Adella Prentiss Hughes, known as the “Mother of The Cleveland Orchestra,” had a strong artistic vision, management skills, and ambition. She founded The Cleveland Orchestra in 1918 and worked tirelessly as the Orchestra’s first General Manager until 1933.
Nikolai Sokoloff (1924/1924) by World Wide PhotosThe Cleveland Orchestra
Nikolai Sokoloff, founding music director from 1918 to 1936
The first music director of The Cleveland Orchestra, Sokoloff grew the Orchestra's season to twenty pairs of subscription concerts, fourteen children’s matinees, and a touring schedule of approximately fifty concerts throughout the East Coast and Midwest.
John and Elisabeth Severance (1925/1925) by unknownThe Cleveland Orchestra
John and Elisabeth Severance
The Severances were longtime supporters of the Orchestra, including paying the first-season salary of the first music director Nikolai Sokoloff, and in 1928, giving a $1 million gift to the Orchestra for the creation of Severance Hall.
Severance Architecture and Style
Artur Rodzinski (1941/1941) by Geoffrey LandesmanThe Cleveland Orchestra
Artur Rodzinski, second music director from 1933 to 1943
Artur Rodzinski was a pioneering and domineering conductor whose efforts in Cleveland brought the ensemble to greater heights. Through his programming and broad range of recordings, the Orchestra attained new fame throughout the United States during his ten-year directorship.
Erich Leinsdorf (1943/1943) by Geoffrey LandesmanThe Cleveland Orchestra
Erich Leinsdorf, third music director from 1943 to 1946
Only in Cleveland a short time due to the war, Leinsdorf managed to make his mark on the Orchestra in small ways, including in recordings - both commercial and in radio broadcasts to soldiers overseas.
George Szell (circa 1960s) by Don HunsteinThe Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell, fourth music director from 1946 to 1970
George Szell launched the Orchestra into the international spotlight during a partnership that resulted in large recording contracts and several international tours. His legacy includes a stage renovation and building Blossom Music Center.
Szell Shell (1966/1966) by Peter HastingsThe Cleveland Orchestra
Szell Shell
The "Szell Shell," constructed in 1958, was a maple veneer stage shell installed to improve acoustics. It allowed the musicians to hear each other across the stage and hone a chamber music-like sound quality and an exacting precision that the Orchestra still maintains today.
Opening Night (1968/1968) by unknownThe Cleveland Orchestra
Blossom Music Center
Opened in 1968, Blossom Music Center is the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra. Built under the leadership of music director George Szell, the iconic pavilion seats 5,700, and the lawn can hold 14,000.
Pierre Boulez (1967/1967) by Peter HastingsThe Cleveland Orchestra
Pierre Boulez, musical advisor 1970 to 1972
Serving as musical advisor after the untimely death of George Szell, Boulez forged a bond with The Cleveland Orchestra that lasted decades and includes five Grammys.
Lorin Maazel by unknownThe Cleveland Orchestra
Lorin Maazel, fifth music director from 1972 to 1982
Maazel stepped onto the podium in a critical period for the Orchestra. Orchestras were undergoing management and audience shifts, and Maazel had an innovative and creative mind for these challenges. His superb baton technique and masterful command of the score were legendary.
Christoph von Dohnányi by unknownThe Cleveland Orchestra
Christoph von Dohnányi, sixth music director 1984 to 2002
As sixth music director, Dohnányi spearheaded a renovation of Severance Hall and led the Orchestra for 18 years. In this time, he recorded 109 works with the Orchestra and helmed fifteen international tours.
Finished stage (2000/2000) by Roger MastrioanniThe Cleveland Orchestra
The new Severance stage upon reopening in 2000
Spearheaded by music director Christoph von Dohnányi, the $36.7 million renovation of Severance included fully restoring historic features, moving the organ into a new position for use, and updating the stage visually and acoustically.
Franz Welser-Möst (2017/2017) by Roger MastrioanniThe Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, seventh music director 2002 to present
With Franz Welser-Möst, The Cleveland Orchestra has been praised for its inventive programming, its ongoing support for new musical works, and its innovative work in presenting semi-staged and staged operas. The Orchestra has also been hugely successful in building up a new and, notably, younger audience.
The Cleveland Orchestra with Franz Welser-Möst
With the Orchestra in its second century, with seven music directors, nine executive directors and thirteen board presidents, the current leadership continues to guide the organization, support its global presence, and bolster our commitment to education.
