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The Cleveland Orchestra announces 2026–27 season honoring Music Director Franz Welser-Möst’s 25-year legacy  Photo credits: Julian DubĂ© (left) and Yevhen Gulenko (right) Final season celebrates repertoire, artistry, and vision that define Welser-Möst’s tenure Opera Die Frau ohne Schatten crowns the 2027 Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival Highlights include major European tour, Carnegie Hall return, and Miami Residency anniversary CLEVELAND— The Cleveland Orchestra is proud to announce its 2026–27 season at Severance Music Center, celebrating the 25th and final year of its partnership with Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. The longest-serving Music Director in the Orchestra’s history, Welser-Möst closes his tenure with a season that captures his unmistakable musical voice, visionary artistry, and enduring impact on the ensemble’s sound and spirit. The next season reflects a sense of renewed tradition, bringing together the works, composers, and musical ideals that have defined Welser-Möst’s relationship with The Cleveland Orchestra. Throughout the year, audiences will encounter music that has been central to the ensemble’s artistic identity — masterworks by Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, and Richard Strauss — alongside rediscoveries, commissions, and works with deep ties to Cleveland’s musical history. These programs highlight the clarity, depth, and range that have become hallmarks of the Orchestra’s sound under Welser-Möst, while reaffirming the culture that will continue to shape it well into the future. “After being here for so long, the Orchestra is like my family. Over 25 years of partnership, there’s a mutual respect and understanding, and a tremendous amount of trust that underscores our music making. I never expected to be Music Director for 25 years, and it’s difficult to imagine what comes next. But I think an institution needs fresh input, and the time is right,” said Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, The Kelvin Smith Family Chair. Welser-Möst’s final season extends far beyond Severance Music Center, underscoring the ensemble’s national and international standing. In October 2026, he leads the Orchestra on its 81st international tour, with 15 concerts in nine European countries. In January 2027, Welser-Möst conducts two concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Later that month, the Orchestra celebrates the 20th year of its Miami Residency and its continued collaboration with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.  To honor the extraordinary legacy of Welser-Möst, The Cleveland Orchestra will present a series of special tributes throughout the year, celebrating his artistic influence and lasting contributions. Central among these is the release of a commemorative vinyl box set, offering a curated retrospective of recordings that capture the range, precision, and depth of Welser-Möst’s work in Cleveland. Further details about this recording project will be announced later in the spring. The season will also feature a gala concert called Symphony of Gratitude, bringing together musicians, collaborators, and audiences to celebrate this remarkable 25-year partnership. Together, these initiatives provide a meaningful reflection on Welser-Möst’s enduring impact while marking the close of a defining era in the Orchestra’s history. “The 2026–27 season is both a celebration and a reflection on Franz Welser-Möst’s remarkable tenure at The Cleveland Orchestra,” said AndrĂ© Gremillet, Cleveland Orchestra President & CEO, The Richard K. Smucker Chair. “He has made history both as the longest serving Music Director, but more importantly, for the impact his leadership has had and will continue to have for a long time through the brilliant musicians he appointed. We will forever be grateful for his dedication, tireless energy, and the extraordinary accomplishments he has made possible for The Cleveland Orchestra. On a more personal level, I feel very fortunate to have had such a great partner at the helm and look forward to welcoming him back for many years to come.” Welser-Möst made his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra as a guest conductor in February 1993 and was invited back every season beginning in 1995. In 2000, he was announced as the Orchestra’s seventh Music Director, succeeding Christoph von Dohnányi, who led the ensemble from 1984 to 2002. Welser-Möst began his tenure with the 2002–03 season, launching what has become a long-standing and deeply influential artistic partnership.  “We are not a showy orchestra. We are there to play music, to serve the genius composers at the highest possible level. That’s it. Nothing else. This Orchestra is great because of the community, not because of its music directors. The community here in Cleveland is so unique and so special, and they deserve that we give our best,” Welser-Möst said. By the end of the 2026–27 season, he will have led the Orchestra in more than 1,200 performances in 15 U.S. states and 93 cities across 26 countries, shaping its global presence and identity. Over a quarter of a century, Welser-Möst has also built a record of identifying and championing some of the world’s most promising composers, with these creative collaborations resulting in 47 commissions and co-commissions. Since 2002, he has appointed 56 of the Orchestra’s 99 current musicians, helping to define the ensemble’s sound for a new generation. As The New York Times wrote, “The winters pass, the summers bloom, and still this ensemble maintains its reputation as one of the finest in America.” The sentiment reflects the defining voice and worldwide reputation that Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra have cultivated, qualities celebrated throughout the 2026–27 season. Welser-Möst Conducts Franz Welser-Möst launches his last season as Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra on September 17 and 20 at Severance Music Center with two pieces of retrospection. As one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the music of Richard Strauss, he explores the composer’s contemplative depths in the Four Last Songs with frequent collaborator, soprano Golda Schultz. The piece is paired with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8, an emotional work that navigates despair and resilience. On September 24 and 26, Welser-Möst opens the program with Orpheus, Liszt’s symphonic poem inspired by the mythic Greek musician. He then turns to Martinů’s Symphony No. 2, a work with a special place in Cleveland Orchestra history: it was commissioned by a group of Czech Clevelanders and received its world premiere with The Cleveland Orchestra in 1943. With its chamber-like warmth, the symphony highlights the precision that helps define Welser-Möst’s partnership with the Orchestra. The program concludes with the radiant lyricism of Brahms’s Symphony No. 2, bringing the evening to a bright and expansive close. Welser-Möst continues his examination of rarely heard pieces on January 14 and 16 with Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, a work the Orchestra has not performed in more than 20 years. Joined by The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus under the direction of Lisa Wong and an impressive roster of soloists, the work integrates Gregorian chant, Baroque quotations, and Beethoven’s forward-looking late style. Welser-Möst leads the Orchestra in a program devoted to the richly expressive world of Richard Strauss on January 15. Two orchestral selections from the composer’s late opera Daphne pair with Metamorphosen, dedicated to the devastation of World War II. The evening concludes with Symphonia domestica, an autobiographical tone poem that takes listeners through the Strauss family home. As his final stretch of concerts as Music Director begins, Welser-Möst turns to Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 on April 29, May 1, and 2. Few composers have resonated more deeply with Welser-Möst throughout his career than Mahler, whose music confronts life’s fragility while searching for transcendence and meaning. From the massive opening movement to the sublimely slow finale, the Ninth Symphony is a poignant farewell. Concerts on May 6 and 7 are steeped in myth and storytelling. For the second time this season, Welser-Möst conducts a work inspired by the ancient Greek legend of Orpheus. Stravinsky’s version tells of the hero’s journey to the underworld and back with beauty and restraint. The program continues with Sibelius’s Four Legends from the Kalevala, a vivid retelling of Finland’s national epic featuring a haunting second movement evoking the mythical Swan of Tuonela. 2027 Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival Franz Welser-Möst has made staged and in-concert opera a defining annual tradition at Severance Music Center, pairing celebrated singers and emerging artists with inventive stagings and the Orchestra’s signature musical refinement. Acclaimed productions of Dvořák’s Rusalka, Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, and Verdi’s Otello culminated in the launch of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival. Starting in 2023 with Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West, this yearly festival puts opera at the center of broader cultural exploration through a series of concerts and conversations in collaboration with community partners. Since then, Welser-Möst has conducted The Cleveland Orchestra in four fully staged and sold-out performances of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, directed by puppeteer and theater artist Nikolaus Habjan. Last year, he turned to the searing drama of JenĹŻfa with sopranos Latonia Moore and Nina Stemme, bringing two of today’s most compelling voices to one of Janáček’s most emotionally powerful works. Welser-Möst marks the fifth year of the Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival with Richard Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten on May 16, 19, and 22. Staged by director Frederic Wake-Walker, it features an incredible cast of vocalists, including tenor David Butt Philip as the Emperor, soprano Sara Jakubiak as the Empress, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano as the Nurse, baritone Roman Burdenko as Barak, and soprano Ambur Braid as the Dyer’s Wife, alongside The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, led by Director of Choruses Lisa Wong. Widely regarded as one of Strauss’s most ambitious and beautiful works, the opera serves as a fitting capstone to Welser-Möst’s long commitment to bringing large-scale operatic storytelling to Cleveland. The 2027 performances of Die Frau ohne Schatten not only crown the Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival but also stand as a testament to the artistic legacy Welser-Möst leaves behind. Signature Welser-Möst Franz Welser-Möst closes the 2026–27 season with three concerts that capture the artistic voice he developed with The Cleveland Orchestra, programs that feel unmistakably his in scope, spirit, and tradition. On May 27, Welser-Möst, The Cleveland Orchestra, and The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus return to Haydn’s radiant oratorio The Creation, the first piece he conducted as Music Director during his inaugural season. The performance reunites Welser-Möst with frequent collaborators soprano JoĂ©lle Harvey and baritone Ludwig Mittelhammer, alongside tenor Kai Kluge, who makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut earlier that week in Die Frau ohne Schatten. A choral masterpiece celebrating light and renewal, The Creation is an appropriate work to celebrate Welser-Möst’s relationship with The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. The May 28 concert pairs contemporary music with wide-ranging orchestral storytelling. Composer Bernd Richard Deutsch’s Intensity, commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra as part of his time as the Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellow, reflects Welser-Möst’s ongoing dedication to championing new music. Eastman’s Symphony No. 2, first performed by the Orchestra in 2023 and later released as a recording in 2025, returns as a powerful example of the Orchestra’s expanding repertoire. The evening concludes with Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony, a vivid work that Welser-Möst and the Orchestra first performed together in 2004 and most recently in 2015. The season’s final concert on May 29 is an evening that feels distinctly personal to Welser-Möst, celebrating the Viennese musical traditions that have long shaped his artistic identity. The evening opens with Schubert’s Overture to Rosamunde, followed by a series of spirited dances and waltzes by Lanner and the Strauss family, including Johann Strauss, Jr.’s overtures to Der lustige Krieg and Die Göttin der Vernunft and Josef Strauss’s Friedenspalmen Walzer and Angelica-Polka. The world premiere of Stephan Koncz’s Czardas, commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra, adds a contemporary touch to the evening. Rooted in the music of Vienna, yet shared with Cleveland audiences for 25 years, this program offers a fitting and festive farewell. Extraordinary Guest Conductors The 2026–27 season at Severance Music Center also features an exceptional roster of guest conductors leading The Cleveland Orchestra in programs that span core symphonic repertoire, hidden gems, and contemporary premieres. Conductor Petr Popelka opens two weeks of appearances on October 30, 31, and November 1 with a striking pairing of Haydn’s dramatic Symphony No. 80 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, a monumental work that moves from a somber funeral march to the radiant Adagietto and triumphant finale. Then on November 5, 7, and 8, Popelka conducts the Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus in the deeply moving Ein deutsches Requiem, n contemplative work written as Brahms grieved the death of his mother. It’s preceded by the world premiere of Distant Lands: Concerto for Oboe by Adolphus Hailstork, a Cleveland Orchestra commission featuring Principal Oboe Frank Rosenwein. Baroque specialist Jane Glover returns for the first time since 2022 to lead a program inspired by royal pageantry on November 12, 14, and 15. It’s framed by two works from Handel: two of his Water Music suites and Music for the Royal Fireworks, both commissioned by British monarchs. In between is Britten’s shimmering song cycle Les Illuminations with soprano Julia Bullock in her Cleveland Orchestra debut, and the Cleveland Orchestra premiere of Stacy Garrop’s Spectacle of Light, which draws inspiration from an etching of a 1749 fireworks display in honor of King George II, the same event for which Handel wrote his Music for the Royal Fireworks. On November 19, 20, 21, and 22, conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali is back at Severance Music Center for the first of two appearances this season. He leads saxophonist Steven Banks in the Cleveland Orchestra premiere of Billy Childs’s Diaspora: Concerto for Saxophone, blending classical and jazz influences while reflecting on the global African diaspora. The program concludes with Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, the composer’s expansive portrait of a hero’s life. Conductor Elim Chan takes the podium November 27, 28, and 29 for a program highlighting storytelling and fairy tales. The concerts open with the Cleveland Orchestra premiere of Gubaidulina’s imaginative Fairytale Poem. Violinist Veronika Eberle then performs Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, one of the most beloved works in the instrument’s repertoire. It culminates with a sweeping orchestral suite from Tchaikovsky’s enchanting ballet Swan Lake. December 3, 4, and 5 bring conductor Alan Gilbert and violinist Augustin Hadelich together for concerts centered around BartĂłk’s Violin Concerto No. 2, a dazzling and demanding work with folk-inspired melodies. It’s slotted between the Cleveland Orchestra premiere of Dalit Warshaw’s 2013 piece Responses and Debussy’s atmospheric orchestral triptych Images. Composer Thomas Adès leads the Orchestra February 4, 5, 6, and 7 in a cosmic program concluding with Holst’s beloved The Planets, performed with members of The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. The program also includes Adès’s own Inferno Suite, drawn from his ballet inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, and the U.S. premiere of Spanish composer Francisco Coll’s Lilith, which he describes as “a ballet without choreography.” Conductor Kazuki Yamada, who makes two appearances with The Cleveland Orchestra this summer, leads an all-Tchaikovsky program on February 11, 12, 13, and 14 featuring pianist Beatrice Rana. She performs Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, one of the most iconic concertos in the repertoire, followed by the composer’s emotionally charged “PathĂ©tique” Symphony, his final symphonic statement. On February 18 and 20, conductor Fabio Luisi teams up with violinist Paul Huang for Barber’s Violin Concerto, a work renowned for its lyricism and breathtaking finale. It’s paired with Bent Sørensen’s Evening Land, based on the composer’s memory of looking out the window of his childhood home, and Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4, nicknamed “The Inextinguishable,” which builds towards a duel between two sets of timpani. Rouvali returns February 25, 26, and 27 with pianist Seong-Jin Cho, performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1, a work that showcases the pianist’s lyrical brilliance and poetic style. The concerts conclude with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15, the composer’s enigmatic final symphony. Conductor Semyon Bychkov, following two concerts with the Orchestra over the summer, returns to Severance Music Center on March 4, 5, 6, and 7. He conducts pianist Alexandre Kantorow in Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a dazzling set of variations that range from playful virtuosity to sweeping lyricism. The program is framed by Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, a brilliant work of color and character, and Elgar’s Enigma Variations, a warmly expressive set of musical portraits that reveal the personalities of the composer’s closest friends. Composer Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Orchestra on April 15, 17, and 18 in a program highlighting both contemporary and Romantic repertoire. Salonen opens the concerts with his own atmospheric work NYX before pianist Yunchan Lim, who made his Cleveland Orchestra debut in 2024, performs Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2, a virtuosic piece shaped as a continuous musical transformation. The program concludes with a suite from Berlioz’s RomĂ©o et Juliette, drawn from the composer’s symphony inspired by Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. The season’s guest conductor lineup concludes April 22, 23, and 24, with composer and conductor John Adams on the podium. The program opens with the wit and flair of Weill’s Suite from The Threepenny Opera, followed by Copland’s jazz-inspired Piano Concerto with pianist Conrad Tao. Adams also leads Harris’s Symphony No. 3, a sweeping and deeply expressive cornerstone of the American symphonic tradition, before closing with his own work Slonimsky’s Earbox, a spirited tribute to the 20th-century conductor and musicologist Nicolas Slonimsky. The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus turns 75 The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus marks its 75th anniversary season with a special concert on October 24, celebrating the all-volunteer ensemble’s rich legacy and vibrant future. Director of Choruses Lisa Wong opens the program with John Corigliano’s Fern Hill, based on Dylan Thomas’s bright yet melancholy poem of the same name.  The evening continues with Grammy Award–winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre leading the U.S. premiere of his Eternity in an Hour, an expansive, hour-long mediation on the first four lines of William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence. Co-commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra Choruses alongside international partners, and unveiled at the BBC Proms in September 2024, Whitacre’s work transforms Blake’s timeless lines into a sweeping choral experience, contemplating the infinite within the intimate. Family Concert Series Family Concerts remain a cornerstone of The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2026–27 season, inviting young listeners ages 7 to 12 and their families to experience the joy of live music through engaging, educational programs in Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center. Each concert is designed to spark curiosity and imagination, pairing dynamic performances with interactive pre-concert activities that begin one hour prior.    The series opens on October 25 with the Halloween Spooktacular, featuring the Baldwin Wallace Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Douglas Droste. With both a sensory-friendly performance at 1 p.m. and a traditional family concert at 4 p.m., the program blends spooky favorites with festive fun, encouraging audiences to arrive in costume and take part in a lively celebration of the season.    The Cleveland Orchestra, led by Assistant Conductor Taichi Fukumura, presents The Snowman in Concert on January 10 at 3 p.m. The Orchestra accompanies the Oscar-nominated film adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s beloved classic, following James and his snowman on a magical journey through wintery skies.   The Orchestra and Fukumura conclude the series with The Magical World of Music on April 9 at 7:30 p.m. and the sensory-friendly option on April 10 at 11:30 a.m. This captivating program introduces young audiences to a range of musical storytelling, from the familiar enchantment of the Harry Potter film series scores to Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King.  Subscription and Ticket Information for 2026–27 Subscriptions for the 2026–27 Severance Classical Season are now on sale and start at only $96 for a three-concert Friday evening package. Subscribers receive priority seating, ticket exchange privileges, and other benefits, including savings of up to 40 percent off individual ticket prices.  Individual tickets go on sale on August 4, 2026. For more information about the variety of subscription packages offered, or for other questions, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at 216-231-1111 or visit clevelandorchestra.com. Tickets for the Family Concert Series go on sale this fall.   The Cleveland Orchestra Members Club, the fastest-growing subscription program, will continue for the 2026–27 season. The Members Club is designed to offer ultimate flexibility and value for patrons who want to experience more Cleveland Orchestra concerts year-round at both Severance Music Center and the Blossom Music Festival. In exchange for a monthly membership fee of $29 (billed automatically), members can reserve a single, $10 ticket for more than 100 performances per year. For more information about the Members Club, please visit clevelandorchestra.com/tickets/subscriptions-and-memberships The Cleveland Orchestra on Tour2026 European Tour The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst embark on a European tour this October, visiting nine countries and 13 distinguished venues. The tour honors the Orchestra’s enduring international presence and celebrates its long-standing artistic partnership with Welser-Möst, who first led the ensemble on a European tour in 2003.   Across 15 concerts, the Orchestra presents programs that span both classical masterpieces and hidden gems. Audiences will variously experience the glow of Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs with soprano Golda Schultz, the intensity of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8, the elegance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 34, the mythic drama of Liszt’s Orpheus, and the grandeur of Brahms’s Symphony No. 2. Strauss’s Symphonia domestica offers a vivid, intimate portrait of domesticity, while his Introduction and Finale to Daphne radiates light and hope. Select programs also honor Cleveland history with Martinů’s Symphony No. 2, a work commissioned by Czech Clevelanders and premiered by The Cleveland Orchestra in 1943. Schultz, who first appeared with Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra in 2018, brings her luminous voice to Strauss’s Four Last Songs in Hamburg, Dortmund, Luxembourg, Paris, and Brussels. The tour also highlights Welser-Möst’s dedication to contemporary music with Intensity, a work by Austrian composer Bernd Richard Deutsch commissioned for The Cleveland Orchestra during his tenure as Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellow from 2018 to 2020. Premiered at Severance Music Center in 2022, Intensity is performed in Hamburg, Linz, and Vienna’s Konzerthaus, paired with cornerstone repertoire to reflect the Orchestra’s commitment to both innovation and tradition. The European itinerary revisits stages that have shaped Welser-Möst’s career while reaching new audiences. The tour opens at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie on October 2 with Strauss’s Four Last Songs and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8, followed on October 3 by Mozart’s Symphony No. 34, Deutsch’s Intensity, and Strauss’s Symphonia domestica. Dortmund’s Konzerthaus hosts the Orchestra on October 4 with Liszt’s Orpheus, Strauss’s Four Last Songs, and Brahms’s Symphony No. 2. Luxembourg’s Philharmonie on October 5 features two Strauss works, and Paris’s Philharmonie on October 6 revisits the Four Last Songs with Shostakovich. Brussels’s Palais des Beaux-Arts on October 8 presents Liszt, Strauss, and Brahms. The Orchestra performs in Bratislava on October 10, only its third visit since 1965, with Liszt, MartinĹŻ, and Brahms. Linz’s Brucknerhaus hosts Mozart, Deutsch, and Strauss on October 11. Budapest’s National Concert Hall on October 13 marks the Orchestra’s first performance in Hungary since 2005, performing Liszt, MartinĹŻ, and Brahms. Vienna’s Musikverein, a venue of special significance to Welser-Möst, features Liszt, MartinĹŻ, and Brahms on October 15, and Strauss’s Introduction and Finale to Daphne paired with Shostakovich on October 16. The Vienna Konzerthaus on October 17 highlights Mozart, Deutsch, and Strauss’s Symphonia domestica. The tour continues with the Orchestra’s debut in Slovenia at the Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana on October 18, performing Liszt, Mozart, and Strauss’s Symphonia domestica. It concludes with the Orchestra’s first concerts in Greece at Thessaloniki Concert Hall on October 20 featuring Strauss and Shostakovich, and at the Megaron in Athens on October 21 with Liszt, MartinĹŻ, and Brahms. From cherished stages to first-time venues, this European tour serves as a poignant farewell to Welser-Möst’s transformative leadership. 2027 Carnegie Hall The Cleveland Orchestra returns to Carnegie Hall in 2027, extending its national presence during this milestone season and celebrating Franz Welser-Möst’s legacy on one of the world’s most storied stages. The two-night engagement opens on January 19 with a performance of Missa solemnis, Beethoven’s rarely performed masterpiece. The Orchestra is joined by soprano Golda Schultz, mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven, tenor Julian PrĂ©gardien, and bass Anthony Robin Schneider, along with The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, prepared by Director of Choruses Lisa Wong. The following evening turns to the richly expressive world of Richard Strauss, with a program featuring the Introduction and Finale from Daphne alongside Metamorphosen and Symphonia domestica, works that showcase the Orchestra’s renowned precision and depth of sound.  2027 South Florida Residency The 2026–27 season celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Miami Residency, commemorating two decades of vibrant partnership with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. As South Florida’s dynamic and flourishing cultural scene continues to grow, the residency remains a cornerstone of The Cleveland Orchestra’s commitment to sharing world-class music with new and diverse audiences. On January 23, Franz Welser-Möst leads a program that pairs Beethoven’s dramatic Leonore Overture No. 3 and Symphony No. 5 with the reflective richness of Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen. A week later, on January 30, he explores Schubert’s lyrical Symphony No. 6 alongside a sparkling selection of waltzes, polkas, and overtures by Johann Strauss, Jr. and Josef Strauss. March presents three more concerts and expanded programming to The Cleveland Orchestra’s Miami Residency. On March 12, the Orchestra brings the unforgettable music of John Williams from the silver screen to the concert stage. Audiences will be swept up in the soaring heroism of Superman and Star Wars, the adventurous spirit of Indiana Jones, the wonder of Jurassic Park, the gripping suspense of Jaws, and more from one of cinema’s most celebrated composers. Under the direction of Semyon Bychkov, pianist Alexandre Kantorow takes center stage on March 13 in Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, an inventive sequence of variations that shifts between wit and romance. The evening begins with Britten’s imaginative The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and concludes with Elgar’s Enigma Variations, a musical tribute inspired by the composer’s circle of friends. StĂ©phane Denève conducts a program on March 20 featuring violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider in Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, alongside orchestral portraits of Rome in Respighi’s Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome. This concert also celebrates the Orchestra’s ongoing collaboration with New World Symphony, as fellows perform side-by-side with Cleveland musicians for the fifth consecutive year. The Cleveland Orchestra’s South Florida Residency extends beyond Miami with performances led by Welser-Möst at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach on January 24, The Community Church of Vero Beach on January 25, Artis–Naples on January 26 and January 31, and Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando on January 27. Bychkov conducts Kantorow and the Orchestra at Van Wezel Performing Arts Center in Sarasota on March 14. Streaming on Adella  Adella.live, the digital home of The Cleveland Orchestra, continues to offer new concerts, livestreams, recordings, educational content, and behind-the-scenes interviews throughout the 2026–27 season. Named after the Orchestra’s founder, Adella Prentiss Hughes, the service is home to a growing library of performances, recordings, and historical videos. Adella Premium is available for $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year. Season subscribers get special access for $79.99 a year. |
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