The Cleveland Orchestra Adds Seven Events for Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival

The Cleveland Orchestra announced the addition of seven new events to the third edition of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival, which will take place at Severance Music Center and partner locations throughout Cleveland from May 16 to 25, 2025. 

Legendary Cuban pianist and composer Chucho Valdés brings his signature blend of Afro-Cuban jazz, classical, and rock to Severance Music Center on Sunday, May 18. Performing with his acclaimed Royal Quartet, Valdés showcases the electrifying artistry that has defined his six-decade career. This special concert, presented in partnership with Cuyahoga Community College and Tri-C JazzFest, promises an unforgettable evening of music that transcends borders, celebrates cultural heritage, and inspires connection. 

From April 24 until May 25, Severance Music Center concert attendees are invited to explore  Re-membering Community, a free exhibition showcasing the work of six Cleveland-based artists and exploring themes of reconciliation and connection. Featuring sculptures, paintings, photography, and multimedia works by Antwoine Washington, Woodrow Nash, Oliver Frontini, Rhonda Brown, Amanda D. King, and Ryan Harris, the exhibition highlights the power of art to bridge divides, foster dialogue, and shape a more inclusive future. 

On Friday, May 16, the festival hosts a morning of dialogue on immigration, reconciliation, and their impact on Cleveland. Featuring discussions curated by Global Cleveland and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, along with a musical interlude by Cleveland Orchestra musicians, this two-part symposium explores Cleveland’s immigrant history and contributions, as well as reconciliation through the lens of international peace processes. 

The Cinematheque at Cleveland Institute of Art presents a special screening of The Royal Tenenbaums in memory of Gene Hackman on Saturday, May 17. Wes Anderson’s poignant comedy-drama explores family, forgiveness, and redemption through Hackman’s unforgettable portrayal of the flawed yet striving patriarch. 

On Tuesday, May 20, experts from the Cleveland Museum of Art and the National Museum of Cambodia discuss their ongoing collaboration to preserve and share Cambodia’s cultural heritage. Through art transfers, exhibitions, and training programs, the partnership fosters reconciliation and deepens global appreciation for historical Cambodian art. This conversation offers insight into the role museums play in restoring cultural connections and shaping the future of heritage preservation.  

Later that day, the Sound of Ideas Community Tour presents a conversation on re-entry and reconciliation. Hosted at the Cleveland Public Library’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch, this free event explores the challenges facing formerly incarcerated individuals and their path to reintegration into society. 

On May 22, The City Club of Cleveland hosts a special forum on patrimony and provenance regarding art, artifacts, relics, and remains. Featuring Smithsonian museum leadership, the event examines how cultural institutions are confronting historical injustices, navigating repatriation, and fostering reconciliation with communities. 

The newly added events complement previously announced programming: The Moth Mainstage: Live from Severance, United in Song! A Community Choral Celebration, three concert performances of Leoš Janáček’s opera Jenůfa, Opera Curious? The World of Jenůfa, The Women of Chicago’s Black Renaissance with pianist Michelle Cann, and the festival’s two orchestra concerts, Vox Humana. 

Tickets for all 2025 Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival events are now available. For more information, visit clevelandorchestra.com/festival, or call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at 216-231-1111. 

About the Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival 

Expanding on the success of The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst’s tradition of innovative opera presentations, the Orchestra launched the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival in May 2023.  

The 2025 installment, centered around the theme of Reconciliation, marks the third edition of the festival, following The American Dream in 2023, featuring Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West, and Power in 2024, featuring Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The festival’s inaugural edition was praised by The New York Times as a “compelling proof of concept” and “an ambitious achievement to put an exclamation point on a rollercoaster season.” 

The festival is curated by Elena Dubinets. A highly accomplished orchestra executive and music scholar, Dubinets has been appointed artistic director of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, beginning May 2025. Since 2021, she has been artistic director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, having previously held top artistic planning positions at the Atlanta and Seattle symphony orchestras. Her latest book, Russian Composers Abroad: How They Left, Stayed, Returned, was published by Indiana University Press in 2021. Dubinets received her MA and PhD degrees from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia, lived in the US since 1996, and moved to London in 2021. 

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