Special Event Explorations of The American Dream Part II

  • May 20, 2023 Free event, no tickets required
  • CWRU Tinkham Veale University Center Ballroom A Cleveland, OH

Saturday, May 20, 2023 3:00PM

Presented in partnership with Case Western Reserve University Co-presented by The City Club of Cleveland and in partnership with Ideastream Public Media

2023/24 Classical Season Announced! Preview the season here

 

About the Event

CWRU Tinkham Veale University Center, Ballroom A
11038 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, Ohio

Presented in partnership with Case Western Reserve University

Join the second of two robust conversations about the American Dream by participants sharing diverse viewpoints from across political, social, economic, and cultural spectrums. A performance of the opera, La Fanciulla del West, follows the day’s presentations.

3:00 – 5:00pm | Cleveland’s Cultural DNA and The American Dream: Past, Present, and Future
Co-presented by The City Club of Cleveland and in partnership with Ideastream Public Media

Rick Jackson, moderator, Ideastream Public Media Senior Host/Producer

Regennia N. Williams, PhD
Distinguished Scholar of African American History and Culture
Western Reserve Historical Society

Cynthia Connolly
Director of Programming
The City Club of Cleveland

Michael Jeans
Chief Executive Officer
Growth Opportunity Partners

Marcia Moreno, MA
Founder & President
AmMore Consulting

Karis Tzeng
Vice President of Planning
Midtown Cleveland


Ideastream Public Media host Rick Jackson moderates an examination of how the American Dream has played out in Cleveland, starting with the displacement of Indigenous people at the city’s founding. While Cleveland’s role in both the Underground Railroad and later the Great Migration held out hope for access to opportunity, that hope was often undermined by policies that shaped economic reality throughout the 20th century and up to the present day. And as we look toward the future for our city, we will dream together about the creation of opportunity across our diverse communities. Dr. Regennia N. Williams (Western Reserve Historical Society), Michael Jeans (Growth Opportunity Partners), Marcia Moreno (AmMore Consulting), Karis Tzeng (MidTown Cleveland), and Cynthia Connolly (the City Club of Cleveland) join this panel discussion.

Learn more about the first part of this conversation, Puccini’s La fanciulla del West and its influences: placing the opera into a perspective at 12:00 – 2:00pm.

 

 

About the Festival

The American Dream festival will aspire to engage conversation from different perspectives around timeless questions including: what is the relevance of the American Dream today? what does it mean to the greater Cleveland community?

From what was at first a yearning for self-rule, religious freedom, and democracy, the American Dream evolved to a universal concept that anyone in coming America would be able to succeed through opportunity and hard work — to forge a better life for themselves and their family, to achieve success from your own initiative and efforts.

The American Dream remains an aspirational concept related to the promise of a country that embraces optimism for the future and the ability to shape it, as well as recognition of every person’s potential as a dignified and free human being. However, while achievable for some, for many others the American Dream remains an unattainable dream, a cruel illusion, an unfulfilled promise. The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2023 Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival: The American Dream will acknowledge and engage these subjects and offer an opportunity to explore and reflect on the American Dream of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

 

View Festival Page Festival Program Book

 

Accessibility Services

Below is a list of the features and services that The Cleveland Orchestra has made available in the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall at Severance for this concert.

 

Wheelchair Access & Seating

Our venue’s seating has reserved special areas for those attending with the use of a wheelchair. These seating options are available during your seat selection across seating price levels. Ushers are available to assist, especially in the event of a General Admission concert.

There is barrier-free entry to Severance Music Center with automatic sliding doors at our garage entrance on Lower Level One in the CWRU Campus Center Garage. There is an elevator for wheelchair access in the center of the garage for traveling from Lower Level Two (the lowest level) to Lower Level One (the level of our arrival entrance). The Euclid Avenue entrance to Severance is best suited for wheelchair entry, with a convenient drop-off area designated at the curb.

Companion Wheelchair Seating

Wheelchair companion seating is available for purchase online and through Severance Ticket Services. Look for a "C" shape on the seating map when making your selection. 

 

Assistance for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Infrared Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) are available without charge for most performances in the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall. Please request one in advance online or by calling the House Manager’s office. You will be asked to provide a driver’s license or ID card upon arrival, which will be held until the return of the device. Head Ushers can explain how to use the ALD.

Interpretive services may be available for certain events at Severance.  Prior arrangements should be made four weeks in advance. Appropriate seat locations may be necessary. TTY line access is available at the public pay phone in the Security Office located at the garage entrance.

 

Assistance for the Blind or Persons with Low Vision

Large Print Programs are available for most Cleveland Orchestra performances in the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Concert Hall.  These are available at the Coat Room locations or from Head Ushers on each level of the Concert Hall, and at Concert Previews.

For select vocal performances, Braille texts may be available on request with 2 weeks’ notice.

 

Service Animals

Trained guide dogs and service animals are welcome at Severance. If you have any questions, please contact the Ticket Office or the House Manager.

 

Restrooms

All Smith Lobby restrooms are fully accessible. In addition, private family-accessible restrooms are located in the Smith Lobby and off the Dress Circle Lobby.

 

Additional Information

The Cleveland Orchestra is strongly committed to making our facilities and performances accessible to all patrons. For more information regarding all of our accessibility services, please visit our Accessibility page.