CLEVELAND— Single tickets for The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2026–27 season at Severance Music Center, celebrating Franz Welser-Möst’s 25th and final year as Music Director, are on sale on now. 

The 2026–27 season reflects the artistic vision, repertoire, and unmistakable sound that have defined Welser-Möst’s tenure as the Orchestra’s seventh and longest-serving Music Director. Throughout the season, audiences will experience many of the composers and works that have shaped his relationship with The Cleveland Orchestra, including Beethoven, Mahler, and Richard Strauss, alongside rediscoveries, world premieres, and works with deep ties to Cleveland. 

“In planning my final season as Music Director, it’s going to show what we have achieved together in 25 years,” Welser-Möst said. “Precision and transparency have always been defining qualities of The Cleveland Orchestra. But the spectrum of different sound colors, the warmth, the flexibility, and the singing in the sound — these are some of the things we have enhanced together.” 

Individual tickets go on sale on Tuesday, August 18, at 10 a.m., with a presale for eligible subscribers and donors beginning Tuesday, August 11, at 10 a.m. Subscriptions for the 2026–27 season are now on sale and start at only $96 for a three-concert package. Subscribers receive priority seating and ticket exchange privileges. For tickets, contact the Severance Music Center Ticket Office at 216-231-1111 or visit clevelandorchestra.com. 

Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra open the season on September 17 and 20 with Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs, featuring the rich tones of soprano Golda Schultz, followed by Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8. Then on September 24 and 26, the program combines Liszt’s symphonic poem Orpheus, Brahms’s expansive Symphony No. 2, and Martinů’s Symphony No. 2, which was commissioned by Czech Clevelanders and premiered by The Cleveland Orchestra in 1943. 

On January 16 and 16, Welser-Möst returns to Severance Music Center for Beethoven’s massive and deeply spiritual Missa solemnis, featuring Schultz, mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven, tenor Julian Prégardien, bass Anthony Schneider, and The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus under the direction of Lisa Wong. The Cleveland Orchestra has not performed this work in more than 20 years. 

Welser-Möst leads the Orchestra in an all-Richard Strauss program on January 15, featuring orchestral selections from Daphne, alongside Metamorphosen — a reflection on the devastation of World War II — and Symphonia domestica, the composer’s autobiographical portrait of family life. 

As his final stretch of concerts as Music Director begins, Welser-Möst conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 on April 29, May 1, and 2. A composer central to Welser-Möst’s career, Mahler explores life’s fragility and the search for transcendence in this deeply moving work, culminating in one of music’s most poignant farewells. 

On May 6 and 7, Welser-Möst leads a program inspired by myth and legend. Stravinsky’s Orpheus retells the ancient Greek tale with elegance and restraint, followed by Sibelius’s Four Legends from the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic, which includes a haunting depiction of the mystical Swan of Tuonela. 

Credited with reviving staged opera at Severance Music Center, Welser-Möst marks the fifth annual Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival with Richard Strauss’s beautiful and ambitious Die Frau ohne Schatten on May 16, 19, and 22. Staged by Frederic Wake-Walker, the production stars tenor David Butt Philip, soprano Sara Jakubiak, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, baritone Roman Burdenko, and soprano Ambur Braid, with The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. 

“It’s the perfect ending for both the season and my time in Cleveland,” Welser-Möst said. “It’s a huge score, and the Orchestra will have a blast with it. At the same time, it sums up what I personally believe music should be: That there is a humanitarian, philosophical element that is essential to what we do.”  

Welser-Möst concludes the 2026–27 season and his historic tenure with The Cleveland Orchestra with a series of three programs that celebrate his legacy and unique voice. On May 27, he conducts The Cleveland Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus in the first piece he conducted as Music Director during his inaugural season in 2002: Hadyn’s The Creation. Joining the ensemble for this radiant oratorio are soprano Joélle Harvey, tenor Kai Kluge, and baritone Ludwig Mittelhammer. 

The May 28 concert opens with Bernd Richard Deutsch’s Intensity, commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra during his tenure as Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellow, followed by Eastman’s Symphony No. 2, returning after its Cleveland Orchestra premiere in 2023. The program concludes with Richard Strauss’s vivid orchestral journey, An Alpine Symphony. 

Welser-Möst’s final concert, The Last Waltz on May 29, is a lively homage to the Viennese musical tradition that he holds so dear. This festive farewell features the spirited dances and overtures of Lanner and the Strauss family as Welser-Möst departs Cleveland with a smile. 

Extraordinary Guest Artists 

Throughought the 2026–27 season, The Cleveland Orchestra welcomes an incredible lineup of guest conductors to the podium at Severance Music Center: Petr Popelka (October 30, 31, and November 1, and November 5, 7, and 8), Jane Glover (November 12, 14, and 15), Santtu-Matias Rouvali (November 19, 20, 21, and 22, and February 25, 26, and 27), Elim Chan (November 27, 28, and 29), Alan Gilbert (December 3, 4, and 5), Thomas Adès (February 4, 5, 6, and 7), Kazuki Yamada (February 11, 12, 13, and 14), Fabio Luisi (February 18 and 20), Semyon Bychkov (March 4, 5, 6, and 7), Esa-Pekka Salonen (April 15, 17, and 18), and John Adams (April 22, 23, and 24). 

The Cleveland Orchestra has a history of composers conducting their own works dating back to Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. That tradition continues this season. Adès conducts his Inferno Suite — drawn from his ballet inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy — Salonen opens his program with his atmospheric work NYX, and Adams closes his concerts with his Slonimsky’s Earbox, a spirited tribute to the 20th-century conductor and musicologist Nicolas Slonimsky. 

In addition to the incredible vocalists who will join Welser-Möst this season, these guest conductors join soloists like soprano Julia Bullock (November 12, 14, and 15), saxophonist Steven Banks (November 19, 20, 21, and 22 ), violinist Veronika Eberle (November 27, 28, and 29), violinist Augustin Hadelich (December 3, 4, and 5), pianist Beatrice Rana (February 11, 12, 13, and 14), violinist Paul Huang (February 18 and 20), pianist Seong-Jin Cho (February 25, 26, and 27), pianist Alexandre Kantorow (March 4, 5, 6, and 7), pianist Yunchan Lim (April 15, 17, and 18), and pianist Conrad Tao (April 22, 23, and 24). 

Cleveland Orchestra Principal Oboe Frank Rosenwein is featured in the world premiere of Adolphus Hailstork’s Distant Lands: Triptych for Oboe and Strings, commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra, on November 5, 7, and 8. 

The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus turns 75  

Grammy Award–winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre joins The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus to mark its 75th season in a special concert celebrating the ensemble’s rich legacy and bright future. Director of Choruses Lisa Wong opens the evening with the Dylan Thomas–inspired Fern Hill by John Corigliano. Following this, Whitacre leads the US premiere of his Eternity in an Hour, an expansive meditation on William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence. 

With Gratitude   
With deepest gratitude, The Cleveland Orchestra thanks our Institutional partners whose vital support brings our concert seasons and programs to life:   
   
Akron Children’s 
Paul M. Angell Family Foundation 
Mary E. & F. Joseph Callahan Foundation 
Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture 
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company 
Hyster-Yale, Inc. 
NACCO Industries, Inc. 
Jones Day Foundation 
Kulas Foundation 
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation 
John P. Murphy Foundation 
David and Inez Myers Foundation 
Ohio Arts Council 
The Dr. M. Lee Pearce Foundation, Inc. (Miami) 
James* and Donna Reid 
The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation 
The J. M. Smucker Co. 
Wesley Family Foundation 
White & Case (Miami) 
 
We also thank our entire community of donors who support the Annual Fund. Your generosity keeps our music playing strong for fans around the world. Thank you!  

Calendar Listings 

2026–27 Severance Music Center Season 

Strauss & Shostakovich 
Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Sunday, September 20, 2026, at 3 p.m. 
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor  
Golda Schultz, soprano  
R. STRAUSS  Four Last Songs  
SHOSTAKOVICH  Symphony No. 8  
Golda Schultz’s performance is generously sponsored by Astri Seidenfeld 
   
Brahms’s Second Symphony 
Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor  
LISZT  Orpheus  
MARTINŮ  Symphony No. 2  
BRAHMS  Symphony No. 2 

The Chorus at 75 with Eric Whitacre 
Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus 
Members of The Cleveland Orchestra 
Lisa Wong, conductor 
Eric Whitacre, conductor
JOHN CORIGLIANO Fern Hill 
ERIC WHITACRE Eternity in an Hour 

Mahler’s Fifth Symphony  
Friday, October 30, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 3 p.m.    
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Petr Popelka, conductor 
HAYDN  Symphony No. 80  
MAHLER  Symphony No. 5  

Brahms’s Requiem 
Thursday, November 5, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.  
Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.  
Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 3 p.m. 
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Petr Popelka, conductor  
Frank Rosenwein, oboe  
Julia Kleiter, soprano  
Lucas Meachem, baritone 
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus  
ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK  Distant Lands: Triptych for Oboe and Strings (World Premiere; TCO Commission)  
BRAHMS  Ein deutsches Requiem 

Royal Illuminations 
Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.  
Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 3 p.m.  
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Jane Glover, conductor  
Julia Bullock, soprano
HANDEL  Suites Nos. 2 and 3 from Water Music  
BRITTEN  Les Illuminations  
STACY GARROP  Spectacle of Light  
HANDEL  Music for the Royal Fireworks

Rouvali Conducts Strauss 
Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Friday, November 20, 2026, at 11 a.m. 
Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Sunday, November 22, 2026, at 3 p.m.  
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Santtu-Matias Rouvali, conductor  
Steven Banks, saxophone 
BILLY CHILDS  Diaspora: Concerto for Saxophone* 
R. STRAUSS  Ein Heldenleben  
*Not performed on Friday’s matinee concert 
Santtu-Matias Rouvali’s performance is generously sponsored by Astri Seidenfeld    

Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake  
Friday, November 27, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.  
Saturday, November 28, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Sunday, November 29, 2026, at 3 p.m.    
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Elim Chan, conductor  
Veronika Eberle, violin    
GUBAIDULINA  Fairytale Poem  
BRUCH  Violin Concerto No. 1  
TCHAIKOVSKY  Suite from Swan Lake  

Hadelich Plays Bartók 
Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Friday, December 4, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.   
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Alan Gilbert, conductor  
Augustin Hadelich, violin     
DALIT WARSHAW  Responses  
BARTÓK  Violin Concerto No. 2  
DEBUSSY  Images    

Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis 
Thursday, January 14, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday, January 16, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.    
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor  
Golda Schultz, soprano  
Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano  
Julian Prégardien, tenor  
Anthony Schneider, bass  
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus    
BEETHOVEN  Missa solemnis 
Taylor Raven’s performance is generously sponsored by Claudia Woods and David Osage 
Golda Schultz’s performance is generously sponsored by Astri Seidenfeld    

Welser-Möst Conducts Strauss 
Friday, January 15, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. 
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor    
R. STRAUSS  Introduction and Finale from Daphne  
R. STRAUSS  Metamorphosen  
R. STRAUSS  Symphonia domestica  

Holst’s The Planets 
Thursday, February 4, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Friday, February 5, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Saturday, February 6, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Sunday, February 7, 2027, at 3 p.m.    
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Thomas Adès, conductor  
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus   
THOMAS ADÈS  Inferno Suite 
FRANCISCO COLL  Lilith (US Premiere) 
HOLST  The Planets  

All Tchaikovsky  
Thursday, February 11, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Friday, February 12, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday, February 13, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Sunday, February 14, 2027, at 3 p.m.   
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Kazuki Yamada, conductor  
Beatrice Rana, piano 
TCHAIKOVSKY  Piano Concerto No. 1  
TCHAIKOVSKY  Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique”  

Huang Plays Barber 
Thursday, February 18, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday, February 20, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. 
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Fabio Luisi, conductor  
Paul Huang, violin  
BENT SØRENSEN  Evening Land 
BARBER  Violin Concerto  
NIELSEN  Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable”
Fabio Luisi’s performance is generously sponsored by Tony and Diane Wynshaw-Boris 

Cho Plays Chopin  
Thursday, February 25, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Friday, February 26, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Saturday, February 27, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. 
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Santtu-Matias Rouvali, conductor  
Seong-Jin Cho, piano     
CHOPIN  Piano Concerto No. 1  
SHOSTAKOVICH  Symphony No. 15 
Santtu-Matias Rouvali’s performance is generously sponsored by Astri Seidenfeld 
   

Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody 
Thursday, March 4, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Friday, March 5, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Saturday, March 6, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Sunday, March 7, 2027, at 3 p.m. 
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Semyon Bychkov, conductor  
Alexandre Kantorow, piano     
BRITTEN  The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra  
RACHMANINOFF  Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini  
ELGAR  Enigma Variations

Lim Plays Liszt 
Thursday, April 15, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday, April 17, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Sunday, April 18, 2027, at 3 p.m. 
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor  
Yunchan Lim, piano  
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN  NYX 
LISZT  Piano Concerto No. 2  
BERLIOZ  Suite from Roméo et Juliette  
   

Adams & Tao 
Thursday, April 22, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Friday, April 23, 2027, at 11 a.m. 
Saturday, April 24, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.   
The Cleveland Orchestra  
John Adams, conductor  
Conrad Tao, piano    
WEILL  Suite from The Threepenny Opera  
COPLAND  Piano Concerto 
HARRIS  Symphony No. 3* 
JOHN ADAMS  Slonimsky’s Earbox 
*Not performed on Friday’s matinee concert 
John Adams’s performance is generously sponsored by Tony and Diane Wynshaw-Boris 

Mahler’s Ninth  
Thursday, April 29, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday, May 1, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.  
Sunday, May 2, 2027, at 3 p.m.    
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor     
MAHLER  Symphony No. 9  

Stravinsky & Sibelius 
Thursday, May 6, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. 
Friday, May 7, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.    
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor    
STRAVINSKY  Orpheus  
SIBELIUS  Four Legends from the Kalevala 

Die Frau ohne Schatten 
Sunday, May 16, 2027, at 3 p.m.  
Wednesday, May 19, 2027, at 6 p.m. 
Saturday, May 22, 2027, at 6 p.m.  
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor  
Frederic Wake-Walker, director   
David Butt Philip, tenor (The Emperor)  
Sara Jakubiak, soprano (The Empress)  
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (The Nurse)  
Roman Burdenko, baritone (Barak)  
Ambur Braid, soprano (The Dyer’s Wife)  
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus    
R. STRAUSS  Die Frau ohne Schatten  
David Butt Philip’s performance is generously sponsored by Tony and Diane Wynshaw-Boris 
Ambur Braid’s performance is generously sponsored by Mel Berger and Jane Haylor 
Jennifer Johnson Cano’s performance is generously sponsored by James and Marguerite Rigby 

Haydn’s Creation 
Thursday, May 27, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.     
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor  
Joélle Harvey, soprano  
Kai Kluge, tenor  
Ludwig Mittelhammer, baritone  
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
HAYDN  The Creation 
Ludwig Mittelhammer’s performance is generously sponsored by Dagmar and Ted Fellowes 
   
Strauss’s Alpine Symphony 
Friday, May 28, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.   
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor    
BERND RICHARD DEUTSCH  Intensity  
EASTMAN  Symphony No. 2  
R. STRAUSS  An Alpine Symphony  
   
The Last Waltz 
Saturday, May 29, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.    
The Cleveland Orchestra  
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor   
SCHUBERT  Overture to Rosamunde  
LANNER  Bolero
LANNER  S’Hoamweh  
LANNER  Hexen-Tänze 
J. STRAUSS, JR.  Overture to Der lustige Krieg
STEPHAN KONCZ  Czardas (World Premiere; TCO Commission)  
JOS. STRAUSS  Aquarellen-Walzer  
JOS. STRAUSS  Angelica-Polka  
J. STRAUSS, JR.  Overture to Die Göttin der Vernunft