Blossom Music Center is an outdoor amphitheater in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, roughly 30 miles south of downtown Cleveland. It opened in 1968 and is the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra. Its covered pavilion and sweeping lawn hold about 23,000 people in total, which makes it one of the larger amphitheaters in the Midwest.
The venue exists because of conductor George Szell, who wanted the orchestra to perform year-round so its musicians could have 12-month employment. It is named for the Blossom family, and Dudley S. Blossom Sr. served as president of the Musical Arts Association in the 1930s. Today it hosts both classical evenings and major touring rock, pop and country acts.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
- Type: Outdoor amphitheater
- Opened: 1968
- Capacity: About 23,000 total (pavilion plus lawn)
- Pavilion seating: About 5,700 to 6,000 seats
- Owner: Musical Arts Association (operated with Live Nation)
- Famous for: Summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra and the Blossom Music Festival
How Blossom Began
The Musical Arts Association bought about 571 acres near Cuyahoga Falls in July 1966. By July 1967 it had raised roughly $6.6 million and broke ground. The first concert took place on July 19, 1968, with George Szell conducting Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
The design paired acoustician Christopher Jaffe with the Cleveland firm Schafer, Flynn and Van Dijk. The pavilion has a sloping slate roof and sits in a natural bowl of wooded hillside. The pavilion was renovated in a project completed in 2003, and in 2011 the orchestra’s parent organization sold part of its surrounding land to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Concerts and the Lawn Experience
Classical and pops concerts by the Cleveland Orchestra anchor the summer season, and pop and rock tours fill much of the rest of the calendar. Lawn seating is general admission, so many visitors bring blankets, low chairs and picnics. Rental chairs are available on site, and the orchestra’s ticket program offers free lawn passes for guests under 18 with a regularly priced ticket.
The venue’s attendance history is remarkable. The Michael Stanley Band drew about 74,000 fans across four shows in August 1982, according to Wikipedia. Blossom lies inside the Cuyahoga Valley National Park area, so a concert night can pair naturally with a day of hiking.
Explore more: Music Venues.
Blossom Music Center FAQs
Where is Blossom Music Center?
It is at 1145 W. Steels Corners Road in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, about 30 miles south of downtown Cleveland. It can be reached via I-77, I-271 and Route 8.
How many people does Blossom Music Center hold?
Total capacity is about 23,000. That includes roughly 5,700 to 6,000 covered pavilion seats (sources differ slightly) and a general-admission lawn for around 15,000.
Who plays at Blossom Music Center?
The Cleveland Orchestra makes Blossom its summer home and presents the Blossom Music Festival each year. The venue also hosts touring rock, pop and country artists through the summer.
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Photo: Cards84664 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.