Individual tickets now on sale for 2021 Blossom Music Festival, presented by the J.M. Smucker Co.
Additional repertoire and guest soloists announced, including three more debuts and the return of music icons to Blossom Music Center
Soloists include Michael Sachs, Garrick Ohlsson, Michelle Cann, Benjamin Grosvenor, Stefan Jackiw, Behzod Abduraimov, Sayaka Shoji, and Jonathan Biss
Three works performed by The Cleveland Orchestra for the first time: Mary D. Watkins’s Soul of Remembrance, Florence Price’s Concerto in One Movement, and Caroline Shaw’s Watermark
July 4 concert date added due to demand
Under 18s Free, signature program of The Cleveland Orchestra, continues into its 10th season
CLEVELAND — Individual tickets for The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2021 Blossom Music Festival season are on sale today, presented by The J.M. Smucker Co. and supported by festival partner The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The Festival returns this summer, following last year’s cancelation due to the global pandemic, with an inspiring lineup of concerts, presented in accordance with local, state, and federal health guidelines.
With the addition of a performance on July 4, twelve concerts are part of the 2021 Blossom Music Festival, which runs from Fourth of July through Labor Day weekends (July 3 – September 5) at the Orchestra’s scenic summer home in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Select repertoire and details were announced in April. Information below adds to the repertoire previously announced:
The explosive and patriotic An American Celebration concerts on July 3 and 4 will feature celebrated pianist Michelle Cann making her Cleveland Orchestra debut performing the Cleveland Orchestra premiere of Florence Price’s Concerto in One Movement. The program also includes a moment of reflection for those we’ve lost during the pandemic with the Cleveland Orchestra premiere of Soul of Remembrance by American composer Mary D. Watkins. These concerts led by Brett Mitchell also feature music by American composers Adolphus Hailstork, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and John Philip Sousa — plus Tchaikovsky’s booming 1812 Overture.
On July 11, an all-Mozart program under the baton of Dame Jane Glover will now include his Piano Concerto No. 20 performed by Benjamin Grosvenor, a pianist described as “one in a million...several million” by The Independent. Mozart’s Divertimento for Strings in D major rounds out the program, adding to the previously announced Symphony No. 40.
Violinist Stefan Jackiw returns to Blossom for Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 on July 25. Jackiw last thrilled audiences with his Blossom debut in 2017 performing Korngold’s Violin Concerto. Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut leading a program that also features Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”).
On August 1, legendary conductor Herbert Blomstedt is joined by iconic American pianist Garrick Ohlsson for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. Ohlsson has a long and celebrated history with The Cleveland Orchestra, most recently at Severance Hall in 2019 performing Busoni’s Piano Concerto. The evening concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.
Cleveland Orchestra principal trumpet Michael Sachs and rising-star pianist Behzod Abduraimov will perform Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 on August 15. American conductor Karina Canellakis makes her Cleveland Orchestra debut leading a program that also features Dvořák’s The Wood Dove and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony.
Celebrated Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji, youngest-ever winner of the Paganini Competition in Genoa, makes her Cleveland Orchestra debut with Brahms’s lyrical Violin Concerto. She joins audience favorite Jahja Ling who leads a romantic all-Brahms program on August 22 that also features the composer’s Third Symphony.
Saturday, August 28, will be an evening of firsts: pianist Jonathan Biss makes his Blossom Music Festival debut and conductor Elim Chan makes her Cleveland Orchestra debut. Biss will be the featured soloist during The Cleveland Orchestra’s premiere of Caroline Shaw’s Watermark — having previously performed on the world-premiere of Shaw’s work in 2019. A Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Shaw wrote Watermark as a response to Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The Orchestra will also perform Beethoven’s Coriolan Concert Overture and Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
Previously announced programs that remain unchanged: The Great American Songbook on July 18, Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to the Beatles on August 8, and Hollywood Under the Stars on September 4 & 5.
Further details of the 2021 Blossom Music Festival season, including a list of Cleveland Orchestra and Festival debuts, are available in the Calendar section below and online.
2021 Individual Tickets On Sale Now
Pavilion tickets start at $25 for adults and $15 for students and children. Individual lawn tickets start at $25. Two Under 18s Free lawn tickets are available for every one adult lawn ticket purchased.
For all individual ticket and subscription offerings, and for questions about this summer’s procedures, contact the Severance Hall Ticket Office at 216-231-1111 or 1-800-686-1141 or by e-mailing [email protected]. Tickets and packages can also be purchased online here. The Blossom Box Office will be open throughout the summer season on festival performance days, starting three hours prior to each concert.
Lawn Ticket Books – 2020 Books Valid
All Lawn Ticket Books (including Under 18s Free passes) originally sold for the 2020 Blossom Music Festival can be used for any of the 12 Cleveland Orchestra concerts this summer. Due to social distancing guidelines, lawn capacity will be limited, so we advise those using Lawn Book tickets to arrive early to guarantee a spot. New Lawn Ticket Books are not currently being offered due to limited capacity.
Premier Subscription Series
The 2021 Blossom Music Festival features a six-concert “Classics” and four-concert “Pops” series. Ticket packages are on sale now with a savings of up to 20% off individual ticket prices. Ticket packages start at $80, which includes free Lot B parking and access to Kulas Plaza. Box-seat ticket packages include complimentary parking in First Energy Lot A behind the main Box Office and access to Kulas Plaza. Premier subscribers can also request one free Pavilion youth ticket for each adult subscription ticket purchased as part of our Under 18s Free program (box seats not included).
Create-Your-Own Series
A Create-Your-Own Series package is being offered again this season. When purchasing four or more concerts, there is a savings of approximately 10% off the individual ticket prices. All subscribers receive free parking in Lot B.
Group Ticket Sales
Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more who are socially distancing together. Call the Cleveland Orchestra Group Sales Office at Severance Hall at 216-231-7493 for more information.
Under 18s Free
Under 18s Free is a signature program of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Center for Future Audiences. The Center, created with a lead endowment gift from the Maltz Family Foundation, was established in 2010 to fund programs to develop new generations of audiences for Cleveland Orchestra concerts in Northeast Ohio. Under 18s Free continues to develop young audiences by making attending Orchestra concerts affordable for families, once again offering free Lawn tickets to young people (17 and under) for every Blossom Music Festival concert this season. With the cancelation of the 2020 season, the 2021 festival will now mark the program’s 10th season.
At Blossom Music Festival, Under 18s Free lawn vouchers (two per regular-priced adult paid admission) are offered to any Blossom Music Festival subscription concert. Under 18s Free is also included on Premier Subscriptions, with one free pavilion youth ticket offered for each adult subscription ticket purchased.
New Ticket Wallet App
New this summer season, The Cleveland Orchestra’s Ticket Wallet app is now available for download in the Apple and Google Play stores. After purchasing tickets, ticket holders and subscribers can open the app to gain instant, secure, and paperless access to their reserved concert tickets, including seating information and parking passes, using the same free account they have created at clevelandorchestra.com. The app provides real-time updates for reservations to upcoming performances without tickets having to be reprinted, and allows access to easily see past Cleveland Orchestra performances attended.
As seats are reserved to Cleveland Orchestra performances at clevelandorchestra.com, those tickets will be waiting for guests in their Ticket Wallet within moments. To ensure tickets arrive on the app automatically, select “Send to Ticket Wallet” as the delivery method when purchasing tickets online. Upon arrival at Blossom Music Center, guests can present the digital ticket for scanning using the Ticket Wallet app — no printing needed.
For more information about the Ticket Wallet app, see our FAQ page here. For media, additional information about the app’s development process and technical details is available upon request.
COVID-19 Health & Safety, Blossom Guest Experience
Details about Covid-19 health and safety protocols (including mask wearing, physical distancing, and health checks) and guest amenities (including concessions, digital program books, and the Blossom Grille) can be found in our previous announcement:
For the safety of all guests, musicians, staff, and volunteers at Blossom Music Festival, Covid-19 health and safety protocols will be in place, including limited capacity to maintain social distancing. All protocols are in accordance with the guidelines from the State of Ohio and Summit County health department. As advice from health experts and the government evolve, we will update our policies and procedures and inform guests of any changes.
The Cleveland Orchestra is committed to providing a world-class guest experience for all visitors to Blossom Music Center. Bringing a picnic and enjoying a meal with family and friends is one of the most treasured summer traditions at Blossom Music Festival. Guests are welcome to bring picnics and eat on the grounds of Blossom Music Center, and may remove masks while actively eating and drinking with members of their households.
2021 Blossom Music Festival Sponsors
The Cleveland Orchestra is proud to partner with The J.M. Smucker Co. as the Presenting Sponsor of the 2021 Blossom Music Festival.
The J.M. Smucker Co. & The Cleveland Orchestra
The J.M. Smucker Co. has supported The Cleveland Orchestra for decades with annual contributions as well as capital gifts for improvements at Blossom Music Center. The company’s ongoing, remarkable support has been recognized through concert sponsorship at Blossom for over a decade, and has earned membership in the Orchestra’s John L. Severance Society — a group of the Orchestra’s most dedicated and generous corporate, foundation, and individual supporters. Additionally, The J.M. Smucker Co. was a co-presenting sponsor of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Second Century Celebration, bringing the Orchestra’s 100th season to life while animating a bold vision for an extraordinary Second Century.
Cleveland Orchestra Board Chair, Richard K. Smucker, is the Executive Chairman of The J.M. Smucker Co., which was founded more than a century ago by Mr. Smucker’s great-grandfather, Jerome Smucker. Today, The J.M. Smucker Co. is a leading marketer and manufacturer of consumer food and beverage products, as well as pet food and pet snacks, in North America. The company remains rooted in the Basic Beliefs of Quality, People, Ethics, Growth, and Independence established by its founder and namesake more than 120 years ago.
A Special Thank-You
Thank you to our major corporate and foundation supporters, The J. M. Smucker Co.; The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.; The William Bingham Foundation; GAR Foundation; and the Akron Community Foundation.
We also thank members of the Blossom Committee and the Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra for their leadership, time, and support of the Blossom Music Festival. We extend heartfelt gratitude to all members of our generous community who have made this return to Blossom possible.
About Blossom Music Center, Summer Home of The Cleveland Orchestra
Blossom Music Center was created as the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra and opened in July 1968 with performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony conducted by George Szell. The 200-acre music park features the award-winning and acoustically-acclaimed Blossom Pavilion, designed by renowned Cleveland architect Peter van Dijk and seating more than 5,000 people under cover. The adjoining Blossom Lawn accommodates as many as 15,000 more outside on an expansive natural-bowl amphitheater of grass surrounded by bucolic woods.
In the more than half-century since Blossom’s opening, headline makers and yet-to-be-discovered young artists across all genres have created unforgettable musical experiences for over 21 million visitors. In a typical summer, Blossom serves more than 400,000 visitors, who attend concerts ranging from rock, country, and pop to classical. Live Nation operates Blossom under a long-term contract with The Cleveland Orchestra, dividing each year between the Orchestra’s Blossom Music Festival of orchestral performances (July Fourth to Labor Day weekends) and a series of presentations from across a wide range of rock, country, and other live-concert genres.
Located 25 miles south of Cleveland and just north of Akron, Blossom is situated in the rolling hills of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which preserves 33,000 acres of natural parkland along the Cuyahoga River. Blossom Music Center was named to honor the Dudley S. Blossom family, who have been major supporters of The Cleveland Orchestra throughout its history. Blossom lies within the city limits of Cuyahoga Falls, an Ohio community first settled in the early 1800s, at 1145 West Steels Corners Road in Summit County.
2021 Blossom Music Festival Calendar
* Updates as of May 3
All performances take place at Blossom Music Center, Summer Home of The Cleveland Orchestra
#cleorchblossom #blossom2021
An American Celebration
Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 8:00pm*
Both dates include fireworks
The Cleveland Orchestra
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano (Cleveland Orchestra debut)*
BERNSTEIN Overture to Candide*
WATKINS Soul of Remembrance (Cleveland Orchestra premiere)*
PRICE Concerto in One Movement (Cleveland Orchestra premiere)*
HAILSTORK An American Fanfare*
COPLAND Suite from Appalachian Spring
TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture
SOUSA Stars and Stripes Forever
A blockbuster opening weekend! Celebrate the start of the Blossom season and enjoy a night under the stars with great music, fireworks, and fun for the whole family! Join The Cleveland Orchestra for its first public performances in more than a year, featuring Copland’s iconic Appalachian Spring, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture — with cannons! — a march by Sousa and more.
Mozart In The Meadows
Sunday, July 11, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Dame Jane Glover, conductor (Blossom Music Festival debut)
Conrad Tao, piano*
MOZART Divertimento for Strings in D major
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23*
MOZART Symphony No. 40 in G minor
Come enjoy the natural beauty of Blossom and a splendid night of Mozart! Highlighting the evening is his Symphony No. 40, sometimes called his “Great G minor” and arguably his most popular symphony, striking for its originality and shadowy intensity — influencing generations of musicians to follow.
The Great American Songbook: Gershwin and Ellington
Sunday, July 18, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Lucas Waldin, conductor
Capathia Jenkins, vocalist
GERSHWIN Fascinating Rhythm
ELLINGTON Satin Doll
KERN All the Things You Are
GERSHWIN The Man I Love
GERSWHIN Summertime
A treasure trove of American songs overflowing with the very best of George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Oscar Hammerstein. “Sweet, smart, and sassy” (Chicago Tribune), Broadway star and audience favorite Capathia Jenkins returns to sing these classics and more.
From The New World
Sunday, July 25, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Rafael Payare, conductor (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
Stefan Jackiw, violin*
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2*
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”)
An outsider’s perspective on the beauty of America. Dvořák came to the U.S. in the 1890s — and was thrilled by the sounds and sights of this wild new country. He admired the beauty of African American spirituals, and was fascinated by Native American traditions. When describing his New World symphony, he said “I tried to write only in the spirit of those national American melodies.” Yet, in the end, his Ninth is a glowing expression of both the Old World and the New.
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony
Sunday, August 1, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
Garrick Ohlsson, piano*
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4*
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
One of Beethoven’s greatest and most admired symphonies, the Seventh is loved by audiences for its energy and beauty, and its lilting dance rhythms are some of the stormy composer’s most delightful moments. The somber and dignified second movement of this symphony brings magic to the soundtrack for the film The King’s Speech.
Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute To The Beatles
Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Martin Herman, conductor (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
with Classical Mystery Tour
The Best of the Beatles like you’ve never heard them: totally live with symphony orchestra. Sensational tribute band Classical Mystery Tour joins the Orchestra, performing all of The Beatles’ greatest hits from their early music to the solo years in original orchestrations. “Penny Lane,” “Yesterday,” “A Day in the Life,” and so much more!
Tchaikovsky’s Fourth
Sunday, August 15, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Karina Canellakis, conductor (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
Behzod Abduraimov, piano*
Michael Sachs, trumpet*
DVOŘÁK The Wood Dove*
SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1*
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4
He sought refuge in music when his life was in ruins. Tchaikovsky’s life was in disarray; he entered into a marriage that only lasted six weeks. Nearly mad with passion, he poured out his feelings into his Fourth Symphony, and the act of writing the music itself helped to rebalance his sanity — saying of the finale “rejoice in the happiness of others and you can still live.”
Romantic Brahms
Sunday, August 22, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Jahja Ling, conductor
Sayaka Shoji, violin (Cleveland Orchestra debut)*
BRAHMS Violin Concerto*
BRAHMS Symphony No. 3
Enjoy a romantic evening with Brahms’s gorgeous Third Symphony. Filled with passion and longing, it has directly inspired artists today — the third movement was “borrowed” for the 1951 pop song “Take My Love,” recorded and co-written by Frank Sinatra, and is a favorite of Carlos Santana who used it as inspiration for “Love of My Life.”
Sayaka Shoji’s performance is generously supported by Dr. and Mrs. Hiroyuki Fujita.
*The Cleveland Orchestra will hold its first-ever Blossom Summer Soirée, a special event to benefit the Orchestra’s summer home for music. This magical evening will include an elegant dinner under the stars, followed by the evening’s concert. All proceeds from the event will go to The Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom Music Festival. More information about the Blossom Summer Soirée, as well as ticket and table options, will be available in the coming months.
Thank you to the Blossom Summer Soirée Committee, including Michelle Anderson, Barbara Feld, Iris Harvie, Mary Ann Jackson, Megan Karges, Sue Kenney, Chris Kramer, and Tom Waltermire.
Enigma Variations
Saturday, August 28, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra Elim Chan, conductor (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
Jonathan Biss, piano (Blossom Music Festival debut)*
BEETHOVEN Coriolan: Concert Overture*
SHAW Watermark (Cleveland Orchestra premiere)*
ELGAR Enigma Variations
A lovely tribute — and a musical riddle. Elgar’s Enigma Variations was, in effect, his version of a mixtape: each movement was gifted as a tender portrait of a personal friend. These powerful and emotional tokens of friendship have become extraordinarily popular — the “Nimrod” variation is often used as a song of national mourning and was played at Princess Diana’s funeral. Not content with writing a beautiful piece, Elgar claimed that there was a musical mystery hidden deep in this work. Many claimed to have solved it but no one knows for certain.
Hollywood Under The Stars
Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 5, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Richard Kaufman, conductor
From tender love stories to blind obsessions, serene tranquility to pulse-pounding excitement, movie scores are essential for transforming images to powerful stories and emotions. Now, Richard Kaufman, one of Hollywood’s most sought-after film score conductors, leads the Orchestra in a program filled with blockbuster favorites, including works by John Williams from films like Superman, Harry Potter, Star Wars, E.T. and much more.
All programs and artists are subject to change. Additional repertoire and artists will be announced in May.