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Roger Mastroianni
The Cleveland Orchestra Susanna Mälkki, conductor Felicia Moore, soprano Elizabeth DeShong, mezzo-soprano Issachah Savage, tenor Soloman Howard, bass Blossom Festival Chorus William Grant Still Mother and Child Samuel Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915 Felicia Moore, soprano Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Photo by Roger Mastroianni
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Roger Mastroianni
The Cleveland Orchestra The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers Ludwig Wicki, conductor Blossom Festival Chorus Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus Photo by Roger Mastroianni
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Roger Mastroianni
The Cleveland Orchestra Elim Chan, conductor Benjamin Grosvenor, piano Stephen Tavani, violin Overture to Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major by Franz Liszt Scheherazade, Opus 35 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Photo by Roger Mastroianni
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Roger Mastroianni
The Cleveland Orchestra Susanna Mälkki, conductor Felicia Moore, soprano Elizabeth DeShong, mezzo-soprano Issachah Savage, tenor Soloman Howard, bass Blossom Festival Chorus William Grant Still Mother and Child Samuel Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915 Felicia Moore, soprano Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Photo by Roger Mastroianni
Silver Screen Symphony
Every summer, Blossom Music Center swells with orchestral music as families dine on the lawn alfresco — framed by the natural beauty of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
“The open-air environment is so inviting,” says Michael Gandlmayr, artistic administrator for the Cleveland Orchestra. “It’s a place not only for people to experience a world-class ensemble and a world-class venue but also connect with each other and make musical memories together in a really beautiful environment.”
From a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Symphony July 13 to an evening with Tony Award-winning vocalist Leslie Odom Jr. July 21, the Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom Music Festival has something for everyone — including movie lovers. From Aug. 2 to 4, the festival screens “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” with a live orchestral score from the Cleveland Orchestra. Attendees can bring a picnic meal and wine. Plus, with the purchase of an adult ticket, two youths under 18 can attend for free.
“It’s a great entry point for people who are new to classical music because they get to experience the orchestra along with something that they’re already familiar with,” says Gandlmayr.
The orchestra is joined by the Blossom Festival Chorus, an audition-based volunteer ensemble, for some concerts.
“It’s visually one of the most spectacular things because you see close to 200 or more people onstage performing the score. This is one of the most epic stories ever told on screen,” Gandlmayr says. “It heightens that experience.”
The vocal performance includes lyrics in Elvish, fully transporting listeners to Middle Earth.
“The audience … they see how interesting and intricate these scores are,” says Gandlmayr. “They have a new appreciation for how the music being played does a lot of the storytelling.” //CG
1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls, 330-920-8040,
