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Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 1
BLOSSOM NOTES NEWSLETTER OF BLOSSOM FRIENDS OF
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA Volume 3, Issue 1 January/February 2018
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E
1 Message from the President, Blossom Friends Financial
Support of The Cleveland Orchestra – A Brief History
2
Blossom Friends Financial Support continued, Smucker’s
Pledge $15 million, Blossom Chapter Contacts
3 Chapter News
4 Martin Luther King Jr Concert, Orchestra News, Open
Rehearsal Dates
5 Concert Calendar, WCCO Calendar
Message from Our President Happy New Year! Although the cold makes it hard to imagine that 7 months from now we will be enjoying the music of The Cleveland Orchestra while a warm summer breeze floats over us at Blossom Music Center, I wanted to share some exciting summer news! In honor of Blossom Music Center’s 50th Celebration, the Blossom Friends have planned an exciting fundraising event, A Symphony of Food and Fine Wine on July 13th that will be held on the stage and orchestra pit of Blossom Music Center. This highly anticipated affair will feature a fine wine auction, celebrity chef prepared farm to table courses with wine pairings and the beautiful music of The Cleveland Orchestra musicians, Joshua Smith, flute, Amy Lee Rosenwein, violin, Joanna Patterson Zakany, viola, and Tanya Ell Wolfrey, cello. Look for your Save the Date mailing later this month. To find out how to get involved, or make a donation of wine please contact Lis Hugh, [email protected] or myself, [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Elizabeth McCormick, President
Perusing through my many cookbooks in
search of holiday recipes, I came across a
very worn copy of the Blossom Seasons
Cookbook (circa approximately 1980). In
the preface is a piece about the merits of the
Blossom Women’s Committee (now known
as Blossom Friends of The Cleveland
Orchestra). I found the section about
fundraising quite interesting and wanted to
share it with you as I think the sentiments
expressed then are still quite relevant today.
“The main purpose of the Women’s
Committee is to promote Blossom Music
Center and The Cleveland Orchestra
through fundraising, audience development
and public relations. From 1968 to 1980
more than $1,720,000 was raised from the
sale of coupon books to provide ‘up front’
money for advance bookings. Now, the
primary fundraising event is the Friends of
Blossom Campaign held in the Spring of
each year. More than $100,000 was raised
in the first two campaigns.”
Blossom Friends Financial Support of The Cleveland
Orchestra – A Brief History
Continued on Page 2
Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 2
Blossom Friends Chapter Presidents
❖ Akron - Danielle Dieterich, [email protected]
❖ Aurora - Kitchie McGrath, [email protected]
❖ Canton - Faye Heston, [email protected], and Liz McCormick, [email protected]
❖ Hudson - Connie Van Gilder, [email protected]
❖ Kent – Janet Sessions, [email protected], Rosanne Henderson, [email protected]
❖ Northeast – Lorraine Szabo, [email protected]
For more information about joining Blossom Friends please contact the Chapter President in your area.
Blossom Friends Financial Support of The Cleveland Orchestra – A Brief History continued
I think it is outstanding that the volunteers and
community came together in such strong
financial support of the very special place we
call Blossom Music Center.
Fifty years later, the passion and support the
Blossom Friends volunteers have for The
Cleveland Orchestra and Blossom Music
Center continues to be strong. In honor of
Blossom Music Center’s 50th
Celebration the
chapters have come together for an exciting
fundraising opportunity A Symphony of
Food and Fine Wine, which combines a fine
wine auction, celebrity chef prepared farm
to table courses, music by The Cleveland
Orchestra musicians and the opportunity to
enjoy all this while seated on the stage and
orchestra pit of Blossom Music Center.
Mark your calendars for this exciting
opportunity – July 13th
, 2018! Look for your
special Save the Date invitation in your January
mail.
For more information, ways to get involved, or
how to make a wine donation (tax deductible!)
please contact:
Lis Hugh, 330-840-8429,
Elizabeth McCormick at 330-704-8277,
Smucker’s Encourage Donors to Support The Cleveland Orchestra
Richard and Emily Smucker have pledged $15 million to The Cleveland Orchestra in celebration of the Orchestra’s 100th season and launch of its Second Century. Their gift will be used to fund artistic and education programs, with an emphasis on programs for young people. A significant portion of their gift will also support funds for the Orchestra’s future, including the
endowment.
Richard and Emily are designating $3 million of their total pledge as challenge grants, which will be used to inspire the Northeast Ohio community to support the Orchestra as the ensemble enters its Second Century of musical excellence and community engagement.
Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 3
The Aurora Chapter held a new member
welcome, Holiday Cheers & Cookies on
December 6th welcoming 9 new members,
increasing their membership to 70 members.
The Kent Chapter finished their year with a
lovely holiday dinner and music provided by
the Efferus String Quartet at The Overlook.
The quartet is a graduate quartet in residence
at Kent State University and is comprised of
Paula Casteñada, Irene Guerra, Maria Flórez,
and Cristian Diaz (pictured below).
The Northeast Chapter held their annual
Christmas Social on a cold, snowy evening
December 12th at the Cabin Restaurant in
Willowick. Fifty-two attendees braved the cold
to enjoy a lovely social hour, dinner, and a
musical program. Also, several members
attended the program Beethoven and
Prometheus: The Hero’s Journey, a collaboration
between The Cleveland Orchestra and
Cleveland School of the Arts at the Lakeland
Community College on November 9th, and were
thrilled to host Cleveland Orchestra Youth
Orchestra in their own backyard. The concert
was attended by approximately 1,000 Lake
County students.
Pictured above, Aurora Chapter members enjoy fellowship and
desserts. Below, left to right, Sonja Koning, Eileen Rini, Monica
Zellis and Donna Sadd.
Pictured above, left to right, Kent Chapter members Betty
Hejma-Sweet, Roberta Ewbank, Christine Bhargava, Gerry
Orr, and Donna Hajek.
Pictured right,
Kent Chapter
members Saroj
Sutaria and
Germaine
Williams
Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 4
Leadership and Annual Giving Moneeb Iqbal, Annual Fund Giving Officer joins
Em Ezell and Brian Deeds on the Leadership and
Annual Giving team headed by Elizabeth Arnett,
Director of Annual Giving.
Mr. Moneeb recently finished
a summer internship at the
Aspen Music Festival where
he performed a variety of
functions from maintaining the
guest artist database and ArtsVision as well as
working with guest artists during the festival. Last
spring he served as The Cleveland Orchestra’s Arts
Administration Intern.
Moneeb will be working closely with the Annual
Giving Team to implement a strategic approach to
increase the donor base and build a robust pipeline
for annual support for the Orchestra.
The Cleveland Orchestra On January 23rd and 24th The Cleveland Orchestra
makes its 223rd and 224th appearances at Carnegie
Hall. The Orchestra first performed at Carnegie
Hall in 1922 and last performed in Stern Auditorium
in 2016. The January 23rd performance features the
New York premiere of Johannes Maria
Staud’s Stromab, which was co-commissioned by
Carnegie Hall as well as Mahler’s Symphony No.
9. On January 24th the Orchestra performs
Haydn’s The Seasons with the Cleveland Orchestra
Chorus, soprano Golda Schultz, tenor Maximilian
Schmitt, and baritone Thomas Hampson.
38th Annual Martin Luther King Jr Celebration Concert
This Education Concert, “Civil Rights: Remembering MLK Jr.” uses music and dramatic vignettes (in between orchestral pieces), to trace the life journey of MLK Jr. through major events of the Civil Rights Movement: celebrating his victories, emphasizing his philosophy of non-violence, reflecting on his untimely death, and asking what we can do now to honor and fulfill his legacy. The orchestral repertoire includes music directly related to the life of Dr. King, as well as music symbolic of peaceful revolution from other periods in history, demonstrating the timeless nature of the need for social justice and unity. This free concert, conducted by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, takes place at Severance Hall on Sunday, January 14th at 7:00 pm. The concert is free, however tickets are required and can be obtained by visiting www.clevelandorchestra.com. This concert is sponsored by KeyBank and supported by a grant from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.
Open Rehearsals with
The Cleveland Orchestra
Plan to attend the Open Rehearsals on January 16th and
February 21st at Severance Hall from 7:30 – 10 pm.
RSVP to Sarah Jessie, [email protected].
Rehearsals include selections from the weekend’s
program at the conductor’s discretion.
Tickets are required and are available for pick-up at the
check-in table prior to the rehearsal.
Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 5
Return Address
Street Number and Name
City, State 98765-4321
BUILD RATE
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO.
00000
Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra will host a Meet The Artist on
Friday, February 23rd. Featuring Kathleen Collins, violinist with The
Cleveland Orchestra, and moderated by Joan Katz Napoli, Senior Director of
Education and Community Programs, The Cleveland Orchestra.
Mayfield Sand Ridge Club, South Euclid
11:30 patron reception, 12 noon lunch, $40 WCCO member & $50 non-member
Reservations Contact: Suzanne Blaser, 216-249-8707
2018 Cleveland Orchestra & Severance Hall Events:
(visit clevelandorchestra.com for tickets and additional
information)
March 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th – Bronfman Plays Beethoven’s Emperor,
Nikolaj Znaider, conductor, with Yefim Bronfman, piano.
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”), and Elgar
Symphony No. 2 featured.
April 5th and 7th – Brahms Violin Concerto, Jakub Hruša,
conductor, with Sergey Khachatryan, violin. Brahms Violin
Concerto and Suk Symphony No. 2 (“Asrael”) featured.
