Category: Memorial Hall

Kronos Quartet rivets in Cincinnati program

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The Kronos Quartet in Memorial Hall. Photo thanks to J.P. Leong

At 53, the Kronos Quartet has a vast catalog of music of our time. On Tuesday (Sept. 29), the Kronos opened the Chamber Music Cincinnati season with a thought-provoking, compelling and sometimes humorous program in Memorial Hall. Each piece on their substantial program of 10 works (and two encores) was written or arranged for the quartet.

The summit of the evening was Philip Glass’ String Quartet No. 5, written in 1991 for the Kronos, a nod to the close relationship the quartet has had with Glass, now in his 90th birthday season.

Founding violinist David Harrington was joined by his new colleagues Gabriela Díaz (violin), Ayane Kozasa (viola) and Paul Wiancko (cello). Memorial Hall was packed with longtime fans of the quartet, as well as students, some of whom had studied with Kozasa at CCM. True to their commitment to education and mentoring, they had spent time working with young musicians at Walnut Hills High School.

As is usual in the quartet’s groundbreaking programs, selections were enhanced by video and sound, performed by Brian H. Scott (lighting designer) and Scott Fraser (sound designer). Several pieces were accompanied by historical footage or black-and-white newsreels. Their instruments were amplified, which enabled the musicians to create ethereal soundscapes.Read More »

2025 Year in Review

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Meeting the Maestro last February

It’s always amazing to look back at the wealth of Cincinnati’s arts that we enjoy every year. There were important new arts leaders and new and improved venues. In comings and goings, the new dean of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Peter Jutras, was busy hiring what seems like a record number of new faculty members. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, too, has hired many new musicians that we are all still getting to know. And early this month, the Contemporary Arts Center’s Christina Vassallo announced she will soon be departing from her role as director. She will become executive director of the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage in Philadelphia.

Assistant principal cellist Norman Johns performed with the CSO for 50 years.

Among those who left us in 2025 was cellist Norman Johns, an inspiring musician, a trailblazer and a role model. He shared his gifts as a teacher, chamber music coach and mentor to legions of students in Cincinnati for most of the 50 years that he performed in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Here is a small tribute to this musical giant.

Sadly, the Cincinnati Symphony also lost its much-admired principal trombonist Cristian Ganicenco. He was 58, and passed away on the eve of Cristian Măcelaru’s first concert as CSO music director. The two shared their homeland of Romania. Here is one of many tributes.

Below are some of my favorite performances, art exhibitions, newsmakers and more!

Welcoming new leaders

New maestro at the CSO –– In February, audiences had a taste of a new vision at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in a powerful performance of the familiar Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” under the baton of then-music director-designate Cristian Măcelaru. This season, 2025-26, audiences are getting to know the Romanian-American maestro in his first season as the CSO’s 14th music director.

New leadership at Cincinnati Ballet — For his first season since being named artistic director, Cincinnati Ballet’s Cervilio Miguel Amador curated selections that include four world premieres, the regional premiere of “The Great Gatsby,” the return of “Swan Lake” (coming up in February) and “Director’s Vision: Liberty in Motion,” celebrating the evolution of American choreography in honor of America’s 250th birthday. We can’t wait to see his vision moving forward.

Alyssa Wang. Robert Torres Photography

A woman on the podium — This year, Cincinnati Ballet welcomed Alyssa Wang as its new music director, succeeding Carmon DeLeone, a local legend who retired after more than 50 years. I enjoyed watching her conduct “The Nutcracker” last week, and look forward to seeing more of her work.

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Megan Moore impresses in recital, including new work by Jake Heggie

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Mezzo-soprano Megan Moore with pianist Francesco Barfoed; photo by Gayna Bassin

Mezzo-soprano Megan Moore brought a substantial, varied program to Matinee Musicale on Oct. 12 in Memorial Hall. It was her professional recital debut in the Queen City, although the singer, a native of West Chester and a Lakota West and Miami University grad, sang on Cincinnati Music Hall’s stage at age 14 with the May Festival Youth Chorus under the baton of James Conlon. “I thought I was a rock star,” she said, praising the foundation in the arts that she had received here. Now she enjoys an international career, which includes singing Rosina in “The Barber of Seville” with Seattle Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, and her company and role debut this season as Octavian in “Der Rosenkavalier” at New Orleans Opera.

Her exellent piano collaborator was Danish-born Francesco Barfoed, whom she met when both were at Juilliard. Their program included the second performance of a new song cycle by Jake Heggie, which, she told me later, he tailored to her voice. They gave its world premiere in April at the Morgan Library in New York, presented by the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers.

This was Moore’s first recital since having a baby via C-section seven weeks ago, which was an astonishing feat considering the control needed and the artistry she displayed. A large contingent of friends and family (and baby, too) were on hand, including former high school and college teachers.Read More »

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee wows at Matinée Musicale

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Tenor Lawrence Brownlee and pianist Donald Lee III in Memorial Hall. Photos by Gayna Bassin

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee is one of the world’s most in-demand opera singers, and a star of the bel canto repertoire. He’d just returned from Paris before his recital for Matinée Musicale on Sunday, telling the audience in Memorial Hall that he had starred in 10 performances of Bellini’s “I Puritani” with Opéra national de Paris. Just announced, he will star as Arturo again next season in a new production of “I Puritani” at the Metropolitan Opera, as well as in “La Fille du Régiment.”

“Recitals are opportunities to create special moments. They’re not about perfection,” he said, laughing.

There were no signs of jet lag in this performance. One could admire the exciting timbre of his high notes, his control and flexibility through virtuosic cadenzas, and the beauty of his phrasing. It was surprising that he opened with eight of his program’s most demanding songs and arias. Six were by renowned composers of the bel canto style of singing, Donizetti, Rossini and Bellini.

Between numbers, performed with his collaborative pianist (and CCM alumnus) Donald Lee III, he spoke about things such as growing up in Youngstown, OH, where his father was choir director in the church, and his mother the featured singer.Read More »

My top performances in Cincinnati in 2024

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Cristian Macelaru conducting Shostakovich/Photo provided by CSO

Besides great performances in Cincinnati, 2024 was a year of anniversaries, historic firsts, farewells and new beginnings. In some instances, there was news-making connected with these performances. In chronological order:

1) Last February, when he led a thrilling and revelatory performance of Shostakovich’s monumental Symphony No. 11 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, we didn’t yet know that Cristian Macelaru would be announced as the 14th CSO music director. The conductor riveted listeners in Music Hall when he led Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11, “The Year 1905.” He moved little as he led Shostakovich’s vast symphonic canvas, but the sheer visceral impact of this performance lingered long afterward. The orchestra’s musicians were impressed. For Macelaru, the feeling was mutual, he said in April, when his appointment was announced. Macelaru returns for his only performances with the CSO this season in February. And in other CSO leadership news, the CSO announced that President and CEO Jonathan Martin will retire Feb. 16.  Robert McGrath, the CSO’s chief operating officer, will then step in as acting president and CEO.Read More »

Concert Review: Love letter to the Viola

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Photos by Gayna Bassin

It’s unusual to hear an entire program of music written for the viola. The recital on Sept. 15 in Memorial Hall by violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt and pianist Adam Golka was a rare treat.

They opened the Matinee Musicale concert season with an inventive program that included music by two women composers, born 100 years apart. Pajaro-van de Stadt called it “a love letter to the viola.”

Brahms’ Sonata Op. 120, No. 2 in E-flat Major was the perfect introduction to this duo. (The work was originally written for clarinet and piano.) I was instantly struck by the rich, compelling tone of Pajaro-van de Stadt’s instrument. The warmth was palpable in her phrasing, and she took her time to allow the music to breathe in this wonderful, autumnal work.Read More »