Cleveland Orchestra to Honor James D. Ireland III with Distinguished Service Award Tonight

James D. Ireland III is receiving the nineteenth annual Cleveland Orchestra Distinguished Service Award, honoring a person or organization that has provided continuing exemplary service to the Orchestra. The Award will be presented to Mr. Ireland on Thursday, October 9, on the stage of Severance Hall, immediately prior to the beginning of the Orchestra's evening concert.

Jamie Ireland has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Musical Arts Association, The Cleveland Orchestra's non-profit governing organization, for two decades, served as its President from 2002 to 2008, and continues to be instrumental in fundraising and leadership for the institution.

"It is exceptionally rare to find someone who has loved The Cleveland Orchestra so deeply and who has served this Orchestra and this community so effectively as Jamie Ireland," said Dennis W. LaBarre, the Orchestra's current Board President, who will present the Distinguished Service Award on Thursday. "For the past twenty years, Jamie has been a steadfast devotee to the Orchestra's musical pre-eminence, and an indispensible member of The Cleveland Orchestra family. He has held multiple leadership roles on the Board, and in those roles has made - and continues to make - a lasting and significant impact on the stability and success of this Orchestra and its ability to serve the people of Northeast Ohio."