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With a partnership that has been both formal and informal, spanning a century of excellence in music, Baldwin Wallace University and The Cleveland Orchestra are once again collaborating to bring artistry to Severance Hall on October 25.
The Baldwin Wallace Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Douglas Droste, will perform on October 25 as part of the Family Concert Series, a cornerstone of The Cleveland Orchestra's 2026–27 season.
The BW Symphony Orchestra will perform two concerts, one that is sensory-friendly at 1 p.m. and a traditional family concert at 4 p.m. at Severance Hall. Themed a "Halloween Spooktacular," the program blends spooky favorites with festive fun. Audiences are encouraged to arrive in costume. For tickets, contact the Severance Music Center Ticket Office at (216) 231-1111 or visit online.
BW and The Cleveland Orchestra (TCO) share a deep, long-standing history that spans 100 years of creative collaborations, a residency partnership, and countless opportunities for BW students to perform with and study under renowned TCO musicians, including six who are faculty in the BW Conservatory of Performing Arts.
Located just 20 minutes from campus via highway, TCO and its world-class stature bring added prestige to the University, as well as extraordinary student learning opportunities that make the BW Conservatory a top-ranking performance destination for students across the U.S.
According to Susan Van Vorst, dean of the BW Conservatory of Performing Arts, BW's relationship with The Cleveland Orchestra dates back to at least 1920, when TCO (then just two years into its founding) first performed in BW's Gamble Auditorium with its Music Director/Conductor Nikolai Sokoloff.
In March 1959, TCO performed under the direction of Music Director George Szell for the rededication of BW's Kulas Musical Arts Building.
Today, TCO-BW faculty members include the Orchestra's chief brand officer Ross Binnie, who teaches in the arts management & entrepreneurship program. TCO musicians include Amy Zoloto, clarinet; Charles Carleton, double bass; Lembi Veskimets, viola; Rick Stout, trombone; Jack Sutte and Lyle Steelman '01, trumpet.
During the 2018-19 academic year, BW and TCO united in a formal year-long partnership that provided BW students with outstanding and comprehensive educational opportunities led by The Cleveland Orchestra musicians, conductors and administrative staff.
A highlight of the year-long residency was a January 2019 performance by The Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of music director Franz Welser-Möst in BW's Kulas Musical Arts Building.
Also that year, TCO and BWMT (music theatre) united for a co-presentation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" at Northeast Ohio's Blossom Music Center. Three years later, BWMT once again collaborated with The Cleveland Orchestra in a production of "The Sound of Music" at Blossom Music Center with the Akron Symphony Orchestra as the featured instrumental ensemble.
Droste became director of orchestral studies at BW in fall 2022. In addition to his work at the University, he also became a substitute conductor for The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.
Further cementing the relationship, Droste initiated a residency program in 2022 that would unite TCO with the BW Symphony Orchestra to strengthen student learning and mentoring.
In July 2023, longtime Conservatory patrons Dr. Anthony (Tony) Lauria, BW professor emeritus, and his wife, Pat '91, dedicated a gift to establish an ongoing BW-Cleveland Orchestra residency program.
Beginning in the 2022-23 academic year, approximately 17 members of TCO participate in live rehearsal coaching with the BW Symphony Orchestra. As part of the collaboration in 2024 and 2025, TCO Maestro Daniel Reith spent a day at BW, where he was a guest instructor for conducting classes and led the Symphony Orchestra in rehearsal.
TCO members have also provided masterclasses to BW applied studios. This same residency format has continued annually with generous support from the Laurias.
