Cleveland Orchestra���s Beethoven Ninth to support new Community Music Initiative

Saturday, September 26, at 8:30 p.m.

Severance Hall

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA

FRANZ WELSER-M��ST, conductor

TWYLA ROBINSON, soprano

MICHAELA MARTENS, mezzo-soprano

FRANK LOPARDO, tenor

RAYMOND ACETO, bass

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHORUS

Robert Porco, director

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 ("Choral")

A Benefit for The Cleveland Orchestra's Community Music Initiative

Ticket Prices: $68-$159 ��� Call (216) 231-1111 or 1-800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com

CLEVELAND, September 1, 2009 ��� The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-M��st will open the Orchestra's 2009-10 season with a one-night-only performance of Beethoven's stirring Symphony No. 9 ("Choral") at Severance Hall on Saturday, September 26, at 8:30 p.m. This opening-night performance is a benefit concert to support the Orchestra's new Community Music Initiative, which will broaden the Orchestra's connections to the community and provide access to great music for more Northeast Ohioans than ever before.

Vocal soloists for this performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony will be soprano Twyla Robinson, mezzo-soprano Michaela Martens, tenor Frank Lopardo, and bass Raymond Aceto. The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, prepared by Cleveland Orchestra Director of Choruses Robert Porco, will also take part in the performance.

Since 2004, Twyla Robinson has appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra in works including Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Haydn's "Lord Nelson" Mass, Mozart's Requiem, the Verdi Requiem, Strauss's Four Last Songs, and in the role of Mrs. Ford in Verdi's Falstaff. Michaela Martens will be making her Cleveland Orchestra debut with this performance. Frank Lopardo previously appeared with the Orchestra in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at the Blossom Festival in July 2000, and at Severance Hall in January 2007, a performance recorded live and released on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Raymond Aceto's performances with the Orchestra have included the role of Zuniga in Bizet's Carmen in August 1999, the Verdi Requiem in June 2004, and Jan����ek's Glagolitic Mass in January 2009, with an additional performance at Carnegie Hall the following month.

* * *

The Cleveland Orchestra's Community Music Initiative is aimed at diversifying the Orchestra's offerings and reaching more children, adults, teachers, students, musicians, and families in Northeast Ohio than ever before. During the 2009-10 season (and beyond), members of The Cleveland Orchestra will participate in a wide range of educational and community activities throughout Northeast Ohio, including concerts in two Cleveland high schools and a Family Concert at Severance Hall conducted by Franz Welser-M��st; a "Music Mentors" program supporting instrumental music in Cleveland public schools; "Music Masters," supporting high-school band and orchestra programs throughout Northeast Ohio; and "Musical Neighborhoods," a part of PNC's Grow Up Great: A Great Early Start in the Arts program, in which musicians and teachers use music to build school readiness skills for pre-school-aged children in local Head Start programs. These new programs complement The Cleveland Orchestra's already vibrant education and community programs, such as the Learning Through Music school partnership program, the annual free Star-Spangled Spectacular Community Concert at Public Square, the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert and Community Open House, youth ensembles, Education Concerts and Family Concerts at Severance Hall, and a host of other programs that have introduced children and families to symphonic music for decades.

Tickets to the September 26 concert go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, September 8. Prices range from $68 to $159. Severance Hall boxes and other selected seats are available in conjunction with a post-concert event hosted by community leaders. To receive an invitation to the post-concert event, contact openingnight@clevelandorchestra.com.

TICKET SERVICES:

The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for the 2009-10 season go on sale Tuesday, September 8.

Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours:

M-F 9-6

Sat. 10-6 (beginning September 12)

Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours prior to the performance start time.

To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra's website at clevelandorchestra.com. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.

PARKING:

Limited parking is available for the Opening Night Benefit in Case Western Reserve University's Campus Center Garage adjacent to Severance Hall. Convenient alternative parking is available at these locations:

�Ģ CWRU Lot 1, located off Euclid Avenue across from Severance Hall, is a surface lot within walking distance of Severance Hall. Cost per car: $10.

�Ģ University Circle Inc. Lot 13A on Adelbert Road is also within walking distance of Severance Hall. Cost per car: $10.

�Ģ The Cleveland Botanical Garden parking garage, located on the corner of East Boulevard and Wade Oval, offers two levels of covered parking. Cost per car: up to $10.

�Ģ Metered street parking along East Boulevard is also available.

For further information, patrons should call the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office during regular office hours at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Pre-paid parking passes are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra's website at clevelandorchestra.com.