The Cleveland Orchestra Partners With Mezu To Launch A New Wave Of Mobile Philanthropy

The Cleveland Orchestra is partnering with Cleveland's own money app, Mezu, to engage a new wave of philanthropic giving and to empower everyone who loves the Orchestra to give instantly through their mobile phones. Concertgoers can donate to the Orchestra using the Mezu DropCode CLEORCH during the Orchestra's 100th birthday celebration at the Star-Spangled Spectacular, a free concert held in downtown Cleveland on July 6, brought to you by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and sponsored by KeyBank. The Orchestra is encouraging the community to use Mezu to 'Support a Concert for Every Kid in Cleveland." To support this cause, concertgoers and supporters of the Orchestra can:

1. Download the free Mezu app to automatically get $5 in their account.

2. Donate using DropCode CLEORCH.

All of the money raised by The Cleveland Orchestra using the Mezu app will support education and community programs, which reach approximately 60,000 each year.

Mezu launched nationally on June 13 and offers individuals and organizations a seamless way to replace cash in the growing digital world. The app allows people to give and get money privately without sharing any personal information and to make quick, seamless micro-donations to their favorite charities and cultural institutions using their location-based DropCode. Mezu already has an established partnership with LA Pride and was the sole fundraising tool at their LA Pride Parade and Festival that took place earlier in June.

The Cleveland-founded company has created waves in the digital payment world because of its ability to create a virtual cashbox for not-for-profits looking to capture the next generation of donors. A recent study by Blackbaud revealed that 84% of Millennials give to charitable organizations, while only 72% of Baby Boomers and 59% of Generation X do the same. Because younger generations are more prone to micro-donations, Mezu allows anyone, especially millennials, to give in the moment and become better connected to the larger philanthropic community.

The Cleveland Orchestra has a longstanding commitment to engaging new generations of audiences, and this partnership with Mezu expands that to philanthropic giving. Through programs of the Center for Future Audiences (created with a lead endowment gift from the Maltz Family Foundation), over 20% of the Orchestra's classical concert audience is now made up of patrons 25-years-old and under, up from 8% prior to the expansion of programs made possible by the Center's funding in 2010. For more information on the Center, visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/support-and-volunteers/center-for-future-audiences/.

Star-Spangled Spectacular

The Cleveland Orchestra's 29th annual, FREE community concert in downtown Cleveland will take place rain or shine on Friday, July 6 at 9:00 p.m. This year's Star-Spangled Spectacular brought to you by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and sponsored by KeyBank will be held on the spacious Mall B, located at 300 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, between the Global Center for Health Innovation and Cleveland Public Auditorium. The concert will be conducted by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. In addition to celebrating our nation's birthday, this year's concert celebrates The Cleveland Orchestra's 100th anniversary, concludes the Orchestra's special Around the Region Celebration, and thanks the Northeast Ohio community for a century of support.

As part of an ongoing commitment to partnering with ideastream to provide greater access to music and culture for the citizens of Cuyahoga County and beyond, the Star-Spangled Spectacular will be live video streamed on clevelandorchestra.com and ideastream.org, and the concert will be broadcast live by radio on 90.3 WCPN and WCLV Classical 104.9 ideastream.

Representatives from Mezu will be on-hand before the concert, from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., to help attendees download the Mezu app, get their free $5 to contribute to The Cleveland Orchestra, and give using dropcode CLEORCH.

More information about the concert, pre-concert activities, sponsors, and partners can be found at this link: https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/18-blossom--summer/2018-summer-on-the-road/2018-07-06-downtown-100/?performanceNumber=22906

About Mezu

Mezu is a mobile payment app that gives you a private and secure way to give and get money without sharing your personal information. Just like cash, with Mezu, you can conveniently pay, tip, earn, and donate safely and for free. Because Mezu believes that what you do with your money is your business. Mezu is a now available on iOS and Android in the United States. Sign up and learn more: https://www.mezu.com.

About The Cleveland Orchestra's Education and Community Engagement

The Cleveland Orchestra's commitment to education and community service is as old as the Orchestra itself and has never been more important. Franz Welser-M?st leads the Orchestra into its second century with a renewed commitment to music education and community engagement, based on his belief that every child should experience music, that the arts are critical to a well-rounded education, and that learning is a lifelong pursuit and journey. The Cleveland Orchestra has introduced more than 4 million young people to symphonic music through live concert experiences and performances over the past ten decades. Today, with the support of many generous individual, foundation, corporate, and governmental funding partners, the Orchestra's educational and community programs reach more than 60,000 young people and adults annually, helping to foster a love of music for a lifetime.