The Cleveland Orchestra Announces $10 Million Gift

The Cleveland Orchestra has announced a $10 million gift from The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation to support improvements and future development of Blossom Music Center, the Orchestra's summer home.

This generous gift will fund infrastructure renovations and operating needs for this beloved 55-year-old music venue, located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Projects currently include new Pavilion seating and VIP box upgrades, improved lighting and signage, as well as the creation of a rideshare parking lot. The Cleveland Orchestra will also use some of the funding to develop a long-term plan aimed at transforming the guest experience at Blossom Music Center, for a refreshed strategic vision of this important venue.

"We are extremely grateful for Milton and Tamar Maltz's incredible gift," said André Gremillet, The Cleveland Orchestra's President and CEO. "Blossom Music Center plays an integral role in The Cleveland Orchestra's history and provides a welcoming environment for music lovers of all ages. Through this gift, that tradition will continue as we work to enhance this one-of-a-kind venue to exceed the expectations of our guests and expand to new audiences. We are also eternally thankful to Milton and Tamar for their visionary leadership endowment gift to create the Center for Future Audiences in 2011, which has created programs focused on addressing economic and geographic barriers to attending Cleveland Orchestra concerts at Severance and Blossom Music Centers. Milt and Tamar's generosity is simply extraordinary."

"There is nothing more magical than experiencing a live performance alfresco by one of the world's greatest orchestras, The Cleveland Orchestra. Seeing all the families sitting on the lawn and enjoying the evening, perhaps attending a classical music concert for the first time, brings Tamar and me great joy," said Milton Maltz.

"Blossom Music Center is unique with very few comparable venues across the country. We are not just pleased to provide this gift to help maintain Blossom, but we are also excited that it will enable the Orchestra to take the next step in planning for its future transformation into an even more exceptional asset for Northeast Ohio."

The 2023 Blossom Music Festival season is dedicated to Milton and Tamar Maltz and The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation in recognition of extraordinary commitment to The Cleveland Orchestra.

About The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation

Longtime philanthropists Milton and Tamar Maltz have made an indelible impact on Northeast Ohio-area arts, culture, education, and medical organizations. Local beneficiaries of their philanthropy include The Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Clinic, and Case Western Reserve University. Milton Maltz played a pivotal role in bringing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland.

Among their noteworthy contributions to greater Cleveland is the creation of the Maltz Museum in Beachwood, Ohio. The museum opened in 2005 with a simple mission: to build bridges of tolerance and understanding by sharing Jewish heritage through the lens of the American experience. Nearly two decades later, the Maltz Museum continues to be rooted in the Jewish value of respect for all humanity, exploring diverse stories of courage from history and today, with a commitment to education and learning.

Beyond Ohio, the Maltzes founded the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, in 2002 and were instrumental in the transformation of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre into a successful not-for-profit regional theatre in Jupiter, Florida. Milton and Tamar have also been major supporters of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation for more than three decades, and played a founding role in the Lieber Institute for Brain Development/Maltz Research Laboratories.

About Blossom Music Center, Summer Home of The Cleveland Orchestra

Blossom Music Center was created as the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra and opened in July 1968 with performances of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conducted by George Szell. The 200-acre music park features the award-winning and acoustically-acclaimed Blossom Pavilion, designed by renowned Cleveland architect Peter van Dijk and seating more than 5,000 people under cover. The adjoining Blossom Lawn accommodates as many as 15,000 more outside on an expansive natural-bowl amphitheater of grass surrounded by bucolic woods.

In the more than half-century since Blossom's opening, headline makers and yet-to-be-discovered young artists across all genres have created unforgettable musical experiences for more than 21 million visitors. In a typical summer, Blossom serves more than 400,000 visitors, who attend concerts ranging from rock, country, and pop to classical. Live Nation operates Blossom under a long-term contract with The Cleveland Orchestra, dividing each year between the Orchestra's Blossom Music Festival of orchestral performances, and a series of presentations from across many genres.

Located 25 miles south of Cleveland and just north of Akron, Blossom is situated in the rolling hills of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which preserves 33,000 acres of natural parkland along the Cuyahoga River. Blossom Music Center was named to honor the Dudley S. Blossom family, who have been major supporters of The Cleveland Orchestra throughout its history. Blossom lies within the city limits of Cuyahoga Falls, an Ohio community first settled in the early 1800s, at 1145 West Steels Corners Road in Summit County. For more information visit clevelandorchestra.com/discover/blossom-music-center/.

Under 18s Free, Center for Future Audiences

Under 18s Free at Blossom and Severance Music Centers, which is the cornerstone program of The Cleveland Orchestra's Center for Future Audience builds young audiences by making attendance at orchestra concerts affordable for families, offering free tickets to young people aged 17 and under for select concerts. Each year, the Under 18s Free program attracts more than 30,000 young people to attend concerts at Blossom Music Center and Mandel Concert Hall with their families. More than 200,000 children have attended Cleveland Orchestra concerts at Blossom Music Festival through the Under 18s Free program. With each regular-priced adult ticket purchased, a family can get two free lawn vouchers for children 17 and under. Under 18s Free is a program of The Cleveland Orchestra's Center for Future Audiences. The Center, created with a lead endowment gift from the Maltz Family Foundation, was established to fund programs to develop new generations of audiences for Cleveland Orchestra concerts in Northeast Ohio. For more information, please visit clevelandorchestra.com/attend/concerts-for-families/under-18s-free/.