Josh Groban Brings Full Symphony and Movie Anthems to Blossom Music Center

Josh Groban rolls into Cuyahoga Falls Thursday night with a full symphony orchestra in tow, bringing his movie-music tribute album to the stage where The Cleveland Orchestra spends its summers. The 45-year-old, Tony, Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated singer performs at 7 p.m. at Blossom Music Center, 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, as part of his Stage, Screen, and Symphony Tour supporting his tenth studio album, Cinematic.

According to Cleveland.com, Groban recorded the ten-track Cinematic as a set of interpretations of songs from classic films, including Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King, Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's, As Time Goes By from Casablanca and Brucia La Terra from The Godfather. The station's report notes that the album arrives roughly a decade after Stages, his 2015 collection of Broadway standards. Speaking during a tour stop in Rochester, New York, Groban said Can You Feel the Love Tonight became a song about togetherness, love and humanity, and he has called performing the tune with a full orchestra one of his most powerful stage experiences.

An Album Born From an AFI Tribute

The idea for Cinematic reportedly took shape after Groban performed Brucia La Terra in Sicilian at the 50th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award ceremony, an experience that, per Cleveland Scene, sent him brainstorming the film-themed project with producer Greg Wells right after he left the stage. Wells, who had recently finished work on the film adaptation of Wicked, produced the album across sessions in both Los Angeles and London, as detailed by BroadwayWorld. Cinematic's Can You Feel the Love Tonight features the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, and the record also includes a Moon River arrangement featuring a trumpet solo by Groban's father, Jack Groban, a lifelong trumpet player who also sits on the board of Groban's charitable foundation, per AllMusic.

The Cleveland.com report also notes that Groban performs Falling Slowly from Once during the tour, a song written by Glen Hansard, who died before Groban's interview promoting the show. Groban has recorded his own version of Falling Slowly with Idina Menzel.

Broadway Songs Return After Years Away

Two of Groban's own Broadway productions are represented in the concert. He received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, and he also performed in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on Broadway. Per Cleveland.com, Groban had not sung songs from those productions since closing night before this tour run, making Thursday's Blossom stop one of the rarer chances local fans will get to hear that material live with orchestral backing.

A Full Orchestra Takes the Blossom Stage

Blossom Music Center opened in July 1968 as the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra and can hold more than 21,000 patrons across its 6,051-seat open-air pavilion and surrounding lawn, according to The Cleveland Orchestra. The 200-acre music park sits on land owned by the Musical Arts Association next to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. While Blossom is best known as The Cleveland Orchestra's summer residence, Thursday's show will instead be backed by the Akron Symphony Orchestra, which routinely partners with the venue for non-festival popular events. The Stage, Screen, and Symphony Tour includes a full symphony orchestra at every stop, giving Cinematic's film-score arrangements the live sound they were built for.

A Cleveland Visit Before the Show

Ahead of his Blossom date, Groban took in a private VIP tour of Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, according to a report from Cleveland.com's sister publication, the Chronicle-Telegram. That kind of behind-the-scenes access, which includes back offices, radio studios and artist green rooms over a 75-minute visit, became available to general visitors in August 2025 through the museum's Backstage Stories program.

Groban's stature heading into the show is backed by decades of commercial success: he has sold more than 35 million albums worldwide, with releases like Closer certified six-times platinum and Noël certified seven-times platinum, according to his Find Your Light Foundation. He was also honored with the 2,843rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Recording category in May, a ceremony that included appearances by students who have benefited from his arts education grants. Earlier this year, the Find Your Light Foundation distributed $1.5 million in grants to 257 organizations across 40 states to support K-12 arts education for more than 600,000 students, underscoring the advocacy work that runs alongside his touring schedule.

Tickets for Thursday's 7 p.m. performance at Blossom Music Center are available through Ticketmaster.com. The article was authored by John Benson for Cleveland.com.