CLEVELAND – Adding to its already robust slate of education and community programs, The Cleveland Orchestra announces new programs to take place in the 2018-19 season — and beyond. As the Orchestra embarks on its Second Century, it recognizes its responsibility to reimagine the music education landscape in Northeast Ohio, for the region’s children and for our collective future. These programs and offerings will move the Orchestra closer to accomplishing four key goals:

1.     Expand access and remove barriers so that every child in Greater Cleveland can experience live music with The Cleveland Orchestra.

2.     Enable more children — from all walks of life — to play music and reap the life-long cognitive, academic, and social-emotional benefits that music study provides.

3.     Advocate for why music matters, raising awareness for the well-documented benefits of music for people of all ages and for the essential role music and the arts play in society.

4.     Unite our diverse community through music, connecting people to each other and the power of music.

Saturday Instrumental School taught by Cleveland Orchestra musicians at East Technical High School, April 13, 1929. Photo by Symes and Olds Co., courtesy of The Cleveland Orchestra Archives

Music education and community service were central to the establishment of The Cleveland Orchestra one hundred years ago in 1918, are core to its mission today, and reflect Music Director Franz Welser-Möst’s vision for the future. “I believe very strongly that this relationship between the citizens of Cleveland and The Cleveland Orchestra has to be as close as possible,” said Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. “Young people want to be challenged. Take them seriously. Every kid should be touched by music.”

A calendar listing of select 2018-19 education and community events is listed at the end of this release. All of the programs in the calendar and described below reflect the ways that the Orchestra aspires to achieve its new objectives.

New Programs Enabling More Cleveland Children to Play Music

By deepening the relationship with and reaching more students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), The Cleveland Orchestra will enable more Cleveland children to play music and gain the lifelong benefits of music-making. The Orchestra’s vision and aspirational goal is to provide An Instrument for Every Child, along with quality music instruction in partnership with organizations throughout Cleveland, local schools, and recreation centers.

The Cleveland Orchestra Crescendo program is designed to increase the volume of Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) students with access to high-quality instrumental music instruction, providing more students with the benefits of music study and expanding the path that leads to the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO), other youth ensembles, and beyond.

·       This year, the new Mound School Strings program provides instruments and lessons to 53 second graders during the school day at Mound Elementary School in Slavic Village, one of the Orchestra’s Neighborhood Partner locations (details about Neighborhood Partners can be found below).

·       At Wade Park School in Hough (another Cleveland Orchestra Neighborhood Partner), Cleveland Orchestra brass players are working with students in grades 4-6 as part of the Wade Park Brass program, providing individual and group lessons and introducing students to brass instruments.

·       Through the Sam J. Frankino Foundation Music Mentors program at Cleveland School of the Arts, students are paired with Cleveland Orchestra musicians who provide one-on-one lessons and mentorship.

Additionally, an Instrument Donation Drive will be held in collaboration with Cleveland City Councilman Kevin Conwell, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Arts Cleveland, and a growing list of other music and arts organizations. The Orchestra will begin collecting clean and gently-used instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion) in good, playable condition at its Martin Luther King Jr Celebration Concert on January 20. Additional information and FAQs about the drive will be available on January 11 at clevelandorchestra.com.

Mound School Strings, part of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Crescendo program, 2018.

New Programs Expanding Access

The program and events below break down barriers and allow more young people, families, students, and adults to come together and experience live music.

To ensure children of all backgrounds can experience The Cleveland Orchestra in historic Severance Hall — considered to be one of the most beautiful concert venues in the country and world for its acoustics and architecture — we are committed to A Concert for Every Child. Free Cleveland Orchestra Education Concert tickets and new Bus Subsidiesfor CMSD schools will allow greater access for schools and students to learn through music.

For the first time since the 1960s, CMSD’s All-City Orchestra, Prep Band, Jazz Band, Choirs, Dance Ensemble, and Drumline will perform in Severance Hall for the Cleveland Schools All-City Winter Concert. More than 200 elementary, middle, and high school student performers and their parents, families, and friends will come together to showcase student work in music. This concert will take place at Severance Hall on December 10. Admission is free and open to the public.

Mindful Music Moments, an innovative musical tool for social-emotional wellbeing created through a partnership with City Silence, provides students a 4-minute daily dose of classical music coupled with mindfulness techniques delivered through participating schools’ morning announcements. Participation in this program creates a calm, focused start to each school day that reduces anxiety, creates a positive learning environment, nurtures a positive association with classical music, and expands access to music on a daily basis through recordings by The Cleveland Orchestra. Currently, more than 12,000 students in 26 schools in Northeast Ohio hear The Cleveland Orchestra’s Mindful Music Moments every school day. For an example of what students hear, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbgguMfm9dM. Mindful Music Moments is supported by The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation.

The new PNC Music Explorers video series gives students, teachers, and families a fun-filled preview prior to attending each Music Explorers concert (details below) — or can be watched as stand-alone lessons — expanding access to music education for both schools and homes in a fun, engaging, and entertaining way. These interactive episodes introduce young people ages 3-6 (and their families) to the instruments of the Orchestra one at a time, with lively and friendly hosts Major Scale and Ranger Rhythm. The videos can be found on The Cleveland Orchestra’sYouTube channel and at this link: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/Education-and-Community/Music-Explorers/.

This video series is a companion to the popular PNC Music Explorers concert series — previously known as Musical Rainbows. In these concerts, Cleveland Orchestra musicians and friends introduce children ages 3-6 to the instruments of the Orchestra one at a time. These concerts are offered in public performances (click here for the schedule), as well as in educational performances for school groups at Severance Hall and in schools.

For college students seeking careers as musicians or arts leaders, The Cleveland Orchestra and Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music have a special residency partnership for the 2018-19 season and academic year. This collaborative residency provides educational opportunities for Baldwin Wallace music and arts administration students led by Cleveland Orchestra musicians, conductors, and administrative staff. Details of the residency can be found at the following two links:

·        Initial announcement: https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/News-and-Updates/News-Releases/2018-releases/2018-04-24-BW/

·        Additional details: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/News-and-Updates/News-Releases/2018-releases/2018-08-28-BW/

Updated and Continuing Programs

Through our “At Home” Neighborhood Residencies from 2013-2016, The Cleveland Orchestra visited and built relationships with residents and organizations in Gordon Square, Lakewood, Slavic Village, and Hough. With the newNeighborhood Partners program, the Orchestra will deepen relationships with these neighborhoods, building a sustainable model of engagement. This will strengthen neighborhoods through long-term music programs created and implemented collaboratively based on priorities and needs identified by the neighborhoods.

CMSD preschool students will continue to experience the joy of music and benefit from learning important school readiness skills through the expansion of the PNC Grow Up Great / Early Start in the Arts program. 500 students in 18 CMSD preschool classrooms will benefit from music, literacy-linked lessons, and on-site performance by Cleveland Orchestra musicians, providing an educational and entertaining musical resource for the classroom.

The popular Under 18s Free program, part of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Center for Future Audiences, continues to develop young audiences and expand access by making Orchestra concerts affordable for families, offering free tickets to young people 17 and under, for the Family Concert Series supported by the Weiss Family Foundation, PNC Music Explorers, Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra concerts, and select Cleveland Orchestra Severance Hall  and Blossom Music Festival concerts again this season.

The Cleveland Orchestra’s Center for Future Audiences, created with a lead endowment gift from the Maltz Family Foundation, was established to fund programs to develop new generations of audiences for Cleveland Orchestra concerts in Northeast Ohio. In addition to Under 18s Free, the Center also supports programs for college students andyoung professionals.

For information about the Orchestra’s many continuing Education and Community programs — including Education Concerts, Family Concerts, In-School Programs, and Community Concerts, as well as Music Study Groups and other programs for adult learners — visit our website at https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/education-and-community/education-overview/.

More information about the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, Northeast Ohio’s premier symphonic ensemble for young musicians, can be found here: http://www.clevelandorchestrayouthorchestra.com/. Details about the Orchestra’s choral ensembles, including the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, Youth Chorus, and Children’s Chorus, can be found here:https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/about/choruses-and-ensembles/

The Cleveland Orchestra’s Education and Community Programs Serving Northeast Ohio
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 ten decades The Cleveland Orchestra has introduced more than 4 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 more than 60,000 young people and adults annually, helping to foster a lifelong relationship with music. Music Director Franz Welser-Mӧst leads the Orchestra into its second century with a renewed commitment to music education and community engagement based on his belief that every child’s life should include music 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 deeper impact.  For more information visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/education-and-community/overview/.

Calendar Listing

Select Education and Community Events


Under 18s FREE for all Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra concerts, Family Concert Series supported by the Weiss Family Foundation, and PNC Music Explorers at Severance Hall.


CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT: ALL-CITY WINTER CONCERT

 

Severance Hall

Monday, December 10, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.

 

Featuring select elementary, middle, and high school students from throughout the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Showcasing concert band, jazz band, orchestra, chorus, and dance.

Free and open to the public. No tickets are required.

 

For more information, visit https://www.clevelandartsevents.com/event/all-city-winter-concert/.

 

 

 

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CELEBRATION CONCERT

 

Severance Hall

Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

The Cleveland Orchestra
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor

Lawrence Brownlee, tenor

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus

William Henry Caldwell, director

 

BEETHOVEN  Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus

STILL  Movement No. 4 from Symphony No. 1 (“Afro-American”)

TRADITIONAL/arr. DETT  I’ll Never Turn Back
TRADITIONAL/arr. FLOYD  Hold On

COPLAND  Fanfare for the Common Man
TRADITIONAL/arr. FLOYD  We Shall Overcome
ROSSINI  Cujus Animam from Stabat Mater
TRADITIONAL/arr. FLOYD  There’s a Man Goin’ Round
SIBELIUS  Finlandia

JOHNSON/arr. SMITH  Lift Every Voice and Sing

 

 

For information about entering our free ticket lottery (open through January 3), visit clevelandorchestra.com 

Live radio broadcast by ideastream on 90.3 WCPN and WCLV 104.9 and online at ideastream.org.

 

Supported by KeyBank and supported by a grant from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation

 

 

 

FREE COMMUNITY PERFORMANCES – SEVERANCE HALL

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE

Severance Hall
Monday, January 21, 2019 from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m.

12:30 p.m.        Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus

1:15 p.m.          American Spirituals Collegiate Voice Competition winner in recital

2:00 p.m.          El Sistema@Rainey Instrumentalists

2:45 p.m.          Mound School Strings

3:15 p.m.          The Dance Centre

4:00 p.m.          Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra

 

All performances take place in the Concert Hall.

 

Terry Macklin Inc. – DJ and Line Dancing – takes place in the Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer between performances.

 

Ongoing family-friendly activities include the “I Have a Dream” Wall, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activity Sheets, and Cuyahoga County Public Library Book Display in the Smith Lobby.

 

More information at http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.

 

Sponsored by KeyBank and supported by a grant from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation

 

 

OHIO MUSIC EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (OMEA) ANNUAL CONFERENCE


Huntington Convention Center, 300 Lakeside Ave, Cleveland, Ohio
Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Preparatory Chorus

Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 9:30 a.m.

Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus

Over 40 performing ensembles will present concerts showcasing the talents of Ohio’s students at the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) annual conference.

Both OMEA performances are free events (no tickets required). For more information, visit https://omeapdc.com/selected-performing-ensembles/.

 

 

FAMILY CONCERT
THE MOZART EXPERIENCE

 

Severance Hall

Friday, February 8, 2019, at 7:30 p.m.

The Cleveland Orchestra

Vinay Parameswaran, conductor

With special guest, Magic Circle Mime Co.

 

A mischievous street musician is caught playing the orchestra’s piano. Much to her surprise, the conductor offers her the chance to “be Mozart.” The program includes excerpts from some of Mozart’s most famous works, including Eine kleine Nachtmusik, The Magic Flute, Overture to Don Giovanni, Symphony No. 41, and more.

 

For more information, visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/Tickets/1819-family-concert-schedule/.

 

Supported by the Weiss Family Foundation and The Giant Eagle Foundation

 

 

 

EDUCATION CONCERT
MEET THE AWESOME ORCHESTRA

 

Severance Hall
Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Thursday, February 14, 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019

The Cleveland Orchestra

Vinay Parameswaran, conductor

 

These concerts will showcase each of the instrument families (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion), culminating with Benjamin Britten’s soaring Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Designed for grades 3-5, students from elementary schools across Northeast Ohio will experience the Orchestra at Severance Hall.

 

 

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA YOUTH ORCHESTRA
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA YOUTH CHORUS
2018-19 SEASON

Severance Hall
Sunday, March 3, 2019 at 7:00 p.m
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus
Daniel Singer, director 

BRAHMS  Tragic Overture 
DEBUSSY  Ibéria 
HAYDN  Te Deum for the Empress Marie Therese 
VAUGHN WILLIAMS  Five Mystical Songs 

Prelude Concert at 6:00 p.m. featuring chamber groups from the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and Youth Chorus.

For more information, visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/Tickets/1819-coyo-schedule/.

The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra is supported by a generous grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and by gifts from many other donors from across Northeast Ohio. Endowment support is provided by The George Gund Foundation. The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus is supported by the Edward and Ruth Wilkof Foundation.

 

 

PNC MUSIC EXPLORERS
THE CHEERFUL CELLO

 

Severance Hall

Friday, March 8, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday, March 9, 2019, at 11:00 a.m.

Martha Baldwin, cello

 

Music Explorers are an exciting way for children ages 3 to 6 to learn about instruments of the orchestra, one at a time. An energetic host leads singing, clapping, and moving to the music while musicians from The Cleveland Orchestra and guests perform short solo selections and kid-friendly tunes, and demonstrate what their instrument can do. For tickets, call 216-231-1111 or visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/Tickets/1819-musical-explorers-schedule/

 

 

PNC MUSIC EXPLORERS
THE TERRIFIC TRUMPET

 

Severance Hall

Friday, March 15, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday, March 16, 2019, at 11:00 a.m.

Michael Miller, trumpet

 

Music Explorers are an exciting way for children ages 3 to 6 to learn about instruments of the orchestra, one at a time. An energetic host leads singing, clapping, and moving to the music while musicians from The Cleveland Orchestra and guests perform short solo selections and kid-friendly tunes, and demonstrate what their instrument can do. For tickets, call 216-231-1111 or visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/Tickets/1819-musical-explorers-schedule/

 

 

PNC MUSIC EXPLORERS
THE TREMENDOUS TUBA

 

Severance Hall

Friday, May 3, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday, May 4, 2019, at 11:00 a.m.

Kenneth Heinlein, tuba

 

Music Explorers are an exciting way for children ages 3 to 6 to learn about instruments of the orchestra, one at a time. An energetic host leads singing, clapping, and moving to the music while musicians from The Cleveland Orchestra and guests perform short solo selections and kid-friendly tunes, and demonstrate what their instrument can do. For tickets, call 216-231-1111 or visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/Tickets/1819-musical-explorers-schedule/

 

 

 

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA YOUTH CHORUS
YOUTH HONOR CHOIR CONCERT

 

Severance Hall

Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

This free evening concert will feature the talented singers of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus and Youth Honor Choir. Tickets are required and will be available through the Ticket Office this spring.

 

 

 

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA YOUTH ORCHESTRA
2018-19 SEASON

Severance Hall
Friday, May 10, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor

Program includes:
BARTOK  Dance Suite
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5

Prelude Concert at 7:00 p.m. featuring Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra members performing chamber music.

For more information, visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/Tickets/1819-coyo-schedule/.

The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra is supported by a generous grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and by gifts from many other donors from across Northeast Ohio. Endowment support is provided by The George Gund Foundation.

 


FAMILY CONCERT

CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS

Severance Hall

Sunday, May 12, 2019, at 3:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor
Katia Labèque, piano
Marielle Labèque, piano

SHOSTAKOVICH  Festive Overture
ROSSINI  William Tell Overture

GERSHWIN  Promenade (“Walkin’ the Dog”)
ANDERSON  The Waltzing Cat

SAINT-SAËNS  Carnival of the Animals

 

Saint-Saëns’s classic, Carnival of the Animals, headlines this concert dedicated to the musical escapades of the animal kingdom! Saint-Saëns’s grand zoological fantasy features a lion, turtle, elephant, kangaroo, swan, and more, in a whimsical and charming work for orchestra and narrator sure to delight children of all ages.

Includes a pre-concert performance by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus Chamber Ensemble, starting at 2:00 p.m. Admission to the pre-concert performance is free with family concert ticket.

 

For more information, visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/Tickets/1819-family-concert-schedule/.

 

Supported by the Weiss Family Foundation and The Giant Eagle Foundation

 

 

 

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHILDREN’S AND PREPARATORY CHORUSES
SPRING CONCERT

 

University School Lower Campus, 20701 Brantley Rd, Shaker Heights, Ohio

Monday, May 13, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are free and event is open to the public.

 

 


CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA YOUTH ORCHESTRA
TOUR SEND-OFF COMMUNITY CONCERT

Severance Hall
Friday, June 7, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor

ADAMS  The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra)
BARTOK  Dance Suite
BRAHMS  Tragic Overture
BRAHMS  Symphony No. 2

More details will be announced in 2019.

The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra is supported by a generous grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and by gifts from many other donors from across Northeast Ohio. Endowment support is provided by The George Gund Foundation.

Tess Abney is a freelance writer who was born and raised in the Quad Cities. She spends most of her time attempting to successfully raise three boys. In her free time, writing is her passion. Whether it is sharing local events and businesses with readers or sharing her thoughts on life, she finds comfort in the way words can bring people together.