Perspectivesfrom the Executive Director Autumn 2012 Welcome to the new season — Franz Welser-Möst’s eleventh year as music director. The months ahead promise exciting music and creative innovation, alongside our continuing dedication to artistic excellence and community service. The Cleveland Orchestra and Franz have just returned from this summer’s European Festivals tour. Once again, their performances were lauded and applauded from Scotland to Salzburg and from Lucerne to Linz. Many music critics, in the midst of praising the Orchestra’s overall artistry, focused on the extraordinary string section — including this quote from Südwest Presse: “This string section can clearly do anything perfectly, and Welser-Möst was able to demonstrate that fact with brio.” Additional excerpts of reviews from the European Festivals tour can be found on page 25 of this program book. The Cleveland Orchestra is devoted to nourishing hearts and minds — through musical performances and education programs. We are devoted to economic vitality — as Ohio’s most visible international ambassador, proudly carrying the name of our great city everywhere we go. And we are devoted to community service. The Orchestra is in the midst of a renaissance of spirit, as we commit ourselves to being ever more relevant to our hometown in a modern and changing world. Over the summer, we announced a series of new and innovative programs for the coming season. These include the Orchestra’s first fully staged performances of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, presented with The Joffrey Ballet the week after Thanksgiving at PlayhouseSquare. We’re also continuing our return to the public schools, with a fourth year of performances at area high schools. And we’re introducing the expansion of “Under 18s Free” to select concert series here at Severance Hall. Next spring, we continue our collaborative partnership performing at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and we launch the Orchestra’s first Neighborhood Residency in Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District. Details of these and other programs can be found beginning on page 26 of this program book. We owe a debt of gratitude to the generous donors and sponsors who are funding these new activities alongside our core programming. And we invite you, our loyal friends, to consider your own investment in the continuation of these initiatives. Please be counted among the many who ensure the success of this great orchestra, through your participation and financial support.
Gary Hanson P.S. Included in this fall’s elections is an operating levy for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Promoted as the “Right Plan, Right Now,” the success of this funding initiative for education will make a critical difference for Northeast Ohio’s future — and I urge everyone to learn more, to volunteer, and to support the campaign by visiting www.rightplanrightnow.com. Severance Hall 2012-13
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