Paris: Trucks, Trains, and Traffic
Getting 100 musicians from Luxembourg to Paris is no small feat, but once they arrive, their performance will be streamed around the world.
Welcome to Paris and the most logistically challenging day of The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2026 European tour.
In addition to the typical obstacles associated with more than 100 musicians traveling more than 200 miles, it’s the final day of Paris Fashion Week and a day of planned protests, where tens of thousands of students are expected in the city.
Several months of planning went into navigating this day as seamlessly as possible for the Orchestra’s musicians. Their itinerary began with loading luggage onto trucks before the Orchestra boarded buses for Luxembourg’s train station for the two-hour journey to Paris. Have you ever taken a train with 100 of your coworkers? The Cleveland Orchestra does exactly that three times on this tour.
Then there’s a second bus ride, hotel check-in, and yet another bus to the hall — all in the race towards the 6:45 PM acoustic rehearsal and 8 PM concert at the Philharmonie de Paris.
It’s a similar route taken by the Orchestra’s stagehands, who left the hotel in Luxembourg before sunrise on their own journey to the concert hall in Paris. Those extra hours are essential for them to unload travel trunks and setup instruments before the Orchestra arrives.
Adding to the pressure of the performance is the fact this concert will be broadcast live at 8 PM local time in Paris and 2 PM Eastern Time on Adella and medici.tv. (join the livestream here)
Let’s hope traffic and trains are on our side!