2023) at the Orchestra's scenic summer home in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Guest conductors and soloists included, among others, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Nikolai Lugansky, Capathia Jenkins, Kahchun Wong, Zlatomir Fung, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Michael Feinstein, Conrad Tao, Nicholas McGegan, Afendi Yusuf, Andy Einhorn, Audra McDonald, and Simone Lamsma. The 2023 Festival also included movie presentations of Jurassic Park, The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers and Disney: The Sound of Magic. Under 18s Free, signature program of The Cleveland Orchestra, continued into its 12th season during summer of 2023.

Touring and ResidenciesEach year, the Orchestra allocates several weeks of its performance schedule to residencies and touring activities beyond Northeast Ohio, nationally and internationally. These are designed to enhance both the artistic and financial strength of the organization and extend the Orchestra's worldwide reputation. In 2023, The Cleveland Orchestra returned to Austria for its 54th international tour, performing works by Mahler alongside baritone Simon Keenlyside. The Orchestra made its annual trip to Carnegie Hall in New York City with two evenings of performances featuring works by Krenek, Mahler, Bartok, Prokofiev, and Webern. During the 2023-24 season, the Orchestra also returned to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County for three weeks of performances, including a pair of concerts with members of the New World Symphony. The Florida residency also featured performances in Naples, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, as well as education programs in the Miami area.

The Cleveland Orchestra continued serving Northeast Ohio over the course of the 2023-24 season. Ongoing programs in Severance Music Center such as Family Concerts, Education Concerts, and Music Explorers reached more than 20,000 students and thousands of children and families. In-School programs such as Crescendo and Music Mentors created access to instrumental music and expert instruction in Cleveland area schools. All Cleveland Orchestra educational programs are now free for schools. Weekly Concert Previews and Music in Depth webinars continued to serve Cleveland Orchestra lifelong learners.The Cleveland Orchestra also performed its first-ever sensory-friendly concerts this year in collaboration with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities to create a more inclusive atmosphere for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Severance Music Center also launched its Hispanic Heritage Month Concert, featuring local Latin jazz group Sammy DeLeon y su Orquesta.The Cleveland Orchestra's Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellow Allison Loggins-Hull curated four free chamber music concerts in collaboration with community artistic partners H.K. School of Bandura, the Fatima Family Center, and Karamu House.Cleveland Orchestra musicians continued to pass on the traditions of artistic excellence to aspiring young musicians of the acclaimed Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. May 2024 also witnessed the first-ever cultural exchange between the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, bringing together 200+ high school musicians over two weekends, in two countries, united by their passion for orchestral music.Across a typical season, the Orchestra's education and community initiatives reach more than 100,000 people. For more information, visit clevelandorchestra.com/engage/community-programs/. The second edition of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera and Humanities Festival took place in May 2024 and was anchored by four fully staged, sold-out performances of Mozart's The Magic Flute, directed by Nikolaus Habjan. The festival, a series of concerts, exhibitions, and conversations created for the greater Cleveland community, featured among others events with Leila Josefowicz, Kai Bird, Terence Blanchard, Terrence McKnight, and Conrad Tao.