The Cleveland Orchestra Announces Summers@Severance Concerts for July & August

Following two successful seasons of Summers@Severance concerts (inaugurated in 2014), The Cleveland Orchestra has announced a third year of Summers@Severance concerts on Friday nights at Severance Hall. The series of orchestra concerts, sponsored by Thompson Hine LLP, will take place July 8, July 22, and August 12, 2016.

The Summers@Severance series was created to expand The Cleveland Orchestra's summertime offerings and showcase the ensemble as an integral part of its home neighborhood all year round. The series presents concerts of popular classical works, with an early start time surrounded by convenient pre- and post-concert opportunities to socialize with friends or family in the outdoor beauty of University Circle.

Series tickets (all three concerts as a package) for the Summers@Severance series are now on sale through the Severance Hall Ticket Office or online at clevelandorchestra.com. Individual concert tickets go on sale beginning Monday, May 9, 2016.

This year's Summers@Severance series begins July 8 when Music Director Franz Welser-Möst leads the Orchestra in a program of Brahms's A German Requiem with soprano Lauren Snouffer, bass-baritone Dashon Burton, and The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. Also on the program is Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta.

For the first time as part of Summers@Severance, the July 22 concert will showcase the virtuosity of three rising star pianists competing in the 2016 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition, presented by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Orchestra. Conducted by Jahja Ling, the soloists will each perform a piano concerto of their choosing, drawn from a list of beloved pieces by composers such as Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven. The concert will be broadcast live on WCLV radio and the winners will be announced at the conclusion of the evening. For more information, visit oberlin.edu/cooper/about.shtml.

On August 12, Bernard Labadie leads a concert featuring music by Bach, Handel, and Mozart with soprano Karina Gauvin and Cleveland Orchestra principal trumpet Michael Sachs as soloists.

The Summers@Severance programs on Friday evenings this summer in July and August present popular orchestral programming at an earlier start time at 7:00 p.m. in the acclaimed acoustics of Severance Hall. The series celebrates and adds to the diversity of summer cultural offerings in the University Circle area, while augmenting the Orchestra's ongoing offerings each summer at Blossom Music Center.

The Front Terrace of Severance Hall will be open before and after each concert, with beverage service and seating areas. Special "happy hour" drink prices will be offered in the hour prior to each concert, with attendees encouraged to arrive early and enjoy the outdoors.

Details of the Summers@Severance series follow.

TICKET INFORMATION

Series tickets (all three concerts as a package) for the Summers@Severance series start at just $60 and are now on sale through the Severance Hall Ticket Office or online at clevelandorchestra.com. Individual tickets go on sale beginning May 9, 2016 and start at just $25. For more information about purchasing tickets, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or visit clevelandorchestra.com.

The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located on street level in the Smith Lobby. The Ticket

Office entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are on the west side of the building, along East Boulevard. Severance Hall Ticket Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and, from September through Mayon Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Concert listing details follow.

2016 Summers@Severance Concerts

The Cleveland Orchestra's Summers@Severance series is sponsored by Thompson Hine LLP.

Summers@Severance:

FRANZ AND BRAHMS

Friday, July 8, 2016, at 7:00 p.m.

The Cleveland Orchestra

Franz Welser-Möst, conductor

Lauren Snouffer, soprano

Dashon Burton, bass-baritone

Cleveland Orchestra Chorus

BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta

BRAHMS A German Requiem

They have "no rival" when it comes to Brahms. Critics have raved about Franz and the Orchestra's performances of Brahms - and now, they tackle one of his most touching, achingly beautiful works - the German Requiem. This work is paired with Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta - its famous use by Stanley Kubrick in The Shining is a testament to its portrayal of mesmerizing power coupled with an unsettling feeling of déjà vu.

Summers@Severance:

STARS OF TOMORROW:
Live Finals of the 2016 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Piano Competition

Friday, July 22, 2016, at 7:00 p.m.

The Cleveland Orchestra

Jahja Ling, conductor

Program will be announced the evening of the concert.

Experience the drama as the three finalists of the 2016 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Piano Competition each perform one of the world's greatest piano concertos with The Cleveland Orchestra before a panel of judges and compete for a total of $40,000 in cash prizes. The winner is announced at the conclusion of the evening.

Presented in partnership with Oberlin Conservatory of Music, this competition will be broadcast live on WCLV 104.9 FM.

Summers@Severance:

SUMMER CLASSICS: MOZART AND MORE

Friday, August 12, 2016, at 7:00 p.m.

The Cleveland Orchestra

Bernard Labadie, conductor

Karina Gauvin, soprano

Michael Sachs, trumpet

MOZART Chaconne from Idomeneo

J.S. BACH Cantata No. 51

HANDEL "Let the Bright Seraphim" from Samson

MOZART Symphony No. 29

These notes echoed through the greatest palaces and cathedrals. The perfection of Mozart. The genius of Bach. The elegance of Handel. They are the towering giants of early orchestral music - hear them conducted by one of the most renowned specialists in Baroque and Classical music.

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