News Release
Cleveland Orchestra kicks Fridays@7 Series on October 1
with globetrotting tour from Beethoven to Brazil
Release date: September 17, 2010
Fridays@7 Series Opens
The Cleveland Orchestra kicks off its vibrant Fridays@7 series this season on Friday, October 1, with eclectic globetrotting courtesy of The Cleveland Orchestra featuring Beethoven, Brazilian rhythms, African music and dance, cocktails, creative cuisine, and more – to inspire you, invigorate your senses, and jump-start your weekend.
The evening begins with doors open at 5 p.m., with libations and creative cuisine for purchase in the lobbies. At 7 p.m., your Cleveland Orchestra (led by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst) performs Beethoven’s Third Symphony (nicknamed “Heroic”), contrasted with a piece by Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu inspired by the serenity of Japanese gardens. But world-class music is just the starting point of this whirlwind tour.
Following the Orchestra’s performance at 8:15 p.m., Nation Beat will perform an electrifying set of music inspired by Brazilian and New Orleans rhythms joined by Passport Project, a local world drum music and dance ensemble. Accelerate your weekend with Fridays@7, a whirlwind global celebration.
How It Goes Down
@5 p.m. Doors open; libations and creative cuisine for purchase in the lobbies
@7 p.m. The Cleveland Orchestra performs Beethoven and Takemitsu, led by Franz
@8:15 p.m. Nation Beat performs a sizzling mix of Brazilian and New Orleans rhythms along with Passport Project’s world music and dance
What People Are Saying About Fridays@7
“An unexpected mix from the traditional to contemporary.”
“Totally refreshing! An exciting scene — the place to be on Friday nights.”
“Extraordinary! Re-invigorating Severance Hall bringing people together in this amazing setting. Grooving in the hall and in the lobby.”
“If I had only one word to describe the experience it is difficult to choose between ‘Wow!’ and ‘Mindblowing’.”
About Nation Beat
"The spirit of Africa through the eyes of the Americans is Nation Beat."
—Jamey Haddad, World Percussionist
Nation Beat is a NYC-Brazilian collision that parades with an infectious, audacious energy, seamlessly bridging folkloric Brazilian rhythms with classic American roots music in an altogether creative and original manner. Nation Beat’s 21st-century fusion is an explosion of thunderous Brazilian maracatu drumming and New Orleans second line rhythms, Appalachian-inspired bluegrass music, funk, rock and country- blues. It is also at the heart of their incendiary live show – which is frequently known to burst into crowd-wide Carnival-style drumming and singing, attracting music fans from a wide demographic: American roots music fans, Brazilian music lovers, outdoor festival-goers and pretty much anyone who loves to dance and loves great music.
Nation Beat is committed to a number of global humanitarian efforts, including Farm Aid, relief efforts in Darfour, and support of a school of music and culture for underprivileged youths in Brazil.
“In Nation Beat’s music, European, African and Latin sensibilities come together in the spirit of a Friday-night party after a week of hard work.” —NPR
“It’s about three songs into a live performance by Nation Beat, the exuberant and inquisitive Brooklyn-based band that has pioneered a synthesis of music from northeastern Brazil and the American South, that you realize for good that this is no run-of-the-mill, hippiefied world-beat fusion project.” —The Boston Globe
About Passport Global Dance & Music Collective
The Passport Project Global Dance & Music Collective is an ethnically diverse group of professional artists who perform and teach music and dance from around the world. The group inspires celebration of various cultures by bridging perceived gaps of difference. The ensemble has its home base at the Passport Project Global Community Arts Center in Cleveland, where the members, with additional artists, offer classes in music, dance, visual art and technology with a multicultural focus.
The Collective performs music and dance from the following cultures/countries: Peru, Senegal, Mali, Gambia, Spain, India, the Middle East, USA, France, Jamaica, Brazil, Cuba, Choctaw Indian, and Puerto Rico, among others.
About Franz
Franz Welser-Möst is in his ninth season as Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra. His long-term commitment extends to the Orchestra’s centennial in 2018. With the beginning of the 2010-11 season, Mr. Welser-Möst has added the position of General Music Director of the Vienna State Opera to his year-round schedule. In recent seasons, Mr. Welser-Möst has been active with DVD and CD recording projects, including DVD recordings of the Bruckner Symphonies Nos. 5, 7, and 9 with The Cleveland Orchestra. In August 2010, Mr. Welser-Möst and the Orchestra recorded Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 during live performances in Severance Hall, for future release on DVD. Newly released on CD and DVD on the Deutsche Grammophon label is the Vienna Philharmonic’s “Summer Night Concert” at Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace conducted by Mr. Welser-Möst in June 2010. Also recently released on Deutsche Grammophon is The Cleveland Orchestra’s CD recording of music by Wagner, conducted by Mr. Welser-Möst and featuring soprano Measha Brueggergosman in Wagner’s Wesendonck Songs. Mr. Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra recently completed a nine-concert, six-city European Festivals Tour, including their fifth Lucerne Festival Residency. In November 2010, Mr. Welser-Möst will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in concerts during a tour to Japan and Korea. The centerpiece of the tour is a Cleveland Orchestra residency at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, with four concerts at the acclaimed venue.
Fridays@7
Following its highly-successful debut in the 2009-10 season, The Cleveland Orchestra’s Fridays@7 Series returns with early-evening programs that are about 75 minutes long, followed by eclectic world music. Cleveland's own international artist, performer, and teacher, Jamey Haddad, creates the extraordinary after-party programming to feature diverse styles of music and spontaneous performance opportunities. Each Orchestra concert begins at 7 p.m. and runs without intermission. Additional Fridays@7 concerts in the series are December 3, January 14, April 1, and May 27.
The Fridays@7 series is made possible in part through the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation.
Ticket and Parking Information
TICKETS
Ticket prices are $31-$93; call or visit the Severance Hall Ticket Office to order at (216) 231-1111 or visit clevelandorchestra.com for the option to select your own seats and print tickets at home. For more information about Severance Hall, visit clevelandorchestra.com.
TICKET OFFICE
The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. The Ticket Office is open 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday-Friday and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens 3 hours before concert start time.
SELECT YOUR OWN SEATS
Severance Hall patrons can select their own seats online. Clicking on any “Buy Ticket” button on the calendar will link to the Ticket Reservations page. This ticket ordering page automatically displays the “Select Your Own Seat” option (if applicable). Patrons may alternatively select the “Choose Best Available” option.
PRINT-AT-HOME TICKETS
Severance Hall patrons have the option of printing their tickets at home. Choose the “Print-at-Home” option on the Delivery Method page during online checkout.
Group Sales (groups of 10 or more): Call the Cleveland Orchestra Group Sales Office at Severance Hall at (216) 231-7463 or email groupsales@clevelandorchestra.com for information.
Parking: For information about parking for Severance Hall concerts, click here.
Venue information: Severance Hall, which opened in 1931 as the home of The Cleveland Orchestra, is located at 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.
All artists and programs are subject to change.
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Press Contacts
Jennifer Schlosser, (216) 231-7518; Email: jschlosser@clevelandorchestra.com
Ana Papakhian, Office: (216) 231-7476; Cell phone: (216) 370-2595; Email: anap@clevelandorchestra.com
