The Cleveland Orchestra's 2020-21 Digital Concert Series IN FOCUS Concludes This June

Today, The Cleveland Orchestra announced its June broadcast schedule for The Cleveland Orchestra: In Focus digital concert series. Two episodes, premiering on June 3 and 17, will conclude the first season of In Focus broadcasts, available for on-demand viewing throughout the summer. This new online concert series was launched in October 2020, sharing newly recorded Cleveland Orchestra performances with audiences in Ohio and around the world during the Covid-19 pandemic. Captured live at Severance Hall, the first season features a total of 15 episodes, which are available exclusively for current subscribers and donors at no additional charge, or for premium members through the Orchestra's online digital streaming service: Adella.live or via the Adella app.

The closing two episodes of the inaugural season of In Focus showcase performances led by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst and associate conductor Vinay Parameswaran, along with a duet performed by the Orchestra's principal trumpet, Michael Sachs, and renowned harpist Yolanda Kondonassis. In the episode premiering on June 3, Celestial Serenades, the two play the world premiere of a new version of Aaron Jay Kernis's Elegy . . . for those we lost, created especially for Sachs and Kondonassis. Rounding out that June 3 program, Parameswaran conducts works for string orchestra by Kernis and Josef Suk. For the closing digital concert, Dance & Drama, premiering on June 17, Welser-Möst leads works by Edvard Grieg and Erich Korngold. Complete details of the programs for the June episodes are included in the Calendar and Program Listing section below. For more information about Season One of In Focus, visit clevelandorchestra.com/attend/seasons-and-series/in-focus/.

The two concerts premiering in June close out a powerful and inspiring debut season of In Focus, which across thirteen episodes (and two bonus episodes) has reached music lovers throughout Northeast Ohio and around the world, offering extraordinary music performances by The Cleveland Orchestra and celebrated guest artists. To date, videos on the Adella site and app have been viewed close to 68,000 times and more than 152,000 people have visited the site and app; people are watching from all 50 states and internationally in over 40 countries. In addition to the concert performances, each episode of In Focus includes behind-the-scenes interviews and features about the music and music making.

The Cleveland Orchestra: In Focus series will continue next season alongside the return of audiences to live concerts. The second season of In Focus is being planned to start in fall 2021, with full details to be announced later in 2021.

When the Covid-19 pandemic halted in-person audiences and live concerts in spring 2020, The Cleveland Orchestra accelerated its long-term plans for a digital broadcast series and In Focus was launched with five episodes later that fall. Each program is currently available on-demand. Music Director Franz Welser-Möst was intimately involved in reshaping and reprogramming the music for the series, traveling to Cleveland from his home in Austria for two extended periods, in the fall and again in the spring, leading ten performances of the inaugural season's fifteen programs. The Cleveland Orchestra partnered with the Cleveland Clinic throughout the season and video-recording process to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved onstage. In addition to guest collaborators (including pianists Emanuel Ax and Yefim Bronfman, organist Paul Jacobs, and nine Cleveland Orchestra principal players), the inaugural season featured two solo recital bonus episodes, created by pianist Mitsuko Uchida and cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

Adella is The Cleveland Orchestra's digital streaming service. Premiering in October 2020, the Adella app and digital offering is named after the Orchestra's founder, Adella Prentiss Hughes. Adella is free to download and access, and includes free content from the Orchestra's Archives, On a Personal Note podcast, and other performance highlights. For more information, visit clevelandorchestra.com/attend/adella/ and adella.live/.

To view premium content, such as the Orchestra's new In Focus concert series, guests will need access to Adella Premium. This service can be purchased for $34.99/month. Adella Premium is also automatically available to all Cleveland Orchestra subscribers (including Members Club, The Circle, and Frequent Fan Card holders) and donors who contribute more than $300 annually. Those interested in purchasing a subscription or membership can contact the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office by phone at 216-231-1111, e-mail boxoffice@clevelandorchestra.com, or at clevelandorchestra.com

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