America 250 Ohio: Tradition, Innovation, and the Future of Opera

For decades, The Cleveland Orchestra has consistently ranked among the very best orchestras in the world. Their excellence has kept Northeast Ohio in global arts and culture conversations and as a place where world-class art can thrive. Beginning in 2023, The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst launched the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival—a new tradition of innovative opera presentations that tackles themes like “Reconciliation,” “Power,” and “The American Dream.” The festival’s inaugural edition was praised by The New York Times as a “compelling proof of concept” and “an ambitious achievement.” This year, the festival will explore the theme of “Courage.” It centers on Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, which serves as a testament to courage and human nobility.

Yet, what does opera mean today, and what might it become? At the heart of the Festival is a new creative partnership with American jazz trumpeter and opera composer Terence Blanchard. He will be joined on the City Club stage by tenor David Butt Philip, who appears as Florestan in Beethoven’s Fidelio. The cost of the event is $30 for members, $45 for non-members.