The Cleveland Orchestra, which was founded in 1918 by local citizens, has operated under the artistic leadership of Franz Welser-Möst since 2002 and makes its home in Cleveland’s famous Severance Hall. The ensemble’s first music director was the Russian-American conductor Nikolai Sokoloff, who held that position for 15 years, followed by Artur Rodzinski (1933–43) and Erich Leinsdorf (1943–46). For nearly a quarter century, until 1970, George Szell served as leader. Ever since that era “the Clevelanders” have been considered the “most European” of American orchestras and, simply put, one of the best worldwide. The Orchestra grew larger during this period and expanded its offerings with an annual summer season at the Blossom Music Center to the south of the city; it also began touring internationally and founded its own vocal ensemble, the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. After Szell’s death in 1970, Pierre Boulez steered the ensemble’s course until Lorin Maazel took over as the new music director in the 1972-73 season. In 1984 Christoph von Dohnányi became music director. He was in charge of the Orchestra for 18 years and was named music director laureate after his departure. Under Franz Welser-Möst, the Cleveland Orchestra has extended its range of activities to include various residencies, among them an annual winter visit to the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami and regular appearances at the Vienna Musikverein, at Carnegie Hall in New York, and at LUCERNE FESTIVAL. A significant emphasis is given to the “Education Program” and the “Community Music Initiative,” which have benefited more than four million children to date. Additionally, commissions are regularly awarded to contemporary composers, including, most recently, Julian Anderson, Susan Botti, Marc-André Dalbavie, Matthias Pintscher, Johannes Maria Staud, and Jörg Widmann.
LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF) debut on August 28, 1967 in works by Berlioz, Mozart, and Sibelius, under the leadership of George Szell.
5 July, 2010