The Cleveland Orchestra announces its 2022 Blossom Music Festival season presented by The JM Smucker Co. with a concert lineup. Nineteen concerts are currently part of the 2022 Blossom Music Festival, which runs from July 4 through Labor Day weekend (July 2 through September 4) at the Orchestra’s quaint summer home nestled in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Subscriptions are on sale now, with individual tickets available for purchase on Monday, April 4.

The Cleveland Orchestra begins the Blossom season on July 2 with associate conductor Vinay Parameswaran leading the orchestra in Copland’s Symphony No. 3. The Blossom Festival Band returns July 3-4 for a program of patriotic favorites (followed by fireworks) celebrating Independence Day. Conductor Elim Chan makes her Cleveland Orchestra debut on July 9 in a program featuring Rimsky-Korsakov’s sensational Scheherazade and renowned pianist Benjamin Grosvenor performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

The Orchestra is joined by pop/rock singers for an evening of music from the Paul Simon Songbook on July 10. Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Fountains of Rome will be heard on July 16. Conductor Jader Bignamini makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut in a program that also features the Cleveland Orchestra’s premiere of Mary Lou Williams’ jazz/classical fusion masterpiece Zodiac Suite, inspired by the twelve signs astrological. Returning pianist Aaron Diehl – ​​originally from Columbus, Ohio and recognized performer in the jazz and classical worlds – anchors a jazz trio that brings Williams’ music to life.

Ruth Reinhardt will make her Blossom Festival debut on July 30, leading the Orchestra in a program that includes the Orchestra’s premiere of Bacewicz’s Overture and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 5, perfect for an evening outdoors. Violinist Sergey Khachatryan will return to Blossom to perform Mendelssohn’s Lyric Violin Concerto.

Broadway legends – including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein – combine with contemporary Broadway favorites to create an unforgettable evening at Blossom on July 31. Conductor Richard Kaufman leads the orchestra and three Broadway singers in this evening of music by titans of musical theater, featuring songs from West Side Story, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Company, and more .

Conductor Jonathan Berman makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut on August 6 with a concert honoring one of his specialties: the music of Franz Schmidt. Renowned pianist Cédric Tiberghien joins the Orchestra to perform Grieg’s popular and dynamic Piano Concerto. On August 7, Blossom favorite Jahja Ling returns to conduct the Orchestra, the Kent Blossom Chamber Orchestra and the Blossom Festival Chorus in Beethoven’s triumphant Symphony No. 9. Returning singers Elizabeth DeShong and Raymond Aceto are joined by Leah Hawkins and Issachah Savage.

Giancarlo Guerrero takes to the Blossom Stage again for a duo of musical titans on August 13. Daniil Trifonov performs Rachmaninoff’s magnificent Piano Concerto No. 2, and the program ends with Harmonielehre by the eminent American composer John Adams. Orpheus Chamber Orchestra joins the festival on August 27 in a program featuring music by Geminiani and Hailstork. Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons closes the evening, with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra joined by renowned violinist Vadim Gluzman for their Blossom Festival debut.

The Blossom Music Festival season culminates on September 3-4 when students from Baldwin Wallace University’s acclaimed musical theater program at the Conservatory of Music return to the stage for a Rogers and Hammerstein favorite: The Sound of Music. The lightly staged musical will be directed by Victoria Bussert, directed by Andy Einhorn, and will feature talented singers aspiring to become the next generation of Broadway stars.

For more information and tickets, click here.

Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni