The Cincinnati Enquirer has named CCM’s Sunday, Nov. 3, staging of J. S. Bach’s St. John Passion as its “top pick for the weekend!”
According to the preview, “it should be one of the most moving events of the entire fall season.” Tickets are still available for this unique staged performance at Cincinnati’s Christ Church Cathedral.
Learn more about CCM’s production of this cherished Baroque masterwork here.
Graduate student Conor McDonald performs the role of Jesus in CCM’s production of J.S. Bach’s ‘St. John Passion,’ presented at Christ Church Cathedral on Nov. 3. Photography by Dottie Stover.
CCM’s Chamber Choir and Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra join forces to perform a unique staged production of Johann Sebastian Bach’s visceral rendering of the St. John Passion as the next installment in CCM’s 2013-14 Prestige Concert Series. The monumental work will be presented at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, at Christ Church Cathedral under the direction of Earl Rivers, staged by Omer Ben-Seadia, and in conjunction with the Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts.
Bach composed his St. John Passion for the congregations of Leipzig, Germany for Good Friday services in April 1724. The story is narrated by the character of the Evangelist and emphasizes the conflict of Pontius Pilate. “Bach’s interpretation provides us with a dramatic and physiological account,” explains stage director and Artist Diploma directing student Omer Ben-Seadia. “The staging will portray the drama through symbolic elements and light. The text and historical reflection are just as pungent today as ever – and the staging confronts these truths head on.” Ben-Seadia will also direct CCM’s Mainstage Series production of Don Pasquale in April 2014.
“Performances of Bach’s Passions, particularly in light of the attention that Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ received, present an opportunity for Christians and Jews to confront issues of religious intolerance, and the role of the arts and how the arts might, advertently or inadvertently, promote intolerance,” explains conductor and Director of Choral Studies Earl Rivers. “By exploring these issues, we will know the music better and we will know each other better.”
The concert will be performed at the magnificent setting of Christ Church Cathedral, which enjoys a long tradition of great choral music and is hosting the collaboration between CCM’s Chamber Choir and Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra and the Constella Festival for a second year. In 2010, the CCM Chamber Choir and Philharmonia Orchestra presented the 400th Anniversary of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 at the downtown location, and the Cathedral presents a wide variety of performances throughout the year.
CCM alumnus and Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Visiting Artist Jeffrey Thompson, tenor, will sing the role of the Evangelist. CCM graduate voice majors Conor McDonald and Jeffrey Byrnes, baritones, perform the roles of Jesus and Pilate, respectively. The roles of aria soloists will be sung by CCM graduate voice majors Danielle Adams, soprano; Laurin McAlister, mezzo-soprano; Alec Carlson, tenor; Jonathan Cooper, baritone; and Stefan Egerstrom, bass. Guest Artist Adriana Contino, cellist, plays continuo cello and Michael Unger, Assistant Professor of Harpsichord and Organ, is featured as harpsichordist. Student obbligato soloists include Haoli Lin and Yang Liu, violin; Xue Su and Carol Joe, flute; and Katelyn Kyser and Martha Peck, oboe.
Constella Festival Composer-in-Residence Missy Mazzoli.
Café MoMus, CCM’s new music ensemble, explores the work of Constella Festival Composer-in-Residence Missy Mazzoli in a free concert performance at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16, in CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater.
Described by the New York Times as “one of the more consistently inventive, surprising composers now working,” Mazzoli is a composer of chamber, orchestral and operatic works. Her music has been played the world over by performers as varied the Kronos Quartet, eighth blackbird, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, violinist Jennifer Kohn, violist Nadia Sirota, Dublin’s Crash Ensemble and her own group, Victoire.
Victoire’s debut album, titled Cathedral City, was named one of 2010′s best classical albums by the New York Times, the New Yorker and NPR. Her opera, Song from the Uproar, premiered in New York in 2012. The original cast recording was released in November.
Mazzoli joins CCM’s new music ensemble, led by music director Jing Huan, for a special performance as part of the 2013 Constella Festival. On Sunday, Nov. 3, CCM and the Constella Festival will also co-present a unique staged performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion. You can learn more about that performance here.
Miguel A. Roig-Francolí Professor, Music Theory & Composition, College-Conservatory of Music. photo/Lisa Ventre
CCM celebrates the work of Music Theory and Composition Professor Miguel A. Roig-Francolí with a concert at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, presented in conjunction with the 2013 Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts. Held in CCM’s Robert J. Werner Recital Hall, the performance is free and open to the general public.
The evening will feature five of Roig-Francolí’s chamber works performed by CCM faculty and students, including Cincinnati premieres of Songs of the Infinite, for violin and piano, and Songs of Light and Darkness, for piano trio. The concert will feature performances by Timothy Lees and Jennifer Roig-Francolí, violin; Ilya Finkelshteyn, cello; Abigail Santos Villalobos, soprano; and James Tocco, Michael Chertock and Edward Neeman, piano.
Download a copy of CCM’s Fall 2013 Calendar Booklet today!
The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is delighted to announce its fall schedule of major events. The largest single source of performing arts events in the state of Ohio, CCM presents more than 120 major public performances from Sept. 4 through Dec. 14, ranging from faculty and guest artist concerts to fully supported opera, musical theatre, drama and dance productions.
View a digital copy of CCM’s Fall 2013 Calendar Booklet today by visiting on.uc.edu/CCMFall2013. Refer to the listings below for more details.
Event Information
All events listed here will take place in CCM Village on the University of Cincinnati campus 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.
Experience the evocative. Embrace the unexpected. Rekindle old flames and discover new loves during CCM’s 2013-14 performance season.
This year, we proudly present 50 major concert and theatre productions designed to entertain, to challenge, to delight and to inspire.
Discover the world-class musicians, virtuoso performances, creative collaborations and inspiring productions that make us CCM.
Download a digital copy of CCM’s 2013-14 brochure and define your season today.
Subscription and flex ticket packages are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale Monday, Sept. 9, 2013.
Photography by Dottie Stover.
CCM is pleased to announce initial details on its 2013-14 Mainstage Series of concert performances. Encompassing more than 40 different concerts, this series begins with a production of Verdi’s grand opera Don Carlos on Sept. 22 and concludes with the annual concerto competition-winners concert on April 11.
The internationally acclaimed Ariel Quartet will present a complete tour of Beethoven’s string quartets as part of CCM’s upcoming season, with six concerts scheduled for January, February and March.
CCM’s 2013-14 concert series also features a rare staged performance of Bach’s St. John Passion presented in conjunction with the Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts, a year-long Britten Centennial Celebration, a jazz tribute to the Rolling Stones, a concert dedicated to Richard Wagner’s 200th birthday, a performance of John Adams’ opera-oratorio El Niño and much more.
Several popular concert productions are also returning, including the annual Feast of Carols, Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite featuring CCM’s Jazz Ensembles and Musical Theatre Dancers, the annual PRISM concert and the latest installment of Pianopalooza.
Event Information
All events listed below take place on the campus of the University of Cincinnati unless otherwise indicated. Please see individual event information for single-ticket prices and ordering information.
New subscription and flex ticket packages go on sale Monday, June 17, 2013. Single tickets go on sale beginning Monday, Sept. 9.
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 presents a “must-see” series of performing arts events in 2013-14. Subscription and flex ticket packages are on sale now!
Subscriptions and flex ticket packages for what the Cincinnati Enquirer has dubbed CCM’s 2013-14 “mega-season” go on sale at 12 noon today!
Featuring over 50 major concerts and theatre arts productions, CCM’s 2013-14 season spans the spectrum of the performing arts.
Learn more about our Mainstage Series of Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama and Dance here.
Secure your seats before these must-see performances sell out!
For more information, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 or boxoff@uc.edu. You can also visit us online at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice.
Download a copy of our 2013-14 Season-at-a-Glance now!
Stay tuned to this site for more information about the exciting things we have planned for 2013-14!
Last month, composer Nico Muhly visited CCM in conjunction with the 2012 Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts. Music in Cincinnati‘s Mary Ellyn Hutton takes a look back at Muhly’s visit this week.
You can read her full recap here.
Cincinnati’s Christ Church Cathedral.
CCM’s Chamber Choir and Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra combine for an unforgettable performance of Bach’s supreme choral-orchestral achievement, Mass in B Minor. The monumental work will be presented at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28, at Christ Church Cathedral under the direction of Earl Rivers and in conjunction with the Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts.
CCM VILLAGE NEWS ARCHIVES 