Cleveland Orchestra Cancels Summer Concerts At Blossom, Severance

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Orchestra is cancelling its 2020 summer concert programs at Blossom Music Center and Severance Hall. Programs scheduled for July, August, and early September have been nixed. The free community concert, the Star-Spangled Spectacular, will be rescheduled for a later date.

“Given the current state of the pandemic, and so as to ensure the health of everyone in The Cleveland Orchestra’s community and beyond, it is with great sadness that we announce today the cancellation of our 2020 Blossom Music Festival and Summers@Severance series in July and August,” said André Gremillet, president & CEO of The Cleveland Orchestra.

Two weekends of programming from the 2020 Blossom Music Festival will be postponed — "The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring in Concert" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert" will take place in 2021. Tickets purchased for those presentations will still be valid in 2021.

Complete programming details for the 2021 festival will be announced in early 2021. Lawn ticket books purchased for the 2020 Blossom Music Festival will be valid for the 2021 Blossom Music Festival.

"In the case of The Cleveland Orchestra, we believe that our best hope is to be back on stage in the fall, and we are preparing ourselves accordingly both in ensuring the safety of our musicians, guests, and staff at Severance Hall, but also in exploring options to livestream performances for our dedicated audience. We look forward to having the Orchestra get back together, and to continuing to serve our Northeast Ohio community again with live music performances as soon as possible for our 2020-21 season at Severance Hall," said Gremillet.