2021-22 Classical Season A new season,
A new beginning

New Beginnings

Oct 14-17

The Cleveland Orchestra performs together again, onstage in Mandel Concert Hall at Severance for the first time since March 2020, presenting a special concert filled with sonority and meaning.

Walker and Korngold

Oct 21-23

Franz Welser-Möst leads an evening of discovery in works penned by two American legends.

Brahms's Requiem

Oct 28

The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus reunites after an unprecedented year apart for a special performance of Brahms’s A German Requiem, accompanied by two pianos.

Kanneh-Mason Plays Elgar

Nov 4-7

One of the most gifted young artists onstage today, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason catapulted to international fame with his performance at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Nov 11 (Cancelled: Nov 13 & 14)

Ravel’s brilliant orchestration of Mussorgsky’s suite of virtuoso pieces for solo piano is one of the great orchestral showpieces.

French Perspectives

Nov 26-27

Popular sister piano duo returns to perform work by American composer and guitarist Bryce Dessner, who has won Grammy Awards both as a classical composer and with his band The National.

Levit Plays Brahms

Jan 6-8

Igor Levit, called “one of the essential artists of our time” (The New York Times), brings his probing curiosity, extraordinary musicianship, and immeasurable empathy to Brahms’s towering Second Piano Concerto.

Mozart and Dvořák

Jan 13-15

Franz Welser-Möst leads the Orchestra in a concert that opens with a charming work with a sentimental connection: the Linz symphony, is named after his hometown.

Jeremy Denk Plays Adams

Feb 4-6 (Date Change: Feb 4)

John Adams's works stand out among contemporary classical compositions for their depth of expression, brilliance of sound, and the profoundly humanist nature of their themes.

Blomstedt Conducts Beethoven's Fifth

Feb 10-12

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony opens with perhaps the four most famous notes in all of music. Revolutionary in its time, it is now one of the best-known pieces of music in history.

Mahler's Titan

Feb 17-19

Mahler wrote, “A symphony should be like the world, it should embrace everything,” and his first symphony is just that.

Mitsuko Uchida Returns

Feb 24-26

Mitsuko Uchida, long-time friend, collaborator, and audience favorite, performs Schoenberg’s Piano Concerto, one of the most important works that came out of his time in America.

Lilacs and Silver Roses

Mar 3-5

Soprano Latonia Moore adds to her appearances with The Cleveland Orchestra in 2022, performing George Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning Lilacs on a program that also includes works by Strauss and Haydn.

Padmore Sings Beethoven and Schubert

Mar 6

Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear these two quintessential interpreters of song in the intimacy of Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance.

Sibelius's Fifth Symphony

Mar 10-12

Similar to Walton, Sibelius also was influenced by the natural world around him, and the Fifth is evocative of the grandeur and isolation of his native Finland.

Symphonic Mozart

Mar 24-27

This popular symphony by Mozart and his piano concerto, which is symphonic in style and scope, both composed at the height of his popularity and at the center of musical life in Vienna.

Ax Plays Chopin

Apr 7-10

Always a favorite of Cleveland audiences, Emmanuel Ax returns to perform Chopin’s brilliant and virtuosic concerto.

Tetzlaff Plays Beethoven

Apr 14-16

Known for his musical integrity, technical assurance, and intelligent, compelling interpretations, Christian Tetzlaff is recognized as one of the most exciting and sought after violinists on the classical music scene.

Znaider Plays Sibelius

Apr 21-23

Sibelius loved the violin, writing “when I play, I am filled with a strange feeling; it is as though the insides of the music opened up to me.”

Evgeny Kissin Solo Piano Recital

Apr 24

Acclaimed pianist Evgeny Kissin returns to perform a solo recital at Severance Music Center’s Mandel Concert Hall for the first time in nearly 25 years, featuring works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin.

Tchaikovsky Favorites

Apr 28 - May 1

Eminent conductor Michael Tilson Thomas returns to conduct a program of concert favorites.

Schubert's Ninth

May 12, 14, & 20

Schubert’s ninth symphony, called “The Great”, is a genuine symphonic masterpiece … there is mastery in the compositional technique, subtle and fine shadings of color, brilliant Romantic melodies.

May 21, 26, & 29

Jealousy, betrayal, and murder… from the opening tempest scene to the spine-tingling finish, Giuseppe Verdi's thrilling operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy crackles with theatrical electricity.

Breaking Convention: Program I

May 27

Music Director Franz Welser-Möst leads The Cleveland Orchestra and soprano Latonia Moore through the works of Reinvere, Gubaidulina, and Walker.

Breaking Convention: Program II

May 28

Music Director Franz Welser-Möst leads The Cleveland Orchestra and organist Iveta Apkalna through the works of Ives, Shostakovich, Gubaidulina, Glass, Walker, and Barber.