2026
August 20, 2026
2026
PRESENTED BY
Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 7 PM
SEASON PARTNER
The Cleveland Orchestra Jonathan Taylor Rush, conductor
MOVIE NIGHT PRESENTER
FEATURING
Jon Batiste, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PARTNER
vocals and piano Selections will be announced from the stage
COVER PHOTO BY JONNY MARLOW
Total approximate running time: 1 hour 50 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission
clevelandorchestra.com
3
THE ARTI S T S
JON BATISTE vocals and piano
Jon Batiste is an eight-time Grammy, Academy, and Emmy Award–winning singer, songwriter, composer, and pianist known for his genre-defying music. He recently announced three new studio albums: Black Mozart, along with the Thelonious Monk–inspired Monk Meditations and Monk Movements, all released on August 14. These PHOTO BY JOE PERRI
projects continue the piano series he launched in 2024 with Beethoven Blues, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Classical Albums’s chart and delivered his biggest sales week to date. His 2025 album, BIG MONEY, won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album. In film, Batiste will next compose the score for Amazon MGM’s The Thomas Crown Affair, directed by Michael B. Jordan. From 2015 to 2022, Batiste served as bandleader and musical director of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
JONATHAN TAYLOR RUSH conductor
Jonathan Taylor Rush brings passion, unique interpretation, and a refreshing energy to the orchestral experience. Rooted in his musical upbringing within the church, Rush’s approach to conducting is imbued with elements of gospel and soul music. PHOTO BY CODY PORTRAITS
Previous conducting highlights include performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and Washington National Opera, among others. Rush served as associate conductor the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 2020 to 2023. In this role, he curated the orchestra’s inaugural Gospel Fest and also served as artistic director of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras, leading the ensemble on its first international tour through Europe. Rush’s academic accomplishments include a bachelor’s in music education from The Ohio State University and a master’s in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Institute. clevelandorchestra.com
5
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA Franz Welser-Möst Music Director KELVIN SMITH FAMILY CHAIR FIRST VIOLINS
VIOLAS
PICCOLO
TROMBONES
Joel Link
Wesley Collins*
Mary Kay Fink
Brian Wendel*
Blossom-Lee Chair
Gareth Zehngut1^
OBOES
Richard Stout
Stanley Konopka Mark Jackobs
Frank Rosenwein* Edith S. Taplin Chair
Shachar Israel2
Corbin Stair
BASS TROMBONE
CONCERTMASTER
Elizabeth Fayette FIRST ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER Virginia M. Lindseth, PhD, Chair
Philip Marten ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER Gretchen D. and Ward Smith Chair
Zhan Shu
Chaillé H. and Richard B. Tullis Chair Charles M. and Janet G.Kimball Chair 2
Jean Wall Bennett Chair
Anne M. and M. Roger Clapp Chair
Sharon and Yoash Wiener Chair
Lisa Boyko
Richard and Nancy Sneed Chair
Jeffrey Rathbun2
Everett D. and Eugenia S. McCurdy Chair
Richard Waugh Lembi Veskimets
Robert Walters
The Morgan Sisters Chair
ENGLISH HORN
Eliesha Nelson^
Robert Walters
Dr. Ronald H. Krasney Chair
Anthony and Diane Wynshaw-Boris Chair
Samuel C. and Bernette K. Jaffe Chair
Wei-Fang Gu
William Bender
CLARINETS
ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER Clara G. and George P. Bickford Chair
Stephen Tavani ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
Drs. Paul M. and Renate H. Duchesneau Chair
Thomas Lauria and Christopher Lauria Chair
Kim Gomez
Sean Juhl CELLOS
Elizabeth and Leslie Kondorossy Chair
Chul-In Park
Harriet T. and David L. Simon Chair
Richard Stout TUBA
Yasuhito Sugiyama* Nathalie C. Spence and Nathalie S. Boswell Chair
TIMPANI
Peter Nichols2
Victoire G. and Alfred M. Rankin, Jr. Chair
Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Smucker Chair
Mark Kosower*
Daniel McKelway2
PERCUSSION
Richard Weiss1
Amy Zoloto
Jeanne Preucil Rose
The GAR Foundation Chair
Alicia Koelz
Helen Weil Ross Chair
Yu Yuan
Muriel and Noah Butkin Chair
Isabel Trautwein
Thomas J. and Judith Fay Gruber Chair
Patty and John Collinson Chair
EUPHONIUM & BASS TRUMPET
Robert Woolfrey
Robert R. and Vilma L. Kohn Chair
Oswald and Phyllis Lerner Gilroy Chair
Luke Sieve
Robert Marcellus Chair
Louis D. Beaumont Chair
Larry J.B. and Barbara S. Robinson Chair
Alexander and Marianna C. McAfee Chair
Afendi Yusuf*
Miho Hashizume
Theodore Rautenberg Chair
Gilbert W. and Louise I. Humphrey Chair
Charles Bernard
2
E-FLAT CLARINET
Daniel McKelway
Stanley L. and Eloise M. Morgan Chair
Bryan Dumm Tanya Ell
BASS CLARINET
Amy Zoloto
Marc Damoulakis* Margaret Allen Ireland Chair
Thomas Sherwood Tanner Tanyeri Peter Nichols KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS
Myrna and James Spira Chair
Carolyn Gadiel Warner
Ralph Curry Brian Thornton
BASSOONS
Marjory and Marc L. Swartzbaugh Chair
John Clouser*
Louise Harkness Ingalls Chair
LIBRARIAN
William P. Blair III Chair
David Alan Harrell Martha Baldwin Dane Johansen
Gareth Thomas Catherine Van Handel2
Marguerite and James Rigby Chair
Jonathan Sherwin
Alfred M. and Clara T. Rankin Chair
Paul Kushious
CONTRABASSOON
Eli Matthews
BASSES
Jonathan Sherwin
Maximilian Dimoff*
HORNS
Trevor and Jennie Jones Chair
Katherine Bormann Paul and Lucille Jones Chair
Analise Handke Gladys B. Goetz Chair
Genevieve Smelser SECOND VIOLINS
Stephen Rose* 1
Patricia M. Kozerefski and Richard J. Bogomolny Chair
Jason Yu2
James and Donna Reid Chair
Sonja Braaten Molloy Carolyn Gadiel Warner Elayna Duitman Ioana Missits Jeffrey Zehngut^ Kathleen Collins Beth Woodside Emma Shook Dr. Jeanette Grasselli Brown and Dr. Glenn R. Brown Chair
Yun-Ting Lee
Deborah L. Neale Chair
Jiah Chung Chapdelaine Liyuan Xie Gawon Kim Dustin Wilkes-Kim
Clarence T. Reinberger Chair
Charles Paul1
Sandra L. Haslinger Chair
Nathaniel Silberschlag* George Szell Memorial Chair
Mary E. and F. Joseph Callahan Chair
Derek Zadinsky Mark Atherton Thomas Sperl Henry Peyrebrune 2
Charles Barr Memorial Chair
Charles Carleton Scott Dixon Brandon Mason
Michael Mayhew§ Knight Foundation Chair
Jesse McCormick-Stepp Robert B. Benyo Chair
Hans Clebsch Richard King Meghan Guegold Hege^ Gay Cull Addicott and Robert R. Cull Chair
TRUMPETS
HARP
Michael Sachs*
Trina Struble*
Jack Sutte Lyle Steelman2^
Alice Chalifoux Chair
FLUTES
Joshua Smith*
Elizabeth M. and William C. Treuhaft Chair
Saeran St. Christopher Jessica Sindell2^ Austin B. and Ellen W. Chinn Chair
Mary Kay Fink
Robert and Eunice Podis Weiskopf Chair
James P. and Dolores D. Storer Chair
Michael Miller CORNETS
Michael Sachs*
Mary Elizabeth and G. Robert Klein Chair
Michael Miller
With sincere gratitude to the musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra for their in-kind contributions supporting community programs and securing funding opportunities.
6
BLOSSOM MUSIC FESTIVAL 2026
Michael Ferraguto* Joe and Marlene Toot Chair
ENDOWED CHAIRS CURRENTLY UNOCCUPIED Sunshine Chair Otto G. and Corinne T. Voss Chair Rudolf Serkin Chair
CONDUCTORS
Christoph von Dohnányi † MUSIC DIRECTOR LAUREATE
Taichi Fukumura ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Elizabeth Ring and William Gwinn Mather Chair
James Feddeck PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR & MUSICAL ADVISOR OF THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA YOUTH ORCHESTRA Sidney and Doris Dworkin Chair
Lisa Wong DIRECTOR OF CHORUSES Frances P. and Chester C. Bolton Chair * Principal §
Associate Principal
1
First Assistant Principal
2
Assistant Principal
^ Alum of The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra †
In Memoriam
This roster lists full-time members of The Cleveland Orchestra. The number and seating of musicians on stage varies depending on the piece being performed. Seating within the string sections rotates on a periodic basis.
Summer Means BLOSSOM! Your nonprofit Blossom Music Festival relies on support from great friends like YOU.
Be a champion for Blossom with your donation! Scan QR to visit clevelandorchestra.com/blossomfund Text GIVE to 844-955-4377
2026-27 SEASON Subscriptions and single-concert tickets on sale now!
Sphinx Virtuosi with mezzo-soprano
J’Nai Bridges
October 20 7:30 p.m.
American Brass Quintet February 9 7:30 p.m.
at EJ Thomas Hall
James (Zijian) Wei, piano
A Chanticleer Christmas
November 17 7:30 p.m.
November 28 3 p.m.
Audra McDonald
Itzhak Perlman and friends
April 17 7:30 p.m.
330-761-3460
May 4 7:30 p.m.
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Your Best. BLOSSOM. Ever! • Invitations to rehearsals and recitals • Sweet ticket and retail discounts • Private concessions, restrooms, and more! Learn more at clevelandorchestra.com/benefits
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AUG 22 RAVEL’S PIANO CONCERTO IN G Antonello Manacorda, conductor Nelson Goerner, piano The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus
2026 PRESENTED BY
SEASON PARTNER
MOVIE NIGHT PRESENTER
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PARTNER
AUG 23 COLE PORTER: LET’S MISBEHAVE Steven Reineke, conductor Tony DeSare, vocals and piano Aubrey Logan, trombone and vocals John Manzari, tap dancer and vocals
AUG 29 SUMMER IN VIENNA Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
SEP 4–6 THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS Sarah Hicks, conductor
YOUR VISIT LATE SEATING
SMOKING
Guests with Pavilion seats who arrive after the start of the concert may be asked to wait outside the Pavilion until the first convenient pause in the music, after which our ushers will help you to your seats.
All Blossom Music Festival events are presented in a smoke-free environment. Smoking or vaping are not allowed anywhere on the grounds or in buildings once you have entered through the ticket gates. A smoking area is available outside the gates in a designated area of Parking Lot A.
LAWN SEATING Guests on the Lawn may bring their own chairs, but guests with high-backed chairs that obstruct others’ views may be asked to relocate to the rear of the Lawn. Rental chairs are available for a fee of $10 per evening. Tents, flags, balloons, or other structures that might obstruct views or present a hazard are not allowed. Open flames are also prohibited.
PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEOGRAPHY & RECORDING Audio recording, photography, and videography are not allowed during performances at Blossom. Photographs and videos can only be taken when the performance is not in progress. As a courtesy to others, please silence all electronic devices prior to the start of the concert.
WEATHER INFORMATION In the event of severe weather, a coordinated campus-wide alert will be issued. Guests and staff will be directed to safety by venue staff and the public address system. Download The Cleveland Orchestra app or visit clevelandorchestra.com/weather for weather updates and more information.
FREE TRAM & ADA VAN SERVICE Free tram service between the parking lots and Smith Plaza and the Pavilion is available on a continuous basis before and after each concert. The ADA Van Service can pick up at the Main Gate with service to the Tram Circle.
QUESTIONS? Visit our Information Center, hosted by the Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra, inside the Main Gate on Smith Plaza.
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA? Scan the QR code below to explore the Orchestra’s history, meet the musicians, and discover upcoming performances at Severance Music Center and Blossom. Follow us on social media at: @ClevelandOrchestra @cleveorch
The Cleveland Orchestra is grateful to these organizations for their ongoing generous support of The Cleveland Orchestra: National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Ohio and Ohio Arts Council, and to the residents of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.
© 2026 The Cleveland Orchestra and the Musical Arts Association Program books for Cleveland Orchestra concerts are produced by The Cleveland Orchestra and are distributed free to attending audience members. EDITORIAL Kevin McBrien, Editorial & Publications Manager, The Cleveland Orchestra kmcbrien@clevelandorchestra.com Ellen Sauer Tanyeri, Archives & Editorial Assistant, The Cleveland Orchestra
@CleveOrchestra
DESIGN Judy Barabas, Red Swing Creative
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BLOSSOM MUSIC FESTIVAL 2026
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