The Gala Evening Helps Fund the Orchestra’s Education & Community Programs Which Engage People of All Ages Across Northeast Ohio

The Cleveland Orchestra proudly announced that its annual Gala Evening raised more than $1.2 million throughout its September 21, 2019 event, thanks to the generosity of the 2019 attendees. Of course, the orchestra was quick to recognize the milestone could not have been achieved with its honorary gala chairs for 2019, Norma Lerner, Beth Mooney, Richard K. Smucker, and Nancy W. McCann. 

Over 400 guests attended the annual gala this year, including members of the orchestra’s young professionals group known as The Circle. 

The gala, in its sixth consecutive year, began with a Cleveland Orchestra performance conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, which featured selections from Richard Strauss’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme and a suite from his opera Der Rosenkavalier.

The annual gala is hosted as a fundraising opportunity for the orchestra’s education and community programs. These programs are designed not only to engage people of all ages across Northeast Ohio, but also to inspire them with the power of music. Because of fundraisers like the Gala—as well as through the dedicated efforts and support of many individuals, foundations, corporations, and government partners—the programs reach more than 100,000 young people and adults every single year, fostering and creating a lifelong relationship with music. 

This year’s Gala was magnificent and a great evening for our Cleveland community,” said Cleveland Orchestra President and CEO André Gremillet. 

“We experienced a performance by our extraordinary Orchestra, lively conversation with guests, and a spectacular dinner in the Concert Hall. I’d like to extend my deep gratitude to honorary chairs Norma Lerner, Beth E. Mooney, Nancy W. McCann, and Richard K. Smucker. Through their leadership — and the support of all who attended —Cleveland’s Orchestra continues to bring our community together and enrich people’s lives through music. I’m also grateful to music director Franz Welser-Möst and the talented musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra for the commitment, passion, and artistry they demonstrate every week during rehearsals and during each concert throughout the season.”