“It’s a busy Friday night in Cleveland. Young couples mingle and sip wine, enjoying date night. A group of stylish young women are sitting in a cozy circle, laughing and talking about their work week,” writes Laura DeMarco in Thursday’s (5/30) Plain Dealer. “This lively space could be a club in the Warehouse District or Flats East Bank. It’s actually the private Taplin-FirstEnergy Suite at Severance Hall. These twenty- and thirtysomethings are enjoying a monthly gathering of The Circle, the Cleveland’s Orchestra’s popular Young Professionals Group … celebrating its fifth anniversary Friday with a pre-concert party followed by the Orchestra’s presentation of ‘An American in Paris.’ … The Circle was the idea of Orchestra staff…. Today it features 185 subscribers who pay $25 a month for two members, which gives them access to one monthly event as well as concert tickets.… Past events have included everything from pre-show lectures to black-tie cocktail parties…. Circle board president Bryan Scafidi … was drawn to the group for the music—he was a music major in college, though now works in banking—but [says] ‘it’s more than just about the music…. It’s about creating a community.’ ”
Posted May 31, 2019
