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A CSO "Listening Party" is the Place to Be

    Posted: Nov 2, 2013 - 2:32:35 PM in: news_2013
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CSO assistant conductor Will White conducting a CSO "listening party" at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
One of the brightest new offerings by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is its "listening parties." Designed to acquaint listeners with the music they will hear on CSO concerts, the parties, dubbed "One City, One Symphony," are hosted by members of the orchestra and the conducting staff. The 2013 edition focuses on the Symphony No. 4 by Tchaikovsky, to be heard on conductor Louis Langree's inaugural concerts as CSO music director in November.

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For Love of Bach

    Posted: Sep 30, 2013 - 4:20:20 PM in: news_2013
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Carlton Monroe
Johann Sebastian Bach is alive and well in Cincinnati. Thanks to Carlton Monroe and St. Thomas Episcopal Church, you can now hear his cantatas in the context in which they were first performed. For the third year in a row, Monroe will lead his Bach Ensemble in a series of Bach Vespers, blending the Episcopal service of Evensong with performances of Bach's cantatas at the church in Terrace Park.

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CCM to Celebrate Verdi with "Don Carlos"

    Posted: Sep 20, 2013 - 3:30:41 AM in: news_2013
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Mark Gibson conducting "Don Carlos" at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
2013 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music is celebrating in a big way with a complete concert performance of his grandest opera "Don Carlos." Calling upon all of the forces of the Conservatory, including the Philharmonia and Concert Orchestras, Chamber Choir and Chorale, UC Men's and Women's Chorus and a cast of students, alumni and faculty, it bids to be the most ambitious work ever undertaken at the school. CCM's director of orchestral activities, Mark Gibson, will conduct. The performance is in two parts, 2 and 7 p.m., separated by a break for dinner Sept. 22 at Corbett Auditorium.
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Number Three for Constella Festival

    Posted: Sep 18, 2013 - 11:14:16 AM in: news_2013
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Cincinnati Scene by Andrew van Sickle
Cincinnati's Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts is in its third incarnation this year, with a host of events from Oct. 1 through Nov. 7. With 20 concerts in all, nine are being produced directly by Constella, 11 by nine partner organizations, which include Chamber Music Cincinnati, concert:nova, Linton Music Series and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. There will be art exhibitions in conjunction with all Constella-produced events, a dance concert featuring dancers of Cincinnati Ballet and a pair of free children's concerts. Guest artists include violinist Joshua Bell, former Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra music director Paavo Jarvi, pianist Stewart Goodyear and saxophonist Jimmy Heath.
Composer-in-residence will be New Yorker Missy Mazzoli.
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Constella to Premiere Violin Concerto by Charles Coleman

    Posted: Sep 17, 2013 - 1:08:59 PM in: news_2013
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Charles Coleman
New Yorker Charles Coleman has become one of Cincinnati's favorite composers. His "Streetscape" was premiered on Paavo Jarvi's first concert as Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra music director in 2001. He returned for a five-week residency with the CSO in 2007, when his "Deep Woods" was premiered. He returns Oct. 10 with the Constella Festival for the world premiere of his Violin Concerto, to be performed by Tatiana Berman with Järvi conducting.

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Grainger Premiere To Open CSO Season

    Posted: Sep 10, 2013 - 2:12:46 PM in: news_2013
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Percy Grainger
If you thought composer Percy Grainger was all "Country Gardens" and English folksongs, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has a surprise in store for its first concert of the 2013-2014 season, Grainger's 1916 "The Warriors (Music to an Imaginary Ballet)." A massive work calling for large orchestra, three pianos (at least!) and a huge percussion section, it is as adventurous as Stravinsky and Charles Ives, though rarely performed. Guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero will lead the CSO premiere September 12 and 14 at Music Hall.

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Fall Season Filled with Choices

    Posted: Sep 6, 2013 - 6:48:16 PM in: news_2013
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Cincinnati is a musically rich city, with outstanding concerts and musical events of all kinds. The 2013 fall season is a case in point. Enriched by the Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts (an annual event since October, 2011), there is an abundance of music this season. Here is a look at what's in store, with a list of choices in three different sizes, large, medium and (not-to-miss) small.
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Gennady Rozhdestvensky Shares Thoughts with Students in Pärnu

    Posted: Aug 4, 2013 - 12:08:28 AM in: news_2013
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Leonid Grin (left) and Gennady Rozhdestvensky (photo by Taavi Kull)
Students at the Järvi Academy in Pärnu, Estonia, held concurrently with the Pärnu Music Festival, had an illustrious guest drop in on them in July, Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky. The famed maestro sat in on master classes, attended festival concerts and best of all, held a question-and-answer session with the students July 20 at Tervis Spa in Pärnu.

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"Galileo Galilei" New Venture for Cincinnati Opera

    Posted: Jul 10, 2013 - 12:09:45 PM in: news_2013
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Philip Glass' "Galileo Galilei" marks a new departure for Cincinnati Opera. Not only is it a brand new production and a Cincinnati premiere, but the performances, July 11, 14, 17, 19 and 21, will take place in intimate (750-seat) Corbett Theater at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, the Opera's first expansion beyond Music Hall into its new "opera campus" in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine. Conducting will be Kelly Kuo in his main stage debut with Cincinnati Opera (first published at expresscincinnati.com).

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Cornucopia of Events at CCM in 2013-14

    Posted: Jun 17, 2013 - 2:34:39 PM in: news_2013
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CCM Village (College-Conservatory of Music) at the University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music is a veritable cornucopia of media and performing arts. CCM's 2013-14 main stage season boasts over 40 different events announced to date, beginning with the French language version of Verdi's opera "Don Carlos" in celebration of the composer's 200th anniversary. Look also for tributes to Richard Wagner and Benjamin Britten, a staged Bach "St. John Passion," some delicious jazz events and much more.

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Chamber Orchestra Mixes It Up for 40th Anniversary

    Posted: Jun 8, 2013 - 2:10:17 PM in: news_2013
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Mischa Santora
The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra turns 40 this year and to celebrate, have a diverse season in store. "Time for Three," violinists Zack DePue and Nick Kendall and bassist Ranaan Meyer, will set the tone Oct. 9 at the School for Creative and Performing Arts with their unique mix of genres and highly improvised performance. There will be a first-ever collaboration with Cincinnati's innovative Exhale Dance Tribe, arias by soprano Sarah Coburn and Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor with the Vocal Arts Ensemble.

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Mischa Santora: Man with a Harmonious Mission

    Posted: May 17, 2013 - 4:26:05 PM in: news_2013
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Mischa Santora
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra music director Mischa Santora has enriched Cincinnati at the helm of the CCO for 13 years, bringing both excellence and a comprehensive mission to the community. More initiatives lie ahead as the orchestra enters its 40th season.

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Constella Festival Announces 2013 Season

    Posted: May 16, 2013 - 5:38:17 PM in: news_2013
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The Constella Festival, Cincinnati's annual celebration of music, fine arts and dance, promises another stellar season for 2013. Scheduled to appear are violinist Joshua Bell, pianist Stewart Goodyear and conductor Paavo Järvi. Partners with Constella in presenting the five-week event are nine other Cincinnati arts organizations.

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James Conlon, Arts Advocate

    Posted: May 14, 2013 - 5:11:37 PM in: news_2013
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James Conlon (photo by Dan Steinberg, Los Angeles Opera)
James Conlon is best known to Cincinnati as music director of the annual May Festival. He is also a writer and maintains a blog on MusicalAmerica.com where he comments on his travels, on music and the arts and issues affecting them in today's world. Conlon took time during his annual visit to Cincinnati to discuss his writing and his love for the May Festival.

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Cincinnati's Arts Ambassadors

    Posted: May 10, 2013 - 12:53:14 PM in: news_2013
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Cincinnati's new Arts Ambassador Fellows include a filmmaker, ceramicist, poet, cellist, violinist, puppeteer and sculptor. The 2012-2013 fellowships, which help support new and existing work, were awarded at a presentation May 8 at Memorial Hall, along with samples of the artists' work.

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