Photos by Scott Preston
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Robert Spano, conductor – Garrick Ohlssohn, piano
Music Hall, 1241 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH
Friday, May 3, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 4, 8 p.m.
Tickets start at $10 in advance
More information and tickets available by calling: (513) 381-3300
or visiting www.cincinnatisymphony.org
CINCINNATI— Conductor Robert Spano will join the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 at Music Hall to lead a celebratory program for Cincinnati’s 225th birthday. The CSO will open the concert with Jennifer Higdon’s All Things Majestic which will be accompanied by an incredible multimedia presentation of beloved images from around Greater Cincinnati projected on the screen behind the Orchestra. The presentation will include historic and current images submitted to CET (Cincinnati’s PBS affiliate station) by Cincinnatians, representing some favorite views of the Queen City, the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and the Orchestra. Talented pianist Garrick Ohlssohn joins the CSO to perform Barber’s Piano Concerto, just before the Orchestra closes the show with Copland’s Symphony No. 3. This symphony heavily features themes from Copland’s iconic Fanfare for the Common Man, which was originally commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 1942 and premiered in Music Hall in March of 1943.
On Friday, May 3, the CSO hosts OTR Night to complement the concert with pre- and post-concert celebrations right in Music Hall’s own neighborhood. Beginning at 6 p.m. patrons are invited to “The Music Ride,” a slow bike ride through the streets of OTR (beginning and ending at Washington Park) with special musical surprises. A free bike valet will be available. Following the concert program there will be a party in Washington Park complete with a live band and food trucks by Night Owl Market. The CSO extends special thanks to its OTR Night community partners: Margy Waller (Art on the Streets), Felipe Morales-Torres (Underscore), OTR Chamber, The City of Cincinnati, 3CDC, Night Owl Market, Coffee Emporium and the Queen City Project. All OTR Night events are free and open to the public. Visit www.cincinnatisymphony.org/OTRNight for more details.
Friday, May 3 will also include the world premiere of a new choral work by Jennifer Higdon, “Hear My Voice.” Performed by the middle school choir of the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), the work is part of the American Composer’s Forum ChoralQuest program. Ms. Higdon’s residency with the CSO presented itself as an opportunity for SCPA to host the program. ChoralQuest is a music series for middle-level choir, written especially for middle-level choirs by world-class composers. The series is designed to breathe new life into the available repertoire for choral students in middle school and junior high, introduce students to the composition process, and give commissioned composers the unique opportunity and challenge of writing new works for young, changing voices. The students worked directly with Ms. Higdon during her March residency week with the CSO, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer returns for the premiere. The world premiere of the work will take place as part of Classical Conversations, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Music Hall auditorium. Classical Conversations starts one hour prior to most CSO performances. These casual, informative discussions are free and open to all ticketholders. CSO Assistant Conductor William White hosts the May 3-4 discussions.
The CSO is grateful to the Boundless Series Sponsor, Macy’s. The Concert Sponsor for these performances is Ohio National Financial Services. The ArtsWave Partner Company for these performances is Jacob G. Schmidlapp Foundation, Fifth Third Bank Trustee. The CSO is grateful to The Corbett Foundation for its extraordinary leadership and generosity. The Orchestra’s performance of All Things Majestic is underwritten by the Geier family in honor of Sudie Geier. Additional support for the performance’s multi-media presentation provided by CSO Spectrum in honor of Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell.
