by Daniel Hathaway
Eric Benjamin ended his brief tenure as music director of the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra with an engaging concert of mostly French music on Sunday afternoon, April 19 in Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center.
The performance marked Benjamin’s second visit to the Severance podium in the company of one of America’s few remaining women’s ensembles. CWO has grown artistically during his two years at the helm, and he leaves the orchestra in good hands for his successor.
Sunday’s program began with a rarity, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Overture to La Princesse Jaune. Benjamin drew a lush sound from his players during the introduction, and the ensuing allegro made for an enjoyable opener, both vigorous and charming.
The oldest surviving women’s orchestra in the country — the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra — turns 90 years old this year. They’ll celebrate this milestone on Sunday, October 26th at 2:30 pm with a concert at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Tickets available 
Of the many orchestra performances held at Severance Music Center in a given year, only one of them features a musician roster made up entirely of women. This brief break from the status quo comes courtesy of the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra, which has been performing in the space now known as Mandel Concert Hall for 90 years.
On Sunday afternoon, March 30, at 3:30 pm, the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra will continue its long tradition of performing in Severance Hall. The ensemble’s 90th Anniversary Concert in what is now known as the Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center will be conducted by music director Eric Benjamin. Tickets are available 
In 1993 Dolores White was commissioned by the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra to write 
After observing so many concerts from The Cleveland Orchestra — an ensemble that has long been lagging in its representation of women — it was refreshing to see their usual stage occupied by a group that reverses that gender discrepancy.