The prestigious Cleveland Orchestra has long called Severance Hall in University Circle home. Constructed by 1931, the project was guided by Adella Prentiss Hughes, founder of the Cleveland Orchestra. While Severance Hall gave the musicians a world-class performance and rehearsal center, it didn’t give them everything they wanted.
Fifty years after the inception of the Cleveland Orchestra, Blossom Music Center opened in 1968. Christened the summer home of the ensemble, the facility met the orchestra's every need. That included healing a rift that had divided management and musicians for decades: the issue of full-time employment. The facility was named after Clevelander Dudley Blossom, a long-time supporter of the ensemble and former board president. The Blossom family has maintained a close relationship with the Cleveland Orchestra from its beginning.
ideastream coverage of Blossom Music Center's 50th anniversary will continue throughout this summer. It's all part of an ideastream special, Blossom Music Center: 50 Years & Counting, set to air September 24 at 8 p.m. on WVIZ.
