Go see the Cleveland Orchestra. they are one of the best in the world. On fridays they often have an earlier show that's sort of focused towards 20-30 somethings. They're doing Bruckner Symphony # 7 tomorrow and on saturday. Its... long, but good. I will admit that I'm not a huge fan of their programming this year, but they are a fantastic orchestra, and Severance Hall is not only a great sounding hall, it's also gorgeous on its own as an Art Deco masterpiece.
Serious question - not picking a fight... just the other day whilst listening to my local NPR station, they were plugging an upcoming concert for the "World Renowned Colorado Symphony" which made me think back to when I was a kid - it was a big deal to go see the Detroit Symphony play, and they were regarded as some one of the best in the world.... I lived in Utah a while and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Utah Symphony were acclaimed as one of the best in the world... I'm not questioning any of them - they all are, in my truly humble opinion, nothing short of amazing. I just wonder how much of the "best in the world" stuff is marketing... I mean, is there really a way to compare and judge these things? It feels like at some point, they're all at such a pinnacle of performance... it would be hard to not be one of the best in the world... or maybe people think so highly of some of these orchestras since they wouldn't expect so much to come from dying cities (Detroit, Cleveland) or cow-town-hickville (Utah, Colorado). I dunno.. just musing.they are one of the best in the world.
Oh for sure, that's a legit question. Lots of groups use "world renowned", or "international caliber" as a marketing tool. In the case of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, it's legit - they are known around the world and often tour abroad. The Utah Symphony? well, they're good, but not exactly of the caliber of "best in the world" Cleveland, on the other hand, is another matter. Cleveland was part of the original "Big Five". Unlike some of its original compatriots - Such as Philiadelphia, which went bankrupt back in 2011 and is currently in a downward economic spiral - the CO actually balances their budget, which in the Orchestra world is a pretty big deal. Most large orchestras operate at a loss of some sort. AND Cleveland does it in Cleveland,in the heart of the Rust Belt, a changing city with not a lot of money. Not just that, the audience for the orchestra is SUPER young by comparison. 20% of its attendees are under 25. And to top it all off, they're actually world class. Having seen them live and comparing them with other orchestra's I've seen and heard, they're killer, especially their string section. They're also on Gramophone's list of {20 best orchestras](http://www.gramophone.co.uk/editorial/the-world’s-greatest-orchestras) at number 7. So all that to say - You're right, a lot of ensembles use that language as a marketing tool. Cleveland deserves it, however.
