August 16, 2025
ELGAR’S ENIGMA VARIATIONS
ELGAR’S ENIGMA VARIATIONS
Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 7 PM
The Cleveland Orchestra
Daniel Reith, conductor
GABRIELLA Rewilding
SMITH Co-commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra (b. 1991)
25 minutes
INTERMISSION 20 minutes
MAX BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, 30 minutes (1838–1920) Op. 44
I. Adagio ma non troppo
Variation XIV: “E.D.U.” (Finale) PRESENTED BY
II. Recitativo: Allegro moderato —
III. Finale: Allegro molto
Stephen Tavani, violin
EDWARD Enigma Variations (Variations on 30 minutes ELGAR an Original Theme), Op.36 (1857–1934) Theme: Enigma (Andante)
Variation I: “C.A.E.” (L’istesso tempo)
Variation II: “H.D.S-P.” (Allegro)
Variation III: “R.B.T.” (Allegretto)
Variation IV: “W.M.B.” (Allegro di molto)
Variation V: “R.P.A.” (Moderato)
Variation VI: “Ysobel” (Andantino)
Variation VII: “Troyte” (Presto)
Variation VIII: “W.N.” (Allegretto)
Variation IX: “Nimrod” (Moderato)
Variation X: “Dorabella” (Intermezzo: Allegretto)
Variation XI: “G.R.S.” (Allegro di molto)
Variation XII: “B.G.N.” (Andante)
Variation XIII: “***” (Romanza: Moderato)
Total approximate running time: 1 hour 45 minutes
The co-commission by Gabriella Smith is generously sponsored by Douglas and Noreen Powers
Stephen Tavani’s performance is generously sponsored by Robin Dunn Blossom and Michael Frank
Tonight’s concert is dedicated to The Honorable John Doyle Ong in recognition of his generous support of music.
Tonight’s concert is dedicated to R. Thomas and Meg Harris Stanton in recognition of their generous support of music.
INTRODUCTION
TAKE A MOMENT. LOOK AROUND YOU. See the crowd mingling, the smiles, the couples, friends, and families gathered here at Blossom. Hear the sounds surrounding you: perhaps birds in the trees, a subtle breeze, laughter, conversation.
Not only are you immersed in this scene, you are a celebrated part of it. This evening, The Cleveland Orchestra recognizes 50 years of Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP), the home of Blossom Music Center. And soon, the laughter and conversations will turn to whispers and bated breath as the Orchestra and conductor Daniel Reith — who makes his final appearance tonight as Associate Conductor — begin a concert that champions nature, music, and friendship.
Gabriella Smith ’s new work, Rewilding, opens the program, offering a meditation on natural soundscapes — and CVNP in particular. Smith’s inventive score makes use of an array of “found percussion,” including walnuts, branches, and antiphonal bicycles. As the title implies, Rewilding petitions for the restoration of our natural ecosystems and implores us to be good stewards of the earth we all share.
The program then turns to Max Bruch ’s impassioned Second Violin Concerto, performed by Assistant Concertmaster Stephen Tavani. Though less wellknown than the composer’s first essay in the genre (and performed only once before by The Cleveland Orchestra), we invite you to witness Tavani revive this music and celebrate the memory of an estimable composer.
The evening closes with one of the most iconic works to come out of the British classical repertoire: Edward Elgar ’s Enigma Variations. This theme-andvariations offers musical portraits of the people closest to the composer, a genuine tribute to friendship and camaraderie. Although Elgar never revealed the meaning of the “enigma,” his work inevitably inspires us to consider those most important in our own lives, whether or not they sit next to us tonight.
Music, nature, friendship — this, presumably, is why you have joined us this evening. So, as the Orchestra takes the stage, enjoy the beauty around you, and of course, enjoy the concert.
— Kevin Whitman
Kevin Whitman is The Cleveland Orchestra’s marketing operations manager.
Rewilding
by Gabriella Smith
BORN: December 26, 1991, in Berkeley, California
COMPOSED: 2025
WORLD PREMIERE: June 6, 2025, with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the San Francisco Symphony
Tonight’s concert marks the first Cleveland Orchestra performance of Gabriella Smith’s Rewilding, which was co-commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony and The Cleveland Orchestra.
ORCHESTRATION: 3 flutes (all doubling piccolo), 3 oboes, 3 clarinets (1st and 2nd doubling E-flat clarinet, 3rd doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, percussion (2 used bikes, metal mixing bowls, walnuts, twigs, drumsticks, tala wands, found metal objects), and strings
DURATION: about 25 minutes
FROM THE VERY FIRST SOUNDS YOU HEAR in Rewilding, the newest orchestral work by the prominent, widely admired composer Gabriella Smith, you know right away that you’re in for something extraordinary. One percussionist swirls walnuts in metal mixing bowls. A second player taps on another set of bowls and various metal objects. Two more apply wooden mallets to the spokes of spinning bicycle wheels, the resultant clacking likely familiar to all past and present children in earshot.
However disorienting those sounds might seem when produced by classical musicians on a concert stage, they are meant to express joy — the fun of making noise using purely elemental sources and common implements turned to uncommon uses.
“I love the sound,” Smith said of the bikes, laughing, during a recent interview. “I recorded it for a piece I wrote for the Kronos Quartet, and I liked the sound so much I thought, ‘I’m going to use this in an orchestral score.’”
Rewilding is filled with other such moments of delight. Smith compels players to be “messy,” to play “out of sync.” She regularly asks them to “wiggle” and “bend” notes. At one climactic point, her instruction to the string players is direct: “Be a frog.” (Smith provides the players with QR codes linked to videos in which she demonstrates on violin exactly what she’s after.)
The resulting reverie extends a long tradition of composers exulting in nature that reaches back to Vivaldi, Haydn, Beethoven, and Wagner, to name only a few.
But for Smith — who grew up in the Bay Area exploring, backpacking, studying, and volunteering — the celebration is a call to action. And importantly, she invites audiences to sense the joy and community she has found in ecological activism.
Rewilding takes its name from a specific approach to ecosystem restoration. “Rewilding is turning the ecosystems all around us that have been degraded due to human activity back into healthy functioning ecosystems, largely by removing invasive plants and planting native ones,” Smith explains. “This is hugely beneficial for biodiversity, and also functions to capture carbon, mitigate the effects of climate disasters, improve air quality, and enhance the physical and mental health of humans who live in the area.”
She’s eager to address a common misconception about rewilding: that the goal is to erase or reverse human presence. “In fact,” she says, “rewilding requires human influence to get an ecosystem back into a healthy state, which I find really inspiring.”
In a brief note about the composition, Smith makes the process personal:
Throughout my life, I’ve worked on many different rewilding projects around the world, the most recent being on a former airplane runway in Seattle. There are so many beneficial environmental results of rewilding, but the thing that keeps me coming back is pleasure: the pleasure of getting my hands in the dirt, of hearing northern flickers and Bewick’s wrens, of biking to and from the site (another climate solution that consistently brings me joy), and the pleasure of being part of something bigger.
Understanding Smith’s perspective provides a key to hearing Rewilding more deeply and profoundly. The bicycles in the score represent her joy in taking action. The chorus of frogs connotes a healthy ecosystem, of which flourishing amphibians are a leading indicator. Both the natural sounds and orchestral impressions of Rewilding
Photo: Kate Smith
GABRIELLA SMITH
are directly tied to Smith’s lived experience: the wild places near where she grew up and the places she’s visited since.
This now includes Cuyahoga Valley National Park surrounding Blossom Music Center, which Smith learned about when she visited Cleveland in April 2024 for performances of her organ concerto, Breathing Forests. Park representatives told Smith about the history of the area, one of the most significant sites of ecological reclamation and restoration in modern US history.
Yet even though Smith’s music is inextricably linked to her environmental activism, she doesn’t set out to create pieces that convey lessons literally. “Music is too abstract, and that’s okay,” Smith explains. “When I’m writing, I’m not thinking about the work I’ve done that week at the restoration site; I’m thinking about how to build a compelling musical arc and narrative.” Even so, she understands that her music provides an opportunity to connect with audiences about what drives her ecological work. “It’s important to me that people know they can be part of climate action in a way that is fun and joyful.”
Most people, she acknowledges, view the climate crisis as a cause for despair. “Those feelings are important, too,” Smith says, “and I feel all those things when I’m writing this music. But it’s also infused with joy, and the feeling that it’s actually enjoyable to be a part of this restoration work.”
— Steve Smith
Steve Smith (no relation to the composer) is a journalist, critic, and editor based in New York City. He has written about music for The New York Times and The New Yorker, and served as an editor for the Boston Globe, Time Out New York , and NPR.
Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 44
by Max Bruch
BORN: January 6, 1838, in Cologne
DIED: October 2, 1920, in Friedenau, Germany
COMPOSED: 1877
WORLD PREMIERE: November 4, 1877, in London, with violinist Pablo de Sarasate and the composer conducting
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA PREMIERE: March 27, 1924, featuring soloist Jascha Heifetz and led by Music Director Nikolai Sokoloff
ORCHESTRATION: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings, plus solo violin
DURATION: about 30 minutes
THE 1870s WERE A GREAT PERIOD FOR THE VIOLIN, perhaps because two extraordinary violinists were performing all over Europe and frequently being compared by the connoisseurs of the day. In 1868, Joseph Joachim premiered Max Bruch’s First Violin Concerto, his most popular work. Then the Spaniard Pablo de Sarasate won applause all over Europe for his virtuosity. He too played Bruch’s concerto, and it was for him that Lalo wrote his popular Symphonie espagnole in 1874. For his Second Violin Concerto, Bruch turned to Sarasate in 1877, with the Scottish Fantasy — also for Sarasate — following in 1879.
Bruch would have been happier if that first concerto of his had not been such a great success, and if he had not been a contemporary — and hence a rival — of Brahms. Bruch’s Second Violin Concerto was not only immediately compared to the already popular First but also overshadowed by Brahms’s great First Symphony, which was acclaimed all over Germany upon its premiere in 1876.
The figure of Brahms has continued to affect Bruch’s standing ever since, with the tremendous shadow of Wagner also in the mix. With Germany then so polarized between Brahms and Wagner, it was difficult for other good composers, of which there were many besides Bruch, to make a name for themselves. If the music of Peter Cornelius, Joachim Raff, Carl Reinecke, and Josef Rheinberger were heard more often, we would have much more to enjoy and a more balanced picture of the world in which Bruch lived and worked.
While the First Violin Concerto is predominantly lyrical, the Second is more dramatic. In fact, Bruch is reported to have designed it to match a scenario suggested
Continued on page 12
A CONVERSATION WITH STEPHEN TAVANI
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA has performed Max Bruch ’s Second Violin Concerto only once … 101 years ago with the legendary Jascha Heifetz as soloist. Tonight, Assistant Concertmaster Stephen Tavani revives it in the outdoor splendor of Blossom. We sat down with Tavani to ask him about this concerto and what makes it an underperformed gem.
What was your first exposure to this concerto?
STEPHEN : This is a piece I’ve loved for a long time. I first learned about it through my teacher, Aaron Rosand. I had already studied Bruch’s First Concerto, like most young violinists do, but he gave me the Second, which many people don’t know exists. (There’s also a third, which is even more unknown.) So, studying it with him — and listening to his recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra — was my first introduction to the piece.
Why do you think it’s lesser known than the first concerto?
STEPHEN : I think one reason is that the First Concerto is kind of indestructible; it’s such an accessible and beautiful piece. The Second is more challenging in that you really need a cohesive interpretation to make it work. It doesn’t really play itself like the First does, but I think it’s a hidden gem. What sticks out to you musically about this piece?
STEPHEN : Like the Songs Without Words by Mendelssohn, I imagine this concerto as an opera without words. The first movement is very operatic; much of it sounds like music a dramatic soprano would sing. The second movement is a recitative with very free, cadenza-like material, and the third movement is full of virtuosic fireworks. The high drama will be very apparent to listeners.
How did you come to pick this specific concerto for this program?
STEPHEN : I liked the idea of doing something off the beaten path. Plus, it works really well with the program overall; there’s a cool contrast between the concerto, the new Gabriella Smith piece, and Elgar’s Enigma Variations. And I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to play it with Daniel Reith.
How does it feel to be only the second violinist after Jascha Heifetz to play this piece with The Cleveland Orchestra?
STEPHEN : Obviously, it’s this giant shadow to stand in. But it’s also slightly reassuring to know that nobody who heard that performance is likely around now! In all seriousness, though, he championed this piece as well, and I hope to do that in a small way. It’s a beautiful piece that’s definitely worth hearing.
Continued on page 12
by Sarasate himself, in which a battlefield in Spain’s Third Carlist War (1872–76) is littered with the dead and wounded. The first movement, marked Adagio (unusual for a concerto), suggests a young woman searching for her lover, and a sense of lamentation infuses the opening pages. There is a lyrical theme, but although it appears twice, the movement is dominated by the solemn and sometimes forceful tread of a march, perhaps for a military funeral.
The second movement opens as a thoughtful monologue for violin, couched as a recitative, alternating with a troubled Allegro. The soloist enters first with a horn call, which returns at the end of the movement in the horn itself, with a response from the soloist. This is an allusion to Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, where, at the end of the slow movement, the pianist similarly suggests the theme of the movement about to begin.
But although the final movement begins with this strong gesture from the soloist, it is not the main theme and is only heard in the early part of the movement. After that, the music turns into a superbly balanced display of what a finale should be, with fireworks for the soloist alternating with some beautifully melodic passages.
The aforementioned link to battlefield heroics should not be taken too seriously, since it was reported many years after the concerto was composed. Bruch, furthermore, professed a distaste for program music, being instinctively averse, like Brahms, to the approach linked to Berlioz and Liszt. No tone poems or program symphonies for him, which so many 19th-century composers embraced; instead, Bruch preferred the world of the purely musical symphony, the sonata, and the concerto, the true inheritance from Beethoven, as he saw it.
— Hugh Macdonald
Hugh Macdonald is Avis H. Blewett Professor Emeritus of Music at Washington University in St. Louis. He has written books on Beethoven, Berlioz, Bizet, and Scriabin, as well as Music in 1853: The Biography of a Year
Image: Karl Kolb, c. 1900
MAX BRUCH
Enigma Variations (Variations on an Original Theme), Op. 36
by Edward Elgar
BORN: June 2, 1857, in Broadheath, England
DIED: February 23, 1934, in Worcester, England
COMPOSED: 1898–99
WORLD PREMIERE: June 19, 1899, in London, with Hans Richter conducting
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA PREMIERE: January 4, 1934, led by Music Director
Artur Rodziński
ORCHESTRATION: 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (snare drum, triangle, bass drum, cymbals), and strings
DURATION: about 30 minutes
EDWARD ELGAR’S VARIATIONS ON AN ORIGINAL THEME (more commonly known as the Enigma Variations) is the work that — almost overnight — made the 42-year-old into a famous composer. At the premiere in 1899, the work was greeted as the greatest composition for large orchestra ever written by an Englishman. And, for more than a century now, audiences have delighted in what Elgar wrote. They have been equally intrigued by what he withheld — a secret that he refused to divulge beyond some carefully worded “enigmatic” clues.
The story of the Enigma Variations began late one night in 1898 when Elgar was improvising at the piano at home in Worcestershire. His wife, Alice, was struck by a particular melody and asked her husband what it was. Elgar replied: “Nothing — but something could be made of it.” As he continued to develop his short theme, Elgar started to toy with the idea of how it could be made to reflect the personalities of some of his friends. Out of this private little game grew what is arguably Elgar’s greatest masterpiece.
With one exception (Variation XIII), each of the 14 variations that follow the theme is preceded by a heading that specifies the person behind the music. Although Elgar only wrote out monograms for each in the score, he quickly admitted who was who — and at various times openly commented about each person’s musical portrait.
At the first performance, the “anonymous” exception helped to reinforce the “enigmatic” nature of the overall work. Even more mysterious, however, were the implications of a statement Elgar made at the time of the premiere: “The Enigma itself I will not explain — its ‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the
apparent connection between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture; further, through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes,’ but is not played. … So the principal Theme never appears.”
The Theme consists of two ideas: an expressive, four-note string melody that is constantly interrupted by rests on the downbeat (and that fits the words “Ed-ward El-gar” surprisingly well), and a second melody that is more continuous, and is built of parallel thirds played by strings and woodwinds.
VARIATION I: “C.A.E.” is a portrait of Caroline Alice Elgar, the composer’s wife. The little motive played by oboes and bassoons was the signal Elgar used to whistle to let Alice know that he was home.
VARIATION II: “H.D.S-P.” — Hew David Steuart-Powell was a pianist and Elgar’s chamber music partner. The violins and woodwind instruments play humorous sixteenth notes, while the main theme appears in the cellos and basses.
VARIATION III: “R.B.T.” — Richard Baxter
Townshend, a writer and scholar who used to ride his tricycle around town with the bell constantly ringing. He also participated in amateur theatrical performances, and the oboe solo in the variation is supposed to represent him as his voice occasionally cracked.
VARIATION IV: “W.M.B.” — William Meath Baker was, as Elgar stated, “a country squire, gentleman, and scholar. … This Variation was written after the host had, with a slip of paper in his hand, forcibly read out the arrangements for the day and hurriedly left the music-room with an inadvertent bang of the door.”
VARIATION V: “R.P.A.” — Richard Penrose Arnold was “a great lover of music which he played (on the pianoforte) in a self-taught manner, evading difficulties but suggesting in a mysterious way the real feeling.” The staccato figure in the woodwinds represents his characteristic laugh.
VARIATION VI: “YSOBEL” — Isabel Fitton was a viola player, hence the special treatment of the viola in this variation. She was also quite tall, a circumstance suggested by the wide leaps in the melody.
VARIATION VII: “TROYTE” — Arthur Troyte Griffith was an architect and a close friend of Elgar’s, who wrote, “The uncouth rhythm of the drums and lower strings was really suggested by some maladroit essays to play the pianoforte.”
EDWARD ELGAR
VARIATION VIII: “W.N.” stands for Winifred Norbury, but the variation was inspired more by the stately 18th-century house where this co-secretary of the Worcestershire Philharmonic Society lived.
VARIATION IX: “NIMROD” — This is the most famous variation in the set, often performed separately in England as a memorial. “Nimrod” was August Jaeger, a Germanborn musician and Elgar’s closest friend. Here, Elgar took the rests out of the original theme and created a soaring, hymn-like melody with a certain Beethovenian quality.
VARIATION X: “DORABELLA” (Intermezzo) — Dora Penny was a young woman to whom Elgar gave the affectionate nickname “Dorabella,” taken from Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte. She later recollected the day he played through the entire work for her: “My mind was in such a whirl of pleasure, pride, and almost shame that he should have written anything so lovely about me.”
VARIATION XI: “G.R.S.” — George Robertson Sinclair was organist of Hereford Cathedral. Elgar writes: “The first few bars were suggested by his great bulldog Dan … falling down the steep bank into the River Wye (bar 1); his paddling up stream to find a landing place (bars 2 and 3); and his rejoicing bark on landing (second half of bar 5). G.R.S. said, ‘set that to music.’”
VARIATION XII: “B.G.N.” — Basil George Nevinson was a cellist who, with Steuart-Powell (Variation II), often played trios with Elgar, a violinist. This is why, in this variation, the melody is entrusted to a solo cello.
VARIATION XIII: “***” (Romanza) — The identity of the person behind the asterisks is the smaller enigma in Elgar’s work. Elgar himself only said that the “asterisks take the place of the name of a lady who was, at the time of the composition, on a sea voyage. The drums suggest the distant throb of the engines of a liner.”
VARIATION XIV: “E.D.U.” (Finale) — “Edu” was the nickname Alice Elgar had given to her husband, who disguised it as a set of initials to camouflage the fact that the last variation was a self-portrait. The theme is turned here into a march with a sharp rhythmic profile. There are two slower, lyrical episodes, and then the work ends in a magnificent climax.
— Peter Laki
Peter Laki is a musicologist and frequent lecturer on classical music. He is a visiting associate professor of music at Bard College.
Lisa Loeb & Joan Osborne
DANIEL REITH
conductor
Daniel Reith was appointed Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO) starting in the 2022–23 season, being promoted to Associate Conductor in June 2024. As COYO’s music director, Reith oversaw the ensemble’s artistic planning, selected personnel for the ensemble, and led rehearsals and performances of the Youth Orchestra. He was also actively involved with The Cleveland Orchestra’s education programs and community performances and assisted with concerts at Severance and Blossom.
Reith was the 2019 winner of Opptakt, Talent Norway’s program for fostering young conductors, and has since performed with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, and the Norwegian Armed Forces. In 2022, Reith made his debuts with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. He also served as assistant conductor for the Norwegian Opera production of Orpheus in the Underworld.
In addition to his conducting work, Reith is a talented pianist and chamber musician, having performed in concerts and competitions throughout Germany, Norway, and other countries. Reith has been awarded several scholarships in Germany, where he’s worked with orchestras such as the Hamburg Philharmonic and Neubrandenburg Philharmonic.
Reith grew up in Bühl, Germany, and studied music in his home country as well as Norway. He received bachelor’s degrees in piano from Freiburg’s Academy of Music and the Norwegian Academy of Music. He also received a bachelor’s degree in music theory at Freiburg’s Academy of Music, followed by a bachelor’s degree in conducting at Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. In 2021, he received his master’s degree in conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music.
Photo: Sebastian Fröhlich
STEPHEN TAVANI
violin | Dr. Ronald H. Krasney Chair
Violinist Stephen Tavani joined The Cleveland Orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster in 2018.
Commenting on his playing, The New York Times wrote, “Tavani sometimes cooled his tone to the smoothness of frosted glass, adding a soft-focus filter to the chiseled melodies. ...” He was featured playing Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade at the 2022 Blossom Music Festival. Tonight’s performance marks his debut as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra.
Alongside his work in Cleveland, Tavani has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Before joining The Cleveland Orchestra, he was concertmaster of The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. In addition, he has performed as soloist with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Americas, and at the MasterWorks Festival.
An avid chamber musician, Tavani has appeared at many music festivals and chamber music series, including the Marlboro Music Festival, Dresden Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Colburn Chamber Music Society, Curtis Recital Series, and with Curtis on Tour. He is a member of the Blossom Quartet with fellow Cleveland Orchestra musicians Yun-Ting Lee, William Bender, and Dane Johansen. The Quartet frequently performs around the Cleveland area.
Tavani volunteers with the Cleveland-based group Renovare to bring string programs to Northeast Ohio inmates, using music to provide hope and healing. He is also involved with the MasterWorks Festival, which seeks to integrate Christian faith and life in the performing arts. Tavani resides on the East Side of Cleveland with his wife, Amanda — a double bassist and music educator — and their two young sons. He grew up in Northern Virginia in a musical family of six brothers. His mother is a voice teacher and lyric soprano; his father is a family physician and pianist.
Visit stephentavani.com to learn more about Tavani, and visit his YouTube channel to watch many of his live performances.
Photo: Roger Mastroianni
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Franz Welser-Möst Music Director
KELVIN SMITH FAMILY CHAIR
FIRST VIOLINS
Joel Link
CONCERTMASTER
Blossom-Lee Chair
Liyuan Xie
FIRST ASSOCIATE
CONCERTMASTER
Virginia M. Lindseth, PhD, Chair
Jung-Min Amy Lee
ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
Gretchen D. and Ward Smith Chair
Stephen Tavani
ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
Dr. Ronald H. Krasney Chair
Wei-Fang Gu
Drs. Paul M. and Renate H. Duchesneau Chair
Kim Gomez
Elizabeth and Leslie Kondorossy Chair
Chul-In Park
Harriet T. and David L. Simon Chair
Miho Hashizume
Theodore Rautenberg Chair
Jeanne Preucil Rose
Larry J.B. and Barbara S. Robinson Chair
Alicia Koelz
Oswald and Phyllis Lerner Gilroy Chair
Yu Yuan
Patty and John Collinson Chair
Isabel Trautwein
Trevor and Jennie Jones Chair
Katherine Bormann
Analise Handke
Gladys B. Goetz Chair
Zhan Shu
Youngji Kim
Paul and Lucille Jones Chair
Genevieve Smelser
SECOND VIOLINS
Stephen Rose*
Alfred M. and Clara T. Rankin Chair
Eli Matthews 1
Patricia M. Kozerefski
and Richard J. Bogomolny Chair
Jason Yu2
James and Donna Reid Chair
Sonja Braaten Molloy
Carolyn Gadiel Warner
Elayna Duitman
Ioana Missits
Jeffrey Zehngut^
Sae Shiragami
Kathleen Collins
Beth Woodside
Emma Shook
Dr. Jeanette Grasselli Brown and Dr. Glenn R. Brown Chair
Yun-Ting Lee
Deborah L. Neale Chair
Jiah Chung Chapdelaine
Gawon Kim
VIOLAS
Wesley Collins*
Chaillé H. and Richard B. Tullis Chair
Stanley Konopka 2
Mark Jackobs
Jean Wall Bennett Chair
Lisa Boyko
Richard and Nancy Sneed Chair
Richard Waugh
Lembi Veskimets
The Morgan Sisters Chair
Eliesha Nelson^
Anthony and Diane Wynshaw-Boris Chair
Joanna Patterson Zakany
William Bender
Thomas Lauria and Christopher Lauria Chair
Gareth Zehngut^
CELLOS
Mark Kosower*
Louis D. Beaumont Chair
Richard Weiss 1
The GAR Foundation Chair
Charles Bernard2
Helen Weil Ross Chair
Bryan Dumm
Muriel and Noah Butkin Chair
Tanya Ell
Thomas J. and Judith Fay Gruber Chair
Ralph Curry
Brian Thornton
William P. Blair III Chair
David Alan Harrell
Martha Baldwin
Dane Johansen
Marguerite and James Rigby Chair
Paul Kushious
BASSES
Maximilian Dimoff *
Clarence T. Reinberger Chair
Charles Paul1
Mary E. and F. Joseph Callahan Chair
Derek Zadinsky2
Mark Atherton
Thomas Sperl
Henry Peyrebrune
Charles Barr Memorial Chair
Charles Carleton
Scott Dixon
Brandon Mason
HARP
Trina Struble*
Alice Chalifoux Chair
FLUTES
Joshua Smith*
Elizabeth M. and William C. Treuhaft Chair
Saeran St. Christopher
Jessica Sindell2^
Austin B. and Ellen W. Chinn Chair
Mary Kay Fink
PICCOLO
Mary Kay Fink
Anne M. and M. Roger Clapp Chair
OBOES
Frank Rosenwein*
Edith S. Taplin Chair
Corbin Stair
Sharon and Yoash Wiener Chair
Jeffrey Rathbun 2
Everett D. and Eugenia S. McCurdy Chair
Robert Walters
ENGLISH HORN
Robert Walters
Samuel C. and Bernette K. Jaffe Chair
CLARINETS
Afendi Yusuf *
Robert Marcellus Chair
Robert Woolfrey
Victoire G. and Alfred M. Rankin, Jr. Chair
Daniel McKelway2
Robert R. and Vilma L. Kohn Chair
Amy Zoloto
E-FLAT CLARINET
Daniel McKelway
Stanley L. and Eloise M. Morgan Chair
BASS CLARINET
Amy Zoloto
Myrna and James Spira Chair
BASSOONS
John Clouser*
Louise Harkness Ingalls Chair
Gareth Thomas
Jonathan Sherwin
CONTRABASSOON
Jonathan Sherwin
HORNS
Nathaniel Silberschlag*
George Szell Memorial Chair
Michael Mayhew §
Knight Foundation Chair
Jesse McCormick
Robert B. Benyo Chair
Hans Clebsch
Richard King
Meghan Guegold Hege^
TRUMPETS
Michael Sachs*
Robert and Eunice Podis Weiskopf Chair
Jack Sutte
Lyle Steelman 2^
James P. and Dolores D. Storer Chair
Michael Miller
CORNETS
Michael Sachs*
Mary Elizabeth and G. Robert Klein Chair
Michael Miller
TROMBONES
Brian Wendel*
Gilbert W. and Louise I. Humphrey Chair
Richard Stout
Alexander and Marianna C. McAfee Chair
Shachar Israel2
BASS TROMBONE
Luke Sieve
EUPHONIUM & BASS TRUMPET
Richard Stout
TUBA
Yasuhito Sugiyama*
Nathalie C. Spence and Nathalie S. Boswell Chair
TIMPANI
Zubin Hathi*
Otto G. and Corinne T. Voss Chair
Peter Nichols2
Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Smucker Chair
PERCUSSION
Marc Damoulakis*
Margaret Allen Ireland Chair
Thomas Sherwood
Tanner Tanyeri
Peter Nichols
KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS
Carolyn Gadiel Warner
Marjory and Marc L. Swartzbaugh Chair
LIBRARIAN
Michael Ferraguto*
Joe and Marlene Toot Chair
ENDOWED CHAIRS CURRENTLY UNOCCUPIED
Clara G. and George P. Bickford Chair
Sandra L. Haslinger Chair
Charles M. and Janet G. Kimball Chair
Sunshine Chair
Rudolf Serkin Chair
CONDUCTORS
Christoph von Dohnányi
MUSIC DIRECTOR LAUREATE
Taichi Fukumura
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Elizabeth Ring and William Gwinn Mather Chair
James Feddeck
PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR & MUSICAL ADVISOR OF THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Sidney and Doris Dworkin Chair
Lisa Wong
DIRECTOR OF CHORUSES
Frances P. and Chester C. Bolton Chair
* Principal
§ Associate Principal
1 First Assistant Principal
2 Assistant Principal
^ Alum of The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
This roster lists full-time members of The Cleveland Orchestra. The number and seating of musicians on stage varies depending on the piece being performed. Seating within the string sections rotates on a periodic basis.
Now firmly in its second century, The Cleveland Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Franz Welser-Möst since 2002, is one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world. Year after year, the ensemble exemplifies extraordinary artistic excellence, creative programming, and community engagement. In recent years, The New York Times has called Cleveland “the best in America” for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like musical cohesion.
Founded by Adella Prentiss Hughes, the Orchestra performed its inaugural concert in December 1918. By the middle of the century, decades of growth and sustained support had turned it into one of the most admired globally.
The past decade has seen an increasing number of young people attending concerts, bringing fresh attention to The Cleveland Orchestra’s legendary sound and committed programming. More recently, the Orchestra launched several bold digital projects, including the streaming platform Adella.live and its own recording label. Together, they have captured the Orchestra’s unique artistry and the musical achievements of the Welser-Möst and Cleveland Orchestra partnership.
The 2025–26 season marks Franz Welser-Möst’s 24th year as music director, a period in which The Cleveland Orchestra has earned unprecedented acclaim around the world, including a series of residencies at the Musikverein in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra, and a number of celebrated opera presentations.
Since 1918, seven music directors — Nikolai Sokoloff, Artur Rodziński, Erich
Leinsdorf, George Szell, Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Franz Welser-Möst — have guided and shaped the ensemble’s growth and sound. Through concerts at home and on tour, broadcasts, and a catalog of acclaimed recordings, The Cleveland Orchestra is heard today by a growing group of fans around the world.
@ClevelandOrchestra
@cleveorch
@CleveOrchestra
@clevelandorchestra
FRANZ WELSER-MÖST, MUSIC DIRECTOR
YOUR VISIT
LATE SEATING
Guests with Pavilion seats who arrive after the start of the concert may be asked to wait outside the Pavilion until the first convenient pause in the music, after which our ushers will help you to your seats.
LAWN SEATING
Guests on the Lawn may bring their own chairs, but guests with high-backed chairs that obstruct others’ views may be asked to relocate to the rear of the Lawn. Rental chairs are available for a fee of $10 per evening. Tents, flags, balloons, or other structures that might obstruct views or present a hazard are prohibited. Open flames are also prohibited.
PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEOGRAPHY & RECORDING
Audio recording, photography, and videography are prohibited during performances at Blossom. Photographs and videos can only be taken when the performance is not in progress. As a courtesy to others, please silence all electronic devices prior to the start of the concert.
SMOKING
All Blossom Music Festival events are presented in a smoke-free environment. Smoking or vaping are not allowed anywhere on the grounds or in buildings once you have entered through the ticket gates. A smoking area is available outside the gates in a designated area of Parking Lot A.
WEATHER INFORMATION
In the event of severe weather, a coordinated alert will be issued. Guests will be directed to safety by our staff and loudspeaker system. Visit clevelandorchestra.com/weather for weather updates and more information.
FREE TRAM & ADA VAN SERVICE
Free tram service between the parking lots and Smith Plaza and the Pavilion is available on a continuous basis before and after each concert. The ADA Van Service can pick up at the Main Gate with service to the Tram Circle.
QUESTIONS?
Visit our Information Center, hosted by the Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra, inside the Main Gate on Smith Plaza.
NEW! THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA APP
Official Mobile App of TCO
The Cleveland Orchestra is grateful to these organizations for their ongoing generous support of The Cleveland Orchestra: National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Ohio and Ohio Arts Council, and to the residents of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.
© 2025 The Cleveland Orchestra and the Musical Arts Association
Explore upcoming concerts, purchase and access your tickets, receive performance updates, and more.
For more information and direct links to download, visit clevelandorchestra.com/tcoapp or scan the code with your smartphone camera to download the app for iPhone or Android.
Available for iOS and Android on Google Play and at the Apple App Store.
Program books for Cleveland Orchestra concerts are produced by The Cleveland Orchestra and are distributed free to attending audience members.
EDITORIAL
Kevin McBrien
Editorial & Publications Manager
The Cleveland Orchestra kmcbrien@clevelandorchestra.com
Ellen Sauer Tanyeri
Archives & Editorial Assistant
The Cleveland Orchestra
DESIGN
Judy Barabas, Red Swing Creative
ADVERTISING
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