Since the inauguration of Blossom Music Center as the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra in 1968, Kent State University has participated in helping to develop Blossom’s role as a center for professional training in the visual and performing arts.

Advanced training programs in art and music were established in 1968, and a similar program was created in theatre the following year. Participants in the three Kent Blossom programs divide their time between the university’s residential campus in Kent, Ohio, and special performing/presentation facilities at Blossom Music Center, as well as occasional performances at other select locations in Northeast Ohio. In 1971, Porthouse Theatre was opened on university property adjacent to the original Blossom grounds, and in 1975, Eells Art Gallery was constructed near Blossom’s main gate.

Each summer, the Kent Blossom arts programs (organized within the university’s College of the Arts) bring together some 200 young professionals in art, music and theatre, and a resident faculty of 70 (including Kent State faculty, members of The Cleveland Orchestra and major international artists). Through the production of more than 100 exhibitions, concerts, performances and lectures, their creative experiences are shared with an audience of nearly 20,000 each year.

In the five decades of Kent Blossom Music Festival’s service to the national and local community, over 2,712 talented young musicians have been afforded the opportunity to hone their skills.

Each summer, advanced young artists from around the globe gather together with principal members of The Cleveland Orchestra, and major guest artists for five weeks of intensive chamber music study and performance at the professional level. A unique program is specifically designed for these students, who are at the threshold of their professional careers, to interact with world-renowned mentors in a training environment.

Since its founding in 1968 by George Szell and Louis Lane, the success of Kent Blossom Music Festival has been illustrated by the many professional affiliations of its alumni. Instrumental alumni have become members of such well-known and award-winning chamber groups as the Emerson, Borromeo, Miami, Audubon and Telegraph string quartets and the Imani Winds. In addition, alumni have become principal and section members of the New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Berlin, Baltimore, Metropolitan Opera, San Diego, Indianapolis, Houston, Detroit, Dallas, Cincinnati, Atlanta and San Francisco orchestras. Currently, 17 Kent Blossom Music Festival alumni perform with The Cleveland Orchestra.

* Alumni of the Kent Blossom Music Festival

Gifts to Kent Blossom Music Festival support student opportunities, artistic programming and the festival’s continued role in advanced music training.

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For more information, contact Kent Blossom Music Festival at 330-672-0397.

Kent Blossom Music Festival would like to thank the Kulas Foundation for presenting and supporting the festival’s 58th season. The Kulas Foundation’s generous support allows the festival to engage with internationally-renowned artists, to present exceptional concerts, and to provide extensive educational opportunities for the young artists participating in the program.

Kulas Foundation’s commitment to the festival positively impacts the Northeast Ohio community, showcases remarkable talent, and inspires future generations of classical musicians.

Special thanks to Kent State University’s President Todd A. Diacon, Ph.D., as well as Senior Vice President and Provost Melody Tankersley, Ph.D., for their continued support and investment in Kent Blossom Music Festival!

Kent Blossom Music Festival gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our host families who welcomed our students into their homes and those who provided funding for our students to stay on-campus in the residence halls:

A special thank you to David and Sherry Joy for hosting and opening their home to celebrate the annual 4th of July picnic.

A special thanks to Belleria Pizza and Italian Restaurant for providing meals for our young artists.

Your support and friendship are irreplaceable.

Thank you, our patrons and guests, for joining us!

• David and Janet Dix
• Barbara Feldmann
• Will Hubin
• David and Sherry Joy
• Jeanna Pisegna
• Janet Sessions
• Theresa Dye Schoettler
• Danna and Erik Sundet
• Jim Williams
• Michelle Worthing

The Kent Blossom Music Festival gratefully acknowledges all foundations, individuals and corporations for their generous contributions. This list reflects donations received from June 23, 2025 through June 12, 2026.

2026 PRESENTING SPONSOR

The Kulas Foundation

THE KENT BLOSSOM MUSIC FESTIVAL LEGACY PROGRAM FOR PLANNED GIVING

Dr. Denise A. Seachrist
Ms. Jeanna M. Pisegna
Mrs. Michelle I. Worthing
Mrs. Nora D. Marovitz
Mrs. Peggy Daugherty Shaffer
Dr. Wilbert N. Hubin

FORTISSIMO ($5,000 +)

Mrs. Peggy Daugherty Shaffer
Corporacion Andina de Formento
Will Hubin, Ph.D.
Mr. David Dix
Theresa Dye Schoettler
Mrs. Janet Sessions
Campo25 Foundation Inc.

CRESCENDO ($1,000 - $4,999)

Band of Angels
Mr. Robert A. Conrad
Ms. Barbara J. Feldmann
Dr. Carl Farinacci
Mr. Jim Williams
Olive Lee
Shawn and Kirk Gordon

SFORZANDO ($500 - $999)

Mrs. Nora Marovitz
Ms. Jeanna Pisegna
Nathaniel Robinson
Jim Angiulo
Chestnut Society

MOLTO ($250 - $499)

ESPRESSIVO ($100 - $249)

DOLCE ($20 - $99)

Miss Joyce Allen
Mr. Mark Glickman
Lieutenant Joseph Hendry Jr.
Ms. Paula Falcone
Dr. Mark Whitmore
Aditya Sahani
Mrs. Nicole Brownell
Mr. Tom Dziekonski
Vincenzo Volpe
Mr. Brian Ames
Mr. Vincent Stigliano

MRS. PEGGY DAUGHERTY SHAFFER'S annual investment in the program, as well as the scholarship that she has endowed to support the program, represent her investment in the future success of the Kent Blossom Music Festival and the Young Artist participants. We cannot thank her enough for her constant and steadfast support.

MR. JIM F. WILLIAMS established The John and Marian Williams Audience Development Memorial Fund to attract a new audience to the Kent Blossom Music Festival in honor of his parents. The fund covers the cost of the ticket price for anyone 18 and under.

Kent Blossom Art Intensives (KBAI) have a rich history as a pioneering and immersive visual art experience for its participants. Each summer, the program offers two-week studio experiences similar to an artist residency for students and individual artists under the direction of Kent State faculty, alongside visiting artists, designers and craftspersons. Works created by the participants are exhibited in galleries on the Kent Campus.

Since the inception of the program in 1968, the School of Art has hosted an exciting and impressive array of visiting artists who lead workshops, demonstrations, critical conversations with participants and give public lectures on their art. KBAI alternates between these disciplines: ceramics, drawing, glass, jewelry/metals/enameling, painting, print media and photography, sculpture and expanded media, and textiles.

For more information about Kent Blossom Art Intensives, visit www.kent.edu/kentblossomart.

Each summer, Porthouse Theatre, originally known as Kent Blossom Theatre, offers a professional season produced by major directors and designers together with members of Actors’ Equity and advanced students selected through nationwide auditions. Through this format, the 500-seat theatre, owned and operated by Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance on the Blossom Music Center grounds, provides summer theatrical entertainment for Northeast Ohio and serves as a national center for professional theatre training. For more information, call 330-672-3884.

Kent Blossom Music Festival recognizes the following program sponsors and partners:

• The Cleveland Orchestra
• The Kulas Foundation
• CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean
• Ohio Arts Council

Email: kbm@kent.edu

Phone: 330-672-0397

Website: www.kent.edu/blossom