Severance Music Center — Attraction in Cleveland

One of the country's most beautiful concert halls boasts a Georgian/Neo-Classical style. Construction was completed in 1931 thanks to donations from many philanthropists like John D Rockefeller as well as a land grant from the Western Reserve Society; but, the brunt of the cost was covered by Mr. John Severence. Severence devoted the hall to his wife on completion in 1931, Elizabeth "Bessie" Dewitt Severance, who died shortly after the couple pledged the original money toward its future. Mrs. Severance's love of nature and flowers are a constant motif throughout the halls ornate and stunning interior especially her fondness of the lotus flower. From the ornate silver flowering stairwells and blue jewel tones in the grand auditorium, to the gold and bronze leaf design in the atrium, this architectural feast for the senses includes a concert hall seating nearly 2,000, a chamber music hall seating 400, an ornate 6,025-pipe Ernest Skinner organ, a recording studio, and a grand foyer. A $36-million restoration and expansion of Severance Hall was completed in January 2000. Severance has long been considered one of the best-sounding concert halls in the United States, it was built as the home to the world renowned Cleveland Orchastra and is often considered one of the the most exceptional performance halls in the world. The neighboring students and faculty of The Cleveland Institute of Music uses both concert venues throughout the year. The restaurant and gift store are notable for their exceptional goods and...

I was notified of an upcoming show by my employer. When I went online to purchase the tickets, the site was down. I perused the site again a few days later and learned that the advertising for the event was not yet uploaded to the web. I called and purchased tickets over the phone, later I recieved an email with the tickets, but nothing on them stated that there would be a 2 hr meet and great/learning experience to interact with the instruments for the children. Should you have a larger vehicle (taller than 6 ft), you'll need the park in the street as the garage will not allow massage. We had to walk 10 minutes to the building (2 blocks away). We arrived just as the event was starting and realized we missed out on more than half the fun. Shortly after, we were ushered upstairs; when asking for the restrooms (they stated it was on the next level). When we made it to the 2nd floor, we were again pushed to the 3rd floor- again, we were told the restrooms were on the next floor.. When we asked if there were beverages available for purchase (you guessed it - on the next floor - but nothing was there). The event was listed as a sensory orchestra, which we believed to be a time to cherish and listen to wonderful arrangements of live music with the the kiddos, to our dismay - they over explained each song, furthering their wishes to leave early out of...

Severance Hall is always a beautiful place to be. My last visit at the concert for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 14, 2020, was less than a stellar experience. Many patrons were herded into the lower level to wait before the concert with limited seating available. We waited about a half hour, but many had been there for more than an hour. No directions were given as to where or when we would go in. Ushers came about a minute before we were to start moving toward staircases to go upstairs. No directions were given, we just moved en masse toward the stairs. Many elders were on walkers, or using canes. They had to navigate the stairs anyway. There was an elevator but we didn't know that until we arrived upstairs.Our tickets were being coded as we got to the staircase. There was a table and chair in the way that patrons had to move aside to get past. I am not accustomed to attending events with such poor planning. I cannot understand why no instructions were posted anywhere in the waiting area. Many people seemed to know the drill, but I had not attended one of the King concerts in years, so I had no idea that things had deteriorated to this point. The concert and program was marvelous. I cannot say the same for the way we were treated before...