Category: Museums

Rembrandt under a magnifying glass

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Epco Runia, curator of the exhibition and Head of Collections at the Rembrandt House Museum

I didn’t know what to expect when I asked Epco Runia, the Head of Collections at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, to show me his favorite etching in the fascinating exhibition he curated, “Rembrandt: Masterpieces in Black and White—Prints from the Rembrandt House Museum,” at the Taft Museum of Art February 7 through May 17.

It would probably be like asking a musician for their favorite composition. But he went right to the most miniature of the nearly 50 small masterpieces in the exhibition in Fifth Third Gallery. There it was, “Sleeping Puppy” (about 1640), an etching of about three inches in length, with the charming subject curled up in a corner.

Rembrandt (Dutch, 1606–1669), Sleeping Puppy, about 1640, etching and drypoint, 1 9/16 x 3 3/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam

“It’s a sleeping puppy, a small dog in a kind of little corner of a room, and that’s why I like it so much. It’s such an intimate scene,” he said. “It gives the impression that this is really something he saw, his own dog in his house. And then, out of an impulse, he must have decided to make an etching out of it. Read Leah Zipperstein’s story today in the Business Courier for great information about the technique.)

“And the light is beautiful on this dog — on the head, and the shadows in back and, well, I love dogs. So, the way his head is on his paw resting, those kind of details are so typical for a dog resting. That Rembrandt is interested in something ordinary like this, makes this into such a beautiful thing. That is, for me, very much what I appreciate about Rembrandt. I love the way he brought everyday life into his art.”

That point is well taken when you stroll through the exhibition, which includes self portraits, biblical scenes, landscapes and everyday people. There is a section illustrating Rembrandt’s pioneering art of print-making, with examples of the actual copper plates that he used.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.

Read More »

Music in the Museum series

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Vincent Dubois comes to Cincinnati Museum Center in October

Many of us were riveted when the great organ of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, was rescued after the fire, refurbished and rededicated at the reopening. Cincinnati Museum Center’s Music in the Museum series will open its season on Oct. 29 with Vincent Dubois, titular organist at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, where he serves alongside Olivier Latry and Philippe Lefebvre.  He is also Professor of organ interpretation and improvisation at the Hochschule für Musik (University of Music), Saarbrücken, Germany.

He has performed in major concert venues throughout Europe, North America, Asia and the Pacific. Dubois’ program will include: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582, J. S. Bach; Choral No. 1 in E major, Franck; Prelude in C sharp minor Op.3, Rachmaninoff; Menuet and Rigaudon from Le Tombeau de Couperin, Ravel; Sonata on the 94th Psalm in C minor, J. Reubke; and Carillon de Westminster, Op. 54, No. 6, Vierne.

He’ll also collaborate with University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music Professor of Percussion, Russell Burge in Boléro sur un thème de Charles Raquet, P. Cochereau; Fanfare for the Common Man, A. Copland; and Les sauvages from Les Indes galantes by Rameau.

The 1929 Grand E.M. Skinner Concert Organ is the centerpiece for Music in the Museum, a concert series hosted three times a year at Cincinnati Museum Center.

The rest of the series looks great, too:

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Presenting Johannes Skoog, Organist. Johannes Skoog is winner of the First Prize and the Bach Prize at the 2024 Canadian International Organ Competition and he is one of Sweden’s brightest young organists. He will collaborate with the combined Choirs of Christ Church Cathedral, Stephan Casurella, Director and St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Carlton Monroe, Director.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Presenting Isabelle Demers, Organist. Isabelle Demers is Associate Professor of Organ at McGill University. Her programs includes arias and other numbers in collaboration with University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music Professor of Voice, Tenor, Daniel Weeks. You don’t want to miss “Nessun dorma”!

The concerts are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: visit cincymuseum.org/music-in-the-museum. For questions, call (513) 287-7036

Organ series to return to Cincinnati Museum Center Rotunda

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If you’ve ever heard the 1929 Grand E.M. Skinner Symphonic Concert Organ, you know the majesty of this instrument.

This historic organ, lovingly restored and installed in the Rotunda of Cincinnati Museum, can be heard in three concerts this season. Three renowned organists joined by local choirs and musicians will perform selections on the organ from Wagner to Messiaen, using every color of the symphonic spectrum.

Cincinnati Museum Center has announce the 2024–2025 Music in the Museum series, where they look forward to sharing the glorious sounds of the organ with you. Tickets are available now. Full programs are listed below.

During a capacity audience that I heard last season, s Michael Barone, host of “Pipedreams” on American Public Media told the large crowd, “There is no other organ like this in this kind of setting, anywhere. You have a treasure.”

Nearly 5,000 Pipes and four manuals — From 1987–2010, the 1929 Grand E. M. Skinner Symphonic Concert Organ was restored and installed in specially designed organ chambers. The main chambers are located on either side of the Rotunda where it meets the rear concourse. The antiphonal division is over the entrance to the Cincinnati History Museum. The organ has nearly 5,000 pipes played from a console with four manual keyboards.

Here’s the lineup:Read More »

Jewish Music Festival: Ariel Quartet soars in Auerbach and Golijov

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The Ariel Quartet with clarinetist Pavel Vinnitsky on Tuesday at the Skirball Museum in Clifton.

Maybe you’ve seen brief mentions of the Jewish Music Festival, with musical performances, lectures and sometimes art exhibitions taking place throughout the area. The festival is brand new, and organized by Aik Khai Pung, associate professor at CCM, where he is music director of the CCM Concert Orchestra. I noticed in an online listing that the Ariel String Quartet was playing last night at Hebrew Union College, and by luck, I was able to go.

The concert, which was co-presented by concert:nova and the Cincinnati Cultural Exchange, was held in Mayerson Auditorium in the Skirball Museum on the HUC campus. Curator Abby Schwartz provided commentary about the art by Jewish artists that surrounded us, and the paintings’ relationships to the music.

The musical artists for this program were sensational. The Ariel Quartet, quartet-in-residence at CCM, opened with Lera Auerbach’s “Frozen Dreams” and “Cetera Desunt” for string quartet. Both works were a revelation. “Frozen Dreams” was haunting and deeply personal. Auerbach’s music is simply astonishing; it is both searing and lyrical. In “Cetera Desunt” Auerbach took her cue from Shostakovich, and the listener could detect the repeating motive signifying Shostakovich’s signature. The superb performers — violinists Alexandra Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, Jan Grüning, viola, and Amit-Even-Tov, cello — soared through this treacherous score with exciting precision and passion. In the frenzied passages, they dug into their strings with bows flying. I plan to try to hear more of Auerbach’s music.

Vinnitsky was serenaded with “happy birthday” after the performance.

They joined with clarinetist Pavel Vinnitsky for Osvaldo Golijov’s “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind.” It is named for a blind, mystical rabbi who lived centuries ago, but is also a tribute to Golijov’s great-grandfather. This piece blends liturgical prayers in its outer movements with raucous Klezmer music. There could not have been a better champion for both styles than Vinnitsky, who wailed and almost danced in his seat as he performed Golijov’s riveting music, using three different clarinets.

Read the program notes for this program here.

Vinnitsky joined CCM’s clarinet faculty about two years ago. He and the Ariel Quartet will perform the Brahms Clarinet Quintet on March 26 at CCM, 7:30 p.m. in Werner Recital Hall. It’s not-to-be missed!

The Jewish Foundation is sponsor of the inaugural festival, a total of nine concerts and events. Other participants have included the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, composer Anna Vinnitsky, saxophonist Rick VanMatre and others.

Several more events are coming up: Read More »

Holocaust museum offers free admission in wake of recent antisemitism

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Citing the recent surge in antisemitism across the country, Cincinnati’s Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center will waive museum ticket costs for the remainder of the year.  The award-winning museum is open at historic Union Terminal from December 8 through January 2, 2023.

David Wise, interim CEO of the Holocaust & Humanity Center, said there is a need to educate the public about Judaism and the Holocaust at a critical time.

“As the only Holocaust museum in Ohio, our organization is in a unique position to bring the lessons of the Holocaust into the civic conversation. It is our responsibility to ensure the public can learn from the lessons of history, and this is a clear and immediate way for us to make an impact in this critical moment,” Wise said in a statement.

“We all must choose to stand up against antisemitism, and that starts with educating ourselves.”

There are daily antisemitic incidents around the country. Locally on Dec. 4, two men vandalized the Hillel House at the University of Cincinnati.

The Fox19 story reports that last year, the Anti-Defamation League reported that Ohio saw a 92% increase in antisemitic incidents, making 2021 the highest year on record.

Recent antisemitic rhetoric incidents coming from all sides of the political spectrum and ideological diverse actors highlight the problematic increase in Jew hatred. Read More »

Hamilton County Commissioners and ArtsWave Announce COVID Relief Grants for Hard-hit Arts and Cultural Nonprofits

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Melissa Gelfin De-Poli and Cervilio Miguel Amador dancing The Nutcracker from a previous Cincinnati Ballet season. Photography: Peter Mueller

Thanks to Covid-19, this has been a terrible time for everyone, including workers and performers in the arts, who have been among the hardest hit in the nation. And the new variants have not made their comeback any easier.

Hamilton County has teamed up with ArtsWave to announce that it will award $2 million in nonprofit arts and cultural grants funded through the County’s allocation of American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars.

The grants will be awarded to combat the negative economic impact of Covid-19 on the local arts community and to fuel the region’s economic restart. Links to the applications and funding guidelines are available on the County’s Covid relief site – https://513relief.org/ and https://www.artswave.org/apply.

The Covid-19 relief grants will cover costs incurred due to business disruption, in a two-year period in which performing arts venues and museums lost significant box office and admissions revenue. The grants can also cover costs of mitigation expenses for re-opening and adaptations required for digital programming. Total grant amounts will be based on operating revenue from the prior fiscal year.
ArtsWave will host a virtual information session on Wednesday, February 3, 2022, from 12–1 p.m. answering questions and outlining the eligibility and application process. To join the information session, visit artswave.org/apply and click on “Hamilton County ARP Arts and Culture Grants Information Session.”

Read More »

What a year! Looking back and ahead in the arts

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View of the CSO performing a livestreamed concert in Nov. 2020

I’ll never forget the fear in the eyes of both performers and audience members in the first few live, indoor performances I saw in the early months of the pandemic in 2020. We were masked, spaced vastly apart and there was no intermission to avoid viral spread. Otherwise, many performances were livestreamed online, with musicians masked and separated by space and screens.

Then in 2021, as vaccines became available and theaters began to reopen to full audiences, there was elation and relief by many who were able to finally attend a show in person.

Every concert, play, ballet or art exhibition I attended in 2021 was deeply moving because it showed the perseverance of artists — indeed of all humanity — during this unprecedented time. I feel that we’ve come a long way.

Now, we are buffeted again by the Omicron variant. Just announced, there are at least two museum “pauses” (Cincinnati Art Museum is closed Jan. 3-12 and the Taft Museum of Art is closed Jan. 3-13).

“Hairspray” is postponed to a later date due to Covid in the cast.

There are also a few postponed performances. At the Aronoff Center, “Hairspray” scheduled to play January 4 – 9, 2022 is being rescheduled due to breakthrough positive Covid cases within the company of “Hairspray.” Ticket holders are encouraged to hold onto their tickets while the engagement is being rescheduled.

At Music Hall, the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati is postponing its January 8 and 9 performances of “The Song Among Us” to a later date, to be announced. The release states that the postponement “is prompted by production challenges exacerbated by the recent rise in positive Covid cases across the nation.” Ticket holders may complete this form or call the box office at 513-381-3300 for ticket options, including donations, exchanges, and refunds.

I prefer to see the glass half full.  I believe we will get through this, and the arts will persevere.

Singers Michelle DeYoung and Sean Panikkar share bows in Mahler’s “The Song of the Earth” with the CSO. (Photo by Lee Snow)

I wrote a list of some of my favorite performances in 2021 in a column for the Business Courier. My list begins with Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde” by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in Music Hall last March, and ends with “The Marriage of Figaro” at CCM in November. I’d like to know some of yours, too. (Let me know here, or on Facebook.)

And looking ahead, here is my list of “best bets” in 2022. It’s really just a broad sweep — because there are so many chamber music, vocal concerts, art exhibitions and dance performances that have yet to be announced. I think we have a lot to anticipate.

Verdi’s opulent “Aida” will be presented at Cincinnati Opera in summer 2022. Photo courtesy of Opéra de Montréal, Yves Renaud

CAM’s ‘Monuments Men’ is richly rewarding

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A visitor views a photo wall with the Berlin 202 that toured America in the ’40s. Photo by Cliff Fennel

Cincinnati Art Museum’s “Paintings, Politics and the Monuments Men: The Berlin Masterpieces in America” (July 9-Oct. 3) is a fascinating, not-to-be-missed exhibition on several levels.  It explores the controversy of removing art that was patrimony of the German people after World War II. It tells the story of Cincinnati’s own “Monuments Man” Walter Farmer. It also tells the true story of the first blockbuster exhibition of European art to tour in America.

I attended the media preview last week, and of course, I was wowed by the star of the show, Botticelli’s “Vivid Portrait of a Lady.” Susan Stamberg did a lovely piece on NPR about her.

There is much more to ponder here, starting with four of the original paintings that toured America after the war and drew an unprecedented 2.5 million visitors.

My personal favorite was this 17th-century landscape by Philips Koninck, “Panorama of Holland,” on loan from the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. It was shown in all 14 stops of the US tour. You must stand there a while to drink it all in — the sunbreak in the threatening sky, the water ways and the little villages.

But there are so many other riches in this exhibition — a Watteau, a Titian, a Rubens. Then there is the remarkable story — and the excellent book that goes with the exhibition. Its authors and co-curators, Peter Jonathan Bell and Kristi A. Nelson, were there last week for a long-postponed opening. Of courses, the show was to have opened during the pandemic last year.

The co-curators Bell and Nelson share a moment/photo by Cliff Fennel

I plan to make several visits. Do go when the crowds are not large. You might also want to learn more in these special events:

Summer Teacher Institute – July 13-15: Cincinnati Art Museum Calendar of Events – Cincinnati Art Museum

See the Story Book Club: Monuments Men by Bret Witter and Robert Edsel – July 17, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Join librarians from the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and members of the Cincinnati Art Museum staff for this bi-monthly book club. You can check out the book, e-book, or audio book at CinLib.org/monuments-men

click here to join the discussion on July 17th at 11:30 a.m. Find out more here.

Art After Dark | A Monumental Celebration – July 30. 5-9 p.m. Free admission. Registration not required.  Enjoy live music from the Monday Night Big Band in the Alice Bimel Courtyard, swing dancing with Pones, food for purchase from Dewey’s Pizza, cash bars and free admission to special exhibition Paintings, Politics, and the Monuments Men. #ArtAfterDarkCincy

Monuments Men Symposium – September 24 (details to be announced)

More will likely be added to the calendar in September. Here’s the link.

Live and in-person shows, finally

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CSO audiences and musicians have been greatly socially distanced for this spring’s in-person shows.

I am one of the lucky people who has been able to see live, in-person concerts at Music Hall as organizations have begun opening up now that Covid appears to be waning.

Cincinnati is one of the first cities in the nation to welcome people back into the concert hall, albeit with plenty of Covid mitigation. I have to admit, for my first visit back to Music Hall — even before the vaccine became available to most people — I had some trepidation. But the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, as well CAA, which oversees Music Hall, have taken excellent precautions. With all of the social distancing in a 2200+ seat hall, an audience of 300 seemed pretty sparse. And with 90-minute concerts and no intermission, I barely encountered anyone at all. Just parked the car, donned a mask, saw the concert and left.

I loved this concert featuring Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde.” And how great that the orchestra made it available free for streaming a few weeks later.

Mandy Gaines

Now that the state is allowing 30% of hall capacity to be seated, it is nice to see up to 500 people. It really does make a difference, and I’m sure it does to the musicians, as well. Here’s my review of the Pops last weekend with Cincinnati treasure Mandy Gaines and that terrific singer Darius de Haas.

Melissa White made her subscription debut in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, “Strasbourg.”

And here’s my report of Louis Langrée’s Mozart festival with the CSO, the first time nearly 500 were allowed attend.

Thankfully, we have had our art museums to visit over the pandemic. Now, we can look forward to the May Festival — a slimmed-down version of that massive choral experience, of course. Read about it here.

And Cincinnati Opera will return as well, although not in Music Hall but at Summit Park, on land that was formerly the Blue Ash Airport. (Years ago, I met a relative there, who was delivering us a cello on his private plane… ) Here’s the story.

And yes, theater is returning too. Playhouse in the Park will seat reduced audiences for two productions this spring, and also offers some outdoor events. Here’s the announcement.

Cincinnati Ballet will begin moving into its new, $30.8 million home in Walnut Hills this June. (Click here to read about it.) The company has done an admiral job presenting both outdoor and indoor performances during the pandemic.

All of these organizations have had to toss out their planned seasons and re-imagine them with new productions and concert programs.

I admire CCM for putting together an imaginative performance series online. I have enjoyed myriad virtual shows over the past year. But there is nothing like experiencing a performance live and in person.

We’ve all missed all of it, terribly. I feel grateful to live in a city where arts leaders are creatively and safely reopening to allow in-person experiences.