Author: janellegelfand

I have covered classical music and the arts in Cincinnati for more than three decades, play piano and tennis and enjoy traveling. Note: As a guest posting content to this blog, you agree to the following guidelines: Keep the conversation civil, courteous and constructive. We encourage all viewpoints and ideas but ask that comments be respectful of others' views. No profane, offensive, harassing or inflammatory language please. Honor the copyrights and trademarks of others by not posting or uploading any material that infringes on the copyright, trademark, patent, or intellectual property rights of others. Do not post, upload or link to unsolicited or unauthorized advertising or promotional materials. Do not post, upload or link to content that contains any product, service or political endorsements. Thank you!

Chamber Orchestra unveils ‘We Are One’ festival events

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Images from last year’s We Are One festival. Photos by Mark Lyons

Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra is announcing events for its “We Are One: Hope” festival (Oct. 19 to Oct. 25) following the arrival of the 12-foot-tall puppet, Little Amal, in Cincinnati last month. Arabic for Hope, “Amal” is a puppet of a 10-year old Syrian refugee.

We Are One: Hope will promote the works and stories of those living in our region who came to the United States as immigrants, refugees, or displaced persons.

“Our goal is to be a leader in the music industry when it comes to using our artform to have a direct, positive impact on members of our community,” says CCO Executive Director Evan Gidley.

Most of this year’s events will take place in Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods that many immigrants and refugees call home, including Price Hill, Westwood, Northside, and Covington, KY. Events will feature both an educational and musical component and will invite the audience to participate in a community chorus that will perform at the final concert on October 25. (Scroll down to view the full lineup.)

“We are thrilled to present the second annual We Are One festival as we offer a platform for conversations that highlight the rich, diverse makeup of Cincinnati. Music and arts have the power to spark dialogue and perhaps even help us reimagine how we can better advocate with and for our refugee, immigrant, and displaced communities,” says CCO Associate Conductor Daniel Parsley.

Visual artist Michael Thompson will be auctioning off a work created at last year’s We Are One festival with proceeds benefiting the CCO.

All festival events are free, but reservations are required and can be obtained by visiting the CCO website at ccocincinnati.org or by calling the CCO box office at 513.723.1182 x2. Tax-deductible donations to the CCO are welcome for those who are able to give in an effort to help keep programming accessible.

The collaborative project features community partners such as Cincinnati Compass, Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA, Ignite Peace, Maketank Inc., and Refugee Connect as well as musical partners including Coro Volante, MYCincinnati, Northern Kentucky University Choirs, Thomas More University Choral Activities, and Little Miami Select Choirs. Organizations serving Cincinnati’s immigrant or refugee communities are invited to exhibit at the opening conversation.

We Are One: Hope is made possible with support from the Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation and Ameritas.

Here’s the lineup:Read More »

Shakeup at Cincinnati Ballet

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Cincinnati Ballet issued a terse statement today from the board of trustees that Jodie Gates, the company’s new artistic director as well as the artistic director of the Otto M. Budig Academy, has departed “to pursue other opportunities.” It is Cincinnati Ballet’s 60th anniversary season.

The Board has appointed rehearsal director Cervilio Miguel Amador as interim artistic director. Amador was previously a Cincinnati Ballet principal dancer who retired during the 2019-2020 Season after 16 years as a company artist. (He is seen above in Balanchine’s “Prodigal Son.” Photo by Peter Mueller.)

“It has been an honor to program the 60th Anniversary Season and I am proud of the work we have done together to ensure the artistic growth of the Company and the Academy,” said Jodie Gates, in a statement. “However, at this time I wish to focus on choreographic projects, staging, and teaching. I sincerely thank the Board of Trustees, the artistic and administrative staff, the patrons, and the extraordinary dancers for an enriching experience.”

Gates began her tenure on Aug. 1, 2022 — about 13 months ago. She succeeded Victoria Morgan, who held the position for 25 years. This anniversary season was to have been Gates’ first fully programmed season, a celebratory one that would have her personal stamp of new choreography and a new vision. But reportedly, she was absent on opening night of the “More Room to Play” — Kaplan New Works Festival without explanation to the public.

Board of Trustees Chair Joel Stone said it was a mutual decision.

“This mutual decision ensures that Cincinnati Ballet can continue its mission to enrich, expand, and excel in the art of dance through world-class performance, a high-caliber academy, and impactful education and engagement, as well as allow Jodie to pursue other professional opportunities,” said Stone, in a statement. “The entire Board of Trustees is grateful for Jodie’s artistic impact on the 2023-2024 Season and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

In terms of a search for a new artistic director, the Board of Trustees said that the company will take some time to evaluate what is best for all Cincinnati Ballet stakeholders, and then make an informed decision on how to proceed long term.

The current leadership team includes interim artistic director Cervilio Miguel Amador, rehearsal director Dale Shields, and rehearsal director and second company –CB2 Director Yoshihisa Arai.

The season will continue as planned, the release said.

Artist C.F. Payne, author Brent Coleman to sign books, sell art

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“Homework Flying” The original illustration from the children’s book “Late For School” that comedian Steve Martin wrote and C.F. Payne illustrated.

Nationally known illustrator C.F. Payne and author, editor and former Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Brent Coleman have collaborated on an entertaining illustrated book titled “Cincinnati Characters: The Unknown, Unappreciated and Unhinged.” The book (which I highly recommend) tells the stories of 35 men and women who impacted Cincinnati’s development in the 1800s and early 1900s.

“Reds Ball #2” from Chris F. Payne’s sketchbook. You can see the perforated edge. There will be 150 original illustrations from Chris’s sketch books.

Payne and Coleman will be signing books at Cincinnati Art Galleries, 225 E. Sixth St., downtown, 5-8 p.m. Sept. 22, to open the exhibition and sale of more than 200 of C.F. Payne’s illustrations. The show will include 35 illustrations from the recently published book.

Of course, you’ve seen Payne’s irresistible illustrations and caricatures. His work has appeared in publications such as Time, Der Spiegel, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, MAD, Boys Life, Atlantic Monthly, AARP, the Wall Street Journal and many other national and international publications. His work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, Norman Rockwell Museum, Mazza Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum and others around the world.

“Had Libby Holman – accused murderer, Broadway Star, torch singer, open bisexual and friend of Montgomery Clift, Dorothy Parker and Martin Luther King Jr. – graduated from The University of Cincinnati in 2013 instead of 1923, she would have been a YouTube and tabloid sensation.” Written by Brent Coleman from his book

Coleman wrote stories about Cincinnati history and interesting houses near the end of this 26-year career at the Enquirer. Those stories have formed the basis for this fun and informative book.
The artworks begin at $300. The exhibition and sale continues through Nov. 22. Information: cincyart.com.

CSO adds last-minute guest conductor in special concert

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Ramn Tebar last April with CSO. Photo by Tyler Secor/CSO

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has just announced a last-minute addition to the 2023-24 season. Guest conductor Ramón Tebar will be leading a full program on Oct. 18 in Music Hall. Tebar’s program includes John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine; Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with the superb pianist Jonathan Biss; and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.

It’s an interesting addition, considering that the CSO is in the middle of a search for its next music director.

Tebar is currently principal conductor with the Orquesta de Valencia and artistic director of Opera Naples. He was previously artistic director of the Florida Grand Opera and principal guest conductor of Valencia’s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia. He has conducted in the pit of Cincinnati Opera a number of times, most recently for “Carmen” outdoors at Summit Park in 2021 during the pandemic.

Here’s my impression of the concert he led last April in Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” in the Ravel orchestration. Tebar’s style is elegant and confident. He knew how to inspire energy in the dramatic moments, but this was also a performance that breathed, sometimes with lingering pauses between numbers, as if allowing the observer to ponder that picture in the gallery before moving on.

The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13. Tickets: 513-381-3300, cincinnatisymphony.org

Join a roundtable with local Jazz luminaries

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Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame sponsors a program for young jazz musicians, who play “Jazz at Dusk” around town — seen here at Caffe Vivace in Walnut HIlls

The Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame and Kennedy Heights Arts Center will present a roundtable discussion on the impact of jazz in our community on Aug. 19.

From music and culture to art and education, Jazz has influenced the whole world.  Join a robust conversation with a panel of some pillars of the local jazz community:  Dr. Isadore Rudnick, Kathy Wade, Laura Gentry, Marc Fields, and  Nate Henderson.

The panel, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, will be moderated by Sister Keli, radio host on WHRI-Inspiration and community contributor on WXIX-Fox 19 News.

Doors open at 2:30 p.m. so you can view the special exhibit, “All that Jazz,” at the Lindner Annex of the Kennedy Heights Arts Center, 6620 Montgomery Road. Free. Information: kennedyarts.org and cincyjazzhof.org.

David Klingshirn, founder of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, dies at 84

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David Klingshirn, board member Trish Bryan, right, and Nina Perlove, former Hall of Fame Executive Director, presenting Philip Glass his medallion during a Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert in 2014. Photo provided.

David Allan Klingshirn was one of Cincinnati’s biggest boosters, who loved the city and its arts. He was the founder of the Cincinnati-based American Classical Music Hall of Fame, which has recognized 165 individuals and institutions across the nation. Anxious to shine a light on classical music, which he believed received less recognition than sports, Mr. Klingshirn was fond of saying, “Cincinnati has major-league sports and major-league classical music.”

Mr. Klingshirn died at his home in Cincinnati on June 20. He was 84.

“David was a visionary who loved classical music and its ability to touch our souls and enrich our lives,” Gary Ingle, president of the Hall of Fame’s board of directors and CEO of the Music Teachers National Association. “He was a passionate advocate for classical music and guided the Hall of Fame tirelessly for these 27 years. The death of our founder is a deeply felt loss for all of us. Our hearts are heavy but filled with gratitude for David and the great legacy he leaves. His legacy will live on through the work we will continue to do together to advance the mission and goals of this very special organization.”

The Cincinnati businessman was the owner of Tischbein Pharmacies for 30 years. In 2004, he was ordained a Deacon for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and served at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral and St. Margaret’s Hall.
Read More »

André Watts remembered as ‘a pianist’s pianist’

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André Watts

The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music announced yesterday the death of renowned pianist André Watts on July 12. The artist was 77. Mr. Watts, a frequent guest artist in Cincinnati, was distinguished professor of piano and the Jack I. and Dora B. Hamlin Endowed Chair in Music at the university. He joined the faculty there in 2004.

Mr. Watts was a brilliant statesman of the art form and a piano superstar, celebrated across the globe as a musical genius. At age 16 in 1962, Mr. Watts won a competition to play in Leonard Bernstein’s televised “Young People’s Concerts” series with the New York Philharmonic. A year later, he stepped in to play for Glenn Gould with the New York Philharmonic, launching a performance career that would span more than 60 years.

“André was first and foremost a gentleman who had a profound understanding of the human experience,” said Eugene Pridonoff, emeritus professor of piano at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. “His humility was genuine and he never let his fame define him.  This was reflected in his music making that was always in service to the music and never about him.  He will be greatly missed!”

Mr. Watts was beloved by Cincinnati audiences.  He appeared in 17 subscription weekends with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, beginning in March of 1970, when he performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor. He also appeared with the Cincinnati Symphony at Carnegie Hall in 1977, performing Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.Read More »

Chicago: A tale of two opera companies

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Amanda Castro as Anita and the company of West Side Story, Lyric Opera of Chicago. Photo Todd Rosenberg

On one day in Chicago recently, I saw two “opera” productions that were at opposite ends of the spectrum. The first was really musical theater — “West Side Story” — mounted by Lyric Opera of Chicago. A couple of hours later, I was in the intimate Jarvis Opera Hall to see a historically informed, ravishing production of Johann Adolph Hasse’s “Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra” (really a serenade mounted as opera) at Haymarket Opera Company. Here are a few thoughts about each:

West Side Story — Cincinnati Opera has experimented with presenting musicals in the past, but after a few tries, let it go. In Chicago, Lyric Opera has made a full commitment to Broadway in the opera world. That was a topic of discussion for a panel moderated by Chicago critic Wynne Delacoma at the annual meeting of MCANA (see below). The participants were Lyric Opera’s director of artistic programs Cory Lippiello and James Lowe, the conductor for West Side Story. The company also presented the U.S. premiere of director Barrie Kosky’s production of Fiddler on the Roof in September.

Part of the appeal for opera companies is that musical theater brings in a whole new audience. For Fiddler, 50% of the audience was new to Lyric Opera, said Lippiello, who was unclear about how many returned to see an opera. The other appeal is that the last time Lyric Opera presented West Side Story, it took in $10 million at the box office. Although officials don’t think they’ll meet that number this year, as everyone is still emerging from Covid, that kind of money can be likened to the annual Nutcracker at the ballet. It helps pay for the rest of the season.Read More »

Weekend in Chicago

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Muti and Palumbo taking bows following a superb performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to visit Chicago for the annual meeting of the Music Critics Association of North America. It’s always eye-opening to revisit a city with exceptional arts. On this occasion, we visited Orchestra Hall for the final — and deeply moving — program led by Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director Riccardo Muti, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. We also went to Haymarket Opera Company at DePaul University for a rare mounting of Johann Hesse’s Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra. And on the lighter side, there was Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story at Lyric Opera of Chicago. All of that in two days, as well as our own panel discussions … Below are some of my random impressions.

Muti and Missa Solemnis –It’s interesting that with his distinguished career, Muti, 81, had not felt “ready” to conduct the Missa Solemnis until recently. (His only other performance was with the Vienna Philharmonic in Salzburg in 2021.) “I felt not worthy even to touch the score,” he said in an interview with program annotator Phillip Huscher. He quoted Carlos Kleiber, who said, “There is some music that is better if it stays on the paper.”

Whether because of Muti’s solemn view of this work, or because it was his final set of concerts, Muti’s reading was deeply reverent, even meditative at times. I was instantly struck by the warmth and stunning ensemble of the strings in the opening Kyrie. The sound of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, prepared by the Met’s Donald Palumbo, was hushed but full. The four excellent soloists (Erin Morley, Alisa Kolosova, Giovanni Sala and Kyle Ketelsen) phrased seamlessly in a flowing legato. The Gloria was an exuberant contrast, with short attack in orchestra and chorus and an electrifying fugue. The clarity in the acoustical space of Orchestra Hall was stunning — I could hear every word. Powerful outbursts had a kind of controlled brilliance. Muti moved little as he conducted, and the music breathed from beginning to end. (I invite you to read the full review by my MCANA colleague Arthur Kaptainis on Classical Voice North America.)

I was thinking during the performance of the many connections between Cincinnati and Chicago. There was, of course, Theodore Thomas, who founded the Cincinnati May Festival in 1873 and was founding director of the College of Music (later CCM) before becoming the founding music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1891. Fritz Reiner was CSO music director before going to Chicago. The current principal cellist, John Sharp, was formerly principal cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony. (I’m sure that some of you will think of other connections.)

And the Chicago Symphony’s current president Jeff Alexander was formerly with the Cincinnati Symphony. Alexander praised Muti’s 13-year tenure and he and the board chair announced that he will be “Music Director Emeritus for Life.” To the audience’s delight, Muti spoke engagingly about his time in Chicago, displaying quite a sense of humor.

It will be interesting to follow Chicago’s music director search, even as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is also searching.

Thoughts on the operatic productions I saw in Chicago to follow…

 

 

 

 

Rain coming: Kentucky Symphony concert moved to Greaves Hall

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Due to inclement weather, the KSO’s “Boogie Nights” concert has moved from Devou Park to Greaves Concert Hall on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.  Free parking in Lots I and D. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Free, general seating with wheelchair accessible area.  Food and drinks are not allowed in the concert hall.

Time travel with the KSO’s Boogie Band and vocalists to the era of bell-bottoms, Afros, platform shoes, and the music of Donna Summer, KC & the Sunshine Band, ABBA, The Village People, The Bee-Gees and many more.  You will be dancing.

No admission charge, but contributions are welcome to keep the music playing! Click here for more information.

Greaves Concert Hall: Fine Arts Center, 1 Louie B Nunn Dr
Highland Heights, KY 41076 United States+ Google Map