Loras John Schissel conducts The Cleveland Orchestra

Pianist Inon Barnatan makes his Cleveland Orchestra

debut as soloist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue

Loras John Schissel conducts The Cleveland Orchestra in program of music by Gershwin, Ellington, and Rodgers at the Blossom Festival on July 25

CLEVELAND, July 2, 2009 – Loras John Schissel will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in a program featuring music by George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Kurt Weill, and others at the Blossom Festival on Saturday, July 25, at 8:00 p.m. The program includes Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (in the original jazz band version, arranged by Ferde Grofé) with pianist Inon Barnatan as soloist, in his Cleveland Orchestra debut.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1979, Inon Barnatan won the Avery Fisher Career Grant in April and has just finished his third season at a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two, which spotlights young musicians in the early stages of major careers.

The July 25 program will begin with Alfred Newman’s Street Scene (arranged by Edward Powell and Loras John Schissel), followed by Kurt Weill’s Kleine Dreigroschenmusik (Suite from The Threepenny Opera). Next on the program are David Raksin’s “Love is for the Very Young” from The Bad and the Beautiful and Richard Rodgers’s “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” from On Your Toes (orchestrated by Hans Spialek). After intermission, the program continues with George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (original jazz band version, arranged by Ferde Grofé), with Inon Barnatan as soloist. Next on the program are Edward K. (Duke) Ellington’s Sophisticated Lady (arranged by Morton Gould) and Cole Porter’s Night and Day (arranged by Hans Spialek). The program concludes with Gershwin’s Final Ballet Sequence from Shall We Dance?

New this season, Lawn/General Admission tickets allow patrons to sit on the lawn or in newly designated General Admission areas in the rear corner sections of the Pavilion, adding 1,500 lower-priced seats in the Pavilion. These seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis to any ticketholder.

Also new in 2009, children 12 and under will be admitted free to the Lawn for all concerts. For each adult ticket purchase, two children will be admitted free to the Lawn. Each child will receive a free Kids’ Lawn Pass. Kids’ Lawn Passes will be available at the Severance Hall Ticket Office, the Blossom Box Office, and the Lawn Ticket Booth at Blossom, and also will be available for downloading and printing online at BlossomLawnFun.com. Kids’ Lawn Passes are required for all children 12 and under on the Lawn. The passes are not valid for entry into the Pavilion. Anyone wishing to sit in the new General Admission area of the Pavilion needs to have a Lawn/General Admission Ticket.

The July 25 concert is sponsored by Fifth Third Bank and co-sponsored by The Sisler McFawn Foundation.

Inon Barnatan’s appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a contribution to the Orchestra’s Guest Artist Fund from The Payne Fund.

Biographical information on Loras John Schissel and Inon Barnatan follows.

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TICKET PRICES: Pavilion $47, $36, $31; Lawn/General Admission $21. $87 box seats include complimentary parking in FirstEnergy Lot A and access to the Kulas Plaza VIP services. Children ages 12 and under are admitted to the Lawn seating area for free for all Blossom Festival concerts.

TICKETS for all 2009 Blossom Festival concerts are now on sale through the Severance Hall Ticket Office, the Blossom Music Center Box Office, online at clevelandorchestra.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets. The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along the west side of the building on East Boulevard. The Ticket Office is open during the summer Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closed Monday, July 6). The Blossom Music Center Box Office is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. (and through intermission on Blossom Festival concert dates).

To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (local call for 216 and 440 area codes) or (800) 686-1141 during the regular Severance Hall 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. Please note: There are no added service charges or handling fees for Blossom Festival concert tickets purchased in person or by phone through the Blossom or Severance Hall ticket offices, or online through the Orchestra’s website.

PARKING: Ample free parking is available. Patrons who buy Pavilion tickets at least 10 days prior to these performances will receive a free dated parking pass for one of Blossom’s paved parking lots. (The 10-day advance purchase requirement is to allow time for postal delivery.) These paved parking lots are ADA accessible with ADA transport services to the Pavilion. In addition, there are a limited number of paid parking spaces available in the FirstEnergy Lot A (behind the Box Office) for purchase at $15 per vehicle (10-day advance purchase required). Call (216) 231-1111 or (800) 686-1141 for further details.