Tickets For 2018 Blossom Music Festival On Sale 5/1

Individual concert tickets for The Cleveland Orchestra's 2018 Blossom Music Festival 50th Anniversary Season go on sale Tuesday, May 1 at 9:00 a.m., online at clevelandorchestra.com, by telephone (216-231-1111), and in person at the Severance Hall Ticket Office.

Individual concert tickets for Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert - LIVE will be offered in a special advance sale starting Thursday, April 5 at 9:00 a.m. The first blockbuster film in the beloved Star Wars franchise appears on the big screen at Blossom on Labor Day Weekend - August 31, September 1, and 2 - with John Williams's classic score played live by The Cleveland Orchestra.

BLOSSOM MUSIC FESTIVAL

The 50th Anniversary Blossom Music Festival, the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra, comprises 18 concerts, 15 of which feature The Cleveland Orchestra - plus one special Blossom event. For more information about the season and Blossom's 50-year history, visit http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/News-and-Updates/News-Releases/2018-releases/2018-02-11-Blossom/.

Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Möst conducts opening night on July 7, featuring Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Beethoven's Triple Concerto with members of The Cleveland Orchestra as soloists: Stephen Rose, violin; Mark Kosower, cello; and Joela Jones, piano. Other Blossom programming highlights include:

· Conductor Loras John Schissel returns for the 20th year to lead the Blossom Festival Band in patriotic favorites on July 3 & 4.

· On July 21, former Blossom Music Festival Director Jahja Ling continues his 34-year collaboration with The Cleveland Orchestra in a concert featuring Mahler's "Titan" Symphony. The performance will also celebrate 50 years of partnership between the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra, and will include the Blossom Festival Chorus in Vaughan Williams's Serenade to Music - a piece featured on the Festival's very first season.

· Broadway legend Audra McDonald joins The Cleveland Orchestra to sing a program of Broadway favorites on July 29.

· Family Fun Day with the classic Disney film The Little Mermaid on August 4.

· An extraordinary evening devoted to Yo-Yo Ma's journey performing Bach's complete cello suites on August 12 - a two-year project that will bring these works to a limited number of locations on six continents.

· The power of Orff's dramatic Carmina Burana, featuring the dynamic voices of the Blossom Festival Chorus (also celebrating its 50th anniversary), on August 25.

All of these concerts, and more, will be held at Blossom Music Center from Fourth of July weekend through Labor Day weekend (July 3 - September 2, 2018).

The Cleveland Orchestra previously announced a special Blossom event: Roger Daltrey performs The Who's TOMMY with The Cleveland Orchestra on July 8 at 8:00 p.m. While not part of the Blossom subscription season, lawn ticket books, or Under 18s Free, this special event is presented as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration. Lawn tickets are available. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/18-blossom--summer/18-blossom-festival---concerts/2018-07-08-Tommy/

BLOSSOM 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Blossom Music Center celebrates 50 years in 2018, along with the Blossom Festival Chorus and Kent/Blossom Music Festival. Previously announced special Blossom 50th Anniversary Celebration details and information can be found here: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/News-and-Updates/News-Releases/2018-releases/2018-02-11-Blossom/. Highlights include:

· Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra will present "A Symphony of Food and Fine Wine", a one-of-a-kind benefit event at Blossom on July 13.

· For select concerts, Image Magnification (IMAG) will appear on new LED screens in the Pavilion of Blossom Music Center, through a partnership with ideastream.

2018 TICKET INFORMATION
Pavilion ticket prices 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. On April 5, individual concert tickets for Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert - LIVE go on sale by telephone, in person at the Severance Hall Ticket Office, and online at clevelandorchestra.com. Individual concert tickets for the full Blossom Music Festival season go on sale on May 1. The Blossom Box Office opens for the season beginning on Saturday, June 2, and will be open throughout the summer on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. through intermission on festival performance days.

Lawn Ticket Books Include Two Pavilion Upgrades And Qualify For The "Under 18s Free" Program
Lawn Ticket Books of ten vouchers are now available for $175 (a savings of up to $100). Lawn vouchers qualify for youth admission as part of the "Under 18s Free" program. New in 2018: each lawn book includes 20 "Under 18s Free" tickets which can be used at the gate. Contact the Box Office or visit clevelandorchestra.com for information about this program.

Premier Subscription Series
The 2018 Blossom Music Festival features two four-concert "Classics" series, a four-concert "Celebrations" series, and a four-concert "Pops" series. Ticket packages, on sale now, offer approximately 20% savings off individual-ticket prices. Ticket package prices 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 in addition to access to Kulas Plaza.

Create Your Own Series
A "Create Your Own" series package is being offered for Blossom Music Festival concerts again this season. When purchasing four or more concerts, there is a savings of 10% off the individual concert ticket prices. There is no limit to the number of Create Your Own Series purchases. All subscribers receive free parking in Lot B.

Group Ticket Sales
Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Call the Cleveland Orchestra Group Sales Office at Severance Hall at 216-231-7463 for more information.

Family-Friendly "Under 18s Free" Tickets Continue At Every Blossom Music Festival Concert
"Under 18s Free" is a 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 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, offering free Lawn tickets to young people, 17 and under, for every Blossom Music Festival concert again this season. Over 130,000 young people have attended Blossom Music Festival concerts since the Center for Future Audiences was inaugurated. At Blossom, this program offers free "Under 18s Free" Lawn Passes (two per regular-priced adult paid admission) to young people to any Blossom Music Festival subscription concert each summer.

2018 BLOSSOM MUSIC FESTIVAL SPONSORS

The Cleveland Orchestra is proud to partner with The J.M. Smucker Company as the Season Sponsor and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company as the 50th Anniversary Celebration Sponsor of the 2018 Blossom Music Festival.

The Cleveland Orchestra is honored to partner with these two locally based international brands in marking this milestone for Northeast Ohio's most cherished summer tradition. Together, The Cleveland Orchestra, Smucker's, and Goodyear welcome all to enjoy a wonderful celebration of Blossom - creating and sharing a truly special and memorable experience for everyone.

About The J.M. Smucker Company and The Cleveland Orchestra

The J.M. Smucker Company 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, generous 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 Company is 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 President Richard K. Smucker is the Executive Chairman of The J.M. Smucker Company, which was founded more than a century ago by Mr. Smucker's great-grandfather, Jerome Smucker. Today, The J.M. Smucker Company is a leading marketer and manufacturer of consumer food and beverage products and 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.

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and The Cleveland Orchestra

The Cleveland Orchestra is grateful for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company's visionary leadership as the Presenting Sponsor of the Blossom Music Festival's 50th Anniversary Celebration. At the heart of this celebration is a spirit of community engagement and volunteerism that honors a longtime partnership stretching more than 30 years. This collaboration further highlights Goodyear's history of generosity and commitment to the Orchestra - which includes membership in the Orchestra's John L. Severance Society and generous support as a Second Century Celebration Leadership Sponsor.

As one of the world's largest tire companies, Goodyear employs about 65,000 people and manufactures its products in 48 facilities in 22 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.

Festival Sponsors

The Cleveland Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the following generous organizations whose support is recognized in connection with the Blossom Music Festival:

Akron Community Foundation

BakerHostetler

The William Bingham Foundation

Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra

The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation

Mary and Dr. George L. Demetros Charitable Trust

GAR Foundation

Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc.

NACCO Industries, Inc.

KeyBank

Victor C. Laughlin, M.D. Memorial Foundation Trust

The Lehner Family Foundation

Medical Mutual

The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation

The M. G. O'Neil Foundation

PNC Bank

Charles E. & Mabel M. Ritchie Memorial Foundation

The Sisler McFawn Foundation

Lloyd L. and Louise K. Smith Memorial Foundation

The Welty Family Foundation

2018 SUMMER SERIES

Full details of the 2018 Blossom Music Festival season - including Festival and Cleveland Orchestra soloist and conductor debuts -are available online at clevelandorchestra.com.

· 2018 Blossom Music Festival press release: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/News-and-Updates/News-Releases/2018-releases/2018-02-11-Blossom/

All programs, artists, and prices are subject to change.

About Blossom Music Center, Summer Home of The Cleveland Orchestra

Celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2018, 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 over 5,000 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 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 20 million visitors. Each 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 just north of Akron, Ohio, 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.