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Now firmly in its second century, 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.
conductor
The 2024–25 season is Santtu-Matias Rouvali’s final as chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra following a successful eight-year tenure. He continues as principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra and honorary conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.
Throughout this season and last, he continues his relationships with top-level orchestras and soloists across Europe, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and returns to North America for concerts with New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This season, he also makes his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra.
Continuing their strong touring tradition, Rouvali and the Philharmonia Orchestra toured Finland and Estonia in fall 2024 and will be joined by Javier Perianes for a tour of Spain in spring 2025. In January 2025, they embark on an extensive tour to Japan, with concerts in cities including Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka.
The end of Rouvali’s tenure with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra is marked by a tour to Germany and the Czech Republic, followed by a celebration concert in Gothenburg. He completes his Sibelius symphony cycle recording with Alpha Classics, the previous releases of which have been highly acclaimed with awards, including the Gramophone Editor’s Choice Award, the Choc de Classica, a prize from the German Record Critics, the prestigious Diapason d’Or, and Radio Classique’s Trophée.
Philharmonia Records’ first release — the double album Santtu Conducts Strauss — was released in March 2023 following recent releases of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony. Santtu Conducts Mahler — the second album from Philharmonia Records, featuring Mahler’s Second Symphony — was released in September 2023 followed by Santtu Conducts Stravinsky on the same label in March 2024. Another prominent album — featuring Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Benjamin Grosvenor, Nicola Benedetti, and Sheku Kanneh-Mason — was released on Decca in May 2024.
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cello
Following her residencies with the Staatskapelle Dresden and Bamberg Symphony, cellist Sol Gabetta opened the 2023–24 season with a tour of Germany and Austria with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Mikko Franck. Other season highlights include a tour with with Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra, appearances with the Wiener Philharmoniker at Mozartwoche Salzburg, and performances with The Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester, and violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja.
A respected advocate of new compositions for her instrument, Gabetta gave the world premiere at Radio France of Francisco Coll’s Cello Concerto, created especially for her. Gabetta reprises this concerto at the BBC Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Elim Chan.
Gabetta was Artiste étoile at the Lucerne Festival and continues drawing inspiration from a wide circle of collaborators at the Solsberg Festival, which flourishes under her committed artistic direction.
Chamber music is at the core of Gabetta’s work. Past chamber music performances have led her to venues such as Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, and the Verbier and Salzburg festivals. Recent recitals include a tour with her longtime recital partner, pianist Bertrand Chamayou, through Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, and Italy.
In recognition of her exceptional artistic achievements, Gabetta was honored with the European Culture Prize in 2022. She also received the Herbert von Karajan Prize in 2018 and the first OPUS Klassik Award for Instrumentalist of the Year in 2019. A Grammy Award nominee, she also received Gramophone’s Young Artist of the Year Award in 2010 and commendations at Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Competition.
Gabetta continues to build her extensive discography with Sony Classical, the most recent releases being a recording of late works by Robert Schumann and cello concertos by Elgar and Martinů with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Gabetta performs on several instruments from the early 18th century, including a cello by Matteo Goffriller from 1730, provided to her by Atelier Cels Paris, and since 2020, the famous “Bonamy Dobree-Suggia” by Antonio Stradivarius from 1717, on generous loan from the Stradivari Foundation Habisreutinger. She has taught at the Basel Music Academy since 2005.
Composer
Schubert’s orchestral writing reached its peak in his forward-looking Ninth Symphony, which was almost lost to history but luckily resurfaced after Schubert’s death. The Cleveland Orchestra demonstrates the symphony’s depth and passion under the baton of Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, and cellist Sol Gabetta brings her rich tone and impeccable technique to Shostakovich’s captivating and rarely performed Second Cello Concerto.
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