The Cleveland Women’s Orchestra 91st Anniversary Season
Eric Benjamin, Music Director
Featuring Kira McGirr, mezzo-soprano

Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Cleveland Museum of Art – The Cleveland Women’s Orchestra at 90 Years
Gartner Auditorium, Suzanne and Paul Westlake Performing Arts Center

Program
Overture in C, Fanny Mendelssohn
Sea Pictures, Edward Elgar
Kira McGirr, mezzo-soprano
The Coast, Clara-Jane Maunder
US premiere
Symphony No. 1, Florence Price

The historic Cleveland Women’s Orchestra serves Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Founded in 1935, it is the last of the many women’s orchestras that flourished during the early part of the 20th Century.

The orchestra provides performance opportunities for women musicians, showcases talented young soloists and performs a series of free “Gift of Music” outreach concerts for various social service agencies, schools, hospitals, retirement homes and nursing homes. Over its many years, the orchestra has performed over 500 free outreach concerts — a record unmatched by any other orchestra in the area.

In addition, the orchestra performs symphonic concerts in cooperation with other area organizations and returns to Severance Hall each Spring for its annual Anniversary Concert.

The Cleveland Women’s Orchestra is sponsored by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, MetroHealth System, Mt. Sinai HealthCare Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, Jewish Community Federation, Cleveland Foundation, and many other generous sponsors.