Carnegie Hall

Now firmly in its second century, The Cleveland Orchestra, under the leadership of Franz Welser-Möst since 2002, is one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world. Year after year, the ensemble exemplifies extraordinary artistic excellence, creative programming, and community engagement. In recent years, The New York Times has called Cleveland “the best in America” for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like musical cohesion.

Founded by Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra performed its inaugural concert in December 1918. By the middle of the century, decades of growth and sustained support had turned the ensemble into one of the most admired around the world.

The past decade has seen an increasing number of young people attending concerts, bringing fresh attention to The Cleveland Orchestra’s legendary sound and committed programming. More recently, the orchestra launched several bold digital projects, including the streaming platform Adella.live and its own recording label. Together, they have captured the orchestra’s unique artistry and the musical achievements of the Welser-Möst and Cleveland Orchestra partnership.

The 2024–2025 season marks Mr. Welser-Möst’s 23rd year as music director, a period in which The Cleveland Orchestra 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.

Since 1918, seven music directors—Nikolai Sokoloff, Artur Rodziński, Erich Leinsdorf, George Szell, Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Franz Welser-Möst—have guided and shaped the ensemble’s growth and sound. 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.

For 23 years, Franz Welser-Möst has shaped an unmistakable sound culture as music director of The Cleveland Orchestra. Under his leadership, the orchestra has been repeatedly praised by international critics for its musical excellence, continued its strong commitment to new music, and brought opera back to the stage of Severance Music Center. In recent years, the orchestra also founded its own streaming platform (Adella.live) and recording label.

In addition to residencies in the US, Europe, and China, Mr. Welser-Möst and the orchestra are regular guests at all major international festivals. Mr. Welser-Möst will remain music director until 2027, making him the longest-serving music director of The Cleveland Orchestra.

Mr. Welser-Möst enjoys a particularly close and productive artistic partnership with the Vienna Philharmonic. He regularly conducts the orchestra in subscription concerts at the Vienna Musikverein, at the Salzburg Festival, and on tours in Europe, Japan, China, and the US, and he has appeared three times on the podium for the orchestra’s celebrated New Year’s Concert (2011, 2013, and 2023). At the Salzburg Festival, Mr. Welser-Möst has set new standards in interpretation as an opera conductor, with a special focus on the operas of Richard Strauss.

Mr. 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.