13-week radio series will be available to stations around the world beginning January 7, 2025
CHICAGO – October 8, 2024 – The WFMT Radio Network, in partnership with Cleveland’s WCLV/Ideastream Public Media and The Cleveland Orchestra (TCO), announced today that it will present a series of 13 concerts to radio stations around the world beginning on January 7, 2025. These radio broadcasts are produced by WFMT in partnership with WCLV and hosted by WCLV’s Bill O’Connell as part of the WFMT Orchestra Series, WFMT’s nationally distributed weekly showcase of prominent orchestras from around the world.
Featuring a range of repertoire performed by an array of distinguished artists, these programs bring together three distinguished cultural institutions – WFMT, a global distributor of audio programs; The Cleveland Orchestra, one of the world’s most sought-after performing ensembles; and the award-winning public radio station WCLV.
The concerts are primarily conducted by TCO’s longtime Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, along with visiting conductors Daniel Harding, Rafael Payare, Dalia Stasevska, and Barbara Hannigan. The series premieres with Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 2, Resurrection. Other repertoire includes Bartók’s colorful Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin, second symphonies of Sibelius and Tchaikovsky, the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with Daniil Trifonov, and much more.
With this new series, The Cleveland Orchestra builds on a long history of national broadcasts as it joins the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the WFMT Radio Network’s collection of curated concert programs from the finest American orchestras.
Concerts by The Cleveland Orchestra will be broadcast on Chicago’s classical music radio station WFMT and many other outlets across America and around the world. Check local listings for dates and times.
“WFMT is honored to partner with WCLV/Ideastream Public Media to bring the artistry of The Cleveland Orchestra to a worldwide audience of classical music listeners. This is a shining example of how we deliver on our purpose to enrich lives, engage communities, and inspire exploration,” said Sandra Cordova Micek, WFMT | WTTW President & CEO.
“I am thrilled to announce a new series that will continue this tradition of bringing the Cleveland Sound to our fans around the world,” said André Gremillet, the Orchestra’s President & CEO. “By partnering with WCLV, WFMT, and a wide network of broadcasters across the country and beyond, we aim to inspire and connect with new audiences while fostering a deeper and renewed appreciation for the artistry that takes place on stage here in Cleveland every week.”
“WCLV has had long, productive relationships with The Cleveland Orchestra and WFMT,” said Kevin Martin, WCLV/Ideastream Public Media President & CEO. “We are delighted to work with both organizations to bring Cleveland Orchestra concerts to classical music lovers everywhere.”
Release dates and concert information:
January 7
Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Resurrection
Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst; Featured Artists: Lauren Snouffer, soprano; Marie-Nicole Lemieux, mezzo-soprano; the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
January 14
Welser-Möst Conducts Schubert
Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst; Featured Artists: Joélle Harvey, soprano; Daryl Freedman, mezzo-soprano; Julian Prégardien, tenor; Martin Mitterrutzner, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone; the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus; Program: Alban Berg – Lyric Suite – I. Andante amoroso; Franz Schubert – Symphony No. 8 Unfinished – Movement I; Alban Berg – Lyric Suite – II. Allegro misterioso; Franz Schubert – Symphony No. 8 Unfinished – Movement II; Alban Berg – Lyric Suite – III. Adagio appassionato; Franz Schubert – Mass No. 6 in E-flat D. 950
January 21
Dreams We’ve Dreamed; Songs We’ve Sung; Hopes We’ve Held
An Event in the First Mandel Opera and Humanities Festival: The American Dream
Conductor: Daniel Reith; Program: Scott Joplin – Treemonisha Overture; Julia Perry – Short Piece for Orchestra; William Grant Still – Darker America; Bernard Herrmann – Suite from Vertigo; Raven Chacon – Voiceless Mass; Edgard Varèse – Amériques (1929 version)
January 28
Marsalis and the New World
Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst; Featured Artist: Michael Sachs, trumpet; Program: Julius Eastman – Symphony No. 2; Wynton Marsalis – Trumpet Concerto (world premiere, TCO co-commission); Antonin Dvorak – Symphony No. 9 in e Op. 95, From the New World
February 4
Weilerstein Plays Barber
Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst; Featured Artist: Alisa Weilerstein, cello; Program: Allison Loggins-Hull – Can You See? (world premiere, TCO commission); Samuel Barber – Cello Concerto Op. 22; Sergei Prokofiev – Symphony No. 4 in C Op 47
February 11
Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony
Conductor: Rafael Payare; Featured Artist: Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano; Program: Leonard Bernstein – Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety; Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5 in d Op 47
February 18
Trifonov Plays Brahms
Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst; Featured Artist: Daniil Trifonov, piano; Program: Johannes Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor Op 15; Jean-Philippe Rameau – Allemande from Suite in A minor (encore); Sergei Prokofiev – Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor Op 111
February 25
Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony
Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst; Featured Artist: Christoph Sietzen, percussion; Program: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No. 29 in A K 201; Johannes Maria Staud – Whereas the Reality Trembles (World Premiere, TCO Co-Commission); Hubert von Goisern – Improvisation on the song Jodler für Willi (encore); Peter Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 2 in C minor Op 17 Ukrainian
March 4
Mahler’s Song of the Night
Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst; Featured Artist: Simon Keenlyside, baritone; Program: Gustav Mahler – Frühlingsmorgen from Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit, Ablösung im Sommer from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Revelge from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Urlicht from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Rheinlegendchen from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Hans und Grethe from Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit, and Symphony No. 7 in E minor
March 11
Hannigan Conducts Strauss
Conductor: Barbara Hannigan; Featured Artist: Aphrodite Patoulidou, soprano; Program: Joseph Haydn – Symphony No. 44 in E minor, Mourning; Claude Vivier – Lonely Child; György Ligeti – Lontano for Orchestra; Richard Strauss – Death and Transfiguration Op 24
March 18
Mahler’s Fourth Symphony
Conductor: Daniel Harding; Featured Artist: Liv Redpath, soprano; Program: Betsy Jolas – Ces belles années… (U.S. premiere, TCO co-commission); Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 4 in G
March 25
The Miraculous Mandarin
Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst; Program: Ernst Krenek – Kleine Symphonie Op 58; Gustav Mahler – Adagio from Symphony No. 10 (arr. Ernst Krenek); Béla Bartók – String Quartet No. 3 for String Orchestra (arr. Konopka) and Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin Op 19
April 1
Sibelius’s Second Symphony
Conductor: Dalia Stasevska; Featured Artist: Josefina Maldonado, mezzo-soprano; Program: Einojuhani Rautavaara – Cantus Arcticus; Julia Perry – Stabat Mater; Jean Sibelius – Symphony No. 2 in D Op 43
About WFMT
WFMT is one of the world’s most respected classical music radio stations, accessible via broadcast at 98.7FM, streaming live at wfmt.com, and on the WFMT app. Recognized for trusted hosted programming, immersive live performances and concerts, strong partnerships with community organizations and championing young, local musicians and access to the arts, WFMT spotlights inspiring music, musicians, and musical performances from Chicago and around the world including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the New York Philharmonic, and many more. Through the WFMT Radio Network, WFMT is also a leading producer and syndicator of a diverse selection of outstanding musical series across classical music genres including Exploring Music, the Beethoven Network, the Jazz Network, and orchestra and opera festivals and performances from around the world. Connect with WFMT on Facebook and Twitter.
About The Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the world’s leading ensembles, exemplifying extraordinary artistic excellence, creative programming, and community engagement. The 2024–25 season marks Franz Welser-Möst’s 23rd year as Music Director, a period in which TCO has earned unprecedented acclaim around the world, including a series of residencies at the Musikverein in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra, and a number of celebrated opera presentations. Through concerts at home and on tour, broadcasts, and a catalog of acclaimed recordings, The Cleveland Orchestra is heard today by a growing group of fans around the world.
About Franz Welser-Möst
Since 2002, Franz Welser-Möst has served as Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra. Under his leadership, the Orchestra has been repeatedly praised by international critics, continued its strong commitment to new music, brought opera back to its Severance Music Center, and oversaw the founding of its own streaming platform (Adella.live) and recording label. Welser-Möst has been the recipient of several major honors and awards, including the Honorary Membership of the Vienna Philharmonic, bestowed upon him in 2024.
About WCLV/Ideastream Public Media
Ideastream Public Media serves as Ohio’s largest independent, publicly supported media organization. Ideastream is the home of Northeast Ohio’s PBS, NPR, and classical and jazz music public broadcasting stations: WVIZ, WKSU, WCLV, and JazzNEO. Free programs and services are made available to 3.6 million people in 22 counties, and content is accessible online at ideastream.org, the Ideastream Public Media App, the PBS App, the NPR One App, and on major social media and digital content platforms.
