The Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra (also called Cleveland Philharmonic) is an American
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
based in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. It was founded in 1938 and its current music director (since 2007) is Victor H. Liva.
The Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra is a full symphony orchestra which was founded in 1938 by three Cleveland area musicians — bass clarinetist Alfred Zetzer, oboist Robert Zupnik, and cellist Irving Klein — who all went on to professional careers.
Initially, the orchestra was formed as a young people's symphony, to give concerts and to serve as a training ground for those who were interested in professional careers as orchestra musicians.
The Orchestra comprises about 60 musicians and performs six concerts each season at
Cuyahoga Community College
Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is a public community college in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Founded in 1963, it is the oldest and largest public community college within the state.
Tri-C schedules on the semester basis, and offers over 1,000 co ...
Metro,
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...
, and Highland Hills campuses.
The Cleveland Philharmonic's current Music Director, Victor H. Liva, began his first season with the orchestra as it celebrated the 70th concert season in 2007–2008.
The Philharmonic has traditionally presented outstanding Cleveland area musicians as well as artists of international stature in its roster of soloists. Annually, since 1973, the Philharmonic has sponsored the Frieda Schumacher Young Artist Competition.
This statewide competition is open to music students of high school age who audition for a cash award and the opportunity of performing a full length concerto with the Orchestra at one of its regular season concerts. Over the years, Cleveland, American, and world premieres of new music have been presented by the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra.
Beyond the regular season, the Philharmonic has become involved in various community activities. It was the first symphonic group in Cleveland to honor
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
This annual concert has been a tradition at Cuyahoga Community College attracting capacity audiences for many years. The Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra Chamber Ensemble, which was formed during the 2002/2003 season, consists of players from within the CPO and performs for welcoming and enthusiastic audiences in Cleveland area churches and at other community venues.
''SYMPHONIC JOURNEY, Con Amore, a History of the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra'' was published in 2003. It was written by Robert Finn, former music critic of ''
The Plain Dealer
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of Ma ...
'', freelance writer, teacher, lecturer and arts advocate. The book recounts the orchestra's 1938 founding and history in detail and contains many photographs and reproductions of early Philharmonic programs and newspaper reviews. There are extensive appendices that list players, conductors, repertory and winners of the orchestra's Young Artist Competition through the years.
The Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra mission statement reads as follows:
*To provide amateur and professional musicians the means and opportunity to explore, learn and perform symphonic music.
*To regularly feature renowned professional and outstanding student musicians as soloists in collaboration with the orchestra.
*To perform concerts which make musical enrichment accessible to all in the Greater Cleveland area.
Music Directors
*
F. Karl Grossman
F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet.
F may also refer to:
Science and technology Mathematics
* F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems
* ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function
* F-distributi ...
(1938–1963)
*
George Cleve (1964–1965)
*
Zoltán Rozsnyai (1965–1968)
*
José Serebrier
José Serebrier (born 3 December 1938) is a Uruguayan conductor and composer. He is one of the most recorded conductors of his generation.
Early life
Serebrier was born in Montevideo to Russian and Polish parents of Jewish extraction. He fi ...
(1968–1971)
*
Robert Marcellus
Robert Marcellus (June 1, 1928 – March 31, 1996) was an American classical clarinetist and teacher. Marcellus is best known for his long tenure as principal clarinetist of the Cleveland Orchestra.
Biography
Robert Marcellus was born in Omaha, N ...
(1971–1977)
*John Ross (1977–1979)
*
William B. Slocum (1981–2007), Director Emeritus (2007 – )
*
Victor H. Liva (2007–)
See also
*
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...
*
Cleveland Women's Orchestra
The Cleveland Women's Orchestra is an American orchestra made up entirely of female musicians, based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1935 and performed its first concert in 1936. It is one of the oldest women's orchestra in the world after ...
*
CityMusic Cleveland
*
Cleveland Chamber Symphony
The Cleveland Chamber Symphony is an American chamber orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music, and has presented over 200 performance premieres.
History
The Cleveland Chamber Sym ...
*
Red (an orchestra)
Red an orchestra was an American chamber orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Established in 2001, its Artistic Director and conductor was Jonathan Sheffer. The orchestra's repertoire spanned the work of Renaissance composers including Heinrich S ...
References
External links
Cleveland Philharmonic official site
{{authority control
Musical groups established in 1938
Musical groups from Cleveland
Orchestras based in Ohio
1938 establishments in Ohio