Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra Launch Carnegie Hall's Season Oct. 3

Carnegie Hall celebrates the start of its 2019-2020 season with an Opening Night Gala concert on Thursday, October 3 at 7:00 p.m. with The Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. An all-star trio featuring violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, cellist Lynn Harrell, and pianist Yefim Bronfman join Mr. Welser-Möst and the Orchestra for Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Ms. Mutter also appearing as soloist in Beethoven's Romance for Violin and Orchestra in G Major. The festive evening will open with the overture to Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor and also include the Concert Suite from Richard Strauss's richly-orchestrated Der Rosenkavalier.

This Opening Night performance will be heard by listeners around the world, launching the ninth annual Carnegie Hall Live broadcast and digital series with a live radio broadcast on WQXR 105.9 FM in New York and online at wqxr.org and carnegiehall.org/wqxr. Produced by WQXR and Carnegie Hall and co-hosted by WQXR's Jeff Spurgeon and Clemency Burton-Hill, Carnegie Hall Livebroadcasts include behind-the-scenes access to the artists and broadcast team, connecting national and international fans to the music and to each other.

The October 3 concert also kicks off Carnegie Hall's season-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth with more than 35 events highlighting the impact of the master composer's work scheduled to take place throughout the 2019-2020 season.

Mr. Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra return to Carnegie Hall the following evening-Friday, October 4 at 8:00 p.m.-with pianist Yefim Bronfman as soloist in Trauermarsch, a work written expressly for the pianist by Jörg Widmann as well as Mahler's Symphony No. 5. Mr. Widmann is the holder of Carnegie Hall's Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair throughout the 2019-2020 season.

Mercedes T. Bass and Hope and Robert F. Smith are the Gala Lead Chairmen for Carnegie Hall's black-tie Opening Night Gala event on October 3. Gala chairs include Len and Emily Blavatnik; Annette de la Renta; Sabrina W. Fung; Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis; Sana H. Sabbagh; Jean and Melanie Salata; Beatrice Santo Domingo; Elizabeth Segerstrom; Brian and Adria Sheth; David M. Siegel and Dana Matsushita; S. Donald Sussman; and Joan and Sanford I. Weill. PwC is the Opening Night Gala Lead Sponsor for the 16th consecutive season, and Dennis M. Nally, Retired Chairman, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd., and Roy Weathers, Vice Chairman and US Tax Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd. are the Corporate Chairmen for the event. The gala concert benefits Carnegie Hall's artistic and education programs and includes a dinner at Cipriani 42nd Street following the concert. For more information about Opening Night, please visit carnegiehall.org/OpeningNight2019.