You’ve seen double bassist Matthew Zory performing in a tux with the bass section at the back of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra each week since he joined the orchestra in 1993.

But maybe you don’t know that for 16 months, Zory was inside Music Hall’s construction zone, wearing a hard hat with his camera slung over a shoulder, documenting the $143 million renovation project from the basement to the Rose Window.

“I could go anywhere, wherever I wanted,” said Zory, “When there were guys working overhead, they would put up danger tape. I know it’s a standard construction site — there were holes in the floor and no rails up yet. But the (construction crew) would help me out.”

What began as curiosity and a hunt for “cool pictures” by Zory, who “dabbles in photography,” evolved into a substantial photography book documenting the process and the people behind Music Hall’s renovation.

“Through the Lens: The Remaking of Cincinnati’s Music Hall,” a limited edition by Cincinnati Book Publishing, will be available Dec. 1.Read More »