July 27, 2025
AN EVENING WITH CYNTHIA ERIVO
PRESENTED BY
AN EVENING WITH CYNTHIA ERIVO
SEASON PARTNERS
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PARTNER
MOVIE NIGHT PRESENTING SPONSOR
Sunday, July 27, 2025, at 7 PM The Cleveland Orchestra Edwin Outwater, conductor Featuring CYNTHIA ERIVO, vocals
Tonight’s selections will be announced from the stage.
Total approximate running time: 1 hour 30 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission
CYNTHIA ERIVO
vocals
Cynthia Erivo is a Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award–winning actress, singer, and producer, as well as an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG nominee. She burst onto West End and Broadway stages in The Color Purple and has since taken the world by storm.
Erivo most recently starred as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda in Universal’s record-breaking film adaptation of the hit musical Wicked, receiving widespread critical acclaim for her performance. The second part of the film, Wicked: For Good, is set to release in November. Erivo also recently wrapped production on the second season of the hit Peacock series Poker Face, in which she will guest star alongside Natasha Lyonne.
Other recent highlights include starring in and producing the film Drift, appearing alongside Idris Elba in the Netflix film Luther: The Fallen Sun, and portraying Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s Emmy-winning anthology series Genius: Aretha. In 2019, Erivo received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of Harriet Tubman in Kasi Lemmons’s film Harriet. She also co-wrote and lent her voice to the movie’s title song, “Stand Up,” which won “Best Original Song” at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
In addition to her illustrious acting career, Erivo is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and performer, often headlining sold-out shows, symphonies, and music spaces, including the Kennedy Center Honors, the 2020 Academy Awards, the 2017 Governor’s Ball, and the 2017 Grammy Awards. Erivo released her debut album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, in September 2021. Her second album, I Forgive You, was released in June 2025.
Erivo released her first children’s book, Remember to Dream, Ebere, in September 2021. In August 2020, she launched her production company, Edith’s Daughter, and announced her first-look deal with MRC Television & Civic Center Media. Edith’s Daughter focuses on projects that express the beauty in the stories and people who are often overlooked and underrepresented.
Photo: Mark Seliger
EDWIN OUTWATER
conductor
Edwin Outwater is redefining the concert experience as a groundbreaking conductor, curator, and producer. Working with a wide range of artists from Metallica to Wynton Marsalis, Renée Fleming, and Yo-Yo Ma , Outwater’s creative vision and ability to seamlessly navigate between musical worlds have made him one of the most sought-after conductors.
Outwater currently serves as music director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he leads their ensembles and oversees the institution’s bold artistic initiatives, and is music director laureate of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. In September 2024, he was named principal guest conductor and curator of the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Outwater’s recent high-profile engagements include appearances at major orchestras, including The Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and Brussels Philharmonic, among others. His collaborations extend to stars such as Diana Ross, Beck, Trey Anastasio, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Lang Lang. A regular at the iconic BBC Proms, Outwater made a memorable debut in 2022 alongside Cynthia Erivo.
Outwater’s artistic reach transcends traditional classical performances. In collaboration with drag icon Peaches Christ, he co-hosts and conducts wildly inventive productions that combine pop culture, musical theater, and drag. Their Halloweenthemed concert, Symphony of Terror, premiered with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 2022, and their festive favorite Holiday Gaiety has become a staple at the San Francisco Symphony since 2018, with further premieres at Royal Albert Hall and The Glasshouse.
Since 2021, Outwater has been the lead conductor for Stewart Copeland’s Police Deranged for Orchestra concerts. He also spearheaded the Coltrane: Legacy for Orchestra project, which premiered with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 2024, and was also performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Photo: David J. Kim
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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.
TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH THEArts
Four distinguished schools, one internationally recognized museum of fashion, three renowned summer festivals and more.
Welcome to Kent State University’s College of the Arts!
EXPERIENCE THE ARTS AT KENT STATE
Join us to enjoy concerts, performances, exhibitions, visiting artists and more.
OCTOBER 22
TUESDAY MUSICAL PRESENTS: the Akron Concert Series, our 137th season: 2024-2025.
TUESDAY MUSICAL PRESENTS: the Akron Concert Series, our 138th season: 2025-2026
OCTOBER 21 MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN’S TRIBUTE TO TONY BENNETT
NOVEMBER 18
NOVEMBER 19
FEBRUARY 11
FEBRUARY 10
CZECH NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
IMANI WINDS & BOSTON BRASS
MARCH 4
MARCH 3
SIMONE DINNERSTEIN
VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS AT 300 with Les Arts Florissants
DECEMBER 3
NOVEMBER 30
JOYCE DIDONATO WITH KINGS RETURN
CHRISTMAS WITH CANTUS
ISIDORE STRING QUARTET WITH PIANIST JEREMY DENK
MARSALIS-McALLISTER-AMES TRIO
APRIL 21
RENéE FLEMING
APRIL 22 AKRON BICENTENNIAL
Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene
Hands-On Halloween - 10/25/25
Member November - All Month!
Hands-On Holidays & Hotcakes - 12/7/25
Make Believe Midnight - 12/30/25
Grown Up Play Date - 3/7/26
All Aboard Akron Express - 4/25 & 4/26/26
Celebrate Her! A Women's Social Event! - 5/8/26
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 low chairs; no high-backed chairs are allowed for this concert. 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.
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Visit our Information Center, hosted by the Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra, inside the Main Gate on Smith Plaza.
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