Peter van Dijk

Blossom Music Center (referred to locally as Blossom) is an outdoor amphitheatre located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The pavilion is composed of slate and tubular steel, and seats 6’051 people. Behind the pavilion is the general admission lawn, which can seat 15’000 people. Blossom is the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra, which performs its annual Blossom Festival there. The venue is also host to a full summer schedule of popular music acts and symphonic performances. It is owned by the Musical Arts Association, the orchestra’s non-profit parent organization.

Blossom Music Center is named after the family of Dudley S. Blossom, who served as president of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1936 to 1938. The site’s natural parabolic setting, the pavilion’s sloping slate roof, and the area’s natural wooded surroundings distinguish it from other contemporary amphitheatres. The facility, designed by architect Peter van Dijk, is located on 800 acres (320 ha) of natural woods inside the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, about 10 miles (16 km) north of downtown Akron and 33 miles (53 km) south of downtown Cleveland. In 2011, the Musical Arts Association sold 580 acres (230 ha) of Blossom’s undeveloped acreage to the National Park Service to add to the park. This financially benefited the owners and serves to protect the natural setting of Blossom. In 2003, the venue underwent a $17 million renovation.