Central State University will return for this great event.

Severance Hall will hold its twelfth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Open House on Monday, January 16, 2012, from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. The free day of activities and performances, sponsored by Medical Mutual of Ohio, celebrates the legacy of Dr. King and will include performances by some of Cleveland’s finest community performing arts groups, including the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus as well as the Oberlin Ebony Connection, Roots of American Music: “Freedom Calling” and El Sistema @ Rainey Symphony with Cleveland Orchestra Musicians and Friends.  Family activities throughout the afternoon include the “I Have a Dream” Wall where children and adults can post their dreams for our community, the “Picture Yourself at Severance Hall” Photo Activity, and popular DJ Terry Macklin’s Sounds of Entertainment.

Performances and Activities

Community Open House performances will begin at 12 noon and will run through 5:00 pm. A complete schedule of Community Open House performances and activities follows.

Throughout the day, and especially in between Concert Hall performances, attendees can enjoy Terry Macklin’s Sounds of Entertainment – DJ-driven musical fun including line-dancing for the whole family, in the Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer.  Attendees will have an opportunity to write their “dreams for the world” or to color line drawings of Dr. King, to be included on the “I Have a Dream” Wall in Severance Hall’s Smith Lobby.  And, attendees can participate in “Picture Yourself at Severance Hall” (sponsored by Macy’s) – a photo opportunity where you can pretend you are performing on the Severance Hall main stage.

Shopping, Food & Parking

The Cleveland Orchestra Store, located in the Lerner Lobby, will be open to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Offering a unique shopping experience, the store features Cleveland Orchestra recordings and signature merchandise as well as specialty musical gift items and children’s toys.

Light concessions will be available for purchase in the Smith Lobby.

Parking will be available in the Case Western Reserve University Campus Center Garage (the underground garage connected to Severance Hall).  Convenient off-site and alternative parking options include the Cleveland Botanical Garden, which offers two levels of covered parking. The garage is located on the corner of East Boulevard and Wade Oval Drive. CWRU Lot 1, located off Euclid Avenue across from Severance Hall, and University Circle Lot 13A on Adelbert Road are surface lots within walking distance of Severance Hall.   There is also metered street parking along East Boulevard between Severance Hall and the Cleveland Museum of Art.  Visit clevelandorchestra.com for more details on parking.

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The 2012 MLK Day Community Open House is sponsored by Medical Mutual of Ohio, the exclusive health insurer of The Cleveland Orchestra and a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence.  Additional support is provided by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.

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All artists and performances are subject to change.