Audiences have the rare opportunity to see an eclectic group of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) alumni perform with current students for one night only on Saturday, April 21, in the newly renovated Corbett Auditorium. A concert 150 years in the making, the Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase marks the culmination of CCM’s yearlong anniversary celebration!
The CCM Philharmonia student orchestra will be joined by nearly a dozen remarkable alumni for a program set to include Strauss’ Overture to Die Fledermaus, Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3, Schumann’s Konzertstück for Four Horns and much more. CCM faculty members Mark Gibson and Roger Grodsky conduct.
Alumni guest artists include a Solti Conducting Award-winner, a Naumburg gold medalist, a Tchaikovsky Competition Prize-winner, stars from the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway, military band members and more, all of whom studied at CCM before taking distinguished positions on the world’s stage. A full list of alumni guest artists can be found below.
In addition to this once-in-a-lifetime concert event, CCM and the UC Alumni Association will host an Alumni Weekend where graduates can reconnect with classmates and faculty. CCM’s 150th Anniversary Alumni Weekend begins with a Welcome Happy Hour at the Ladder 19 Bar and Restaurant in the Short Vine district on Friday, April 20, and continues with a wide range of activities on Saturday, April 21, including tours of CCM’s newly renovated facilities and a Keynote Luncheon scheduled to feature Tim Cynova, Larry Hamby and Jack Rouse, moderated by CCM Professor of E-Media Hagit Limor. Full Alumni Weekend details are available online at alumni.uc.edu/ccm/alumniweekend.
Tickets for CCM’s Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase Concert are on sale now through the CCM Box Office. Complete event information is below.
____________________
ALUMNI SHOWCASE GUEST ARTISTS
Listed in Order of Appearance
Christopher Allen (MM Orchestral Conducting, 2011), recipient of last year’s $30,000 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award — the largest grant awarded to young American conductors in the United States. He has been featured in Opera News magazine as “one of the fastest rising podium stars in North America.”
Anton Nel (MM Piano, 1984), first prize winner in the 1987 Naumburg International Piano Competition at Carnegie Hall. The classical pianist is an acclaimed Beethoven interpreter and has enjoyed a multifaceted career that has taken him to North and South America, Europe, Asia and South Africa.
Yang Liu (AD Violin, 2014), former prize winner of the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and first prize winner of China’s National Violin Competition. He has appeared internationally at major festivals and venues such as the Kennedy Center, Oficina Music Festival in Brazil, Algarve Music Festival in Portugal and throughout China.
Tamara Wilson (BM Voice, 2004), acclaimed soprano who has received multiple honors, including the 2016 Richard Tucker Award. Wilson was a finalist in the 2004 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and she made her much-anticipated Metropolitan Opera debut in December 2014 in the title role of Aida; the New York Times praised the “laserlike authority of her high notes.”
Janelle Reichman (BM Jazz Saxophone, 2005), a clarinetist and saxophonist whose rich tone and creative melodies landed her a spot in the International Association for Jazz Education Sisters-in-Jazz Quintet. She has performed with musical greats such as Doc Severinsen, Les Paul, Ann Hampton Callaway, Sherrie Maricle and DIVA, Dave Liebman, Donny McCaslin and many others.
Helene Schneiderman (MM Voice, 1979; AD Opera, 1981), an award-winning mezzo-soprano who made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2017 as Annina in Der Rosenkavalier. She has been a company member in Germany’s Stuttgart State Theatre since 1984 and made her Royal Opera House debut in 1995 as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro. In 2018, she will play the role of Madame Larina in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Eugene Onegin.
Allene Hackleman (BM Horn Performance, 2002), principal horn of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Hackleman is a member of the Canadian National Brass Project, a large ensemble made up of some of the finest brass players in the country.
Julie Beckel Yager (Horn Performance, att. 2004), horn player with the Indianapolis Symphony and Ronen Chamber Ensemble. She was previously a member of the Honolulu Symphony and has also performed for three summers with the Verbier Festival Orchestra, touring throughout Europe, Asia and South America.
Nathaniel Willson (MM Horn Performance, 2005), joined the U.S. Navy Band as a French Hornist in 2014, after serving more than four years with the U.S. Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, Maryland. Prior to joining the Navy, he was a member of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra and the Sarasota Orchestra.
Jennifer Paul (MM Horn Performance, 2003), a member of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band since 2004 and assistant section leader since 2016. Prior to joining the U.S. Marine Band, she served as a teaching assistant for CCM’s horn studio from 2001-03 and was a freelance musician in Philadelphia.
Betsy Wolfe (BFA Musical Theatre, 2004), a Broadway star who has appeared in Waitress, 110 in the Shade, Everyday Rapture, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Bullets Over Broadway and Falsettos. She has also soloed with the Cincinnati Pops, New York Pops, New York City Ballet and more. Wolfe was the recipient of CCM’s Musical Theatre Young Alumni Award in 2017.
____________________
SESQUICENTENNIAL ALUMNI SHOWCASE CONCERT
REPERTOIRE
STRAUSS: Overture to Die Fledermaus (1874); featuring the CCM Philharmonia led by Christopher Allen
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82 “Emperor” (Movement 1) (1811); featuring Anton Nel, piano
WALLER: Ain’t Misbehavin’; featuring Janelle Reichman, saxophone
WARREN: There Will Never Be Another You; featuring Janelle Reichman, saxophone
WAGNER: “Mild und leise,” from Tristan und Isolde (1859); featuring Tamara Wilson, soprano
-Intermission-
ROSSINI: “Cruda sorte,” from L’Italiana in Algeri (1813); featuring Helene Schneiderman, mezzo-soprano
SCHUMANN: Konzertstück for Four Horns, Op. 86 (1849); featuring Allene Hackleman, Julie Beckel Yager, Nathaniel Willson, Jennifer Paul, soloists
BROWN: “A Summer in Ohio,” from The Last Five Years; featuring Betsy Wolfe, vocalist, with Roger Grodsky, conductor
BAREILLES: “She Used to Be Mine,” from Waitress; featuring Betsy Wolfe, vocalist, with Roger Grodsky, conductor
SCHWARTZ: “Meadowlark,” from The Baker’s Wife; featuring Betsy Wolfe, vocalist, with Roger Grodsky, conductor
SAINT-SAENS: Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 61 (Movement 3); featuring Yang Liu, violin
STRAUSS: Champagne Song from Die Fledermaus; featuring Tamara Wilson, soprano, and Helene Schneiderman, mezzo-soprano
PERFORMANCE TIME
8 p.m. Saturday, April 21
Please note: UC’s Nippert Stadium will also host an FC Cincinnati game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, 2018. The full FC Cincinnati Soccer game schedule can be found at www.fccincinnati.com/2018-schedule.
LOCATION
Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati
PURCHASING TICKETS
Tickets for CCM’s Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase Concert are $20 general, $15 non-UC students, and FREE for UC students with a valid ID.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online through our e-Box Office! Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.
PARKING AND DIRECTIONS
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for information on parking rates.
For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.
For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
____________________
CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
CCM VILLAGE NEWS ARCHIVES 