The Cleveland Orchestra's Announces Family Concerts & PNC Music Explorers

The Cleveland Orchestra offers captivating and educational opportunities for children and families to experience classical music in a dynamic, kid-friendly environment. The 2019-20 Family Concert Series supported by the Weiss Family Foundation, for ages seven and older, and the PNC Music Explorers series, for children ages three to six, are designed to introduce young people to the magic and wonder of orchestral music.

A highlight of The Cleveland Orchestra's educational offerings for young people every year, the Family Concert series celebrates its 50th Anniversary with this season's programs. For many families across Northeast Ohio, the series has become an annual tradition by creating lasting musical memories with its presentations of unique and engaging concert experiences. Attendees are encouraged to share their recollections and photographs of Family Concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter using the hashtag #cleorch.

We're honored and inspired to have influenced the musical memories of so many families across Northeast Ohio, said Joan Katz Napoli, The Cleveland Orchestra's Senior Director of Education & Community Programs. Looking forward, we're deepening our commitment to making music a part of every child's life during our next half-century of Family Concerts at Severance Hall.

Subscriptions for each series are now available by visiting the Severance Hall Ticket Office, clevelandorchestra.com, and by calling 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Tickets to individual performances go on sale in late summer. The Orchestra's popular Under 18s Free program is available for all concerts

2019-20 Family Concert Series supported by the Weiss Family Foundation

On Saturday, October 26 at 2:00 p.m., members of The Cleveland Orchestra will dress in Halloween costumes for enchantingly eerie musical fun at festive Severance Hall. Our celebratory Halloween Spooktacular features an afternoon of music and magic, including Mussorgsky's mysterious Night on Bald Mountain and Saint-Sa ns's bone-rattling Danse Macabre. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and dress in costume for a contest to be held at 1:00 p.m., and to enjoy the Orchestra's Instrument Discovery zone.

Leonard Bernstein was one of the most beloved and influential conductors, composers, and musical educators of the twentieth century. His daughter, Jamie Bernstein, visits Severance Hall to host The Bernstein Beat on Sunday, February 2 at 2:00 pm a one-hour family program designed to introduce kids to her father's music and modeled after his own groundbreaking Young People's Concerts. In conjunction with this performance, audiences are encouraged to discover more about Leonard Bernstein and his music at a Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage exhibition titled, Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music, beginning in fall 2019.

Join The Cleveland Orchestra on Friday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. for an intergalactic journey with Out of this World a fun-filled concert that promises to transport audience members from Severance Hall to distant galaxies with music from Star Wars, Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra (theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey), Holst's The Planets, and more. The evening's program will feature large projections of photographs taken from the Hubble Telescope, International Space Station, and NASA's own archives. This event, which includes space-related pre-concert activities, is presented in partnership with Great Lakes Science Center home to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center.

Every Cleveland Orchestra Family Concert features engaging pre-concert activities, including our Instrument Discovery zone, which offers hands-on opportunities for children to try playing various orchestral instruments. The Instrument Discovery program and various other free pre-concert events begin one hour before each Orchestra performance.

The Family Concert series is supported by The Giant Eagle Foundation.

PNC Music Explorers Series for 2019-20

The PNC Music Explorers Series is an ideal way for children and families to learn about orchestral instruments, one at a time, with Cleveland Orchestra musicians, special guests, and an engaging host who encourages audience members to sing, clap, and move to the music. In addition, each half-hour adventure features brief musical selections and instrument demonstrations created to inspire and entertain young music explorers, ages three to six.

This season, children have an opportunity to become music explorers at home by watching a series of five-minute videos, starring Major Scale and Ranger Rhythm, available online at https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/Education-and-Community/Music-Explorers/ or https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3zevNxAsOJ_DUatmuxKSWYCi6whbwF4z. These videos will also be e-mailed to subscribers before PNC Music Explorers performances and shown on screens in Smith Lobby at Severance Hall.

The Victorious Viola will be presented on October 18 & 19, with Cleveland Orchestra violist Eliesha Nelson.

The Fantastic Flute will be presented on November 15 & 16, with Cleveland Orchestra assistant principal flutist Jessica Sindell.

The Cheerful Cello will be presented on March 6 & 7, with Cleveland Orchestra cellist David Alan Harrell.

The Triumphant Trumpet will be presented on April 17 & 18, with Cleveland Orchestra trumpet player Jack Sutte.

The final concert in the series is Powerful Percussion, presented on May 1 & 2, with Cleveland Orchestra percussionist Thomas Sherwood.

In addition, the series includes a special PNC Holiday Music Explorers program, focusing on the traditions and sounds of the season. It features the Christmas Brass Quintet, with members of the Orchestra's brass section, and will be presented on December 13 & 14 in the Concert Hall at Severance Hall.

PNC Music Explorers concerts are sponsored by PNC Bank and endowed by the Pysht Fund.

Cleveland Orchestra PNC Music Explorers and Family Concerts are part of a broad array of educational programs designed to foster a lifetime love of music. For more information, please contact The Cleveland Orchestra's Department of Education and Community Programs at 216-231-7355 or visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/education-and-community/overview/

Under 18s Free

The Cleveland Orchestra's Under 18s Free program offers free tickets (one per regular-priced adult paid admission) to young people, 17 and under, for PNC Music Explorers concerts and the Family Concert Series supported by the Weiss Family Foundation. Under 18s Free tickets are not available for box seating.

Under 18s Free is a program of The Cleveland Orchestra's Center for Future Audiences. The Center, created with a lead endowment gift from the Maltz Family Foundation, was established to fund programs to foster new generations of audiences for Cleveland Orchestra concerts in Northeast Ohio. Under 18s Free continues to develop young audiences by making Orchestra concerts affordable for families, offering free tickets to young people, 17 and under, for select Severance Hall performances. For more information on Under 18s Free and other Center for Future Audiences ticketing programs, please visit: https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/support-and-volunteers/center-for-future-audiences/.

Ticket and Performance Parking Information

A three-concert subscription package for the 2019-20 Family Concert Series supported by the Weiss Family Foundation is available now through the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office. Subscribers save up to 33% off the price of individual concert tickets and are guaranteed the same reserved seats for all three concerts. Subscription prices are $30 or $60 for all three concerts.

Five-concert packages for the PNC Music Explorers series are now on sale. Subscriptions are $25 for the five-concert series, a savings of nearly 30% off the price of individual tickets. Two subscription series times are available: Friday at 10:00 a.m. and Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Individual tickets to the Christmas Brass Quintet concerts are priced at $7 and may be added to a PNC Music Explorers series subscription.

Tickets to individual performances go on sale in late summer.

For more information about the Family Concert Series supported by the Weiss Family Foundation and PNC Music Explorers programs, or to subscribe, call the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or visit clevelandorchestra.com.

The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located on street level in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along the west side of the building, on East Boulevard. Severance Hall Ticket Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. From September through May, the Ticket Office is also open on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closed Sundays and holidays except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office will be open three hours before each performance).

For information about parking for Severance Hall concerts, click here.