Musical leadership to take center stage at CIM's 2026 Luminaries gala

Along with dinner and dessert, guests at CIM’s Luminaries event this year will be served a healthy dose of inspiration. 

All three featured guests and the honoree at CIM’s 2026 annual scholarship gala will be models of musical leadership. Two major conductors, a clarinet legend, and a trailblazing cellist: each one is an artist of exemplary accomplishment.  

“Our first Luminaries gala in CIM's reimagined Kulas Hall will be an evening worthy of that spectacular new performance space,” said Scott Harrison, CIM’s Executive Vice President & Provost. “Between our special guests, students, and honorees, patrons will leave with a sense of the full scope of CIM's global and local connections and impact.” 

This year, Luminaries will be held at CIM Friday, May 15. It will begin with a welcome reception at 5:30pm and include a concert and open-air dinner at 6:30pm and 7:30pm, respectively. Tickets may be purchased starting March 16 at cim.edu/luminaries or by phone at 216.795.3140. 

Along with the date and time of Luminaries 2026, CIM on Friday also revealed the star-studded list of the night’s honoree, co-hosts, and special guests.  

Firstly, the 2026 honoree will be CIM clarinet faculty Franklin Cohen, one of the longest serving faculty members in CIM history and the longtime principal clarinet of The Cleveland Orchestra. More about Cohen is below.  

That’s not all for Luminaries 2026. Another significant attraction will be student performances. Throughout the evening, several of CIM’s many scholarship recipients will demonstrate the impact of donor support with a wide variety of music showcasing their talent. 

Luminaries guests also can look forward to interacting with legendary conductor Leonard Slatkin, the recipient of CIM’s 2026 Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts and the first of three special guests at this year’s event. 

Besides Slatkin, patrons also will meet conductor Kathryn Harsha (MM ’99), winner of CIM’s 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award and artistic director of Pro Coro Alexandria and Alexandria Choral Society, and cellist Rebecca Shasberger (MM ’17, Robinson) a co-founder of Renovare Music and winner of CIM’s 2026 Alumni Achievement Award. More information about these artists is below.  

Finally, four members of the CIM community will serve as chairs for the gala. They are Trustee Ann Buescher, Governing Member Cathy Lincoln, alum Jean Furman (BM ’21, MM ’21, Schiller) and faculty member and alum Ariel Karas (BM ’10, MM ’11, D. Cerone/L. Cerone/Rose). The event’s planning committee, already composed of at least a dozen trustees and other supporters, is still being recruited. 

TICKET INFORMATION 

Luminaries tickets will be available after March 16 at four levels. Tickets may be purchased online at cim.edu/luminaries or by phone at 216.795.3140. Questions may be emailed to luminaries@cim.edu. 

Benefit Ticket: $250 

• Includes admission to Luminaries concert and dinner. 

VIP Supporter: $500 

• Includes admission to Luminaries concert and dinner, with VIP seating, and acknowledgement as a concert supporter. 

Luminaries Table Supporter: $4,000 

• Includes admission to Luminaries concert and VIP dinner seating for up to 8 guests, and recognition as a Table Sponsor. 

Spotlight Sponsor: $8,000 

• Includes admission to Luminaries concert and VIP dinner seating for up to 10 guests, acknowledgement as sponsor of a musical performance, and an additional private pre-concert reception. 

About Franklin Cohen 

Franklin Cohen has been a member of the clarinet faculty at CIM since 1976. He also served as principal clarinet of The Cleveland Orchestra for 39 seasons and now holds the title of principal clarinet emeritus. Throughout his illustrious career, Cohen has been in demand as both a soloist and chamber musician with ensembles large and small worldwide. He’s been a prolific and award-winning recording artist, and counts former students in major orchestras almost everywhere. In 2012, Cohen and his daughter Diana Cohen (BM ’01, MM ’11, Kantor/Smirnoff/Preucil/Weilerstein) co-founded ChamberFest Cleveland, a series now counted among the nation’s top festivals.  

About Leonard Slatkin 

For 60 years, Leonard Slatkin has been a dominant presence on the podium and in the recording studio, transforming the orchestras of St. Louis, Detroit, and Washington, DC from respected regional ensembles into national and even international powerhouses. In Detroit, he still serves as music director laureate. Cleveland was Slatkin’s musical home for nine years, from 1990 to 1999. During that time, he served as the first and highly popular music director of the Blossom Festival, leading and designing many successful seasons at Blossom Music Center, summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra. He’s also enjoyed significant tenures overseas, leading and frequently recording with such distinguished ensembles as the BBC Symphony and France’s Orchestre National de Lyon, among many others. Slatkin is a regular guest conductor of the CIM Orchestra. His most recent appearance was in 2024.  

About Kathryn Harsha  

Kathryn Harsha is CIM’s 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award winner. The award honors alumni who have attained the highest stature in their field. Harsha is a highly regarded conductor, pianist, and teacher who has led orchestras and choruses throughout the U.S. and Europe. In Northeast Ohio, she has led concerts at Severance Music Center, home of The Cleveland Orchestra, and has been music director of the Sing Out! for Cleveland Rape Crisis Center Benefit since 2002, where the “Visionary Voice” award was named in her honor. She currently serves as artistic director of Pro Coro Alexandria and the Alexandria Choral Society in Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and a master’s degree in conducting from CIM. 



About Rebecca Shasberger 

Cellist Rebecca Shasberger is the winner of CIM’s 2026 Alumni Achievement Award. The award recognizes significant contributions to the profession. Shasberger is the artistic and executive director of Renovare Music, a thriving Cleveland-based nonprofit that provides concerts, music lessons, and training in songwriting to people at the margins of society, notably the incarcerated. She has presented solo performances and concerti with orchestras from California to New York, in Canada, China, and across Europe. Her chamber music performances and festival appearances have taken her across North America and been broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She has served as a visiting instructor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and taught at the Cleveland School of the Arts, Thrive Arts Center, Aurora School of Music, and Westmont Academy for Young Artists.