Violinist James Ehnes’ inspired playing in the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra over the weekend can only be described as masterful. The golden sound that he achieved on his 1715 Stradivarius violin was stunning. In Saturday’s concert, it was equally fascinating to hear Ehnes reveal the Cincinnati connection behind his $8 million instrument.Read More »
Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble (VAE), the city’s premier professional choral ensemble, has announced a conducting change for Tuesday’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s Vespers at Memorial Hall. VAE Music Director, Craig Hella Johnson, who was scheduled to conduct, has had to cancel due to illness.
Johnson has tapped choral conductor Elena Sharkova to take his place as conductor for the performance. The Russian-American conductor is in her 17th year as Music Director of Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale. She is a passionate advocate for Russian choral music.
Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sharkova holds graduate degrees in conducting from the St. Petersburg Rimski-Korsakov State Conservatory and Western Michigan University.
Tickets: vaecinci.org
James Conlon was back in Cincinnati, and he was beaming. Before sitting down to offer his thoughts on Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “The Titan,” which he will conduct this weekend with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, he offered a whirlwind tour of the new, somewhat spare dressing rooms in the old Green Room area backstage at Music Hall.
“It’s wonderful to see my old friends. It’s wonderful to see the orchestra,” he said, clearly touched to be back in the hall where he worked for so long. Music Hall closed for a 16-month renovation after his final concert as May Festival Music director in 2016.Read More »
Audiences at Music Hall heard the May Festival Chorus in three different configurations for three different choral works. And the acoustical differences between them were startling.
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concluded its five-week rededication of the newly-renovated Music Hall on Saturday by showcasing the May Festival, for whom the hall was built. The engaging program (which repeated Sunday) looked back to music that graced the 1875 season: J.S. Bach’s Magnificat in D and Brahms’ little-known “Triumphlied.”
As the story goes, they were interrupted when a thunderstorm pounded the tin roof of Saengerhalle, spurring Reuben Springer to mount a campaign to build Music Hall.
The program also looked ahead by commissioning a stunning new a cappella choral work entitled “Equinox” by American composer Julia Adolphe. The world premiere was conducted by the May Festival’s director of choruses Robert Porco.
Each of the five concert weeks has allowed the performers – and the acousticians – to adjust to the new sound in the renovated space. It’s been a fascinating process to observe.Read More »
I was happy to be invited to appear on a podcast for WCPO’s “Hear Cincinnati” with host Meghan Wesley Thursday to talk about all of the activities this weekend surrounding the opening of Music Hall after its 16-month, $143 million renovation.
The Music Hall segment is about 27 minutes into the podcast. Listen here.
Listen Friday when I visit 91.7 WVXU at 1 p.m., for “Cincinnati Edition.”
And speaking about events, you can find the lineup of free performances and tours during the FREE community open house at Music Hall, starting with a ribbon-cutting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at artswave.org. You’ll also catch lots of free performances in Washington Park.
And be sure to take a stroll around the neighborhood to see the newly renovated Memorial Hall, the brand-new Cincinnati Shakespeare Theater and recently expanded Ensemble Theatre. All will be open and offer tours and more.
To save you time, here’s Saturday’s lineup:Read More »
This is fantastic news — brother of Anthony McGill
Source: Profile: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Here’s the first preview story I’ve seen of our orchestra’s tour to Europe. They leave on Aug. 22 for the famous Edinburgh International Festival, BBC Proms, Paris, and much more.
CCM professor emeritus Walter Levin. Photo by Sandy Underwood.
It is with great sadness that we share news of the passing of emeritus faculty member Walter Levin, founding member and first violinist of the LaSalle Quartet and a CCM faculty member from 1953 until 1986. Levin passed away in Chicago on Aug. 4, 2017, at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Evi, and two sons, David and Tom.
Born in Berlin on December 6, 1924, Levin and his family emigrated to Tel Aviv in 1938. Levin was accepted to Juilliard in 1946, where he studied with Ivan Galamian and Hans Letz. The LaSalle Quartet was formed during this period, taking its name from the nearby LaSalle Street where the Quartet members rehearsed. Upon graduation, the Quartet comprised of Levin, Henry Meyer, Peter Kamnitzer and Jack Kirstein became quartet-in-residence at Colorado College.
In 1953, the LaSalle…
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Take a walk through Music Hall’s renovation by clicking here.
What do you think of Music Hall’s new color scheme?
Four UC College-Conservatory of Music alumni will compete in the Semi-Final round of the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, which will take place in New York on Sunday, March 12.
The prestigious competition for young singers has four rounds: District, Regional, Semi-Final and Final. Ten of the semi-finalists will move on to the final round, where five of them will be pronounced winners. Each winner receives $15,000, and the other finalists receive $5,000 each. This year’s final round will take place on Sunday, March 19 on the stage of the Met Opera.
The four CCM alumni who will participate in the Met Council Semi-Finals are Jessica Faselt, soprano (MM Voice, 2016); Summer Hassan, soprano (MM Voice, 2014); Andrew Manea, baritone (MM Voice, 2016); and Cody Quattlebaum, bass-baritone (BM Voice, 2015). Read their bios below to learn more about these outstanding young musicians.
Known…
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