Although the Cincinnati Opera 2021 Summer Festival isn’t over yet, I was lucky enough to attend all three opera productions, as well as the concert, “Opera in the Park.” As you know, the company mounted its 101st season outdoors at Summit Park, Blue Ash.
J’Nai Bridges performed a sizzling rendition of the Habanera from “Carmen”
The weather gods were smiling on Cincinnati Opera last night. The company managed to squeak past a turbulent day of downpours to mount its Opera in the Park concert last night at Summit Park in Blue Ash. The crowds turned out, and from all reports, a good time was had by all.
Audiences arriving at Summit Park, searching for their personal pods
Due to Covid, Cincinnati Opera is holding its 101st season outdoors in the park. We all sat in distanced “pods,” and the orchestra and cast performed on a specially erected, massive outdoor stage. We were treated to operatic chestnuts performed by some of the terrific cast members who will be appearing soon in “Carmen,” “Tosca” and “The Barber of Seville.”
One of the towers flanking the stage
I was pleasantly impressed by the sound quality, too. (You’ll read more about all that in this Friday’s Cincinnati Business Courier.)
Those who stayed home were treated by a live broadcast over WGUC-FM (90.9), hosted by Suzanne Bona and Cincinnati Opera artistic director Evans Mirageas. After more than a year away from the stage, Mirageas was visibly moved by the experience. He put it this way:
“Tonight is proof positive of the resilience of our staff, the steadfast devotion of our board and patrons, the dedication of all our artists onstage and backstage, and, most of all, the transcendent power of this art form of opera.”
The operas will be fully costumed and staged. Stay tuned for opera reviews and more at bizjournals.com. And remember, you can read for free, but you may be asked to register.
Opera Fusion: New Works, the forward-looking collaboration of Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music to develop new opera, is hosting a livestreamed workshop on Monday for a new opera that is to be premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in the 2022-23 season.
“The Hours” is written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts and librettist Greg Pierce, both of whose works have been performed by Cincinnati Opera in recent seasons. Puts is the composer of “Silent Night,” which was mounted here in 2014; Pierce was the librettist for “Fellow Travelers,” which premiered in 2016.
A free public livestream of excerpts can be viewed on Monday, March 15, 5 p.m.-6 p.m., at cincinnatiopera.org.
Greg Pierce
The composer and librettist will collaborate in real time with the artists to shape the work, which is receiving its first workshop in Music Hall’s Ballroom. Click here to see the cast.
Cincinnati Opera artistic director Evans Mirageas will also host a conversation with the creators during the hour.
“The Hours” is a commission of the Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The opera, which tells the story of three women whose lives have a literary connection, is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Michael Cunningham, as well as the Paramount Pictures film. Click here to read about the film, which starred Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman.
Opera Fusion: New Works is funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
In recent years, Cincinnati Opera has kicked off its season with a free Opera in the Park in Washington Park, OTR. Details on this and other events will be announced in late March.
Cincinnati Opera has made this announcement on its website today:
Last fall, when we declared our intention to return to live performances at Music Hall and SCPA this summer, we shared that we would continue planning on two tracks: the traditional season we’d announced, as well as a “Plan B” season in the event COVID-related challenges persist into the new year. While there have been many positive developments in combatting COVID since that time, the pandemic continues to limit the number of patrons who can safely gather for performances indoors.
So, we’ve made the difficult decision to set aside our original plans and move forward with “Plan B.” For the past several months, we’ve been investigating performance venues throughout the region that can accommodate both socially-distanced seating outside and beautiful, high-quality opera performances onstage. We have two primary goals: to keep everyone safe and to present a must-see summer opera festival. We could not be more excited to share our plan with you as soon as it’s complete; we anticipate doing so the last week in March.
Though it’s not what we’d originally planned, the 2021 Summer Festival will offer a thrilling, one-of-a-kind opera experience. This summer, we’ll be writing another unique chapter in Cincinnati Opera’s celebrated history. Thank you for being part of the story. Stay tuned for more information very soon.
Note: Watch for updates later in March about new opera titles, venues and ticket info.
To read about the season that was announced last Sept. and now canceled, click here.
(L to R) Mark Godsey, Rickey Jackson, Laurese Glover, Derrick Wheatt, Eugene Johnson, Nancy Smith, and Clarence Elkins. Photo by Space Cabin Studios/provided by Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera has just announced the release of the live audio recording of the world premiere production of “Blind Injustice,” the acclaimed new opera with music by Scott Davenport Richards and libretto by David Cote. Directed by Robin Guarino, the opera was recorded in the Wilks Studio at Cincinnati’s Music Hall in July 2019 and is being released on the Fanfare Cincinnati label.
The digital album is now available for purchase via Amazon Music, iTunes, and other digital music retailers, and for streaming via Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and other music streaming services.
The recording features the original cast, the Cincinnati Opera Chorus, members of YPCC, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra led by Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell.
The opera explores the true stories of six innocent people who were convicted of crimes they did not commit, then ultimately freed by the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) at UC Law. A collaboration with the OIP and Cincinnati’s Young Professionals Choral Collective (YPCC), the opera is based on casework by the OIP and the book Blind Injustice by UC law professor and OIP Director Mark Godsey. Read More »
Mark Godsey joined six people who won release from prison by the Ohio Innocence Project for crimes they did not commit: Rickey Jackson, Laurese Glover, Derrick Wheatt, Eugene Johnson, Nancy Smith, and Clarence Elkins. They were profiled in his book, “Blind Injustice” and the subsequent opera premiered by Cincinnati Opera at Music Hall in 2019. Jackson is now to be the subject of a film/documentary. Photo by Space Cabin Studios/provided by Cincinnati Opera
You may have read Mark Godsey’s book, “Blind Injustice,” or seen Cincinnati Opera’s production of the opera, based on the book — if you were lucky enough to get a ticket in the sold-out run. Now one of the Ohio Innocence Project’s exonerees, Rickey Jackson, who at the time of his release was the longest-serving person in U.S. history to be exonerated, is the subject of a film being produced by Cleveland-based Zodiac Features.
Portions of the film were shot at UC College of Law in the mock courtroom, the law library and inside the OIP offices.
A recording of the opera written by Scott Davenport Richards and David Cote and premiered by Cincinnati Opera is set for release in February. Watch for more news about that soon.
CCO musicians performing at Pyramid Hill sculpture park, HamiltonMay Festival Chorus
A new report from the National Center for Arts Research names Cincinnati in the top 20 of large communities for arts vibrancy. The report takes “a data-driven approach to assessing characteristics that make up a community’s vibrancy rather than base the ranking on our own opinion about locations or on a popular vote.” Four measures were analyzed: supply, demand, and public support for arts and culture on a per capita basis.
It’s interesting that such a report would come out during a pandemic, when most arts organizations closed their doors in March, and have been struggling to survive ever since. The reason, the report says, it offers the report “as a celebration and reminder of the arts’ enduring importance, resiliency, and vibrancy.
“We should not forget the essential role that the arts play in fueling community development, emotional health, cultural literacy, social cohesion and integration, and creative expression. Ultimately, the communal nature of arts participation will be a strength to communities hungry to come together again and affirm existential meaning after prolonged isolation, trauma, and polarization.”
In recent years, Cincinnati Opera has kicked off its season with a free concert in Washington Park, OTR
Cincinnati Opera and CET have announced plans for “Cincinnati Opera at 100,” an hour-long televised program commemorating Cincinnati Opera’s centennial. Featuring
insights from local and national opera experts and performances by artists from across the country, “Cincinnati Opera at 100” will premiere on CET 48.1 on Friday, July 3 at 9 p.m. EST.
Additional airings will follow on CET Arts 48.3 through Tuesday, July 7.
The nation’s second-oldest opera company, Cincinnati Opera presented its first performance on June 27, 1920, at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, and its annual Summer Festival has become a Cincinnati arts-going tradition.
Lisa Daltirus in “Aida” at Cincinnati Opera in Music Hall.
Though the company’s 100th Anniversary Season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, “Cincinnati Opera at 100” transports the opera-going experience into viewers’ homes, including performances by much-loved singers from recent Cincinnati Opera productions and historical highlights from opera experts.Read More »
Cincinnati Opera’s 2013 production of Aida Photo provided
This Saturday, June 27, marks the 100th anniversary of Cincinnati Opera’s first performance at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Cincinnati’s classical public radio station, 90.9 WGUC, celebrates the company’s centenary with a series of special encore performances every Saturday at 1 p.m. through July. Tune in to 90.9 WGUC or wguc.org to listen.
This Saturday, June 27, artistic director Evans Mirageas will regale you with the rich—and sometimes hilarious—history of opera in the Queen City and the events that led to the creation of Cincinnati Opera in 1920.
That’s followed at 2 p.m. by a broadcast of the 2002 production of Strauss’ “Elektra.” If I recall, that electrifying production directed by Nic Muni starred Deborah Polaski in the title role (a Metropolitan Opera star and CCM grad) in one of the great performances of this era.
July 4: Puccini’s most celebrated opera, La Bohème, performed in 2017 and conducted by CSO Music Director Louis Langrée. He was the first CSO music director to guest-conduct the opera since Max Rudolf.
July 11: The Tales of Hoffman, originally performed in 2006 at Music Hall.
July 18: World premiere of Fellow Travelers by Gregory Spears; libretto by Greg Pierce.
July 25: Aida, originally performed in 2013 at Music Hall
Barely two months before opening night of its 100th anniversary season, Cincinnati Opera has announced that, as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the company is forced to cancel its 2020 Summer Festival.
Christopher Milligan, general director and CEO, and Evans Mirageas, artistic director, wrote in an email to subscribers:
“This is particularly difficult to share with you now, on the eve of our 100th anniversary celebration. At this moment, however, the trajectory of the pandemic is unknown. Public orders currently prevent our artists, production crews, and staff from safely assembling to prepare for our season, a process that begins months in advance of opening night. We have followed guidance from public health experts while maintaining hope that we could move forward, but it is now clear we are unable to do so. With the uncertainty surrounding the resumption of public gatherings, it is our responsibility to act in favor of the continued safety of our audiences, artists, staff, and community.”
The company said that is committed to providing some compensation to all of the nearly 400 professionals who appear onstage and work backstage to make the season happen—from singers and musicians to stage technicians and artisans. It is also committed to keeping its year-round staff intact.Read More »
