Robert Conrad, who co-founded the Cleveland classical-music radio station WCLV in 1962 with Cecil K. Patrick, received the Cleveland Orchestra’s Distinguished Service Award in a ceremony on January 8 at Severance Hall. Conrad, the radio voice of the Cleveland Orchestra for 45 years, serves as president of WCLV as well as host of the Cleveland Orchestra broadcasts and of the “Weekend Radio” program. The award was presented to Conrad by Dennis W. LaBarre, president of the board of the Musical Arts Association, the parent organization of the orchestra, Severance Hall, and Blossom Music Center. The association established the Distinguished Service Award in 1996 to recognize ongoing and extraordinary service to the orchestra; previous recipients include Dorothy Humel Hovorka (1996-97), Christoph von Dohnányi (1999-2000), Gary Hanson (2000-01), John Mack (2001-02), Thomas W. Morris (2003-04), and Clara Taplin Rankin (2009-10).
Posted January 19, 2011
