A violin older than the United States itself is heading to Cuyahoga Falls this month. Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma will play Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto at Blossom Music Center on Saturday, Aug. 15, performing on a 1703 Stradivarius nicknamed the “Aurora, ex-Foulis” — an instrument 70 years older than the country it’s now touring.
Lamsma will appear with the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Norwegian conductor Tabita Berglund, who is stepping onto the Blossom podium for a concert that, as reported by Cleveland.com, will also feature Sibelius’s Finlandia and Suite No. 2 from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The 7 p.m. performance takes place at the orchestra’s outdoor summer home at 1145 W. Steels Corners Rd. Tickets range from $28 to $108 and are available through clevelandorchestra.com or by phone at 216-231-1111.
This isn’t Lamsma’s first trip to Northeast Ohio. She first came to Cleveland more than a decade ago, and the Aug. 15 date marks her third appearance at Blossom, following a previous stop in 2023, according to the same Cleveland.com report. What’s new this time is the instrument in her hands.
A New Violin After Nearly a Decade With Its Predecessor
Lamsma played her previous instrument, the 1718 “Mlynarski” Stradivarius, for nine years — a violin also provided to her on loan by an anonymous benefactor, according to background from the LA Philharmonic. After returning that instrument, she spent two years searching for a replacement before landing on the “Aurora, ex-Foulis,” which is likewise on loan to her…