Credit: ©Masterclass.com

 The Cleveland Orchestra is excited to welcome legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman to Blossom Music Center on Thursday, July 9, as part of the 2026 Blossom Music Festival.

This summer performance marks Perlman’s first appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom since 1993, bringing a beloved guest back to the festival stage after more than three decades.

Perlman opens the all-Beethoven program by performing and conducting the composer’s Romances, two lyrical and expressive works for violin and orchestra. Then, he conducts the dramatic Egmont Overture before leading the Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, a work celebrated for its rhythmic energy and sweeping spirit.

The concert continues The Cleveland Orchestra and Perlman’s partnership, which began in 1966 and spans Blossom Music Center, Severance Music Center, Carnegie Hall, and, most recently, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County earlier this year.

The 2026 Blossom Music Festival opens July 3 with a special program celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. The season features a diverse lineup of concerts including Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on July 11 and 12, An Evening with Idina Menzel on July 26, Jon Batiste with The Cleveland Orchestra on August 20, and Summer in Vienna with Music Director Franz Welser-Möst on August 29. 

Tickets are on sale now through the Severance Music Center Ticket Office by phone at 216-231-1111 or through clevelandorchestra.com. This concert is eligible for Blosson Lawn Ticket Books.