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2026 Holiday

Holiday Concerts 2026

Mandel Concert Hall

100 Points

Fri 7:30 PM

Dec 11

Sat 2:30 PM

Dec 12

Sat 7:30 PM

Dec 12

Sun 2:30 PM

Dec 13

Sun 7:30 PM

Dec 13

Fri 7:30 PM

Dec 18

Sat 2:30 PM

Dec 19

Sat 7:30 PM

Dec 19

Sun 2:30 PM

Dec 20

Sun 7:30 PM

Dec 20

Tue 7:30 PM

Dec 22

Wed 7:30 PM

Dec 23

Details

Repertoire & Performing Artists

The Cleveland Orchestra

The Cleveland Orchestra, under the leadership of Franz Welser-Möst since 2002, is one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world. Year after year, the ensemble exemplifies extraordinary artistic excellence, creative programming, and community engagement. In recent years, The New York Times has called Cleveland “the best in America” for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like musical cohesion.

Founded by Adella Prentiss Hughes, the Orchestra performed its inaugural concert in December 1918. By the middle of the century, decades of growth and sustained support had turned the ensemble into one of the most admired around the world.

The past decade has seen an increasing number of young people attending concerts, bringing fresh attention to The Cleveland Orchestra’s legendary sound and committed programming. More recently, the Orchestra launched several bold digital projects, including the streaming platform Adella.live and its own recording label. Together, they have captured the Orchestra’s unique artistry and the musical achievements of the Welser-Möst and Cleveland Orchestra partnership.

The 2025–26 season marks Franz Welser-Möst’s 24th year as Music Director, a period in which The Cleveland Orchestra has earned unprecedented acclaim around the world, including a series of residencies at the Musikverein in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra, and a number of celebrated opera presentations.

Since 1918, seven music directors — Nikolai Sokoloff, Artur Rodziński, Erich Leinsdorf, George Szell, Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Franz Welser-Möst — have guided and shaped the ensemble’s growth and sound. Through concerts at home and on tour, broadcasts, and a catalog of acclaimed recordings, The Cleveland Orchestra is heard today by a growing group of fans around the world.

Franz Welser-Möst conducts The Cleveland Orchestra

Sarah Hicks

Conductor

Sarah Hicks's versatile and vibrant musicianship has secured her place as an in-demand conductor across an array of genres, and as an educator, arranger, producer, writer and speaker committed to creating connections through music. Her career has seen collaborations with diverse artists, from Hilary Hahn, Olga Kern and Dmitiri Hvorostovsky to Smokey Robinson, Roseanne Cash and the Dirty Projectors; during the summer of 2011 she toured with Sting as conductor of his Symphonicities Tour. Her passion for cross-genre partnerships led to a 2019 album with rap artist Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra, with whom she holds a titled position. In 2021 she collaborated with gamer DrLupo for an innovative live-play project for Intel Gaming and in 2023 premiered Rufus Wainwright’s Want Symphonic at the BBC Proms.

A highly sought-after guest conductor, Ms. Hicks has worked extensively both in the States and abroad. Notable ensembles include the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Toronto Symphony, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, WDR Funkhausorchester Köln, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and Tokyo Philharmonic, among many others. The 2024-25 season sees her returning to Cleveland, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas, and marks her debut with the New York Philharmonic

A specialist in film music and the film in concert genre, her live concert recording of “The Music of Coco” and “The Lion King 30th Anniversary” can be seen on Disney+ and her work on “Little Mermaid Live” was broadcast on ABC; her first major feature film credit, “Renfield”, was released in April of 2023. Her concerts with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra of film music, “The Morricone Duel” was released as an album and worldwide broadcast, and has garnered over 200 million view on YouTube.

Her opera appearances include the East Slovak State Opera Theater and the Curtis Opera Theater, as well as operas in concert with the Minnesota Orchestra and the RTÉ Orchestra. Her commitment to new music led to the creation of an innovative micro-commission project, and her recording of new concertos, “Triple Doubles” was released on the Bridge label.

Since 2019 Ms. Hicks has acted as advisor on numerous projects for Disney Music Group and is a consultant and frequent collaborator at Disney Concerts. Since 2020, she has been the primary host and writer of “This is Minnesota Orchestra”, broadcast on Twin Cities PBS and streamed globally; in 2022 she won a regional Emmy for her work as producer, writer and host and has been nominated twice in 2024.

Ms. Hicks is a frequent guest lecturer, teacher and panelist and was on faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music from 1999 to 2005 and Staff Conductor until 2012. An increasingly in-demand keynote speaker, her presentation, “Orchestrating Excellence” has illustrated collaborative leadership to numerous civic groups and corporations. A mindfulness and mental health advocate, her most recent project, Music and Healing, is a collaboration with the Minnesota Orchestra. Available digitally, the project includes a concert, commissioned works, interviews, and conversations with neuroscientists, wellness experts and musicians. Her advocacy for mental wellness and mindfulness continues on her blog and YouTube channel, and she is currently pursuing studies in MBSR and teacher training in Vipassana meditation.

Sarah Hicks was born in Tokyo, Japan and raised in Honolulu, HI. Trained on both the piano and the viola, she was a prizewinning pianist by her early teens. She received her BA magna cum laude from Harvard University in composition and holds an Artists' Degree in conducting from the Curtis Institute of Music. In her spare time, Ms. Hicks enjoys running, hiking, her Papillon, cooking (and eating) with her husband, traveling and blogging.

Sarah Hicks

Holiday Concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Chorus return in 2026! Join us for an unforgettable experience that will fill Mandel Concert Hall with the sounds of the holiday season.

Box Seats only available through the Box Office. Contact us at 216-231-1111, 800-686-1141 (toll free), or email boxoffice@clevelandorchestra.com

Visiting Severance Music Center

Mandel Concert Hall

11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, 44106

Mandel Concert Hall View Seat Maps

Visiting Severance Music Center

severance parking map — Drop-off Zone: CWRU Lot 29 Campus Center Garage. Parking meters on East Blvd. & Bellflower Ave. Parking at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. CWRU Lot 63 on Euclid Blvd. CWRU Lot 1B on Martin Luther King Jr Dr.

Directions & Parking Open in Maps

Dining

Suzanne and Paul Westlake Terrace Room

Concessions at Severance

We offer a variety of concessions before and after the concert, as well as during intermission.

2 hours before concert: Opus Lounge, Lotus Club*, and Smith Lobby
1 hour before concert: Grand Foyer, Dress Circle, Ginn Suite*, and Box Lobby
Intermission: Grand Foyer, Dress Circle, Box, Ginn Suite*
Post-concert: Opus Lounge

*Donor exclusive lounge areas. Learn more about becoming a donor

More about dining First Time at Severance?

The NEW Cleveland Orchestra App

Download The NEW Cleveland Orchestra App, and explore upcoming concerts, purchase tickets with seat selection, and manage your tickets digitally. You’ll also get access to performance updates and helpful notifications.

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Accessibility

Services at Severance Music Center

Below is a list of the features and services available in at Severance for this concert. You may also request assistance in advance of a concert by calling the Severance Ticket Office at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141 or create a request using the button below.

Wheelchair Access, Seating & Companion Wheelchair Seating
Assistance for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Assistance for the Blind or Persons with Low Vision
Service Animals are welcome
Accessible & Family Restrooms in Smith Lobby and off the Dress Circle Lobby

Learn more Request assistance

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Severance Music Center

11001 Euclid Ave
Cleveland, OH 44106
216-231-1111 Directions

Ticket Office

Weekdays: 9 AM – 6 PM
Sundays & holidays: closed
Open 3 hrs before concerts through intermission.

216-231-1111 | 800-686-1141 (toll free)
boxoffice@clevelandorchestra.com

Blossom Music Center

1145 W Steels Corners Rd,
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223
Directions

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