CCM Opera and Voice Alumni Win Prestigious Fellowships

CCM Voice alumnus Samson McCrady in the title role of CCM’s Mainstage Production of Gianni Schicchi, directed by CCM Opera alumnus Andreas Hager.

Two of CCM’s stars of tomorrow recently received prestigious positions in the world of opera. Alumnus Andreas Hager (AD Opera Directing, 2018) was awarded one of two JoElyn Wakefield-Wright Stage Director Fellowships from the National Opera Association. Additionally, Washington National Opera selected CCM Voice alumnus Samson McCrady, baritone, to fill one of only 11 spots for vocalists in its prestigious Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. Cincinnati audiences saw their artistry in action during CCM’s recent Mainstage production of Gianni Schicchi, in which McCrady performed the title role and Hager directed.

Hager was selected as a JoElyn Wakefield-Wright Stage Director Fellow for his summer 2018 work with Wolf Trap Opera, during which he will assist on productions of Idomeneo and Rigoletto. The fellowship includes a stipend to attend an opera stage directing program, and the opportunity to offer a presentation on their fellowship experience at a subsequent NOA National Conference.

Hager’s directorial work spans opera, film, theatre and alternate reality games. Recent directing credits include Il barbiere di Siviglia (Houston Grand Opera), Gianni Schicchi (CCM) and La belle Hélène (Opera North). In addition, he has worked with Opera Philadelphia, the New York Philharmonic, Cincinnati Opera and Opera Columbus. He recently graduated from CCM with an Artist Diploma in Opera Directing and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Cinema Studies from Oberlin College, where he also studied piano performance. He is a winner of Opera America’s Director-Designer Showcase and a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab.

As a Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist, McCrady will perform the roles of Elk/Camel/Butcher in Tesori’s The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me, Wagner in Gounod’s Faust and Sciarrone in Puccini’s Tosca during the Washington National Opera’s 2018-19 season. McCrady will also sing in WNO’s “A Concert of Comic Masterpieces.”

Because many young artists return for a second season, the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program only accepts a handful of new vocalists each season. This year the program welcomed seven new singers and four returning singers, as well as one new and one returning pianist, out of hundreds of applicants.

The artists in this program have an abundance of performance opportunities, including extensive performances at the Kennedy Center and in community-oriented events. They participate in the WNO’s major performances as supporting characters, including free preview performances that will be live streamed on the Kennedy Center’s website.

McCrady and the other Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists will also perform in recitals in Washington, D.C. art galleries and museums, as well as a series of master classes at the Kennedy Center and elsewhere. They will be seen onstage during the WNO’s American Opera Initiative Festival, during which they will have the opportunity to work with living composers and librettists on brand-new works.

Additionally, the program has an exchange program with Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program, which includes a few students from each program visiting the other and performing with their newfound peers.  Next summer, the WNO will send several of its young artists to Moscow for this exchange, culminating in two concerts with the Bolshoi Theatre’s young artists.

During his time at CCM, McCrady studied with Voice Professor Bill McGraw. He performed the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, the King of Scotland in Handel’s Ariodante and Jesus in a staged version of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Outside of CCM, McCrady performed the Mandarin in a semi-staged version of Puccini’s Turandot (Kentucky Symphony Orchestra), Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Queen City Opera), Edward G. Robinson in Robert Xavier-Rodriguez’s Frida (Cincinnati Opera) and Geronimo in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto (Cincinnati Chamber Opera). Before he came to CCM, McCrady received a Bachelor of Music from Roberts Wesleyan College.

CCM Behind-the-Scenes: Directors’ Notes for ‘Suor Angelica’ + ‘Gianni Schicchi’

CCM pairs two of Giacomo Puccini‘s most popular operas Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi for its next Mainstage production, which opens this Thursday, March 22, and continues through Sunday, March 25, 2018. These two operas highlight Puccini’s mastery of emotional storytelling, each sharing two contrasting tales about moral hypocrisy and greed.

CCM graduate students direct each production; Meredith Kitz directs Suor Angelica while Andreas Hager directs Gianni Schicchi. These young directors are not only challenged with mounting top-notch productions, but also have the added difficulty of presenting two distinct operas as a cohesive show.

“Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi work well together because they are so different,” says Hager. “The former takes religion and social order very seriously, while the latter completely skewers the awful and rich Donati family. In Suor Angelica, God is the moral compass, but Gianni Schicchi is about flesh and desire, with both the good and bad urges in every human.”

Tickets for CCM Opera’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schcchi are available now through the CCM Box Office.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

You can read more about the productions in the directors’ notes below:

Puccini’s Suor Angelica tells a story of faith, redemption and unconditional love. Under the ever-watchful eye of the Virgin Mary, a cloistered community faces the the daily toil of life in service of God and the greater good. Any longing for the outside world is left behind, and the encouragement to grow in relationship to God is brought to life in pastoral beauty. When a bitter presence thrusts harsh reality into this delicate atmosphere, will mercy and forgiveness provide the respite and salvation these women seek?

Suor Angelica asks us to see beyond desires and material attachments and surrender to a love that is greater than anything this world has to offer — a love that transcends life itself.

– Meredith Kitz, director of Suor Angelica

_____

Firenze è come un albero fiorito,
che in piazza dei Signori ha tronco e
fronde,
Ma le radici forze nuove apportano
delle convalli limpide e feconde

Florence is like a flowering tree,
With trunk and branches in the piazza,
But the roots draw new strength
From the clear and fertile valleys.

So sings the lover Rinuccio, begging his narrow-minded family to allow him to marry his girlfriend. The problem: his family does not want him to associate with “newcomers,” as his aunt refers to the non-native born. The aria morphs into a sweeping ode to immigration and the exchange of cultures. Who brought the great arts and sciences to Florence? Arnolfo, Giotto and the Medici were all born outside the city, Rinuccio reminds them.

The family rejects this and doesn’t warm to the marriage until the girl’s father, the titular Gianni Schicchi, crafts a plot to forge a new will and help them inherit their dead uncle’s money. It’s a masterful study in hypocrisy, all the more remarkable because it remains lighthearted and effervescent.

Like the best of Shakespeare, Gianni Schicchi transcends its time period and national distinctions. We recognize each one of the characters onstage. Composed during the final years of World War I, the opera questions the stability of a fossilized world order but also concedes that a rejuvenated and more diverse society will only emerge through a bit of trickery. If the moral lesson is muddied, Gianni Schicchi certainly gets at a fundamental truth: it’s fun to watch the wicked fall.

– Andreas Hager, director of Gianni Schicchi

Suor Angelica will last 1 hour and will be followed by a 15-minute intermission. Gianni Schicchi will last 1 hour. View the program booklet online here.
____________________

CREATIVE TEAM:

• Mark Gibson, conductor
• Meredith Kitz, director (Suor Angelica)*
• Andreas Hager, director (Gianni Schicchi)*
• Theron Wineinger, scenic designer*
• Oliver Tidwell Littleton, lighting designer*
• Rin Marie Schwob, hair and make-up designer*
• Sidney Martin, props master*
• Hankyu Lee, sound designer*
• Chelsea D. Taylor, stage manager (Suor Angelica)*
• Margo Leist, stage manager (Gianni Schicchi)*
• Ashley Trujilo, costume designer*
• Marie-France Lefebvre, musical preparation

*CCM student

CAST LISTS:
SUOR ANGELICA

• Caitlin Gotimer*, Nicolette Book^ as Sister Angelica
• Amber Fasquelle*, Karis Tucker^ as The Princess
• Brenda Iglesias-Zarco as The Abbess
• Briana Moynihan as The Monitress
• Mia Athey as The Mistress of the Novices
• Claire Lopatka*, Allison Anderson^ as Sister Genovieffa
• Hannah Consenz as Sister Osmina
• Madeline Jentsch as Sister Dolcina
• Rebecca Printz as The Nursing Sister
• Amber R. Monroe as Alms Sister 1
• Victoria Okafor as Alms Sister 2
• Amanda Olea as Novice
• Yewoon Yeon as Lay Sister 1
• Natalie Sheppard as Lay Sister 2
• Mercer May Barton as Griffin

GIANNI SCHICCHI

• Jonathan Stinson*, Samson McCrady^ as Gianni Schicchi
• Teresa Perrotta*, Lisa Rogali^ as Lauretta
• Brandon Scott Russell*, Chandler Johnson^ as Rinuccio
• Rebecca Printz*, Abigail Hoyt^ as Zita
• Dongwhi (Tony) Baek*, Tyler Jonson^ as Gherardo
• Murrella Parton*, Amy Joy Stephens^ as Nella
• Daniel Roger Lefebvre Chaitkin as Gherardino
• John Siarris*, Antonio Cruz^ as Betto di Signa
• Michael Hyatt as Simone
• Zane Hill as Marco
• Briana Moynihan as La Ciesca
• Antonio Cruz*, John Siarris^ as Maestro Spinelloccio
• Miles Wilson-Toliver as Ser Amantio di Nicolao
• Joshua Cook as Pinellino
• De’Ron McDaniel as Guccio

* Thursday, March 22 & Saturday, March 24
^ Friday, March 23 & Sunday, March 25

PERFORMANCE TIMES

• 8 p.m. Thursday, March 22
• 8 p.m. Friday, March 23
• 8 p.m. Saturday, March 24
• 2 p.m. Sunday, March 25

LOCATION
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village,
University of Cincinnati

PURCHASING TICKETS
Tickets are $31-35 for adults, $22-25 for non-UC students and $18-21 for UC students with a valid ID. Student rush tickets will be sold one hour before each performance to non-UC students for $12 or $15, based on availability. UC students can receive one free student rush ticket with a valid ID, based on availability.

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/mainstage/gianni-schicchi-suor-angelica.

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 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
Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s
Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal
Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith

CCM Mainstage Opera Presents Puccini’s ‘Suor Angelica’ and ‘Gianni Schicchi’

CCM’s Sesquicentennial Mainstage Series presents a pair of operas with music by Giacomo Puccini and librettos by Giovacchino Forzano on March 22-25, 2018 in Patricia Corbett Theater. Suor Angelica‘s tragic story focuses on a young nun who is serving penance for conceiving an illegitimate child, while Gianni Schicchi is a comedic opera about a family who tries to alter a large inheritance to their favor.

CCM graduate students are directing each production; Meredith Kitz directs Suor Angelica, while Andreas Hager directs Gianni Schicchi. CCM Director of Orchestra Studies Mark Gibson conducts the opera double bill.

“Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi work well together because they are so different,” Hager says. “The former takes religion and social order very seriously, while the latter completely skewers the awful and rich Donati family. In Suor Angelica, God is the moral compass, but Gianni Schicchi is about flesh and desire, with both the good and bad urges in every human.”

The unique challenges of Gianni Schicchi are twofold, according to Hager; even though the opera is only about an hour long, it is vocally demanding of its leading singers, and those who play members of the Donati family music be completely coordinated with one another for long periods of time. In this way, the family acts as one large, nearly farcical character.

“We’re lucky at CCM to have students with the musical training to negotiate the complicated ensembles and the physical and mental stamina to execute precise comedic timing, often running around the stage at full speed — literally like chickens at one moment,” Hager says.

“The cast has been so supportive of each other, and they have been coming to rehearsal with a complete willingness to play. For me, that’s the essential ingredient to creating a Gianni Schicchi that is funny, moving and perhaps even a bit profound.”

Suor Angelica will last 1 hour and will be followed by a 15-minute intermission. Gianni Schicchi will last 1 hour.
____________________

Creative Team:

• Mark Gibson, conductor
• Meredith Kitz, director (Suor Angelica)*
• Andreas Hager, director (Gianni Schicchi)*
• Theron Wineinger, scenic designer*
• Oliver Tidwell Littleton, lighting designer*
• Rin Marie Schwob, hair and make-up designer*
• Sidney Martin, props master*
• Hankyu Lee, sound designer*
• Chelsea D. Taylor, stage manager (Suor Angelica)*
• Margo Leist, stage manager (Gianni Schicchi)*
• Ashley Trujilo, costume designer*
• Marie-France Lefebvre, musical preparation

*CCM student

Cast Lists:
SUOR ANGELICA

• Caitlin Gotimer*, Nicolette Book^ as Sister Angelica
• Amber Fasquelle*, Karis Tucker^ as The Princess
• Brenda Iglesias-Zarco as The Abbess
• Briana Moynihan as The Monitress
• Mia Athey as The Mistress of the Novices
• Claire Lopatka*, Allison Anderson^ as Sister Genovieffa
• Hannah Consenz as Sister Osmina
• Madeline Jentsch as Sister Dolcina
• Rebecca Printz as The Nursing Sister
• Amber R. Monroe as Alms Sister 1
• Victoria Okafor as Alms Sister 2
• Amanda Olea as Novice
• Yewoon Yeon as Lay Sister 1
• Natalie Sheppard as Lay Sister 2
• Mercer May Barton as Griffin

GIANNI SCHICCHI

• Jonathan Stinson*, Samson McCrady^ as Gianni Schicchi
• Teresa Perrotta*, Lisa Rogali^ as Lauretta
• Brandon Scott Russell*, Chandler Johnson^ as Rinuccio
• Rebecca Printz*, Abigail Hoyt^ as Zita
• Dongwhi (Tony) Baek*, Tyler Jonson^ as Gherardo
• Murrella Parton*, Amy Joy Stephens^ as Nella
• Daniel Roger Lefebvre Chaitkin as Gherardino
• John Siarris*, Antonio Cruz^ as Betto di Signa
• Michael Hyatt as Simone
• Zane Hill as Marco
• Briana Moynihan as La Ciesca
• Antonio Cruz*, John Siarris^ as Maestro Spinelloccio
• Miles Wilson-Toliver as Ser Amantio di Nicolao
• Joshua Cook as Pinellino
• De’Ron McDaniel as Guccio

* Thursday, March 22 & Saturday, March 24
^ Friday, March 23 & Sunday, March 25

Performance Times

• 8 p.m. Thursday, March 22
• 8 p.m. Friday, March 23
• 8 p.m. Saturday, March 24
• 2 p.m. Sunday, March 25

Location
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village,
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets are $31-35 for adults, $22-25 for non-UC students and $18-21 for UC students with a valid ID. Student rush tickets will be sold one hour before each performance to non-UC students for $12 or $15, based on availability. UC students can receive one free student rush ticket with a valid ID, based on availability.

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/mainstage/gianni-schicchi-suor-angelica.

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 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
Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s
Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal
Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith
____________________

Story by CCM Graduate Student Alexandra Doyle

CCM’s 2017-18 Season Brochure Now Available In Print and Online

Welcome to CCM’s Sesquicentennial Performance Season!

This season, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) celebrates the 150th anniversary of its founding with an unparalleled series of performances and special events designed to highlight a tradition of innovation and excellence dating back to 1867.

The history of CCM’s success involves three institutions separate in their origins but united by a common cause: the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the College of Music of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati. Sometimes partners and sometimes rivals, these three institutions would eventually join forces to establish one of the world’s premier schools for the performing and media arts.

In the year ahead, we will look back on CCM’s illustrious history, celebrate the careers of our impressive alumni and showcase the talents of our incredible students and faculty members. We look forward to welcoming you to the CCM Village to experience our ongoing history, the artistry of our alumni and a chance to experience the stars of tomorrow.

Download a digital copy of CCM’s 2017-18 brochure today (7.1 MB). Physical copies are also available at the CCM Box Office.

Subscription and flex ticket packages are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. For more details about CCM’s 2017-18 performance schedule, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 or visit ccm.uc.edu.

Learn more about CCM’s Sesquicentennial by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/notations-ovations/sesquicentennial-celebration.

This is our story. This is your season.
Join us for a celebration 150 years in the making!

CCM Celebrates 150th Anniversary With Must-See Mainstage Series

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) marks the 150th anniversary of its founding with a year-long Sesquicentennial Celebration beginning in the fall of 2017. Commemorating a tradition of innovation and excellence dating back to the founding of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1867, CCM’s Sesquicentennial programming includes eight must-see masterworks presented as part of the 2017-18 Mainstage Series.

Click the graphic for more information.

Between Sept. 27, 2017, and April 14, 2018, CCM’s stars of tomorrow and world-class faculty and staff members will stage eight diverse productions. This year’s Mainstage Series includes cherished classics like William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide and Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar.

CCM’s Sesquicentennial lineup also includes an opera double-bill featuring Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica, two mixed-repertoire ballet productions and the Mainstage Series debuts of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ Seussical and Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information.

The Mainstage Series is just one part of the yearlong CCM Sesquicentennial Celebration, which will also include world premieres, guest artist performances, a series of off-campus concerts and a one-of-a-kind alumni showcase event. For an initial overview of CCM’s 150th anniversary programming, please visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/notations-ovations/sesquicentennial-celebration.

The complete 2017-18 Mainstage Series lineup is listed below. Titles and dates are subject to change – rights pending. For the most current calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

Additional Information
Single tickets go on sale beginning Sept. 5, 2017, but subscribing is the best way to guarantee your seats for CCM’s Mainstage Series! Fully customizable renewal subscriptions are on sale now with priority seating before July 7, 2017. Subscription packages for new subscribers go on sale July 10, 2017.

To order subscriptions, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 or boxoff@uc.edu.
____________________

CCM’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY MAINSTAGE SERIES
Acting, Musical Theatre, Opera, Dance

HAMLET
Written by William Shakespeare
Susan Felder, director

CCM’s anniversary season opens with one of Shakespeare’s most classic tragedies. Hamlet returns from college to find something rotten in his hometown. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues between Hamlet and his uncle, the King. Shakespeare’s thriller plunges audiences into the madness of family disillusionment, lost romance, betrayal, murder, suicide and the existential question of what it means to be human. “What a piece of work is a man!”

Performance Dates: Sept. 27 (preview), Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2017
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
_____

SEUSSICAL
Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Co-conceived by Eric Idle
Based on the works of Dr. Seuss
Vince DeGeorge, director and co-choreographer
Luke Flood, musical director
Christopher Kelley, co-choreographer

The CCM Sesquicentennial celebrates the work of distinguished alumnus Stephen Flaherty (BM Composition, 1982)! Now one of the most performed shows in America, Seussical is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza. The Tony Award-winning team of Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Anastasia, Once on This Island, Ragtime) have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and a little boy with a big imagination – Jojo. This colorful cast of characters transports us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.

Performance Dates: Oct. 19-22 and Oct. 25-29, 2017
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
_____

CANDIDE
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Book by Hugh Wheeler, after Voltaire
Lyrics by Richard Wilbur, Stephen Sondheim, John La Touche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein
Mark Gibson, conductor
Emma Griffin, director

Now lauded as one of Bernstein’s most characteristic theatrical creations, CCM’s stars of tomorrow proudly present Candide as part of a world-wide celebration leading up to Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday. CCM’s highly innovative staging of the opera utilizes a stark, one-room set design that leans into the theatricality of the show. The artistry of CCM students and Leonard Bernstein’s extraordinary score will guide audiences’ imagination as they journey through Voltaire’s “best of all possible worlds” with verve and satirical humor. Presented in conjunction with the official Leonard Bernstein at 100 centennial celebration.

Performance Dates: Nov. 16-19, 2017
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
_____

THE ART OF MOTION
Jiang Qi and Deirdre Carberry, co-directors
Alexandria Black, conductor

CCM’s Department of Dance opens this anniversary season with a concert of mixed repertoire featuring the enchanting The Little Mermaid choreographed by guest artist and Missouri Ballet Theatre director Adam Sage with music by Léo Delibes and Antonín Dvoràk. The concert also showcases Paquita (Act II) with music by Ludwig Minkus, restaged by Deirdre Carberry. Additional highlights include the world premiere of Shaker Loops, choreographed by André Megerdichian and featuring music by John Adams performed by CCM’s Café MoMus ensemble. This premiere will also include an illuminated collaboration with DAAP faculty member Henry Hildebrandt.

Performance Dates: Nov. 30-Dec. 3, 2017
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
_____

LOVE AND INFORMATION
Written by Caryl Churchill
Brant Russell, director

Described by the New York Times as “thought-churning” and “deeply poignant,” Love and Information premiered in London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2012. In this fast-moving kaleidoscope, more than 100 characters try to make sense of what they know. The play explores the prevalence of technology in today’s culture, the thirst for knowledge and the importance of human connection.

Performance Dates: Feb. 7 (preview), Feb. 8-11, 2018
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
_____

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Diane Lala, director and choreographer
Roger Grodsky, musical director

What’s the buzz? The first musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to be produced for the professional stage, Jesus Christ Superstar has wowed audiences for over 40 years. A timeless work, the rock opera is based on the last week of Jesus’ life. Set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally-known series of events, the story is told through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. A true global phenomenon, the iconic 1970s rock score contains such well-known numbers as “Superstar,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Gethsemane.”

Performance Dates: Feb. 22-25 and Feb. 28-March 4, 2018
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
_____

OPERA DOUBLE BILL: GIANNI SCHICCHI & SUOR ANGELICA
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giovacchino Forzano
Mark Gibson, conductor
Andreas Hagar, director (Gianni Schicchi)
Meredith Kitz, director (Suor Angelica)

The CCM Sesquicentennial pairs two of Puccini’s most popular operas for one can’t-miss Mainstage Series production! CCM’s stars of tomorrow present the farcical Gianni Schicchi and the moving Suor Angelica as a double-bill highlighting Puccini’s mastery of emotional storytelling.

Performance Dates: March 22-25, 2018
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
_____

LEGENDS OF DANCE
Jiang Qi, director
Aik Khai Pung, music director and conductor

Celebrate spring’s arrival with the CCM Ballet Ensemble as they present an exciting mixed bill accompanied by the CCM Concert Orchestra. The program includes one of the most celebrated excerpts in all classical ballets, “The Kingdom of the Shades” from La Bayadére, staged by CCM faculty member Deirdre Carberry with music by Ludwig Minkus. In addition, guest artist Pablo Francisco Ruvalcaba will restage José Limón’s masterful A Choreographic Offering set to music by J. S. Bach. The program’s rousing finale features The Sleeping Beauty (Act III), after Marius Petipa’s classical ballet with music by Tchaikovsky.

Performance Dates: April 12-14, 2018
Location: Corbett Auditorium
____________________

Mainstage Series Subscriptions
The 2017-18 CCM Mainstage Series of acting, musical theatre, opera and dance productions includes subscription packages for combinations of six-or-more shows, four-shows or three-shows.

Renewal subscription packages are on sale now. CCM’s fully customizable subscription packages range in price from $69 – $188. Subscribers to CCM’s 2016-17 Mainstage Series can receive priority access to seating by renewing their subscriptions by July 7, 2017.

Subscription packages for new subscribers go on sale July 10, 2017. Single tickets go on sale beginning Sept. 5, 2017.

To order subscriptions, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183.

CCM Sesquicentennial Performances and Concert Series Options
CCM will present additional special events and public performances celebrating its Sesquicentennial throughout the 2017-18 concert season. As the largest single source of performing arts events in Ohio, CCM will also present its typical lineup of chamber music, choral, jazz, orchestra, percussion, piano and wind ensemble concerts each season.

Beginning in January of 2018, the CCM Sesquicentennial will celebrate Leonard Bernstein’s centennial with a collection of performances by students and faculty artists from throughout the college. Subscribers get first access to the Leonard Bernstein Experience, which includes concerts and special events held in the spring and fall of 2018 as part of a world-wide celebration of Bernstein’s 100th birthday.

CCM’s Mainstage subscribers receive priority access to the Bernstein Experience, Ariel Quartet subscription packages, CCM Concert Series flex ticket packages, prepaid parking and other exclusive perks.

Full programming and package details for CCM’s Sesquicentennial Special Event Series, 2017-18 Ariel Quartet Series and Concert Series will be announced in July. Visit ccm.uc.edu for more information.
____________________

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

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

CCM Alumnus Carmon DeLeone Celebrated at Carnegie Theater on May 22

CCM alumnus and former faculty member Carmon DeLeone.

Our friends at the Carnegie Theatre in Covington, Kentucky, will honor distinguished CCM alumnus Carmon DeLeone (BM, 1964; BS, 1965; MM, 1967) and his storied career in Cincinnati with a special program entitled Birdie to Brice: 50 Years of Carmon DeLeone at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22.

With DeLeone at the podium, this concert will feature his Middletown Symphony Orchestra in an evening of musical theatre favorites including selections from Bye Bye Birdie, Funny Girl and Man of La Mancha.

Distinguished CCM alumnus and Tony nominee Lee Roy Reams (BM, 1964; MA, 1982; HonDoc, 1998) will also be featured on the program.

Tickets to 50 Years of Carmon DeLeone are on sale now through the Carnegie Box Office. Call 859-957-1940 or click here for details.

CCM’s Undergraduate Voice Students Shine in ‘Serse’

One of Handel’s most performed operas comes to life at the hands of talented undergraduate students when CCM presents the annual Opera d’arte production on March 30 and 31 in the Cohen Family Studio Theater. Admission is free but reservations are required.

The CCM Undergraduate Opera program’s 2010 and 2011 productions were both recognized by the National Opera Association‘s Annual Production Competition. The 2012 production of Serse is conducted by Brett Scott with stage direction by Kenneth Shaw.

CCM Alumna Featured in L.A. Times

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

CCM alumna Cameron Anderson is certainly making a name for herself in the design world today. Anderson, who received her MFA in Scenic Design from CCM in 2002, has since designed for over 50 productions spanning dance, opera, theatre and other concerts. Her work has graced the stage in productions by Roundabout Theater, San Francisco Opera Center, Wolf Trap Opera and Glimmerglass Opera, to name but a few.

CCM Wins Big in National Opera Association Production Competition

Photography by J.T. Rooney, 2010.

The National Opera Association has announced the results of its 2009-2010 Opera Production Competition and CCM’s Mainstage and Studio Series of Operas have received some of the competition’s highest honors.