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As a celebrated opera conductor, it’s no surprise Welser-Möst would incorporate voice into his last major tour with The Cleveland Orchestra. Golda Schultz brings her luminous vocals to Strauss’s contemplative Four Last Songs in Hamburg, Dortmund, Luxembourg, Paris, and Brussels. She first appeared with Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra in 2018.
The tour also reflects Welser-Möst’s advocacy for contemporary music. Austrian composer Bernd Richard Deutsch’s Intensity, commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra during his 2018–211 tenure as Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellow and premiered at Severance Music Center in 2022, is performed in Hamburg, Linz, and Vienna.
The European tour marks the beginning of The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2026–27 digital season with a concert livestreamed from Philharmonie de Paris on October 6. The performance, pairing Four Last Songs featuring Schultz with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8., will be broadcast live on Adella, the digital home of The Cleveland Orchestra, at 8 p.m. local time in Paris and 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
From cherished stages to first-time venues, the tour offers European audiences a final opportunity to experience the musical partnership Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra have built over 25 years.
Media assets
Photos of opening weekend of The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2026–27 season at Severance Music Center are available for download here.
2026 European Tour Calendar Listing
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany
Friday, October 2, 2026, at 8 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Golda Schultz, soprano
R. STRAUSS Four Last Songs
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 8
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany
Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 8 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
MOZART Symphony No. 34
BERND RICHARD DEUTSCH Intensity
R. STRAUSS Symphonia domestica
Konzerthaus, Dortmund, Germany
Sunday, October 4, 2026, at 4 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Golda Schultz, soprano
LISZT Orpheus
R. STRAUSS Four Last Songs
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Philharmonie, Luxembourg
Monday, October 5, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Golda Schultz, soprano
R. STRAUSS Four Last Songs
R. STRAUSS Symphonia domestica
Philharmonie de Paris, France
Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 8 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Golda Schultz, soprano
R. STRAUSS Four Last Songs
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 8
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium
Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 8 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Golda Schultz, soprano
LISZT Orpheus
R. STRAUSS Four Last Songs
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Reduta Hall, Bratislava, Slovakia
Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
LISZT Orpheus
MARTINŮ Symphony No. 2
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Brucknerhaus, Linz, Austria
Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 3 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
MOZART Symphony No. 34
BERND RICHARD DEUTSCH Intensity
R. STRAUSS Symphonia domestica
National Concert Hall, Budapest, Hungary
Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
LISZT Orpheus
MARTINŮ Symphony No. 2
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Musikverein, Vienna, Austria
Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
LISZT Orpheus
MARTINŮ Symphony No. 2
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Musikverein, Vienna, Austria
Friday, October 16, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
R. STRAUSS Introduction and Finale to Daphne
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 8
Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria
Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
MOZART Symphony No. 34
BERND RICHARD DEUTSCH Intensity
R. STRAUSS Symphonia domestica
Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
LISZT Orpheus
MOZART Symphony No. 34
R. STRAUSS Symphonia domestica
Thessaloniki Concert Hall, Greece
Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 8:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
R. STRAUSS Introduction and Finale to Daphne
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 8
Megaron, Athens, Greece
Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 8:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
LISZT Orpheus
MARTINŮ Symphony No. 2
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
About The Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra, under the leadership of Franz Welser-Möst since 2002, is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading ensembles. Praised by The New York Times as “America’s Finest,” the Orchestra is renowned for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, and chamber-like musical flexibility. In his 25th and final season as Music Director, Welser-Möst concludes a transformative partnership that has been marked by exceptional artistic ambition, growing international recognition, and deep community connection.
During his tenure, the Orchestra has achieved major institutional milestones, including groundbreaking residencies at the Musikverein in Vienna — the first by an American orchestra — and at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. In 2023, The Cleveland Orchestra launched the annual Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival, presenting acclaimed opera productions alongside art exhibits, community events, and civic conversations.
Through concerts, broadcasts, recordings, tours, and digital initiatives, The Cleveland Orchestra reaches an ever-growing audience around the world. Its in-house recording label and streaming platform, Adella.live, capture and share performances from the Welser-Möst era while introducing new generations of fans to the Orchestra’s artistry.
Founded by Adella Prentiss Hughes, The Cleveland Orchestra gave its inaugural concert in December 1918. Over more than a century, it has grown into a treasured community institution, enriching lives through music, education, and a deep commitment to Northeast Ohio. Today, more than 400,000 people attend Cleveland Orchestra concerts each year. From its year-round home at Severance Music Center to its summer season at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Orchestra continues to serve audiences across the region.
Seven Music Directors — Nikolai Sokoloff, Artur Rodziński, Erich Leinsdorf, George Szell, Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Franz Welser-Möst — have shaped the ensemble’s distinctive musical identity and celebrated “Cleveland sound.” Welser-Möst’s tenure as the longest-serving Music Director in Cleveland Orchestra history stands as a defining chapter in that evolution.
About Franz Welser-Möst
Franz Welser-Möst has forged one of the most transformative artistic legacies in the history of The Cleveland Orchestra, as its seventh and longest-serving Music Director. Now in his 25th and final season, he has shaped its sound with extraordinary care and imagination, cultivating greater warmth and flexibility, while preserving precision and transparency. Since beginning his tenure in 2002–03, his leadership has characterized a quarter century of artistic excellence, community outreach, and global prominence.
Welser-Möst first appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra as a guest conductor in February 1993 and has returned every season beginning in 1995. By the end of the 2026–27 season, he will have led the Orchestra in more than 1,200 performances in 93 cities spanning 15 US states and 26 countries, including 701 concerts at Severance Music Center. He has appointed 56 of the Orchestra’s 100 current musicians, profoundly shaping its sound for a new generation. Welser-Möst’s tenure ushered in major milestones, from innovative opera stagings to the launch of its streaming platform, Adella.live, and its recording label.
Widely admired for his interpretations of Central European and Russian repertoire, Welser-Möst has also championed living composers, specifically through the Orchestra’s Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellowship. His artistic partnerships have resulted in dozens of commissions and co-commissions, and at the close of the 2026–27 season, he will have led The Cleveland Orchestra in 27 world premieres and 21 US premieres.
Welser-Möst has made opera an annual tradition at Severance Music Center, culminating in the creation of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival in 2023. Acclaimed productions of Dvořák’s Rusalka, Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Puccini’s La fanciulla del West, and Mozart’s The Magic Flute demonstrated his commitment to large-scale storytelling. In May 2027, Welser-Möst leads a fully staged production of Richard Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten, a fitting capstone to his enduring artistic vision and remarkable legacy with The Cleveland Orchestra.
A defining aspect of Welser-Möst’s Cleveland career has been his work with The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. He has consistently advocated for the all-volunteer ensemble as an essential artistic partner in performances ranging from symphonic masterworks to staged opera productions. In 2010, Welser-Möst appointed Lisa Wong to work with the Chorus and, in 2018, he named her Director of Choruses. Together, they have elevated the Chorus with performances at home and on the road.
Beyond Cleveland, Welser-Möst maintains a distinguished international career, marked by a longstanding artistic partnership with the Vienna Philharmonic. He regularly leads the ensemble at the Musikverein and on major international tours, and has already conducted the celebrated annual New Year’s concert three times. In 2024, he was named an Honorary Member of the Vienna Philharmonic, one of its highest honors. He is also celebrated for his interpretations of opera, conducting productions which have been widely acclaimed at the Salzburg Festival and the Vienna State Opera.
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Media Contacts:
Jen Steer, The Cleveland Orchestra, jsteer@clevelandorchestra.com, 216-231-7637
Amanda Ameer, First Chair Promotion, amanda@firstchairpromo.com, 212-368-5949 |
