CCM’s Orchestras Present World-Premieres, 20th Century Masterpieces and More During Spring 2015 Concert Series

The CCM Philharmonia, led by Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Gibson.

CCM’s Department of Orchestral Studies will celebrate the works of contemporary composers and all-time greats alike in concert this spring.

Under the direction of Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Gibson and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Aik Khai Pung, CCM’s acclaimed orchestral ensembles will present a series of eight concerts from Jan. 30 through April 16, several of which are free and open to the general public. Tickets are on sale now for all performances requiring paid admission.

The Spring Orchestra Series opens with a performance by the CCM Philharmonia on Friday, Jan. 30, featuring the world-premiere of Ulrich Kreppein’s Flucht (Flight). Kreppein earned first prize in CCM’s 2013 Alexander Zemlinsky Composition Competition for his original work Spiel der Schatten (The Play of the Shadows). For this achievement, Kreppein received a cash award of $30,000 and the opportunity to write a new work for the Philharmonia.

The Philharmonia turns the spotlight to CCM’s own up-and-coming composers on Friday, Feb. 20, with a free concert featuring new works by the gifted students from CCM’s Department of Composition, which has one of the top 10 music composition graduate programs in the country according to current rankings.

The world-premieres continue on Friday, March 6, as CCM’s Concert Orchestra performs Ruins Upon Ruins, a new work by Zemlinsky Composition Competition second prize-winner Aaron Travers. The orchestral work is based on the continual cycle of the creation, destruction and recreation of cities.

The Philharmonia then looks back to the monumental works of French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz and 20th century Russian composer Igor Stravinsky in a unique double-bill of Te Deum and The Rite of Spring on Friday, March 13. CCM’s Chamber Choir and Chorale and ensemble-in-residence the Cincinnati Children’s Choir join the Philharmonia for this concert, which also features faculty artist Michael Unger, organ; and student artist Christopher Bozeka, tenor.

Highlights also include CCM’s always-popular Philharmonic Jazz concert, which returns on Sunday, April 12, as the Philharmonia and Jazz Ensembles join forces to present Chuck Owen’s concerto for jazz guitar, saxophone and orchestra, River Runs. Faculty emeritus and saxophonist Rick VanMatre makes his return to the CCM stage for this performance, which acclaimed jazz bassist Rufus Reid has called “a tour de force.” Mark Gibson and Scott Belck conduct.

CCM’s nationally ranked orchestral program provides an unparalleled educational and performance experience for hundreds of instrumentalists each year. The breadth of each season’s concert series rivals many of the world’s great performing organizations, and students become versed in a body of repertoire that encompasses more than most conservatories venture to program. The close bond between the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and CCM’s orchestral program invigorates student conductors and instrumentalists alike, and our commitment to high standards enriches the cultural life of Cincinnati.

Event Information
All events listed below take place on the campus of the University of Cincinnati unless otherwise indicated. Some events do require purchased tickets; please see individual event information for single ticket prices and ordering information.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online now through our e-Box Office! 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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2015 SPRING ORCHESTRA SERIES

8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30
ON DISPLAY – CELEBRATING THE WINNER OF CCM’S ZEMLINSKY PRIZE FOR COMPOSITION
CCM Philharmonia
Mark Gibson, conductor
U. KREPPEIN: Flucht (Flight)
Winner of the 2013 Zemlinsky Prize for Composition
BEASER: Seven Deadly Sins (1984)
MUSSORGSKY, arr. M. RAVEL: Pictures at an Exhibition
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $12 general, $6 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6
CCM Concert Orchestra
Annunziata Tomaro, guest conductor
S. WEIMER: Through the Frame
DELIBES: Sylvia Suite
SIBELIUS: Swan of Tuonela
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10
Café MoMus
Aik Khai Pung, music director
Join us for another journey in today’s sound world, accompanied by coffee, cakes and conversation!
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20
CAFÉ MOMUS PRESENTS THE CCM COMPOSITION COMPETITION
CCM Philharmonia
Mark Gibson, music director
CCM’s top orchestral ensemble presents recent works by the gifted students in the college’s internationally recognized composition program. The winning composer will write a new orchestral work to be premiered during CCM’s 2015–16 concert season.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Friday, March 6
CCM Concert Orchestra
Aik Khai Pung, music director and conductor
A. TRAVERS: Ruins Upon Ruins
Second prize winner of the 2013 Zemlinsky Prize for Composition
STRAVINSKY: Firebird Suite
FARBERMAN: Triple Play
COPLAND: Billy the Kid
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Friday, March 13
MONUMENTAL: BERLIOZ AND STRAVINSKY
CCM Philharmonia, Chamber Choir, Chorale and Cincinnati Children’s Choir
Mark Gibson and Earl Rivers, conductors
Featuring faculty artist Michael Unger, organ and student artist Christopher Bozeka, tenor
CCM’s Mighty Harrison pipe organ and Philharmonia Orchestra dialogue as “Pope” and “Emperor” in Berlioz’s monumental Te Deum, featuring two mixed choirs, children’s choir and tenor soloist. Te Deum originally premiered in 1855 in Paris’ Saint-Eustache Church. This concert program also features Stravinsky’s monumentally influential The Rite of Spring.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $12 general, $6 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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7 p.m. Sunday, April 12
RIVER RUNS – A CONCERTO FOR JAZZ GUITAR, SAXOPHONE AND ORCHESTRA BY CHUCK OWEN
CCM Philharmonia Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble
Mark Gibson and Scott Belck, music conductors
Featuring faculty emeritus artist Rick VanMatre, saxophone
Our annual collaborative concert where Jazz and Orchestra meet. This year’s concert features a stunning five-movement work that Rufus Reid, acclaimed bassist and educator, describes as, “a tour de force of contemporary orchestral composition.” Nominated for two Grammy awards, this beautiful work will take your breath away.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $12 general, $6 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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8 p.m. Thursday, April 16
ANNUAL CONCERTO CONCERT
CCM Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra
Mark Gibson, music director
John Murton, Jiannan Cheng, Avishay Shalom and Levi Hammer, conductors
MENDELSSOHN: Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream
WIENIAWSKI: Concerto No. 2 in D Minor for Violin, Op. 22
HINDEMITH: Concerto for Woodwinds, Harp and Orchestra
HAYDN: Symphony No. 101 in D Major, “The Clock”
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Community Partner: ArtsWave

CCM Welcomes the Holidays with Choral Concerts in December

CCM’s annual Feast of Carols. Photography by Dottie Stover.

Hundreds of voices will fill the stage of Corbett Auditorium this December as CCM celebrates the season with a pair of holiday-themed concert programs!

The annual Feast of Carols returns with 2 and 5 p.m. performances on both Saturday, Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 7.

The following Saturday, Dec. 13, CCM’s ensemble-in-residence the Cincinnati Children’s Choir presents its Holiday Concert with performances at 2 and 5 p.m.

Only a limited number of seats remain for each of these concerts.

The annual Feast of Carols – a tradition that dates back decades – will embrace an eclectic mix of holiday songs ranging from the classic and traditional to the contemporary. CCM’s Chamber Choir, Chorale and Concert Orchestra, UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses, Cincinnati Children’s Choir and outstanding area guest choirs, including Connor Middle School, Lakota East and Mason High Schools, will perform these treasures sounds.

Conductors Earl Rivers, Brett Scott, Robyn Lana, Christopher Albanese, Alexander Sutton, Becky Bertelsen, Becky Huddilston and Elaine Santos invite audiences to sing along to favorite holiday carols during the spectacular “Fa-La-La” Finale with audience, combined choirs and CCM’s Concert Orchestra.

The Cincinnati Children’s Choir’s Holiday Concert will feature all 450 members of the Choir, including CCM resident choirs and satellite choirs from across the tri-state area, performing holiday songs from around the globe. Robyn Lana conducts.

Only a limited number of seats remain for each of these performances. Please see individual listings below for ticket prices and additional information.

CCM Announces Initial Concert Schedule for 2014-15

CCM is pleased to announce initial details on its 2014-15 Concert Series. From J.S. Bach and W.A. Mozart to Leonard Bernstein and Ray Charles, CCM’s student ensembles, faculty artists and guest performers will traverse the breadth and depth of the performing arts in this dynamic series of events.

Encompassing over 50 different concerts, this series begins with a performance by the internationally acclaimed Ariel Quartet with legendary guest artist Menahem Pressler on Sept. 9, 2014, and concludes with a number of performances by CCM’s Preparatory Department running May 1 – 9, 2015.

Other highlights of CCM’s 2014-15 concert series include:

• a performance of Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Timothy Lees and Ilya Finkelshteyn,
• choral concerts celebrating the Shakespearean Quadricentennial,
• a Wind Orchestra tribute to Leonard Bernstein,
• a guest artist recital by renowned German countertenor Andreas Scholl,
• a joint faculty artist recital by CCM’s two Naumburg gold medalists Awadagin Pratt and Soyeon Kate Lee,
• a rare stateside performance by the Cambridge-based Academy of Ancient Music,
• jazz concerts celebrating the music of Ray Charles and Duke Ellington,
• a guest artist recital by renowned pianist Stephen Hough co-presented with the Xavier University Classical Piano Series,
• a CCM Ballet Ensemble production of Stravinsky’s Les Noces,
• and much more!

Several perennial favorites are also returning this season, including the Feast of Carols holiday concert, the Steel Drum Band’s annual performance, the 18th PRISM showcase and the 10th installment of PIANOPALOOZA, which celebrates the piano concerti of Rachmaninoff.

CCM Celebrates Class of 2014 with Graduation Convocation Ceremony on April 26

Photography by Dottie Stover.

CCM will celebrate the Class of 2014 with a Graduation Convocation Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26 in Corbett Auditorium.

Students receiving baccalaureate, masters, doctoral and artist diploma degrees in April 2014 will be recognized at the Convocation. The ceremony will be in full academic regalia, and will feature a faculty and student procession and recognition of this year’s distinguished alumni and service award recipients! Tickets are required for this ceremony.

Line up for CCM’s Graduation Convocation Ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. in the Cohen Family Studio Theater.

Following the University’s 9 a.m. commencement ceremony, CCM will host a cookout in room 300 of the Dieterle Vocal Arts Center. The luncheon is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and graduates, parents and friends are welcome to attend.

Learn more about the University of Cincinnati Commencement by visiting uc.edu/commencement.

Annunziata Tomaro Returns to the CCM Podium

Annunziata Tomaro and the Concert Orchestra at CCM’s 2012 Moveable Feast. Photography by Dottie Stover.

CCM welcomes Assistant Professor of Conducting Annunziata Tomaro back to the podium for a celebratory concert beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, in Corbett Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now.

After a year and a half hiatus, Tomaro makes her homecoming debut conducting CCM’s acclaimed Concert Orchestra in an unforgettable evening of music, with works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Édouard Lalo, featuring the winner of the CCM Cello Concerto Competition, Yang Liu. “It’s wonderful being with the students again,” Tomaro says. “They are playing their hearts out in this music!”

The opening piece of the program will be Modest Mussorgsky’s introduction to his opera Khovanshchina. Audience members will also be delighted to hear Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, “Pathétique,” his final completed symphony (Opp. 75–80 were published after Tchaikovsky’s death).

And lastly, audience members will be treated to Édouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D Minor, featuring  Cello Concerto Competition winner Yang Liu, a student of CCM Professor of Violoncello Yehuda Hanani. Lalo wrote his Cello Concerto in D minor in 1876, in collaboration with Parisian cellist Adolphe Fischer. The work was premiered the following year at the Cirque d’Hiver with Fischer as soloist.

CCM Welcomes the Holiday Season with Choral Concerts

Santa Claus makes a guest appearance at the 2012 Feast of Carols. Photography by Dottie Stover.

Hundreds of voices will fill the stage of Corbett Auditorium this December as CCM celebrates the season with a pair of holiday-themed concert programs. The Feast of Carols returns with 2 and 5 p.m. performances on both Saturday, Dec. 7, and Sunday, Dec. 8. The following Saturday, Dec. 14, CCM’s ensemble-in-residence the Cincinnati Children’s Choir presents its Holiday Concert with performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Only a limited number of seats remain for each of these concerts.

The annual Feast of Carols – a tradition that dates back decades – will embrace an eclectic mix of holiday songs ranging from the classic and traditional to the contemporary and even barbershop. CCM’s Chamber Choir, Chorale and Concert Orchestra, UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses, Cincinnati Children’s Choir and outstanding area guest choirs, including Anderson, Lakota East and Mason High Schools, will perform these treasures sounds. Conductors Earl Rivers, Brett Scott, Marie Bucoy-Calavan, Michael Fuchs and Robyn Lana invite audiences to sing along to favorite holiday carols during the spectacular “Fa-La-La” Finale with audience, combined choirs and CCM’s Concert Orchestra.

The Cincinnati Children’s Choir’s Holiday Concert will feature all 450 members of the Choir, including CCM resident choirs and satellite choirs from across the tri-state area, performing holiday songs from around the globe. Robyn Lana conducts.

Only a limited number of seats remain for each of these performances. Please see individual listings below for ticket prices and additional information.

CCM’s Wind Orchestra Performs The Works of French Composers

CCM’s Wind Orchestra. Photography by Dottie Stover.

The CCM Wind Orchestra concludes 2013 with a spectacular performance of French wind classics at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in Corbett Auditorium.

Director of Wind Studies Glenn D. Price wields the baton as conductor and music director of the prestigious CCM Wind Orchestra, treating the audience to the spectacular composition “Suite Française” by Darius Milhaud, an early 19th century French composer and teacher. Milhaud’s “suite” takes the listener on a daring audible journey through the French countryside beginning on the west coast and moving through France, telling the tale of each region. Audiences will be delighted as the orchestra touches on themes from the beloved Normandie, Bretagne, Ile-de-France, Alsace-Lorraine and Provence regions.

The Wind Orchestra also presents an intriguing composition by Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, one of France’s most renowned composers. “Occident et Orient” will once again take the audience on a musical journey, crossing cultures from west to east. The piece begins with a rousing march, then transitions into an homage to Turkish janissary music before returning to western themes for its exhilarating finale. Saint-Saëns is also known for his compositions “Carnival of the Animals,” the opera “Samson and Delilah,” “Danse Macabre” and the “Organ Symphony.”

The Wind Orchestra will also perform “Children’s Overture,” a gem by early 20th century French composer Eugene Joseph Bozza. Audiences will be enchanted by Bozza’s elegant, lyrical style.

“Dionysiasques” is a spirited composition by Florent Schmitt inspired by Dionysis, Greek god of the grape harvest, wine and madness. This composition describes a raucous evening festival held in Dionysis’ honor. It begins with the slower party preparations and evolves into a march as the fête kicks into high gear. The music becomes more and more hectic until the final jubilant climax. Schmitt’s other works include “La tragédie de Salome” and “Psalm 47.”

“Pantomime,” one of Pierre Mercure’s first compositions, was completed in 1948. During this time period, Canada, Mercure’s homeland, was going through a national identity shift. This has sparked a debate as to whether “Pantomime” is a nationalistic piece or whether it expresses the influences of the budding surrealist movement. Despite the debate surrounding Mercure’s intentions, “Pantomime” is a lyrical and dramatic piece. It reflects the influences of the French masters, while retaining its own personality and sense of joy. Audiences will happily follow the story of “Pantomime” which depicts a sleeping figure waking, playing gleefully and returning to a resting state.

Performance Times
8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4

Location
Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to the “The French Revolution” are $12 for general admission, $6 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.

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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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Community Partner: ArtsWave

CCM Wind Orchestra Invites Audiences on ‘Romantic Voyages’

CCM’s Wind Orchestra. Image by UC Photographic Services.

The CCM Wind Orchestra presents a program of musical “Romantic Voyages” at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, in Corbett Auditorium under the direction of Professor Glenn D. Price.

The CCM Wind Orchestra is poised to deliver an evening of rich music featuring compositions by Brouwer, Graham, Ellerby and de Meij. Despite the diversity of styles among the pieces, each one will similarly transport the listener through the evening’s festive set of romantic programming.

Scottish composer Peter Graham’s Harrison’s Dream was commissioned by the United States Air Force Band and won the 2002 American Bandmasters Association Ostwald Award. Extreme Makeover by Dutch composer Johan de Meij consists of a set of metamorphoses on a theme from Tchaikovsky’s well-known Andante cantabile from String Quartet No. 1 in D. The audience will also hear Cuban composer Leo Brouwer’s famous Cancion de Geste (For the Boat Loaded with the Future) and English composer Martin Ellerby’s Neapolitan Serenade to round out the program.

Local Guest Choirs Join UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses for an Evening of ‘Psalms and Songs’ on Nov. 5

The University of Cincinnati Men’s and Women’s Choruses and Cabaret Singers, comprised of UC students from all 13 colleges, welcome honored guests Sycamore High School Select Ensemble and Cincinnati Children’s Choir (CCC) Girl Choir for a remarkable evening of “Psalms and Songs” at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5 in Corbett Auditorium.

Under the direction of conductors Marie Bucoy-Calavan, Michael Fuchs, Eva Floyd and Kenneth Holdt, this diverse group of singers will delight audiences. With over 120 students from the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses as well as the remarkable talent of the two guest choirs, the multitude of voices joined together on stage promises to deliver an energetic and stirring performance.

The first half of the concert will feature the individual choirs, performing independently from one another to showcase their unique artistry. All four choirs will join forces in the second half to present Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Gustav Holst’s Two Psalms. The audience will be captivated by both of these psalms, which are magnificent in their contrast. Though Holst is primarily known for his orchestral works, including The Planets, audiences will be swept away by his Psalms, which are rich with textural variety and emotion and express a wonderful warmth.

The divine sounds of these four ensembles are sure to enrapture and inspire audiences.

CCM and Constella Festival Present Bach’s ‘St. John Passion’ This Sunday

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.