BLOSSOM NOTES NEWSLETTER OF BLOSSOM FRIENDS OF THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA Volume 1, Issue 9 September 2016 Message from Our President You are invited! Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra Annual Meeting, October 6, 2016 A Year in Review: Blossom Music Festival Concludes another Banner Year 1815 Tavern, 170 S. Chillicothe Road, Aurora, OH 44202, 330.954.8427 * 1815tavern.com 11:30 gathering, cash bar 12:00 luncheon 12:40 business meeting 1:00 Mark Williams, Director, Artistic Planning, TCO Peggy Fullmer, BFCO member, Interviewer Reservations: Connie Van Gilder 7197 E. Firelands Drive, Hudson OH 44236. Price: $40.00 I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E 1 Blossom Music Festival Concludes 2 A Blossom Music Festival Quiz 3 Dining a la Blossom Style 4 Margaret Goss Interview, Opening Night Photos 5 Chapter News, Orchestra Appreciation Date, Gourmet Matinee 6 Orchestra News The 2016 European Tour 7 Calendar of Events Lis Hugh, President As Blossom Music Festival concludes its 49 th season, I hope you have had the opportunity this summer to enjoy the wonderful Cleveland Orchestra and other musical guests in TCO s beautiful summer home. Although things might be winding down at Blossom Music Center, the Friends of Blossom are busy planning Chapter events and fundraising opportunities. This has been a fantastic year of volunteerism - as shown by the 2016 Chapter events, Gourmet Matinees, behind the scene tours of Blossom Music Center, staffing of the Blossom Information Centers and the resulting contribution of $80,000 by the Friends of Blossom to The Cleveland Orchestra (which includes the dollar-for-dollar artistic initiatives match to TCO). A huge bravo to the volunteers! With over 325 members of Friends of Blossom, Chapters are still busy recruiting new members. If you love music, The Cleveland Orchestra or just being around people with a similar passion please contact Connie Schlemmer, cettina423@gmail.com about becoming a Friend. Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 1
How well do you know Blossom Music Center and the Blossom Music Festival? 7. A perfect backdrop for a glass of Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. We thought it would be fun (and a wee bit challenging) to recap the 2016 Blossom Music Festival and other Blossom events with pictures and snippets from this summer s repertoire. We hope you enjoy this tribute to Blossom! And try not to peak at the answers until completed. 1. A pre-concert bite to eat can be found at this location. 8. The longest drum solo occurred during this adrenaline pumping experience. 9. Take time to enjoy this visual feast before the concert. 2. TCO s assistant principal oboist, Jeffrey Rathbun made his soloist debut during this concert piece. 3. Questions regarding ATM locations, eating facilities and restrooms can be found here. 10. This colorful display was secondary to TCO s opening weekend. 4. Tchaikovsky s Sixth Symphony provided an opportunity for The Cleveland Orchestra to play with young talented musicians. 5. Carpathia Jenkins, a talented Broadway singer and actress stunned the audience with her solo I Will Always Love You from The Bodyguard during this performance. 6. This concert celebrated the 100 th Anniversary of the National Park Service. Answers: 1. Kulas Plaza, 2. Arthur Benjamin s Divertimento on Themes by Gluck during Mendelssohn Scottish (8/7), 3. Blossom Friends Information Center, 4. Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra performs with TCO during Pinchas Zukerman Plays Mozart (7/30), 5. Magic of the Movies (7/24), 6. An American in Paris (7/17), 7. The bar in Blossom Grille, 8. Performed by Powell Randolph during The Music of Led Zeppelin, 9. Emily s Garden, 10. 1812 Overture (7/2 & 7/3) Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 2
Dining a la Blossom Style Clockwise starting at far left: Dining at Blossom Grille, White table cloth and champagne in crystal stemware, Who s says you can t eat in bed, Everything checkered, With martinis in hand, and dining by candelabra. Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 3
A Musical Journey with Margaret Goss, Blossom Friends Member turns 100! Margaret Goss, long time Blossom Friends member was born two years before the Cleveland Orchestra was founded. She celebrated her 100th birthday August 4 th. A native of New Jersey, she moved to Cleveland when she was nine years old. Her father was transferred here to open and manage the GE incandescent bulb plant at East 152 street. Margaret graduated from Shaw High School, attended business school and went to work for GE. She worked in payroll, processing checks for all employed at the plant. She said, I calculated payroll with a pencil and paper! I did not have a computer! The Cleveland Orchestra s Opening Night Overture to Blossom s Best on July 9 th Pictured right, Donna Dibiase, Karen Pribula, Jan Robinson, Sylvia Armstrong A Photo Recap Pictured left, Nate Brulport, Catherine Good Brulport, Roland & Lois Hornbostel Margaret first donated to the orchestra in 1968, when Blossom opened. One of my colleagues, a nice young man, encouraged me to donate to the orchestra, she said. We started going to the concerts and never stopped. At Blossom, they sit in the same seats they have been sitting in since 1968: Section 24, Row O, seats 1 and 2. She named all the conductors since Maestro Szell. It brought me great pleasure to attend the orchestra concerts at Severance and Blossom. Pictured left, Lis Hugh, Phyllis Knauf, Claudia Gruen, John Gruen, & Jim Knauf Margaret has some fond memories of Gourmet Matinees. Henry Mancini and Jahja Ling were two of her favorites. She enjoys watching golf on TV (having quit playing at age 90) and reads The Plain Dealer every morning. For 48 years Margaret and her son Jim traveled the world. She has set foot in every continent except Antarctica. I think my love of classical music began with my piano lessons. My favorite composer, Chopin. A true friend of the orchestra! Margaret, we salute you and thank you for your support of The Cleveland Orchestra and Blossom Music Center. Written by Lis Hugh, based on an interview with Margaret Goss Pictured above, Senator Kenny Yuko, Pam Yuko, & Bill Blair Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 4
Gourmet Matinee Series The Aurora Chapter of Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra will hold their Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Tuesday, September 6th in order to vote for their Incoming Executive Board and the Chapter By-Laws. It will be held in the Chorus Room of Blossom Music Center. The Annual Board Meeting will be held September 1 st following the Gourmet Matinee Luncheon. Music and Luncheon with Cleveland Orchestra musicians in Knight Grove, 12 2p, presented by Blossom Friends Thursday, September 1 Michael Miller, trumpet Tickets can be ordered online at clevelandorchestra.com/gourmet Matinee Gourmet Matinee guests enjoyed a lovely luncheon while listening to the sounds of the Quantum Duo David Alan Harrell, cello and Shachar Israel, trombone. Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 5
The Cleveland Orchestra Returned to Europe The Cleveland Orchestra began their 16 th international tour on August 14 th. The Orchestra performed at the Salzsburg Festival, the Grafenegg Festival (both in Austria) and at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. The Cleveland Orchestra Returned to Europe continued The Cleveland Orchestra continued their tour with a Bartók and Strauss performance at the Wolkenturm in Grafenegg. Grafenegg is considered to be one of the most highly regarded festival venues for major international orchestras. Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra in rehearsal The concert at the Grosses Festspielhaus, August 18 19, in Salzburg featured violinist Leila Josefowicz and soprano Anja Harteros on programs which paired the works of Thomas Adès, Strauss, and Bartók. Pictured left, exterior of Grosses Festspeilhaus and below, backstage at the Grosses Festspeilahus A Review on TCO s Performance at the Grosses Festspielhaus (by Larissa Schütz/ APA) Interpreting two pieces by this British composer, Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra highlighted the versatility of British composer Thomas Adès. Some of the attendees may still have been reeling from the claustrophobic atmosphere that Adès had created in his opera, expressed by musical walls closing in, coming closer and closer, and ultimately enveloping the audience. The many beat and rhythm changes cannot pull conductor Franz Welser-Möst off his clearly plotted course, because he knows this piece. In 2008, also working with the Cleveland Orchestra, Welser-Möst introduced the piece in the United States. After Adès conducted the premiere in 2007, Welser-Möst was the first person to whom the composer entrusted it. Welser-Möst s reputation of having been instrumental in developing the orchestra s sound during his tenure as chief conductor is well deserved. The performance is rewarded in the end with enthusiastic applause and congratulatory calls of bravo from the audience. Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 6
2016 Blossom Music Festival and Severance Hall: (check clevelandorchestra.com for tickets and additional information) September 3 rd & 4 th Movie Night: Raiders of the Lost Ark. 8:30 pm. Brett Mitchell, conductor, with The Cleveland Orchestra. See this classic movie shown on the big screen at Blossom Music Center with the score performed live by The Cleveland Orchestra. Fireworks following weather permitting. September 16th Public Tours of Severance Hall. Offered at 10:00 am, 10:30 am and 11:00 am. September 29 th & 30 th Sibelius s Second at Severance Hall. Friday 7:30 pm. Saturday 8:00 pm. Franz Welser-Möst, conductor with The Cleveland Orchestra and special guest Paul Jones, organ. Featuring Ives Symphony No. 3, Coplan Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, and Sibelius Symphony No. 2. Return Address Street Number and Name City, State 98765-4321 BUILD RATE US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 00000 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Mailing Address Street Number and Name City, State 98765-4321 Thank you to Sally Fullmer Ramsey for sharing the above photos of the 2016 Blossom Season Blossom Friends Newsletter Page 7