Perspectivesfrom the Executive Director Spring 2014 Two of this season’s major projects take place in May — following many months of planning and much preparation. The first is the premiere here at Severance Hall of our brand-new, made-for-Cleveland production of Leoš Janáček’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen, with evening performances on May 17, 20, and 22, and a special matinee on Saturday, May 24. At the same time, from May 17 to 24, the Orchestra is celebrating a week of musicmaking in Lakewood during our second “At Home” neighborhood residency. Together, these two projects showcase our commitment to serving the community with diverse performances and collaborative partnerships. Franz Welser-Möst is at the center of both projects. In addition to leading the performances of Vixen, he will conduct an Education Concert for Lakewood High School students on May 23 and the culminating free public concert of our “At Home” in Lakewood residency on Saturday evening, May 24, bringing to a close an action-packed week of music performances, community activities, and public musical get-togethers. Every day of that week, Cleveland Orchestra musicians are involved in exciting and sometimes unexpected ways to bring music to the streets and homes of Lakewood, and into the lives of its citizens. The week’s presentations and collaborations also bring to a close the residency’s special semester-long involvement with Lakewood’s music education programs. Franz has also been instrumental in integrating opera into The Cleveland Orchestra’s annual schedule at Severance Hall. This season, with The Cunning Little Vixen, we are creating our own brand-new operatic production for the first time since the mid-1980s. For this, we are jumping forward with technology, to create a presentation that compellingly combines live action with projected video animation. Working with director Yuval Sharon and the creative team at Robot Studios in Los Angeles, we are building this innovative production from the ground up. Because of the unique nature of this opera production for The Cleveland Orchestra and Northeast Ohio, we are using new ways to communicate the excitement of this undertaking. A series of video “Production Diaries” about The Making of The Cunning Little Vixen is unfolding online. These videos feature behind-the-scenes looks at the creative team and processes in motion. I hope that you will take a few minutes to see what’s in store for you at Severance Hall in May. Visit clevelandorchestra.com to view these using the homepage link. It takes concentrated effort, many hands, and dedicated focus to do all of this. Not just from the Orchestra musicians, staff, trustees and other volunteers, but from the community surrounding us, supporting us, and collaborating with us. Our neighborhood residencies are created at the grassroots level. This year’s partnerships with businesses, schools, and organizations from across Lakewood have been stimulating and creative. The opera production is also possible only through the collaboration of many, with support from generous donors, including The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and a group of local donors who have responded to this Foundation’s matching gift challenge to support our ongoing opera presentations. Thank you to everyone involved.
Severance Hall 2013-14
Gary Hanson
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