Cleveland Orchestra Unveils 2026 Blossom Music Festival and Summers at Severance Concert Lineups

Two venues, one summer strategy

The Cleveland Orchestra has announced its 2026 summer season plans spanning its outdoor home at Blossom Music Center and its indoor summer series at Severance Music Center. The programming continues the institution’s recent emphasis on pairing core orchestral performances with large-audience “event” presentations, including major guest artists and film-with-live-orchestra concerts.

Blossom Music Festival opens July 3 and runs through late summer

The 2026 Blossom Music Festival begins July 3 with a program titled “America at 250,” aligning with nationwide commemorations ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. The festival schedule includes more than a dozen Cleveland Orchestra presentations across roughly two months, with a mix of classical repertoire, pops-oriented evenings, and cinematic formats designed for the outdoor amphitheater setting.

Among the headline events is a July 26 appearance by Broadway and film vocalist Idina Menzel. The concert is positioned as one of the season’s major crossover attractions, continuing a recent pattern of prominent vocal guest artists in the Orchestra’s summer offerings.

Movie nights expand with John Williams at Blossom

Film concerts remain a significant part of the summer slate. “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert” is scheduled at Blossom for July 11 and July 12, with The Cleveland Orchestra performing John Williams’s score live as the film is projected in high definition. The presentation is part of the Orchestra’s broader “Summer Movies” programming, which also includes “Matilda in Concert” at Severance on June 3 and June 5, featuring composer-conductor David Newman and narration by Danny DeVito.

• June 3 and June 5, 2026: “Matilda in Concert” at Severance Music Center
• July 11 and July 12, 2026: “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert” at Blossom Music Center

Severance summer programming adds an indoor counterpart

Alongside Blossom, the Orchestra is again scheduling “Summers at Severance,” a summer series in Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center. The indoor concerts provide a climate-controlled alternative and typically emphasize standard symphonic repertoire in a setting built for orchestral acoustics and shorter summer runs.

In recent summers, the Orchestra’s two-venue approach has created parallel tracks: large-scale outdoor events at Blossom and a more traditional concert format at Severance.

Tickets and logistical details

Tickets for the summer season are on sale through the Orchestra’s ticketing operations. For the film concerts, the Orchestra has also published on-site logistics for Blossom, including the availability of paid parking passes for the 2026 Blossom Music Festival.

Additional concert-by-concert details for the full Blossom and Summers at Severance lineups are expected to be reflected across the Orchestra’s season listings as the summer approaches.