Blossom Music Center

Blossom Music Center
Address 1145 W Steels Corners Rd.
Location Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Coordinates 41°11′29″N 81°33′38″W / 41.191298°N 81.560678°WCoordinates: 41°11′29″N 81°33′38″W / 41.191298°N 81.560678°W
Owner Musical Arts Association
(non-classical booking by
Live Nation)
Type amphitheater
Capacity 23,000

Blossom Music Center is an amphitheatre located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The pavilion seats 5,700 people, with space for about 13,500 more on the lawn.[1] It is the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra, which performs its annual Blossom Festival there. The venue is also host to a full summer schedule of popular music acts and symphonic performances. It is owned by the Musical Arts Association, the orchestra's non-profit parent organization.[2]

Blossom Music Center is named after the family of Dudley S. Blossom, who served as president of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1936 to 1938. The site's natural parabolic setting, the pavilion's sloping slate roof, and the area's natural wooded surroundings distinguish it from other contemporary amphitheatres. The facility, designed by architect Peter van Dijk, is located on 800 acres (320 ha) of natural woods inside the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, about 10 miles (16 km) north of downtown Akron and 33 miles (53 km) south of downtown Cleveland. There are currently plans to sell 580 acres (230 ha) of Blossom's undeveloped acreage to the National Park Service to add to the park. As of March 2011, 233 acres (94 ha) have been purchased by the National Park Service for US $4 million,[3] with hopes for NPS to purchase the remaining unused land in 2012.[4] This would financially benefit the owners and serve to protect the natural setting of Blossom. In 2003, the venue underwent a $17 million renovation.

The annual Carnival of Horrors has been held every October since 2003.

The amphitheatre has played host to many music festivals, including All That! Music and More Festival, Buzzard Festival, Country Throwdown Tour, Crüe Fest, Crüe Fest 2, Curiosa Festival, EndFest, Furthur Festival, H.O.R.D.E. Festival, Honda Civic Tour, Lilith Fair, Lollapalooza, Mayhem Festival, Ozzfest, Projekt Revolution, Uproar Festival and Vans Warped Tour.

The Michael Stanley Band, intensely popular in Northeast Ohio, but virtually unknown elsewhere, set an attendance record, of 74,404, with four sold-out shows, on August 25–26 and 30–31, 1982.[5]

The Dave Matthews Band performed during their Away from the World Tour on June 1, 2013, with JD McPherson as their opening act. The show was recorded and later released as a live album, entitled Live Trax Vol. 29.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Blossom Music Center Facilities - Cleveland Orchestra". Cleveland Orchestra. Retrieved 2010-07-25. Under the roof, the Pavilion seats 5,700 concert-goers with reserved seats in several price ranges, spacious box seats in the center of the audience, and unreserved General Admission seats on the rear sides. ... The lush and spacious lawn around the Pavilion provides room for up to 13,500 people to picnic, star-gaze and listen to music.
  2. ↑ "History of Blossom Music Center". Cleveland Orchestra. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  3. ↑ Ewinger, James (March 17, 2011). "Cuyahoga Valley National Park buys chunk of Blossom Music Center land". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ Nichols, Jim (October 31, 2009). "Land around Blossom goes to Cuyahoga Valley National Park if Obama signs bill". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  5. ↑ Faris, Mark. "Breaking up is hard to do" Akron Beacon Journal December 14, 1986: L1

External links

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