Bravo Concerts Celebrates 75th Anniversary with Cleveland Orchestra

Considered by some to be the "King of American Orchestras," the Cleveland Orchestra stands among the world’s three or four greatest.

Famous orchestra returns after 25 years to help Bravo celebrate another important anniversary.

On Sunday, January 28, 2007, at 7:30 p.m., this outstanding orchestra under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst returns after 25 years to Asheville and Thomas Wolfe Auditorium to help Asheville Bravo Concerts celebrate its 75th Anniversary.

World-Renowned Cleveland Orchestra with Music Director Franz Welser-Most to Perform in Asheville Jan. 28

Special Program

This special program will include works by Argentine composers, Golijov (1960-) and Ginastera (1916-1983), followed by Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.

Single tickets are now on sale at the Asheville Civic Center and at Ticketmaster (828-251-5505; www.ticketmaster.com). Ticket prices range from $85 to $30 (half price for children and full-time students).

About the Cleveland Orchesta

At home in Severance Hall, on sold-out tours on the West Coast, in Carnegie Hall or Berlin or Vienna, the fabled Cleveland Orchestra excites audiences around the globe to thunderous applause and critical acclaim. Founded in 1918, the Cleveland continues to set standards of performing excellence and imaginative programming that serve as models for audiences and performers alike. In his 4th season as music director, Welser-Möst serves also as general music director of the Zurich Opera. In 2003, he received the Conductor of the Year award from the Musical America International Directory of Performing Arts. With its extensive discography, the fine music of the Cleveland can often be heard on National Public Radio’s SymphonyCast program.

Bernard Holland of The New York Times (Oct. 18, 2005) wrote: “The Cleveland played on Monday with the good intentions of the best European orchestra, but with an ability to carry them out that hardly any European orchestra can match."

Wrote Charles Michener of The New Yorker (Feb. 7, 2005): “The Cleveland is widely regarded as the most 'European' of the American orchestras, the only one that is distinctive and refined enough to stand alongside the two preeminent European ensembles -- the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philhamonic."

Bravo Receives Community Support

This will make the Cleveland’s sixth appearance in Asheville under the auspices of Bravo Concerts. Normally, such a high caliber of orchestra would be out of Bravo’s price range, but the Bravo Board of Directors and numerous Friends of Bravo have raised $85,000 from generous local individuals to underwrite this extraordinary stopover and to provide this remarkable musical opportunity for music lovers throughout the Western North Carolina region.

Diamond Sponsors for Bravo’s 75th Anniversary Season are Citigroup Smith Barney, Fletcher BMW, Preferred Properties and Wick & Greene Jewelers. Bravo receives additional support from the Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, North Carolina Arts Council, Asheville Citizen-Times, WOXL 96.5, and National Endowment for the Arts.

For further information, call 828-225-5887 or visit www.ashevillebravoconcerts.org.

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