CCM’s Studio and Undergraduate Opera Series Celebrate the Baroque Era with ‘The Coronation of Poppea’ and ‘Alcina’

Molly Hanes (DMA candidate, Voice Performance) as Poppea in CCM’s studio opera production of ‘The Coronation of Poppea.’ Photography by Adam Zeek.

CCM will present the operatic works of Claudio Monteverdi and Frideric Handel this spring with L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea) running Feb. 20-22 and Alcina running Feb. 27-March 1 both in the Cohen Family Studio Theater.

As part of CCM’s Studio Opera Series and Opera d’arte-Undergraduate Opera Series, respectively, these productions offer free admission but reservations are required.

Associate Professor of Ensembles and Conducting L. Brett Scott conducts both productions.

Despite both focusing on royalty, these masterworks’ themes couldn’t be more different. Directed by Assistant Professor of Music in Opera and Directing Emma Griffin, The Coronation of Poppea is one of the first operas based on real-life historical figures. Monteverdi focuses on the infamous Roman emperor Nero and his affair with a married woman named Poppea Sabina, who, through betrayal, banishment and murder, becomes the emperor’s new wife.

By comparison, Alcina, with direction by Professor of Voice Kenneth Shaw, weaves a lighter, more magical tale. A warrior king is whisked away to a magical island where the sorceress Alcina seeks to place him under her spell of love, and possibly transform him into an animal or tree when she becomes bored of him. Mistaken identities, star-crossed lovers and light-hearted episodes are plentiful in Handel’s opera, which will take the CCM stage for the first time since 1985!

Monteverdi continues to be recognized (due in part to his 1607 masterpiece L’Orfeo) as the first truly renowned opera composer. His Vespers of 1610 is performed often, including CCM’s own presentation this past November by the Chamber Choir and Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra. Meanwhile, Handel’s monumental oratorio The Messiah remains highly popular in its own right and is a Christmas staple for numerous choirs and orchestras across the world.

Both productions will provide an intimate experience for audiences and performers alike inside CCM’s cozy Cohen Family Studio Theater. Tickets will become available for reservation the Monday before each opening–Feb. 16 for The Coronation of Poppea and Feb. 23 for Alcina. Mark your calendars to see two of the greatest works of the Baroque by two of its greatest composers!

UC Professor Lauren Ginsberg from McMicken College’s Department of Classics will host a free talkback session on the historical origins of The Coronation of Poppea immediately following the Sunday, Feb. 22, performance of the opera. The talkback session will also take place in the Cohen Family Studio Theater and will last approximately 30 minutes.

Rafael de Acha provides an in-depth preview of CCM’s upcoming productions of The Coronation of Poppea and Alcina for Seen and Heard International. Read the preview online here.

Ray Cooklis examines the “otherworldly appeal” of early music – including both of CCM’s opera productions –  in the February edition of ExpressCincinnati. Read the story online here.

The Catacoustic Consort provides an overview of all of the Early Music performances happening in Cincinnati this February here.

Event Information
All events listed below take place on the campus of the University of Cincinnati unless otherwise indicated. Tickets can be reserved in person at the CCM Box Office or over the telephone at 513-556-4183. Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. Visit ccm.uc.edu or contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 for the most current event information.

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 more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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SPRING 2015 STUDIO OPERA AND OPERA D’ARTE SERIES:

8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22 (a talkback session will immediately follow this performance)
• Studio Opera Series •
L’INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA (THE CORONATION OF POPPEA)
Music by Claudio Monteverdi
Libretto by Francesco Busenello
Brett Scott, conductor
Emma Griffin, director
Love, power, morality, corruption… Monteverdi’s final masterpiece, The Coronation of Poppea, is often described as his greatest achievement, combining mythic and very human themes and featuring some of his most glorious music. One of the first operas to use historical events and people, it tells the story of Nero’s infatuation with the young and beautiful Poppea as she tries to make him divorce his wife Ottavia and take her as his new queen and empress of Rome. The Coronation of Poppea is a rich, complex and thoroughly modern work; a world populated by ruthless and all-too-human characters where lust and ambition ultimately triumph over virtue.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 16. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27
2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 (the previously announced Saturday matinee performance has been canceled)
2 p.m. Sunday, March 1
• CCM Opera d’arte – Undergraduate Opera Series •
ALCINA
Music by George Frideric Handel
Libretto by Riccardo Broschi
Brett Scott, conductor
Kenneth Shaw, director
Amy Johnson, producer
A sorceress, an enchanted island, disguised lovers and mistaken identities are woven together beautifully with some of Handel’s most memorable melodies.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 23. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Community Partner: ArtsWave

CCM Performs Claudio Monteverdi’s Large-Scale Masterwork ‘Vespers of 1610’ on Nov. 16

Guest artists and student soloists for CCM’s performance of Monteverdi’s ‘Vespers of 1610.’ Photography by Jay Yocis.

Next Sunday, CCM will present Claudio Monteverdi’s masterwork Vespers of 1610, featuring regional and national Early Music guest artists, the CCM Chamber Choir, Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra and student soloists with CCM’s Director of Choral Studies Earl Rivers conducting. The performance will be staged at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati.

“Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 is the Beethoven 5th of Early Music,” Rivers explains. “Monteverdi retained many of the Renaissance traditions in the work but fused the older style with the advent of the new, florid Early Baroque style of music. Vespers of 1610 is a significant international repertory work that students will be performing throughout their careers.”

Anchoring the advent of music in the Baroque era as a large-scale masterwork, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 displays a range of lavish colors for vocal and instrumental soloists; six, seven, eight and 10-voice choral textures; and virtuosic embellishments and improvisations. The first major choral/orchestral repertory work of the early Baroque period, Vespers of 1610 features solo, chamber and ensemble music displaying the historic past of Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian chant, as well as music of the future in the form of Baroque chamber duets, concerted choruses and large-scale instrumental movements.

This lavish presentation will involve many participants such as Early Music guest and local artists including:

• Alexander Bonus and Stephen Escher, cornetto
• Christopher Canapa, Alex Krawczyk and Linda Pearse, sackbut

A Continuo Group comprised of:

• Adriana Contino, cello
• Dieter Hennings, theorbo
• Annalisa Pappano, lirone and viola da gamba
• Elizabeth Motter, Baroque harp
• Rodney Stucky, archlute and Baroque guitar
• Michael Unger, continuo organ and harpsichord

And featuring CCM student soloists:

• Grace Kahl and Jacqueline Stevens, soprano
• Paulina Villarreal, mezzo-soprano
• Allan Palacios Chan and Marcus Shields, tenor
• T. J. Capobianco, tenor (Duo Seraphim)
• Jacob Kincaide, bass
• Brandon Bell, bass-baritone (Laudate Pueri and Magnificat)

About Alexander Bonus, cornetto
Alexander Bonus maintains a varied career performing historic brass and keyboard instruments, in addition to his conducting, researching, and teaching activities. He has performed with ensembles including Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Folger Consort; Tragicomedia; Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra; the Washington Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble; the Newberry Consort; and Chicago Opera Theater. Dr. Bonus also appeared onstage in the Boston Early Music Festival production of Lully’s Psyché, and is heard on BEMF’s recording of this work, released on the CPO label. He holds a PhD in Musicology from Case Western Reserve University as well as MM and BM degrees from the Eastman School of Music. His scholarship appears in the latest edition of the Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments and Oxford Handbooks online among other sources. Dr. Bonus is the Assistant Professor of Music at Bard College, where he directs the Bard Baroque Ensemble and teaches courses in music history, theory, and historical performance practices.

About Annalisa Pappano, viola da gamba and lirone
Artistic director of Catacoustic Consort, Annalisa Pappano performs throughout the United States and Europe. She is recognized for bringing together the best international talent to present groundbreaking programs and landmark performances. Pappano studied at Indiana University’s Early Music Institute (Wendy Gillespie) and at Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Catharina Meints).

She has performed throughout Belgium, England, Ireland, Colombia, Canada, and the U.S., has appeared on nationally syndicated radio and has played at the Berkeley and Vancouver Early Music Festivals and the Ojai Music Festival. Pappano is a member of Atalante (England) and has performed with numerous other ensembles including the Houston Grand Opera, the Cleveland Opera, the Portland Opera, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Les Voix Baroques, Opera Atelier, the Toronto Consort, the Concord Ensemble, Cappella Artemisia (Bologna), the Dublin Drag Orchestra, Wildcat Viols, and Consortium Carissimi.

Pappano has taught at Viola da Gamba Society of America national conclaves, the Viola da Gamba Society Pacific Northwest and Northeast chapters, the San Diego Early Music Workshop, Viols West, the Madison Early Music Workshop and has been a guest lecturer at numerous universities.

She led the Catacoustic Consort to win the grand prize in the Naxos / Early Music America Live Recording Competition and recorded a program of Italian laments on the Naxos label. Pappano completed a performance practice orchestra workshop at Miami University in Ohio. She is currently teaching viola da gamba at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

About Linda Pearse, sackbut
Canadian-born Linda Pearse is recognized as a specialist in the exquisite musical repertoire of early seventeenth-century Italy. Dr. Pearse is Assistant Professor of Brass at Mount Allison University (New Brunswick) and Lecturer for Baroque trombone at Indiana University Bloomington. Following studies at McGill University, a career in Europe included regular performances with the Stuttgart Philharmoniker, Stuttgart Opera House, the Basel Symphony, La Cetra, piano possible and the Stuttgart Musical Theater. Pearse is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Early Music Summer Baroque Workshop and directs the award-winning ensemble ¡Sacabuche!

Recent performances include a twelve-concert tour to Beijing with the interdisciplinary program “Matteo Ricci: His Map and Music” (Dec 2010), a tour to Hong Kong and Macau China (June 2013), and tours to Victoria, Nanaimo, and Salt Spring Island, Vancouver, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, New York, San Francisco, Bloomington (IN), Madison (WI), Kansas City and Houston. Her most recent project “Venetia 1500” is inspired by the Barbari Aerial Woodcut of Venice from 1500 and creates a conversation between new music, early music, texts and images, that finds resonances with Maritime cultures in decline. Her critical edition of Seventeenth-Century Italian Motets with Trombone is published with A-R Editions (April 2014).

Performance Time
5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16

Location
Christ Church Cathedral
Fourth & Sycamore Streets
Cincinnati, OH 45202

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 are $20 for general admission, $15 for non-UC students and free for UC students with valid ID.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/monteverdi-vespers. Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

Tickets will also be available beginning at 4 p.m. on the day of the performance at Christ Church Cathedral; cash and checks only at the door.

Parking and Directions
For more information on Cathedral hours and parking, please visit www.christchurchcincinnati.org.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Community Partner: ArtsWave

CCM’s production of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 is made possible by funding from the Cambridge Charitable Foundation and CCM’s Tangeman Sacred Music Center.

CCM Welcomes the Academy of Ancient Music for a Performance of JS Bach’s Orchestral Suites on Nov. 9

The Academy of Ancient Music. Photography by Patrick Harrison.

CCM welcomes the Cambridge-based Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) for a rare stateside performance at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9, in Corbett Auditorium.

Under the direction of Richard Egarr, the acclaimed period-instrument orchestra will present JS Bach’s Orchestral Suites, showcasing the musical sophistication and expressive subtleties of the Baroque era composer.

The Orchestral Suites are a series of grand and graceful dances, paying homage to the French baroque style as championed by the ballet-obsessed King Louis XIV.

Written during Bach’s years in Leipzig, where he had a wider range of instruments at his disposal than ever before, the Suites revel in new sonorous possibilities and employ varied combinations of wind, brass, stringed instruments and timpani.

Watch the Academy of Ancient Music perform an excerpt from the Orchestral Suites below.

Hailed as the “finest period-instrument orchestra in the world” by Classic FM, the AAM’s residency at CCM is supported by the Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter & Randolph, LLC, Corporate Counsel.

Learn more about the Academy of Ancient Music’s upcoming visit to CCM courtesy of Catacoustic News here.

About the Academy of Ancient Music
For more than 40 years the Academy of Ancient Music has enriched the lives of thousands the world over with historically informed performances of baroque and classical music of the highest calibre. Founded in 1973 by Christopher Hogwood, the orchestra has since performed on all six inhabited continents and recorded an unrivalled catalogue of over 300 CDs.

In 2006 Richard Egarr succeeded Hogwood as Music Director, and has since led the orchestra on tours of Europe, Australia, the USA and the Far East. His notable recordings with AAM include JS Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Handel’s complete instrumental works Opp.1-7, music by the 17th century English composer Christopher Gibbons, and Birth of the symphony: Handel to Haydn, the first release on the orchestra’s in-house record label AAM Records.

The AAM’s artistic excellence has long been fostered by a range of guest artists. Pianist Robert Levin and singers Dame Emma Kirkby, Dame Joan Sutherland and Cecilia Bartoli were among those performing regularly with the AAM in the early days, and ongoing relationships with mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, counter-tenor Iestyn Davies and violinist Richard Tognetti lie at the heart of the AAM’s present-day artistic success.

The AAM’s 2014-15 season will take listeners on a musical Grand Tour, from Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione  di Poppea to Mozart’s magisterial piano concertos via Venice and the North African coast. International plans include a major tour of the United States and Canada, with performances at Washington DC’s Strathmore Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Carnegie Hall in New York. Planned releases on AAM Records in 2014-15 include recordings of JS Bach’s Orchestral Suites and the 1727 version of the St. Matthew Passion.

The AAM is Associate Ensemble at London’s Barbican Centre and Orchestra-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge. Visit www.aam.co.uk to find out more. 

Repertoire
All works by JS BACH:

• Orchestral Suite No. 4, BWV 1069 (c. 1725)
• Orchestral Suite No. 2, BWV 1067 (c. 1738-9)
• Orchestral Suite No. 1, BWV 1066 (c. 1725)
• Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068 (1731)

Performance Time
5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9

Location
Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village,
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to the Academy of Ancient Music’s performance at CCM are $20 for general admission, $15 for non-UC students and free for UC students with valid ID.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/academy-of-ancient-music. 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 campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

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The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation: Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor

ArtsWave: Community Partner

The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter & Randolph, LLC, Corporate Counsel: Visiting Artists Sponsor

CET Cincinnati Public Television Broadcasts Premiere of ‘Monteverdi From CCM’ on May 12

From left-to-right: Vivian Montgomery, harpsichord; vocalists: James Onstad, Derrell Acon and Xi Wang; Jennifer Roig-Francoli, Baroque violin; and Annalisa Pappano, viola da gamba. Photography by Dottie Stover.

CET Cincinnati Public Television will premiere Monteverdi from CCM at 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 12, on the CET Arts channel. This program is part of an exciting new collaboration between CCM and CET, which will bring CCM’s world-class performances to PBS viewers throughout the Greater Cincinnati viewing area.

You can read more about this collaboration here.

Monteverdi from CCM was shot on location in CCM Village in November of 2012. The performance features CCM’s Chamber Choir, Early Music faculty members, students and guest artists presenting highlights from Claudio Monteverdi’s Madrigals of Love and War and Selva Morale e Spirituale.

You can learn more about the November performance here.

Monteverdi from CCM is scheduled to air on the CET Arts channel during the following times:

‘Music in Cincinnati’ Reviews CCM’s Monteverdi Project

Mary Ellyn Hutton provides a comprehensive review of CCM’s Nov. 28 Monteverdi Project concert for Music in Cincinnati, declaring that “early music is thriving at CCM.” You can read her full review here.

As previously reported, the Nov. 28 Monteverdi concert was recorded for future broadcast as part of an exciting new collaboration between CCM and CET, Cincinnati Public Television. Learn more about this collaboration here or read the News Records‘ coverage here.

Behind-The-Scenes At CET’s First CCM Video Shoot

CCM officially kicked-off its exciting new collaboration with CET Cincinnati Public Television earlier this week with the Nov. 28 Monteverdi Masterworks concert. Today, you can enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot, courtesy of CET.

Learn more about the collaboration here.

CCM Choral Series Presents Culmination of ‘Monteverdi Project’ on Nov. 28

From left-to-right: Vivian Montgomery, harpsichord; vocalists: James Onstad, Derrell Acon and Xi Wang; Jennifer Roig-Francoli, Baroque violin; and Annalisa Pappano, viola da gamba. Photography by Dottie Stover.

CCM’s Chamber Choir teams with Early Music faculty, students and guest artists for an evening featuring highlights from Claudio Monteverdi’s secular masterwork (Book 8: Madrigals of Love and War) and sacred collection (Selva Morale e Spirituale) beginning at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in Corbett Auditorium.

The performance is the apex of CCM’s Monteverdi Project, made possible through a generous grant from the Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation. Directed by Earl Rivers, and featuring the CCM Chamber Choir, the Monterverdi Project has been coached by CCM Early Music Faculty members Vivian Montgomery, harpsichord, and Annalisa Pappano, gamba and lirone. Guest artist continuo members include Michael Leopold, theorbo; Elizabeth Motter, Baroque harp; Jennifer Roig-Francolí, Baroque violin; James Lambert, contrabass and gamba; Yaël Senamaud, Baroque violin; and Rodney Stucky, archlute and Baroque guitar.

This concert event will be recorded for future broadcast as part of an exciting new collaboration between CCM and CET, Cincinnati Public Television.

CCM Announces Collaboration With CET Cincinnati Public Television

CCM’s internationally acclaimed performing ensembles will be coming to a television near you courtesy of a new collaborative arrangement with CET, Cincinnati Public Television. CCM’s upcoming Monteverdi Masterworks (Nov. 28, 2012) and Mahler Marathon (March 2, 2013) concerts will be recorded for future broadcast on the CET Arts Channel, initiating an ongoing partnership between the two organizations.

“This was an idea that had ‘yes’ written all over it,” explains Peter Landgren, CCM Dean and Thomas James Kelly Professor of Music. “I know from my own experiences that performing for television cameras and live microphones brings you to a greater level of focus as a musician. This is an unparalleled opportunity for our students. I want to thank CET Executive Vice President and Station Manager Jack Dominic for initiating this partnership and for giving us this platform to showcase the talent of CCM.”

CCM Announces Updated Event Information for November and December 2012

Today, we are delighted to provide you with CCM’s updated schedule of major events for November and December 2012. All updated listings are highlighted in red.

All events listed below take place in CCM Village on the campus of the University of Cincinnati unless otherwise indicated. Admission is free to many CCM performances, although some events do require purchased tickets or reservations. Please see individual event information for details and ordering information.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. Visit ccm.uc.edu or contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 for the most current event information.

CCM Announces Fall 2012 Calendar of Major Events

CCM is delighted to announce its fall schedule of performances. The largest single source of performing arts events in the state of Ohio, CCM presents more than 100 public performances this fall, ranging from faculty and guest artist concerts to fully supported opera, drama and musical theatre productions.

This fall’s schedule includes a Beethoven Festival (Sept. 14 – Oct. 12), a Kurt Weill Festival (Oct. 19 – March 10) and a Cage Centennial Celebration (Nov. 5 – Nov. 29). CCM also collaborates with Cincinnati Opera on public workshop performances of two new American operas (Oct. 27 – 28 and Dec. 4 – 5) and presents a pair of concerts in conjunction with the Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts (Oct. 10 and Oct. 28).

Download a digital copy of CCM’s Fall 2012 Calendar of Major Events today. Physical copies are also available at the CCM Box Office in the Corbett Center for the Performing Arts.