CLEVELAND, August 18, 2005 ? The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and its conductor, Erich Kunzel, will perform the final concerts of the 2005 Blossom Festival during Labor Day Weekend on Saturday, September 3, at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 4, at 7:00 p.m. Entitled Cincinnati Pops Star Wars Spectacular, the program, which is the same for both concerts, features music by John Williams from all six Star Wars films: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, The Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

Joining the Cincinnati Pops will be narrator Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in the Star Wars films (and is the only actor to be featured in all six episodes), and aerialist Alexander Streltsov. Both will be making their Blossom Festival debuts with these concerts.

A fireworks display visible from the Blossom lawn will follow each concert, weather permitting.

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra first appeared at Blossom Music Center in a pair of Labor Day Weekend concerts conducted by Erich Kunzel in September 1990. The Cincinnati Pops and Erich Kunzel subsequently appeared at Blossom for Labor Day Weekend concerts each summer through 2002, and returned in 2004. The upcoming concerts will be their 27th and 28th appearances together at the Blossom Festival. Mr. Kunzel made his Cleveland Orchestra debut leading a pair of pops concerts at Blossom in August 1973 and subsequently conducted the Orchestra each summer through 1983. In May 1979 and May 1980, he conducted the Orchestra in ?Pops at the Palace? concerts at the Palace Theatre in Cleveland?s Playhouse Square. Mr. Kunzel?s most recent appearances with the Orchestra were in June 1988.


On September 3 and 4, the Blossom Festival will offer patrons expanded Specialty Concessions throughout the Blossom grounds. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday for picnicking. As usual, patrons may bring their own food and beverages for picnics. The Blossom Grille will be open for pre-concert dining also. Reservations may be made Monday-Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. by calling (330) 916-6063.

Star Wars Exhibit: Also on both concert evenings, members of the Ohio Star Wars Collectors Club (OSWCC), the Rebel Legion, and the 501st Ohio Garrison, many in costume, will have a Star Wars collectibles exhibit set up on the Blossom grounds, and will be handing out information about the clubs.

TICKET PRICES: Pavilion $42, $32, $22; Lawn $19. Pavilion seats for children are half the adult ticket prices. Lawn seating for children aged 6 through 12 is half the price of an adult lawn ticket. Lawn seating for children aged 5 and younger is FREE.

TICKETS for all 2005 Blossom Festival concerts are now on sale through the Severance Hall Ticket Office, the Blossom Music Center Box Office, online at clevelandorchestra.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets. The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along the west side of the building on East Boulevard. The Ticket Office is open during the summer Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Blossom Music Center Box Office is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. (and from 1:00 p.m. through intermission on Blossom Festival concert dates).

To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or (800) 686-1141 during the regular Severance Hall Ticket Office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra?s website at clevelandorchestra.com. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings. Please note: There are no added service charges or handling fees for Blossom Festival concert tickets purchased in person or by phone through the Blossom or Severance Hall ticket offices, or online through the Orchestra?s website.

PARKING: Patrons who buy Pavilion tickets at least 10 days prior to these performances will receive a free dated parking pass for one of Blossom?s paved parking lots. (The 10-day advance purchase requirement is to allow time for postal delivery.) These paved parking lots are ADA accessible with ADA transport services to the Pavilion. Alternately, there are a limited number of ADA spaces available in the FirstEnergy Lot A (behind the Box Office) for purchase at $12 per vehicle (10-day advance purchase required). Call (216) 231-1111 or (800) 686-1141 for further details.

Contact: Timothy Parkinson, (216) 231-7473 / E-mail: tparkinson@clevelandorchestra.com

Discount Offer:

We can offer Star Wars Fans a special Star Wars concert promotional discount - 20% off Lawn and Pavilion tickets. The 20% off discount applies to all seating areas for both concerts. This special price is only good for web and phone orders.

The ordering code for this offer is BFSW.

If you have a group of fans that plan to attend (10 or more), please have them contact Chris Kelley, our Group Sales Manager. Groups will get a 20% discount off tickets as well.