Tag: Cincinnati

Music Hall hopes and concerns

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Music Hall's Springer Auditorium will look quite different when it reopens after a $130 million renovation. Photo from Enquirer files
Music Hall’s Springer Auditorium will look quite different when it reopens after a $130 million renovation. Photo from Enquirer files

Perhaps you saw the article about Music Hall, — which closes in five months for renovation — informing visitors of what to expect in the coming months. But there was a sidebar that never made print.

The Enquirer asked this question of local concertgoers, Music Hall stakeholders and resident companies via e-mail and on Facebook: “As we move to 2016 and Music Hall closes in June for a massive renovation, what are your thoughts, concerns, and/or hopes about the project?”

Here are some of the responses:

“My main concern, as always, is for the acoustics of Music Hall. As you well know, even the smallest physical change can have a major impact on the acoustics. Let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best!” – Pat Nott, College HillRead More »

Gunther Schuller and Cincinnati: Personal memories from a patron and a critic

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Gunther Schuller had lifelong ties to Cincinnati
Gunther Schuller had lifelong ties to Cincinnati

Gunther Schuller, a giant of American music, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and the man who defined the fusion of classical and jazz as “Third Stream,” died on June 21 at age 89. Many tributes note that he was the youngest French hornist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra early in his career (1943-45).

“It was a very rich and rewarding period in my life, a growing period because I was 17 to 19 (years old),” Schuller told me in an interview.

After concerts, he often continued playing in late-night jazz clubs in Cincinnati. However, his ties to Cincinnati continued for his entire life. In fact, he taught at the old College of Music, which is where he met his wife Marjorie. (Perhaps he was also their youngest-ever faculty member!)Read More »

Cincinnati’s philanthropy: Why do people give to the arts?

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  • There have been some astonishing stories in the past week or two about Cincinnati’s support for the arts. The Lindner family is giving $10 million to the Music Hall renovation project. The CSO has raised $26 million, which will both build back the orchestra to 90 players and balance the books. Read how the orchestra turned itself around in six years.
  • And the ArtsWave campaign hit a new high.
  • On Friday, a visitor from New York asked me why there is such passion for the symphony, opera, ballet, museums and theater in such a small market? And why do people care enough to give and keep giving?
  • I said I think it goes back to those German immigrants of the 19th century– it’s in the DNA.
  •  What do you think?
    CSO officials annouce $26 million in gifts on Thursday in Music Hall
    joshua Bell signs autographs
    A fan takes a selfie

    Louie Langree and orchestra taking bows

Read More »

Meet John Doe

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The cast of CCM singers gave a terrific performance that was partly choreographed
The cast of CCM singers gave a terrific performance that was partly choreographed

Daniel Catán’s last opera, “Meet John Doe,” was his homage to America. So, from the first notes, one is thrust into the Swing Era, with hot drumming — Louis Prima style — and finger-snapping in the chorus. This is one jazzy newsroom.

On Saturday night, I heard the first reading of excerpts from Act I of Catán’s opera, based on the 1941 film that starred Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper. Read More »

Breaking news: Music Hall wins $25 million tax credit

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In a press conference today at Music Hall, the Ohio Development Services Agency awarded $25 million in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits for the rehabilitation of Cincinnati Music Hall.

The agency said the project — which had stiff competition with several others in Ohio — is expected to spur revitalization in Over-the-Rhine.

What this means is that the project can now proceed. It’s a much-needed boost after losing the prospect of gaining $60 million from a new sales tax after being dumped from the “icon tax” levy.Read More »

Do the Grammy Awards matter? CSO’s ‘Hallowed Ground’ gets mention

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Louis Langrée and Maya Angelou in one of her final public appearances
Louis Langrée and Maya Angelou in one of her final public appearances for a live recording in Cincinnati’s Music Hall

In the Grammy Award nominations announced on Friday, the Cincinnati Symphony’s “Hallowed Ground” album with Maya Angelou received just one acknowledgment — as part of a list of albums produced by Elaine Martone, who is up for Classical Producer of the Year. Brava to Ms. Martone, part of the former Telarc team that has produced many CSO and Pops albums. The live performance, recorded in Music Hall in Nov. 2013 during Louis Langrée’s inaugural weekend as music director, was one of Angelou’s final pubic appearances before her death just months later.

Also of local note, Jaime Laredo — co-artistic director of the Linton Series — has been nominated with Jennifer Koh, Vinay Parameswaran and Curtis 20/21 Ensemble for a track from composer Anna Clyne’s Prince Of Clouds albume, entitled “Two X Four.”

The CSO was listed in five categories on the early ballot leading up to the 57th Grammy Awards. I took a look at the list of nominees to see which classical ensembles made the cut. It’s remarkable that the Seattle Symphony’s recording of Dutilleux’s Symphony No. 1 received no fewer than SIX nominations.Read More »

Conversations with André Previn

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André Previn — the composer, conductor, pianist, recording artist and much more — was in town for the premiere of his new Double Concerto, written for violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson. On Friday noon, as I was finishing up my opera review from Thursday’s performance of “Hansel and Gretel” at home and preparing to dash downtown to file it — I noticed a text from Music Hall on my phone. Mr. Previn has a few minutes for an interview. Did I want it?

Andre Previn spoke to a CCM audience on Saturday
Andre Previn spoke to a CCM audience on Saturday

Well, yes. With no time to prepare, I flew down I-75 to Music Hall, where Previn was waiting patiently in the Green Room. He said some lovely things about Cincinnati, the CSO and Music Hall (“Big!”) for my iPhone camera, which you can see here. (“Oh, is that the way you take videos these days? That’s amazing,” he said. )

Here are some of his other thoughts during our conversation:Read More »

NPR: Cincy Symphony is one of handful of orchestras with premieres this weekend

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The Cincinnati Symphony’s world premiere Double Concerto by four-time Oscar winning composer/conductor Andre Previn is one of a “flurry of premieres” by American orchestras. See this NPR piece to read about the others. For Previn’s concerto, see the links to my interview with the soloists, Sharon Robinson and Jaime Laredo, in the post below.

Previn sightings? Let me know… the Hollywood legend is due to be in town for the premiere.

Do Americans appreciate their arts and culture?

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First, the back story to this column. When news came over the wire that the Atlanta Symphony had settled with its players this week after a 10-week lockout, my editor wandered over to my desk and started firing questions: Why is this a big deal, or not? Could it happen here? Why don’t we see more about classical music in the media? What about arts eduction? Whoa – that’s enough for at least three stories right there. … It started me thinking. I’ve always felt lucky to live in a city with such high-quality arts.

Anyway, here are a few of my thoughts, for now! Feel free to weigh in.

Three shows in two days

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Or, how I spent my weekend… Last night, I took in a ravishing concert by the Vocal Arts Ensemble in Memorial Hall. Here’s a teaser:

The Vocal Arts Ensemble’s survey of American music on Saturday night was a journey of pristine singing and expressive beauty. But it was the final group of spirituals — when the chorus whooped it up in “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” and “Battle of Jericho” — that galvanized listeners, and we came to know the range of possibilities under new director Craig Hella Johnson. Read the full review here.

Soon, I’ll be heading down to the Aronoff to see “Peter Pan” with Cincinnati Ballet, danced to a sweet score by Carmon DeLeone. Then I’m hopping over to CCM to see the Academy of Ancient Music perform Bach’s Orchestral Suites.

By the way, did you see the story about the Corbett Foundation’s final gift? $1 million is going to CCM’s Opera Department.

Other news last week:

Cincinnati is in the running for a major conference of international museums.

The Cincinnati Pops is getting ready to go on the road in December.

And Jake Heggie and his creative team will be in town next week to workshop his new opera. “Great Scott.”