Almost immediately after Ricardo Morales Vivero left his naturalization ceremony on Monday, he grabbed a pen and started filling out his voter registration paperwork.
Volunteers from the League of Women Voters circled around the crowd in the Grand Foyer of Severance Music Center, handing out clipboards and encouraging the new citizens to exercise their new legal right.
“I actually do this at my job,” said Morales Vivero, who works as an organizer with the Northeast Ohio Workers Center. Along with helping people resolve workplace issues, “we get people registered to vote. And now, I get to do that.”
Morales Vivero, who grew up in Quito, Ecuador, was one of 73 applicants from 34 countries who recited the Oath of Citizenship on June 29. The special ceremony in Mandel Concert Hall celebrated both the new citizens and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Sara Lioi, the chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, presided over the event, joined by several fellow judges and Clerk of Court Christian M. Capece.
In her remarks, Lioi urged those present to reflect on the nation’s diversity and the people who made sacrifices to preserve the ideals of freedom and democracy.
“When we welcome these citizens through this process of naturalization, we enrich our country and make it stronger and more enduring,” she said.
A long road to celebration
Among those seated in the crowd was Ambrose Geba, who attended to support his uncle, Josephus Christopher. Their family is originally from Cameroon, but Christopher married someone from Liberia, making Liberia his country of origin for citizenship purposes.
“Today, I am very excited,” Geba said. He described his uncle’s process to obtaining citizenship as “easy” and “swift.”
Others have not been so lucky. In late 2025, the Trump administration abruptly paused many immigration applications for people from 19 “high risk” nations, dashing the hopes of many who were about to be naturalized. One month later, the administration expanded that pause to include an additional 20 countries.
For those who do successfully take the oath, that process has often been years or even decades in the making. After the presentation of certificates, where U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer Nicole New called up the applicants one by one, two of the new citizens stayed on stage to share a few words from the podium.
“I’ve waited 30 years for this moment,” Blerina Bakia, who goes by Bela, said tearfully. Her family left Albania in the 1990s in pursuit of a better future and have all since become naturalized. Anubhav Vinayak also came to the United States as a child, arriving 29 years ago. “This journey has taught me the value of hard work and perseverance,” he said.
Music connects us
André Gremillet, president and CEO of the Cleveland Orchestra, spoke earlier in the ceremony about his own path to citizenship. Born and raised outside of Montreal, Canada, Gremillet first came to the United States as a music student and later returned to further his career in orchestral administration.
“I gave it a lot of thought,” Gremillet said of his decision to become a citizen, a process finalized in 2022. “But I decided this was the best way to express my pride and gratitude, and also a way to participate in this great democracy and have my voice heard.”
He added that everyone will always be welcome in the concert hall, because “music is a common trait that we all share.”
In line with that sentiment, two music ensembles performed before, during and after the ceremony. A string quartet from OPUS 216 performed a prelude and postlude featuring music from American composers including Florence Price, Woody Guthrie and George Gershwin.
“ I’m always someone who believes that live music elevates any experience that has meaning,” said violinist Ariel Karas, the founder and director of OPUS 216. She noted that her fellow violinist Victor Beyens is himself a naturalized U.S. citizen. “We are a very diverse group of musicians, so being able to serve the moment in this way is an honor for us.”
After the group of 73 recited the Oath of Citizenship, the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus sang “The Star Spangled Banner,” marking the first time the group heard the national anthem as citizens.
The chorus, made up of sixth- through eighth-graders, also performed other selections throughout the proceedings, including Oscar Peterson’s “Hymn to Freedom” and Sarah Quartel’s “All the Way Home.”
“ They’re really thrilled to be inviting people to be joining our country,” said Jennifer Rosza, the group’s director. “I think it’s important to impress upon our middle schoolers that they have the power to show how music can add so much emotion to people’s lives.”
Committing to making a difference
Joy and excitement were the primary emotions after the ceremony’s conclusion, as the new citizens took celebratory photos in the Grand Foyer with loved ones and helped themselves to the spread of drinks and treats.
After finishing his voter registration paperwork, Morales Vivero explained that he came to the U.S. 13 years ago for school and has lived in Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio. So, while he misses the mountains of Ecuador, “I feel like a Midwesterner,” he said.
The new citizen also noted his mixed feelings on the milestone, recognizing that U.S. citizenship is a privilege and that the country’s recent political actions have stained its reputation in the eyes of many.
“I think that acknowledging that and saying, ‘OK, I’m still going to go through this process,’ is complicated,” he said. “But for me, reconciling that means committing to truly trying to make this [country] a better place.”
