Perspectivesfrom the Executive Director November 2015 The thousands of you who attend The Cleveland Orchestra’s concerts here at home know from your own experience that this orchestra is part of what makes Northeast Ohio great. And you know how good this orchestra is. Hearing them play here at Severance Hall and at Blossom, we experience their quality and versatility each year. It is nevertheless extraordinarily satisfying to read critics from across Europe praise the Orchestra’s artistic achievements, and realize that around the world, The Cleveland Orchestra is just as beloved as it is here at home. A sampling of press commentary from the Orchestra’s 2015 European Tour and Vienna Residency, October 15-31, includes: “Cleveland has one of the three best concert halls in the world. . . . The orchestra has long been considered as the most European of American orchestras. Today, it is quite simply the best.” —Le Soir, October 14, 2015 (Brussels) “With this instrument, magnificent in its velvet clarity and deep, mellow sound, Welser-Möst’s subdued presentation was revealed to be a distillate of simplicity, elegance, and stylistic precision.” —Corriere Della Sera Milan, October 20, 2015 (Milan) (Additional excerpts from reviews can be read on page 54 of this program book.) Beyond the sheer quality of their music-making, I am always impressed with the Orchestra’s dedication and focus on tour. Moving city to city, and adjusting to the different concert halls, can be challenging and wearying. But for Franz and The Cleveland Orchestra, energy and focus are never in question. As my tenure as executive director comes to an end, I have never been more proud to be associated with this great orchestra and to call this great city home. As many of you know, at the end of December I will begin my long-planned retirement from The Cleveland Orchestra. Through all of my years here, I have been humbled by the outstanding support of this community, and equally, by the phenomenal dedication that is always displayed by musicians and staff of The Cleveland Orchestra. For this support and dedication, I am sincerely grateful. For me, serving this institution has been, and remains, an experience of extraordinary excitement, meaningful challenge, and the greatest and most satisfying time of my life. As I approach the end of my tenure, I want to express my sincere thanks to you, our generous supporters, for all that you have done, and all that you will do in the future, to ensure that Cleveland can continue to be home to the world’s greatest orchestra. Cleveland will remain Barbara’s and my beloved home as we look ahead to joining you as passionate subscribers and dedicated supporters of The Cleveland Orchestra.
Gary Hanson Severance Hall 2015-16
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