CCM Slideshows: Green Day’s American Idiot

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CCM’s Mainstage Series continues tonight through next Sunday, March 13, with a raucous production of Green Day’s hit rock opera, American Idiot.

Directed by Aubrey Berg with musical direction by Steve Goers, American Idiot portrays a disaffected generation’s search for meaning in a post-9/11 America.

• Read Kirk Sheppard’s review of the show for The Sappy Critic here.
• Read Rick Pender’s preview of the show for Cincinnati CityBeat here.
• Listen to a preview of the production courtesy of WVXU here.
• Check out our behind-the-scenes look at the set design for American Idiot here.

American Idiot contains mature subject matter, including references to drug use, sexual content and profanity. Tickets are still available for select performances. Learn more about the production here.

Performance Times

• 8 p.m. Friday, March 4
• 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5
• 2 p.m. Sunday, March 6
• 8 p.m. Thursday, March 10
• 8 p.m. Friday, March 11
• 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 12
• 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13

Location
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to American Idiot are $31-35 for adults, $20-24 for non-UC students and $18-22 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 at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/mainstage/american-idiot.

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

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Community Partner: ArtsWave

American Idiot is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 | Phone: 212-541-4684 | Fax: 212-397-4684 | http://www.MTIShows.com

A Discussion With ‘American Idiot’ Set Designer Thomas Umfrid

The curtain rises on CCM’s production of Green Day’s punk rock-opera American Idiot  at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, but the behind-the-scenes work has been going on for months. Much of the design process for a musical must be completed before actors even step into the rehearsal hall, but the work doesn’t end there. It continues all the way to opening night.

Thomas Umfrid, American Idiot set designer and Professor of Stage Design at CCM, is no stranger to the process. His career has taken him around the world, designing for opera, drama, musical theatre, dance and more. We were able to tear him away from his hectic schedule leading up to opening night to give us a little insight about his design.

Talk about the overall design for American Idiot and how you came up with it.

An image from ground zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack in New York City.

Director Aubrey Berg came up with the design concept, a lot of which is based on iconographic 9/11 imagery, which I then developed into the design.

This project has an overriding environmental conceit and isn’t supposed to be any particular time or place.  It’s a space that evokes a dark and pessimistic mood and serves the loosely episodic stage action.

The music and lyrics aren’t pretty or glamorous, they ’re down and dirty. So is the set.

How does the set help tell the story?

Although the story deals with events passing in time and inter-related characters, it doesn’t necessitate “in focus” scenic environments, time of day or symbolic references to actual places.

For example, the characters go to New York, but the city isn’t directly rendered in any particularly recognizable way. It could be any big western city where marginalized and drugged out suburban youth have fled to try and find themselves, and in so doing, get terribly lost in the process.

How close is the actual product on stage to the initial ideas?

There is always a natural, and expected, “page to stage” evolution of a set design from the scale model and mechanical drawings to the real thing sitting on stage.

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My student, staff and faculty colleagues have done an incredible job of developing and translating Aubrey’s and my ideas to the stage. When the cast moves into the theater and begins to explore the, at times, 28 foot high stage after weeks of rehearsal in a rather neutral and barrier free rehearsal hall, I’ll have a much better idea of how successful we’ve been in translating our ideas to the stage. This is always a crucial and exciting phase of any show.

What was most important to you to convey through the set?

I hope the audience will be subconsciously affected by the environment and, rather than notice anything in particular about the set, have a visceral reaction as they experience the show as a whole entity.
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American Idiot runs March 3 – 13 at CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater. This production contains mature subject matter, including references to drug use, sexual content and profanity. 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/american-idiot.

CCM’s Mainstage Series production of Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ plays March 3 – 13, 2016.

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

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Community Partner: ArtsWave

American Idiot is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 | Phone: 212-541-4684 | Fax: 212-397-4684 | www.MTIShows.com

CCM Pushes Boundaries With Green Day’s Punk Rock Musical ‘American Idiot,’ March 3 – 13, 2016

From left to right, Louis Griffin, Ben Biggers, John Battagliese and Chris Collins-Pisano in CCM’s production of AMERICAN IDIOT. Photo by Mark Lyons.

CCM proudly presents the first local production of Green Day‘s iconic musical American Idiot from March 3 – 13 in Patricia Corbett Theater. The through-sung rock opera is directed by Patricia A. Corbett Distinguished Chair of Musical Theatre Aubrey Berg with musical direction by Adjunct Instructor of Musical Theatre Steve Goers.

Although many think of Broadway musicals as saccharin sweet, there have been shows throughout the decades that have burst onto the scene, changing theatre forever and defining a generation.

“In 1944, Leonard Bernstein’s ‘On The Town’ brought fresh faces and a jazz-inflected score to Broadway. My generation grooved to the sound of ‘Hair.’ In the 90s there was ‘Rent’ by Jonathan Larson, and for the current generation, it is ‘American Idiot’,” says Berg.

A high octane adaptation of Green Day’s 2004 Grammy-winning concept album of the same name, American Idiot features a raucous and exhilarating punk rock score yet offers a simple, contemporary fable in the style of the Brothers Grimm. Three disaffected young men – Johnny, Will and Tunny – plan to flee a stifling suburban lifestyle and parental restrictions. Along the way they deal with drugs, lost love, war, inner turmoil and living in an America that is forever changed and roiled by dark events, including the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the Iraq War.

Making sure CCM’s production reflects the style and temperament of the current generation was important to Berg. “American Idiot is a musical by the young, for the young,” he says. To keep the presentation authentic, Berg surrounded himself with a creative team of students. His associate director and choreographer, Tom Meglio and Samantha Pollino respectively, are both graduating seniors and are the perfect candidates to help shape this production.

“American Idiot was one of our generation’s very first artistic expressions of events that are ever present in our consciousness because, for the very first time, our generation can say: we lived them,” Meglio and Pollino suggest.

CCM’s production is set three years before the release of the album in the aftermath of the events of 9/11. Meglio and Pollino explain, “We wanted to create an atmosphere of immediacy, to highlight the themes of the show as a response to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and explore the period of upheaval that immediately followed.”

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Great theatre can delight and entertain, but it can also challenge audiences to confront their own closely held views and perceptions. American Idiot deals with potentially incendiary subjects. The show is loud, abrasive and confrontational. The language is raw and constant. There is simulated sex and simulated drug use. The musical presents an uncompromising view of a dystopian America, but it is also a foray into the psyche of a young generation struggling to make sense of its place in the world at a particular moment in time.

“In addition to ‘rocking out,’ we ask the audience to take a moment to connect with, reflect on and embrace this piece as a raw fragment of history presented with the utmost respect and many unanswered questions,” Meglio and Pollino conclude.

CCM’s production of American Idiot is not recommended for children or those easily offended.

Music by Green Day
Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer

The Company

• Ben Biggers as Johnny
• John Battagliese as St. Jimmy
• Clara Cox as Whatsername
• Chris Collins-Pisano as Will
• Shauna Topian as Heather
• Louis Griffin as Tunny
• Cameron Anika Hill as Extraordinary Girl

• with Kyra Christopher, EJ Dohring, Joel Flynn, Ciara Alyse Harris, Marissa Hecker, Tyler Jent, Phillip Johnson, Chris Kelley, Stavros Koumbaros, Jackson Matteck, Emily Ashton Meredith, Hamilton Moore, Anya Olsen, Alex Stone, Donelvan Thigpen, Madelaine Vandenberg and Keaton Whittaker.

The Creative Team

• Aubrey Berg, director
• Stephen Goers, musical director
• Samantha Pollino, choreographer
• Thomas C. Umfrid, scenic designer
• CJ Mellides, lighting designer
• Kevin Semancik, sound designer
• Jillian Coratti, costume designer
• Jillian Floyd, wig & make-up designer
• Tom Meglio, assistant director
• k. Jenny Jones, fight choreographer
• Jenny Rissover, stage manager
• Tom Kitt, musical arrangements and orchestrations

Performance Times

• 8 p.m. Thursday, March 3
• 8 p.m. Friday, March 4
• 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5
• 2 p.m. Sunday, March 6
• 8 p.m. Thursday, March 10
• 8 p.m. Friday, March 11
• 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 12
• 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13

Location
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to American Idiot are $31-35 for adults, $20-24 for non-UC students and $18-22 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 at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/mainstage/american-idiot.

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

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Community Partner: ArtsWave

American Idiot is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 | Phone: 212-541-4684 | Fax: 212-397-4684 | www.MTIShows.com

CCM Announces Spring 2016 Calendar of Major Events

CCM is delighted to announce its spring schedule of major events. The largest single source of performing arts events in the state of Ohio, CCM proudly presents 120 major public performances, lectures and showcases from Jan. 12 through May 7, 2016.

This spring’s lineup of major events includes faculty and guest artist concerts, fully supported theatrical productions, guest lectures and much more!

CCM also introduces a new addition to its concert offerings this spring: a collaboration with the national hunger relief initiative Music for Food to benefit the Freestore Foodbank. Join us on Feb. 28 and April 3 for the inaugural benefit performances coordinated by the Ariel Quartet and members of our Voice and Opera faculty. Bring a non-perishable food item or cash donation and enjoy a musical feast!

Download CCM’s Spring 2016 Calendar of Events now.

You can learn more about CCM’s spring schedule of performing and media arts events by referring to the list below or picking up a Spring 2016 Calendar of Major Events at the CCM Box Office.

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.

View a digital copy of CCM’s Spring 2016 Calendar of Major Events below or click on the image to the right to download a copy of our latest calendar booklet.

Event Information
All events listed here 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.

Purchasing Tickets
Unless indicated otherwise, tickets to CCM performances 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 SPRING 2016 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS

JANUARY

8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12
• Faculty Artist Series •
Alan Rafferty, cello
Sandra Rivers, piano
CCM piano faculty member Sandra Rivers joins Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra cellist and fellow faculty member Alan Rafferty to kick off the CSO’s two-year Brahms Fest. Johannes Brahms was composing music at the same time Cincinnati was being settled. This performance of the composer’s rich works for cello and piano sets the stage for the city-wide festival honoring the German roots of Cincinnati, and connecting Brahms’ music to the romance and intrigue of the architectural treasures of our city.  
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15
BOOM!
CCM Lighting Technology II Course Project
Prepare to be dazzled by the spectacular creations of CCM’s talented stage lighting, technical production and audio students as they come together to present performance art of robotic lighting and technical systems integration in this once-every-two-year event!
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE, but seating is limited and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

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4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17
• Faculty Artist Series •
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS PAT LINHART?
Patricia Linhart, soprano
Julie Spangler, piano
Luke Dumm, cello
Assisted by Musical Theatre seniors Hannah Kornfeld and Samantha Pollino
You’ve come to expect the unexpected from Pat and Julie. This year is no different! Join us for an afternoon of great fun and music from across the musical spectrum…and – of course – party favors!
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE

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CCM’s ‘Moveable Feast’ benefit event returns on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016!

6:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22
“MOVEABLE FEAST” BENEFIT EVENT
Experience the unparalleled magic of CCM Village as you sample performances by our “stars of tomorrow.” Create your own menu and timetable of artistic selections, including jazz, musical theatre, piano, opera, drama, dance, choral, orchestra, E-media video productions and much more! Your ticket will help the Friends of CCM continue to support the hopes and dreams of CCM students through student travel funds and scholarships.
Location: CCM Village
Tickets: Special ticket prices and limited seating. For more information, contact CCM External Relations at 513-556-2100.

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10:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 (Viewing only)
6 p.m.– 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 (Gala Showing)
THE TD&P 2016 PORTFOLIO SHOWCASE
Come see the spectacular work of CCM’s talented senior and master’s Theatre Design and Production (TD&P) students as they highlight their portfolios, websites and designs in this once-a-year event!
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater – Backstage Entrance
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25
• Faculty Artist Series •
Nathan Nabb, saxophone
Chialing Hsieh, piano
FRANCK/arr. FOURMEAU: Violin Sonata in A Major
ALBRIGHT: Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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Acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer joins CCM’s Ariel Quartet on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016.

8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26
• CCM String Quartet-in-Residence •
The Ariel Quartet
Featuring guest artist David Krakauer, clarinet
Named quartet-in-residence at CCM in 2012, the Ariel Quartet has quickly earned a glowing international reputation. After the success of the ensemble’s initial appointment, CCM has extended the Ariel Quartet’s residency through 2022… and that new era continues with this concert, complete with a guest appearance by famed clarinetist David Krakauer!
DEBUSSY: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10
WEBERN: Sechs Bagatellen, Op. 9
GOLIJOV: The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind
Feat. David Krakauer, clarinet
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $25 general, $15 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

The Ariel Quartet’s 2015-16 CCM concert series is made possible by the generous contributions of Anonymous, Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander, Mrs. William A. Friedlander, Dr. & Mrs. Randolph L. Wadsworth, Mr. & Mrs. J. David Rosenberg, Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen, Mr. & Mrs. Paul G. Sittenfeld and Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman.

Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Visiting Artist

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2:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29
• The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series •
ORCHESTRATIONAL SCENARIOS IN THE MUSIC OF SIBELIUS
Blair Johnston, Indiana University
Orchestration—and, with it, the roles that timbre plays in musical rhetoric, expressive trajectories, and the choices made by performers—deserves more attention from scholars than it has received. In an ongoing project, Blair Johnston is examining the rich ways that orchestrational choices in post-Romantic symphonic works interact with the “structures” described by more conventional music analysis, an area that features music-theoretic vocabularies that do not always allow for easy discussion of certain dimensions of sound—in broad terms, its shapes, its colors, its densities—that are especially essential in music from this era. This talk will explore this through the use of late symphonic works by Sibelius (excerpts from the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Symphonies and Tapiola), music in which complex approaches to musical form and material are fused to a highly individual orchestrational language—indeed, music in which there may be almost no line between form, material and timbre.
Location: Baur Room
Admission: FREE

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CCM Assistant Professor Amy Johnson in Arizona Opera’s production of ‘Salome.’ Photography by Tim Fuller.

8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29
• Orchestra Series •
THE GREAT DECADE IN OPERA: RICHARD STRAUSS’ SALOME (1905)
CCM Philharmonia
Featuring faculty artists Amy Johnson, Kenneth Shaw and Tom Baresel, guest artists Elizabeth Bishop and Allan Glassman, and student soloists
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
Emma Griffin, stage director
The capstone of CCM’s festival celebrating “The Great Decade,” Richard Strauss’ 1905 masterpiece Salome represents the epitome of pre-World War I decadence, opulence and extravagance. An adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s controversial stage work of the same name, this staging is an hour and a half of irresistible drama and ecstatic hyper-romanticism. It is a must see for opera fans, theatre enthusiasts and lovers of massive orchestral sound.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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CCM’s Steel Drum Band, performing at the annual Moveable Feast event; directed by Professor Russell Burge. Photography by Dottie Stover.

8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30
• Percussion Series •
A TRIP TO TRINIDAD AND BACK
CCM Steel Drum Band
Russell Burge, director
CCM’s Steel Drum Band presents an evening of the traditional music of Trinidad, along with pop, folk and reggae compositions.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31
• Winds Series •
CCM Chamber Players
Glenn D. Price, music director and conductor
Featuring the Torrential Saxophone Quartet
Featuring Philip Glass’ Glassworks and original works by CCM Composition students.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE

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7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31
• Jazz Series •
THE COMET’S TAIL: THE MUSIC OF MICHAEL BRECKER
CCM Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Lab Band
Scott Belck and Craig Bailey, conductors
One of the most influential saxophonists and composers of the last half of the 20^th century, Michael Brecker’s music runs the gamut from straight ahead to funk and beyond. Also featuring exciting original new works from CCM students, alumni and today’s hottest writers.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

FEBRUARY

8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2
• Orchestra Series •
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
CCM Concert Orchestra
Aik Khai Pung, music director and conductor
Featuring a new work by CCM student composer Xian Wang along with classic works from European composers!
WANG: New work TBA
Winner of the CCM Composition Competition
BARTÓK: Viola Concerto
HINDEMITH: Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Weber
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4
• Winds Series •
MASTERWORKS
CCM Wind Orchestra & Wind Ensemble
Glenn D. Price and Angela Holt, music directors and conductors
Featuring guest artist Craig Kirchhoff, conductor
J. S. BACH: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
SCHWANTNER: …and the mountains rising nowhere
IVES: Variations on “America”
Feat. Craig Kirchhoff
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8
• Faculty Artist Series •
Piotr Milewski, violin
Donna Loewy, piano
J. S. BACH: Adagio and Fugue in G Minor”(from Sonata No. 1, BWV 1001)
TCHAIKOVSKY: Meditation, Op. 42, No. 1
BRAHMS/JOACHIM: Hungarian Dance, WoO 1, No. 6
YSAŸE: Sonata, Op. 27, No. 6
WIENIAWSKI: Legende, Op. 17
LIPINSKI/MILEWSKI: Polonaise, Op. 7
PAGANINI: I Palpiti, Op. 13
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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Associate Dean R. Terrell Finney directs this beloved classic by Eugene O’Neill.

8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10 (preview)
8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11
8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14
• Mainstage Drama Series •
AH, WILDERNESS!
Written by Eugene O’Neill
R. Terrell Finney, director
Set in an idyllic Connecticut town during the Fourth of July weekend of 1906, Eugene O’Neill’s Ah, Wilderness! offers a tender portrait of small town family values, teenage growing pains and young love. Described as “a breath of fresh air” and “vividly alive” by the New York Post and nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival in both 1989 and 1998, this charming comedy is directed by CCM Professor Emeritus R. Terrell Finney.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Tickets: $27–31 adults, $17–20 non-UC students, $15–18 UC students

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

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8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13
• Choral Series •
HONEGGER’S JOAN OF ARC AT THE STAKE AND VERDI’S OVERTURE FROM GIOVANNA D’ARCO
CCM Philharmonia, Chamber Choir and Chorale; UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses; and Cincinnati Children’s Choir
Earl Rivers, conductor
Marcus Shields, stage director
CCM showcases the American university premiere of a staged concert production of Arthur Honegger’s 1938 Joan of Arc at the Stake (Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher), featuring Joan of Arc in the final moments of her life, with flashbacks to her trial and younger days. Actors, soloists, choristers and children play and sing multifaceted roles in Honegger’s borderline opera and oratorio of classical, popular and jazz styles. This program also features the Overture to Verdi’s take on the Joan of Arc story: 1845’s Giovanna d’Arco.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

Performance Sponsor: Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Foundation

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Daniel Weeks, Associate Professor of Music in CCM’s Department of Voice.

4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14
• Faculty Artist Series •
SONGS OF LOVE AND DEVOTION
Daniel Weeks, tenor
Donna Loewy, piano
DALBY: Excerpts from A Muse of Love
HOEKMAN: For the Most Improbable She
PREVIN: Is it for now?
MUSTO: Echo
BRAHMS: Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 57
CAPLET: Trois Poèmes de G. Jean-Aubry
ROYEN: Farewell Love
FAITH: If I were
HENNESSEY: I’ll Love You
GENDEL: Variation on a Lennon and McCartney Song
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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Assistant Professor Craig Bailey and the CCM Jazz Lab Band.

7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14
• Jazz Series •
THE GREAT JAZZ SAXOPHONE COMPOSERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
CCM Jazz Lab Band
Craig Bailey, conductor
Featuring music of artists such as Bobby Watson, Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz and Oliver Nelson, a chosen few who have influenced generations of jazz performers and composers through their playing AND composing.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15
• Faculty Artist Series •
Kurt Sassmannshaus, violin
Rohan DeSilva, piano
Featuring Gyuhyun Han, violin; Boyun Li, viola; and Christoph Sassmannshaus, cello
BEETHOVEN: Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 1, No. 3
DEBUSSY: Sonata in G Minor, L 140
DVOŘÁK: Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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6 p.m. Tuesday, February 16
• CCM Preparatory Department •
Cincinnati Youth Jazz Orchestra & Jazz Explosion
Jennifer Grantham and Matthew Holt, directors
The area’s most talented high school and middle school jazz musicians.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission:  FREE

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CCM’s famed Faculty Jazztet.

7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16
• Faculty Artist Series •
CCM FACULTY JAZZTET
CCM’s world-famous jazz faculty artists show off their skills with a set of cool charts and blazing solos!
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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UPDATE: Percussion Group Cincinnati’s Feb. 19 has been canceled.
8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19
• Faculty Artist Series •
PERCUSSION GROUP CINCINNATI
CCM faculty artists Allen Otte, Russell Burge and James Culley present an exciting concert featuring their own arrangement of Stockhausen’s Twelve Signs of the Zodiac as well as CCM alum Mark Saya’s new piece From the Book of Imaginary Beings.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21
• Studio Opera Series •
IL SIGNOR BRUSCHINO  
Music by Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa
Avishai Shalom, conductor
Frances Rabalais, director
A brilliant one-act operatic farce based upon the play Le fils par hasard, ou ruse et folie by Alissan de Chazet and E.T.M. Ourry, Il signor Bruschino features the traditional hallmarks of opera buffa: mistaken identity, star-crossed lovers, betrothed confusion and an ending that ties up all the loose ends. Relax your mind and enjoy a playful romp in a French castle!
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 15. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith
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7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20
• Greater Cincinnati Chinese Music Society Concert •
2016 CHINESE NEW YEAR CONCERT
CCM Philharmonia Orchestra
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
Join us as we usher in the “Year of the Monkey” at our annual Chinese New Year concert! CCM Philharmonia principal cellist Yijia Fang is featured as soloist in the classic Butterfly Lovers Concerto.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: Contact the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Music Society at 513-254-9402 or 513-328-8921 to order tickets.

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Professor Timothy Northcut and the CCM Brass Choir.

8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22
CCM Brass Choir
Timothy Northcut, music director
CCM’s nationally recognized brass ensemble performs classical, folk and popular selections, featuring Peter Graham’s On the Shoulders of Giants.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23
Composition Department Recital
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE

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2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26
• The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series •
MUSIC INHERITANCE AND HEREDITARY MUSICIANS: INDIA TODAY, THE WEST IN THE PAST
Daniel Neuman, University of California at Los Angeles
In this talk, Daniel Neuman considers the role of hereditary musicians in India in the recent past as well as today, as they become increasingly rare in the Hindustani classical music world. Some comparative gestures to Western classical music (and in particular J.S. Bach) highlight the important roles that genealogy, pedigree and biography play as different kinds of authentication markers and historical sources in each classical music practice.
Location: Baur Room
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26
• Orchestra Series •
PROKOFIEV AND SHOSTAKOVICH
CCM Concert Orchestra
Aik Khai Pung, music director and conductor
PROKOFIEV: Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Op. 60
PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto TBA
Featuring the winner of the CCM Violin Competition
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE

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7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27
• Jazz Series •
ESSENTIALLY ELLINGTON FESTIVAL: GALA CONCERT
CCM is honored to host its first annual “Essentially Ellington Festival” (sponsored by Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center)—a daylong event featuring the region’s top high school jazz ensembles. The gala concert will feature the competition’s Outstanding Ensemble winner as the opening act, with the CCM Jazz Orchestra following with a performance featuring a very special guest from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27
• Starling Series •
Starling Chamber Orchestra
Kurt Sassmannshaus, music director
Showcasing the superbly talented young students from the Starling Preparatory String Project.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28
MUSIC FOR FOOD – CCM BENEFIT CONCERT
The Ariel Quartet, Lydia Brown and Gwen Coleman Detwiler, series coordinators
CCM presents an exciting new chamber music series supporting Music For Food, a national musician-led initiative for local hunger relief. Concerts raise resources and awareness in the fight against hunger. CCM is pleased to partner on this series with the Freestore Foodbank, Cincinnati’s leading hunger relief organization. Bring non-perishable food items or a cash donation and enjoy a feast of chamber music favorites!
Location: Dieterle Vocal Arts Center, Room 300
Admission: Non-perishable food items or cash donation. Suggested donation: $20 general, $15 students.

MARCH

8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1
• CCM String Quartet-in-Residence •
The Ariel Quartet
Praised by the Wall Street Journal for its “consummate musicianship” and the New York Times for its “gift for filling the pristine structures of Classicism with fire,” the Ariel Quartet concludes its fourth concert series at CCM with works by a trio of heavyweight composers!
HAYDN: String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77, No. 2
BARTÓK: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7
BRAHMS: String Quartet, Op. 51, No. 2
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $25 general, $15 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

The Ariel Quartet’s 2015-16 CCM concert series is made possible by the generous contributions of Anonymous, Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander, Mrs. William A. Friedlander, Dr. & Mrs. Randolph L. Wadsworth, Mr. & Mrs. J. David Rosenberg, Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen, Mr. & Mrs. Paul G. Sittenfeld and Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman.

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8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 1
• Guest Artist Series •
Erinn Frechette, flute
Flutist Erinn Frechette of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra joins us for an evening of delightful music!
Location: Watson Hall
Admission: FREE

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From left to right, recent CCM graduates Eric Geil, Thomas Knapp, Dallas Padoven and Nate Irvin rehearsing ‘Holiday’ from ‘American Idiot.’

8 p.m. Thursday, March 3
8 p.m. Friday, March 4
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5
2 p.m. Sunday, March 6
8 p.m. Thursday, March 10
8 p.m. Friday, March 11
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, March 12
2 p.m. Sunday, March 13
• Mainstage Musical Theatre Series •
AMERICAN IDIOT
Book and lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Book by Michael Mayer
Music and lyrics by Green Day
Aubrey Berg, director
Steve Goers, musical director
Samantha Pollino, choreographer
The two-time Tony Award-winning hit musical American Idiot, based on Green Day’s Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album of the same name, boldly takes the American musical where it’s never gone before. Johnny, Tunny and Will struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world. When the three disgruntled men flee the constraints of their hometown for the thrills of city life, their paths diverge when Tunny enters the armed forces, Michael is called back home to attend familial responsibilities, and Johnny’s attention becomes divided by a seductive love interest and a hazardous new friendship. An energy-fueled rock opera, American Idiot features minimal dialogue and instead relies on the lyrics from Green Day’s groundbreaking album to execute the story line. This production contains mature subject matter, including references to drug use, sexual content and profanity.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Tickets: $31–35 adults, $20–24 non-UC students, $18–22 UC students.

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

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

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8 p.m. Thursday, March 3
8 p.m. Friday, March 4
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5
• Studio Dance Series •
DANCE STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHER’S SHOWCASE
Andre Megerdichian, director
Come experience the next generation of emerging choreographers as CCM dance majors take the stage with exciting and diverse new works.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 29. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

The Dance Department gratefully acknowledges the support of the Corbett Endowment at CCM.

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5 p.m. Saturday, March 5
• Starling Series •
Starling Showcase
Kurt Sassmannshaus, music director
CCM’s finest violin soloists from college and pre-college appear in performances with orchestra.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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4 p.m. Sunday, March 6
• Winds Series •
CCM Chamber Players
Glenn D. Price, music director and conductor
SAINT-SAËNS: Carnival of the Animals
VAN OTTERLOO: Sinfonietta
HINDEMITH: Kammermusik
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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NEW ADDITION
6 p.m. Sunday, March 6
• Guest Artist Series •
The U.S. Army Ground Forces Band’s “Forscom Four” Clarinet Quartet
The Army Ground Forces Band’s Clarinet Quartet performs works by Bernstein, Farrenc, Sayers and more.
Location: 3250 Mary Emery Hall
Admission: FREE

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7 p.m. Sunday, March 6
• Jazz Series •
SWING, SWING, SWING!!
CCM Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Lab Band
Scott Belck and Craig Bailey, conductors
Dust off your dancing shoes and get ready to jump, jive and wail to the classic big band hit parade of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Harry James and many more!
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

This concert is dedicated in memory of Lincoln “Link” Wendell Pavey, a long-standing CCM jazz supporter.

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TRANSMIGRATION, CCM Drama’s festival of student-created new works.

7 p.m. Thursday, March 10
7 p.m. Friday, March 11
7 p.m. Saturday, March 12
• Studio Drama Series •
TRANSMIGRATION 2016
A Festival of Student-Created New Works
Richard E. Hess, coordinator
Brant Russell, producer
TRANSMIGRATION, so named for “the movement from one place to another” or “the transition from one state of being to another,” is a festival of new works created by the acting students in CCM Drama. Six teams of actors craft and perform five original 30-minute shows. Performed simultaneously in different locations throughout CCM Village, TRANSMIGRATION will allow the audience to sample four different new works of their choosing in one spectacular evening. “Thanks to the drama program at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music,” observed CityBeat’s Rick Pender, “theater fans were offered a jolt of onstage vitality.”
Location: Various locations throughout CCM Village
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 7. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Drama Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub

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UPDATE: Brian Kane’s March 11 lecture has been canceled.
2:30 p.m. Friday, March 11
• The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series •
HEARING DOUBLE: JAZZ AND ONTOLOGY
Brian Kane, Yale University
Philosophers have often considered the ontology of music, worrying over the relation between works, scores and performances. Yet, surprisingly, jazz has not received the same consideration, even though jazz—where performances of works such as “standards” vary widely in their properties—represents an even more challenging ontological problem than found in classical music. In this talk, Brian Kane will argue for a non-essentialist, network-based ontology of jazz standards. This argument will depend on two basic operations—chains of replication and chains of nomination—that together provide a robust basis for judgments concerning a performance’s identity and individuation. Also, just as jazz is an exemplification of a network-based ontology of music, Kane will try to draw out some wider implications for the ontology of music more generally.
Location: Baur Room
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Friday, March 11
• Orchestra Series •
AMERICAN VOICES XVIII
CCM Philharmonia
Featuring faculty artist James Bunte, soprano saxophone
Also featuring recent music of faculty composer Douglas Knehans
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
CCM presents the world premiere of a new symphony by faculty artist Douglas Knehans, along with the exhilarating soprano saxophone concerto by Jennifer Hidgon and “Cruel Sister” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Julia Wolfe.
KNEHANS: Unfinished Earth
HIGDON: Soprano Sax Concerto
James Bunte, soloist
WOLFE: Cruel Sister
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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8 p.m. Friday, March 11
8 p.m. Saturday, March 12
2 p.m. Sunday, March 13
• CCM Opera d’arte – Undergraduate Opera Series •
MARIA STUARDA
Music by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Giuseppe Bardari
Brett Scott, music director and conductor
Amy Johnson, stage director
Kenneth Shaw, co-producer
One of the hallmarks of bel canto opera, Maria Stuarda is a story of intrigue, confrontation and tragedy loosely based upon the lives of Mary, Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart) and her cousin Queen Elizabeth I.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 7. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

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9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, March 12
OPERA SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION
Hear tomorrow’s opera stars today as CCM hosts its prestigious national competition, featuring current and new students vying for tuition scholarships and cash awards.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE

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CCM ensemble-in-residence the Cincinnati Children’s Choir.

4 p.m. Sunday, March 13
• CCM Ensemble-in-Residence •
TAPESTRY OF VOICES
Cincinnati Children’s Choir
Robyn Lana, music director
The CCM resident choirs of the award winning, internationally celebrated Cincinnati Children’s Choir will premiere new works in recognition of their 23rd season.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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8 p.m. Tuesday, March 15
• Winds Series •
THE MUSIC OF EUROPE
CCM Wind Orchestra
Featuring guest artist George Carpten, trumpet
Glenn D. Price, music director and conductor
STRAUSS: Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare
SWEELINCK: Variations on “Mein junges Leben hat ein End”
STRENS: Danse Funambulesque
PÜTZ: Trumpet Concerto
LUKAS: Musica Boema
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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8 p.m. Wednesday, March 16
• Winds Series •
A SPRING POTPOURRI
CCM Wind Ensemble
Featuring the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble with music director and conductor Ann Porter
Angela Holt, music director and conductor
Spring is in the air! Join the CCM Wind Ensemble and CYWE as they collaborate for a concert assortment of musical sounds and colors.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE

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NEW ADDITION
8 p.m. Wednesday, March 16
• Guest Artist Series •
The U.S. Army Band’s “Pershing’s Own” Woodwind Quintet
Location: Watson Hall
Admission: FREE

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7 p.m. Thursday, March 17
THE MUSICAL THEATRE SENIOR SHOWCASE
A Friends of CCM Benefit
Created and performed by the Class of 2016 in Musical Theatre
The Friends of CCM invite you to see our musical theatre stars of tomorrow in action at the 24^th edition of the “Not Famous Yet” showcase featuring the Class of 2016 prior to their New York City debut. The annual CCM Musical Theatre Young Alumni Award will be presented at the showcase.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Tickets: Special ticket prices and limited seating. For more information, contact CCM External Relations at 513-556-2100.

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

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2 and 7 p.m. Friday, March 18
THE DRAMA SENIOR SHOWCASE
Enjoy the talents of the CCM Drama Class of 2016 in their exciting industry showcase prior to their professional debuts in New York and Los Angeles. The performance will be followed by the 13^th annual DOLLY awards (recognizing excellence in the 2015-16 Drama Season) as well as a reception in the Baur Room.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Friday, March 18
• Orchestra Series •
Café MoMus
Aik Khai Pung, music director
Featuring the winners of the CCM Composition Competition.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE

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4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 19
THE MUSICAL THEATRE SENIOR SHOWCASE
Created and performed by the Class of 2016 in Musical Theatre
Our musical theatre stars of tomorrow in action at the 24^th edition of the “Not Famous Yet” showcase featuring the Class of 2016 prior to their New York City debut.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 14. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

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

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NEW ADDITION
8 p.m. Tuesday, March 29
• Bearcat Piano Festival •
Caroline Hong, piano
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Tuesday, March 29
SONIC EXPLORATIONS
Mara Helmuth, music director
Featuring an evening of electroacoustic and computer music by CCM students, faculty and guests.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Wednesday, March 30
• Choral Series •
UC MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CHORUSES
Christopher Albanese and Alex Sutton, conductors
Comprised of students from all 14 UC colleges, the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses and Cabaret Singers present a variety of classical, popular, folk and jazz works. The program will include a newly commissioned work from Daniel Elder titled The Brightest Heaven (with texts from Shakespeare’s Henry V) and highlights from the UC Choruses Spring Break Tour to Washington, D.C., featuring masterpieces by Bernstein, Dickau, Barber, Miller, Belen, Gibbs, Lang, Mendelssohn, Pergolesi, DeCormier, Nelson, Burchard, Sperry and Thompson.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE

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NEW ADDITION
7 p.m. Thursday, March 31
• Bearcat Piano Festival •
J.S. BACH: THE COMPLETE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER BOOK II
CCM Student Pianists
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

APRIL

2:30 p.m. Friday, April 1
• The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series •
SENSIBILITY TRIUMPHANT: C. P. E. BACH AND THE ART OF FEELING
Annette Richards, Cornell University
In Goethe’s Triumph der Empfindsamkeit (1777), sensibility, feeling and sympathy are brutally exposed as trivial obsessions with postures and props. Excess, bad taste and poor behavior are the focus of Goethe’s hilarious critique of the craze unleashed by his own Sorrows of Young Werther. Embodied in this strange and funny text is satire aimed not only at the cult of Empfindsamkeit and at the works of the artist himself, but also at the conspicuous blurring of public and private spheres, the untoward exposure of personal proclivities and private feeling. Given the ubiquitous textbook designation of C. P. E. Bach as the architect of the ‘Empfindsamer Stil’ in music, Dr. Annette Richards takes another look at what ‘Empfindsamkeit’ might mean, especially for the composer’s late keyboard works. By examining this music (along with then-contemporary views on humor, satire and other cultural elements), the audience may have to reconsider Bach’s own claims about the competing aesthetics of public and private music.
Location: Baur Room
Admission: FREE

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4 p.m. Sunday, April 3
MUSIC FOR FOOD – CCM BENEFIT CONCERT
The Ariel Quartet, Lydia Brown and Gwen Coleman Detwiler, series coordinators
CCM presents an exciting new chamber music series supporting Music For Food, a national musician-led initiative for local hunger relief. Concerts raise resources and awareness in the fight against hunger. CCM is pleased to partner on this series with the Freestore Foodbank, Cincinnati’s leading hunger relief organization. Bring non-perishable food items or a cash donation and enjoy a feast of chamber music favorites!
Location: Dieterle Vocal Arts Center, Room 300
Admission: Non-perishable food items or cash donation. Suggested donation: $20 general, $15 students.

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7 p.m. Sunday, April 3
• Piano Series •
PIANO-POW-LOOZA: STUDENT SHOWCASE
Andy Villemez and Sophie Wang, music curators
Come hear an all-star evening of performances by some of CCM’s most spectacular student pianists. Selected from CCM’s nearly 100 piano majors, these young artists will provide witty repartee and stunning performances, triumphantly helping us conclude a week of special events in our annual Bearcat Piano Festival!
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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8 p.m. Tuesday, April 5
Classical Guitar Ensemble
Clare Callahan, music director
Featuring solos, duos, trios and quartets by CCM’s classical guitar majors.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Thursday, April 7
8 p.m. Friday, April 8
2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 9
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
LYSISTRATA JONES
Lyrics and Music by Lewis Flinn
Book by Douglas Carter Beane
Emma Griffin, director
Danny White, musical director
Patti James, choreographer
The Athens University basketball team hasn’t won a game in 30 years. But when spunky transfer student Lysistrata Jones dares the squad’s fed-up girlfriends to stop “giving it up” to their boyfriends until they win a game, their legendary losing streak could be coming to an end. Adapted from Lysistrata, Aristophanes’ classic Greek comedy, Lysistrata Jones takes student activism to a whole new level and celebrates the journey of discovering and embracing who you truly are.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, April 4. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

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

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8 p.m. Friday, April 8
8 p.m. Saturday, April 9
2 p.m. Sunday, April 10
• Mainstage Opera Series •
THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN
Composed by Leoš Janáček
Libretto by Leoš Janáček (after Rudolf Tesnohlídek)
Mark Gibson, conductor
Vince DeGeorge, director
Based on the famous 1920s Czech comic strip and newspaper serial, The Cunning Little Vixen is Leoš Janáček’s symphonic celebration of the diversity and interdependence of all life. The opera, focusing on the lives of an aging Forester and an adventurous Vixen, tells the story of humans living long lives of quiet desperation along side animals interacting with each other in brutal harmony. It is a playful and heartbreaking tale of how life unfolds before us, circles around and reveals itself to be nothing more, nothing less, than a million little miracles. Sung in English, in a new singing translation by CCM Professor Emeritus David Adams.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $31–35 adults, $20–24 non-UC students, $18–22 UC students

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Opera Department Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith

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7 p.m. Sunday, April 10
• Jazz & Orchestra Series •
CHARLIE PARKER WITH STRINGS
CCM Jazz Orchestra and Concert Orchestra
Aik Khai Pung and Craig Bailey, conductors
Our annual collaboration between Jazz and Orchestra! Join us for an exciting night of orchestral jazz featuring music from the classic album Charlie Parker with Strings.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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7 p.m. Sunday, April 10
• Winds Series •
CONDUCTOR’S CHOICE
CCM Chamber Winds
Glenn D. Price, music director and conductor
Prof. Glenn Price journeys into his library of wind works to find some of his favorites to share!
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Monday, April 11
Composition Department Recital
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Tuesday, April 12
• Winds Series •
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
CCM Wind Ensemble
Angela Holt, music director and conductor
This is your opportunity to hear the creative minds of CCM’s composition students debut a variety of new music with help from the CCM Wind Ensemble – you will not want to miss out!
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Wednesday, April 13
• Winds Series •
SKETCHES
CCM Wind Orchestra
Glenn D. Price, music director and conductor
ZUK: Scherzo
TULL: Sketches on a Tudor Psalm
Feat. the winner of the CCM Wind Orchestra Young Artists Concerto Competition
MASLANKA: Give Us This Day
VALENCIA: Suite Colombiana No. 2
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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2:30 p.m. Friday, April 15
• The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series •
DOMENICO SCARLATTI, ESCAPE ARTIST: SIGHTINGS OF HIS “MIXED STYLE” TOWARDS THE END OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
Janet Schmalfeldt, Boston University
Location: Baur Room
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Friday, April 15
Percussion Ensemble
James Culley, music director
The CCM Percussion Ensemble presents a variety of modern chamber compositions from established composers such as Frederick Rzewski and Stuart Saunders Smith, as well as CCM student composers Hangrui Zhang, Nate May and Evan Williams.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE

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3 p.m. Sunday, April 17
• Jazz and Choral Series •
WYNTON MARSALIS’ ABYSSINIAN MASS: A GOSPEL CELEBRATION
CCM Jazz Orchestra and Chorale and Central State University Gospel Choir
Scott Belck, Brett Scott and Jeremy Winston, directors
Featuring guest artist Damien Sneed, conductor
Commissioned to celebrate the 2008 bicentennial of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church, Marsalis’ Mass is a landmark collaboration of jazz, gospel, instrumentals and vocals with “hand-clappin’” and “tambourine-slappin’,” reflecting the form of the African American church service.
Location: Zion Baptist Church, 630 Glenwood Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Visiting Artists

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4 p.m. Sunday, April 17
• Winds Series •
CCM Chamber Players
Glenn D. Price, music director and conductor
STRAVINSKY: L’histoire du soldat
PINKHAM: Music for an Indian Summer
LIGETI: Chamber Concerto
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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7 p.m. Sunday, April 17
Classical Guitar Chamber Music
Clare Callahan, music director
An evening of music for guitar with cello, violin, voice and other combinations.
Location: Watson Hall
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Monday, April 18
STAR QUALITY
CCM Brass Choir
Timothy Northcut, music director
CCM’s nationally recognized brass ensemble performs classical, folk and popular selections. This concert features brass students as soloists.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Wednesday, April 20
• Orchestra Series •
CAFÉ MOMUS PRESENTS THE 2016 CCM ORCHESTRAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION
CCM Philharmonia Orchestra
Mark Gibson, music director
This public reading by the CCM Philharmonia features new works by CCM students. The winning composer will write a new work for the 2016-17 CCM Orchestra Series.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Thursday, April 21
8 p.m. Friday, April 22
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23
• Studio Drama Series •
VERY DUMB KIDS
(formerly THE GREAT MAJORITY)
Written by Gracie Gardner
Brant Russell, director
Join us for a staged reading of an in-process play by rising New York star Gracie Gardner. Sarah Nehal was murdered while working as a correspondent in New Delhi while her college friends were at home in the U.S. watching TV on the internet and peddling their esoteric skill sets. One year after her funeral, the friends meet for their annual Fourth of July reunion. The play explores entitlement and how its effects are visited upon the disenfranchised as well as the privileged. But it’s also about empowerment. How do we live responsibly in an irresponsible universe? Join CCM Drama as we embark on a new play commissioning initiative: plays that speak to the unique experience that is being young in America; plays that are written for and about our students; plays that will go on to be produced by educational institutions and professional theatre companies all over the country; plays that will involve a new generation of artists and audiences. And you’ll be able to say you were there when it all started.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, April 18. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Drama Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub

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The CCM Ballet Ensemble presents ‘Swan Lake.’ Photography by Rene Micheo.

8 p.m. Friday, April 22
8 p.m. Saturday, April 23
2 p.m. Sunday, April 24
• Mainstage Dance Series •
SWAN LAKE
Composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Jiang Qi and Deirdre Carberry, co-directors
Aik Khai Pung, conductor
Tchaikovsky’s timeless ballet about love and magic returns to CCM in a fully staged spectacle! The young Prince Siegfried, disinterested in the potential wives that his mother has picked for him, heads into the woods to hunt one night and comes across a beautiful swan… who then turns into the maiden Odette! She tells him of the curse she and others have been placed under by the evil knight Rothbart, forcing them to become swans by day and human by night. Siegfried instantly falls in love, but will he and Odette be able to overcome the curse, or will Rothbart succeed in keeping his enchantment intact?
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $27–31 adults, $17–20 non-UC students, $15–18 UC students.

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

The Dance Department gratefully acknowledges the support of the Corbett Endowment at CCM.

Sponsors: Rosemary & Mark Schlachter, Teri Jory & Seth Geiger and Graeter’s

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7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23
• Choral Series •
MUSIC OF THE BARD IV – 400^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF SHAKESPEARE
CCM Chamber Choir and CCM Drama Department
CCM’s Department of Choral Studies culminates its two-year Shakespeare Quadricentennial, honoring the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s passing (April 23, 1616). The Chamber Choir performs music on Shakespeare texts with scenes presented actors from CCM’s Department of Drama. Featured are premieres of newly commissioned choral works on Shakespeare texts by American composers Ola Gjeilo, Dominick DiOrio, and Jake Runestad.
Location: Knox Presbyterian Church, Michigan and Observatory Avenues, Cincinnati, OH 45208
Admission: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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The Cincinnati Junior Youth Wind Ensemble.

7 p.m. Monday, April 25
• CCM Preparatory Department •
Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble & Jr. Wind Ensemble
Ann Porter and Jim Daughters, conductors
The area’s most talented middle and high school instrumentalists perform traditional and contemporary band music.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Wednesday, April 27
University of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Brian Diller, music director and conductor
Comprised of non-music majors, UC’s campus orchestra is designed to provide students with an opportunity to rehearse and perform orchestral repertoire.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE

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8 p.m. Wednesday, April 27
• CCM Preparatory Department •
CCM Prep Brass Choir
Paul Hillner, director
The area’s finest young brass musicians perform a concert of music composed and arranged for brass choir.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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7:30 p.m. Friday, April 29
7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30
• CCM Preparatory Department •
SPRING YOUTH BALLET CONCERT
CCM Preparatory Ballet Company
Jonnie Lynn Jacobs-Percer, director
The CCM Youth Ballet Companies feature talented students from ages nine through adults, performing traditional and contemporary works choreographed by CCM and CCM Prep faculty. 
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

MAY

2 & 5 p.m. Sunday, May 1
• CCM Ensemble-in-Residence •
CELEBRATE YOUTH!
Cincinnati Children’s Choir
Robyn Lana, music director
Celebrate spring and 23 years of choral artistry with the 450 members of the Cincinnati Children’s Choir, CCM Resident Choirs and Satellite Choirs.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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7 p.m. Thursday, May 5
7 p.m. Friday, May 6
3 p.m. Saturday, May 7
• CCM Preparatory Department •
MARY POPPINS, JR.
CCM’S Junior Musical Theatre Intensive Program
Dee Anne Bryll, director
Rebecca Childs, musical director
CCM Preparatory Department’s Junior Musical Theatre Program is proud to be included in a select group of pilot productions of Mary Poppins, Jr. Join the talented young actors ages 9–15 as they perform this “practically perfect” one-act version of the award winning musical. Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Disney film, this is a musical treat for the entire family.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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7 p.m. Saturday, May 7
• Starling Series •
Starling Chamber Orchestra
Kurt Sassmannshaus, music director
Showcasing the superbly talented young students from the Starling Preparatory String Project.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

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SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

CCM recognizes and thanks the following corporations, foundations and individuals for their generous support:

Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust
Scholarship and Resident Artist Sponsor

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
CCM/CSO Diversity Fellowship Sponsor

The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
Season Presenting Sponsor, Musical Theatre Program Sponsor & Event Sponsor

The Corbett Endowment at CCM
Dance Department Supporter
All-Steinway School Sponsor

ArtsWave
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
H. Wayne Ferguson Family Foundation
The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation
Frances R. Luther Charitable Trust
Community Partners

Macy’s
Mainstage Season Production Sponsor

Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal
Opera Department Sponsor

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

Anonymous
Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander
Mrs. William A. Friedlander
Dr. & Mrs. Randolph L. Wadsworth
Mr. & Mrs. J. David Rosenberg
Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen
Mr. & Mrs. Paul G. Sittenfeld
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman
Ariel Quartet Sponsors

Genevieve Smith
Opera Production Sponsor

Jan Rogers
Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation
Choral Studies Sponsors

Ms. Margaret A. Straub & Mr. Neil R. Artman
Studio Drama Series Sponsor

Rosemary & Mark Schlachter
Teri Jory & Seth Geiger
Graeter’s
Swan Lake Sponsors

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn
Orchestral Sponsor

Friends of CCM
The CCM Harmony Fund:  Challenging Hate and
Prejudice through Performing Arts
Event Sponsors

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A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, CCM is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

CCM’s 2015-16 Subscription Packages Are On Sale Now. Plan Your Season With Our New Brochure Today!

Established in 1867, the nationally ranked and internationally renowned University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music is a preeminent institution for the performing and media arts.

Click here to view CCM’s 2015-16 Season Brochure.

Each year, our talented young artists and world-class faculty and staff members collaborate on an unparalleled series of performing arts events.

This year, we proudly present over 50 major concert and theatre productions, ranging from all-time classics to modern Broadway blockbusters.

Whether you prefer charming operas or thrilling dramas, stunning symphonies or swinging jazz, old favorites or world premieres, there’s something for you at CCM this season.

Join us for a performance and see for yourself why critics and audiences alike can’t stop talking about our resident artists and “stars of tomorrow!”

Plan your season today by downloading a digital copy of CCM’s 2015-16 brochure. Physical copies are available at CCM’s Box Office, as well!

Subscription and flex ticket packages are on sale now. Single Concert Series and Ariel Series tickets go on sale beginning Aug. 24, 2015. Single Mainstage Series tickets go on sale beginning Aug. 31, 2015.

For more details about CCM’s 2015-16 performance schedule, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 or visit ccm.uc.edu.

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SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

CCM recognizes and thanks the following corporations, foundations and individuals for their generous support of $10,000 and above:

Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust
Scholarship and Resident Artist Sponsor

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
CCM/CSO Diversity Fellowship Sponsor

The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
Season Presenting Sponsor, Musical Theatre Program Sponsor & Event Sponsor

The Corbett Endowment at CCM
Dance Department Supporter & All-Steinway School Sponsor

ArtsWave
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
H. Wayne Ferguson Family Foundation
The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation
Frances R. Luther Charitable Trust
Community Partners

Macy’s
Mainstage Season Production Sponsor

Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal
Opera Department Sponsor

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

The Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander
Mrs. William A. Friedlander
Dr. & Mrs. Randolph L. Wadsworth
Mr. & Mrs. J. David Rosenberg
Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman
Ariel Quartet Sponsors

Jan Rogers
Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation
Choral Studies Sponsors

Ms. Margaret A. Straub & Mr. Neil R. Artman
Studio Drama Series Sponsor

____________________

A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, CCM is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

CCM Announces 2015-16 Mainstage Series of Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama and Dance

CCM is pleased to announce details for its 2015-16 Mainstage Series of opera, musical theatre, drama and dance productions. Between Sept. 30, 2015, and April 24, 2016, CCM’s stars-of-tomorrow will present seven masterworks for the stage under the guidance of its internationally acclaimed faculty artists.

These works include David Edgar’s epic drama Pentecost, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical Carousel, Franz Lehár’s comedic operetta The Merry Widow, Eugene O’Neill’s acclaimed coming-of-age story Ah, Wilderness!, Green Day’s iconic punk rock musical American Idiot, Janácek’s farcical opera The Cunning Little Vixen and Tchaikovsky’s beloved romantic ballet Swan Lake.

Production details are listed below. Details on subscription packages and single ticket sales will be announced this summer.

Visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/subscribe to register for CCM’s mailing list, and the Box Office will provide you with additional information on this year’s subscription options.

Additional Information
Titles and dates are subject to change—rights pending. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.
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CCM 2015-16 MAINSTAGE SERIES
Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama, Dance

Pentecost
Written by David Edgar
Richard E. Hess, director

A play of politics and ideas, Pentecost details the discovery of a painting stunningly similar to Giotto di Bondone’s The Lamentation in an abandoned church in Eastern Europe. If proven to pre-date the master’s work, the fresco will revolutionize Western Art. A dramatic power struggle ensues, as representatives from the worlds of art history, religion and politics stake their claims for the ultimate prize. The unexpected arrival of 12 refugees sets events spiraling toward an explosive climax. Described by the Daily Telegraph as “funny, frightening and deeply moving,” this powerful play by the Tony Award-winning adapter of Nicholas Nickleby and author of numerous plays won the Evening Standard Award for Best Play of 1995.

Performance Dates: Sept. 30 (preview), Oct. 1–4, 2015
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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Carousel
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on the play Liliom by Ferenc Molnar
As Adapted by Benjamin F. Glazer
Original Dances by Agnes de Mille
Diane Lala, director

Set in a Maine coastal village toward the end of the 19th century, Carousel is the story of carefree carnival barker Billy Bigelow and his reckless adventures with women, gambling and the wrong side of the law. Billy loses his job just as he learns that his wife is pregnant and, desperate to provide a decent life for his family, is coerced into being an accomplice to a robbery. Caught in the act and facing the certainty of prison, he takes his own life and is sent “up there.” 15 years later, Billy is allowed to return to earth for one day and encounters the daughter he never knew. How Billy instills in both the child and her mother a sense of hope and dignity is a dramatic testimony to the power of love. Declared “Best Musical of the Century” by Time Magazine in 1999, it’s easy to understand why Carousel became Rodgers and Hammerstein’s personal favorite.

Performance Dates: Oct. 29–Nov. 1, 2015
Location: Corbett Auditorium
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The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe)
Music by Franz Lehár
Libretto by Viktor Léon and Leo Stein
Emma Griffin, director

A 20th century opera molded in the tradition of the great opera seria of the 1700s, The Merry Widow tells a dizzying tale of star-crossed lovers and political intrigue in Paris. Baron Zeta of Pontevedro must prevent the wealthy widow Hanna Glawari from marrying a foreigner; if she does, all of her wealth will leave Pontevedro, thus bankrupting the country. Zeta urges Hanna’s former fiancée Count Danilovich (who pretends to not care for her anymore) to marry her, but Zeta’s wife pushes the flirtatious Camille de Rosillon to go after Hanna instead. Farcical confusion, romance and jealousy abound in this light-hearted romp. Sung in English.

Performance Dates: Nov. 19–22, 2015
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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Ah, Wilderness!
Written by Eugene O’Neill
R. Terrell Finney, director

Set in an idyllic Connecticut town during the Fourth of July weekend of 1906, Eugene O’Neill’s Ah, Wilderness! offers a tender portrait of small town family values, teenage growing pains and young love. Described as “a breath of fresh air” and “vividly alive” by the New York Post and nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival in both 1989 and 1998, this charming comedy is directed by CCM Professor Emeritus R. Terrell Finney.

Performance Dates: Feb. 10 (preview), Feb. 11–14, 2016
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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American Idiot
Book and lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Book by Michael Mayer
Music and lyrics by Green Day
Aubrey Berg, director

The two-time Tony Award-winning hit musical American Idiot, based on Green Day’s Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album of the same name, boldly takes the American musical where it’s never gone before. Johnny, Tunny and Will struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world. When the three disgruntled men flee the constraints of their hometown for the thrills of city life, their paths diverge when Tunny enters the armed forces, Michael is called back home to attend familial responsibilities, and Johnny’s attention becomes divided by a seductive love interest and a hazardous new friendship. An energy-fueled rock opera, American Idiot features minimal dialogue and instead relies on the lyrics from Green Day’s groundbreaking album to execute the story line.

Performance Dates: March 3–13, 2016
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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The Cunning Little Vixen (Príhody lišky Bystroušky)
Composed by Leoš Janácek
Libretto by Leoš Janácek (after Rudolf Tesnohlídek)
Vince DeGeorge, director

Based on a famous 1920s Czech comic strip, Janácek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen humorously explores the universal longing for youth. The three main characters – all older men – attempt to connect to their younger days through various means: one longs for a village girl, one obsesses over a childhood indiscretion and one chases a young vixen through the countryside. Will they continue to cling to their delusions? Or will their experiences help them come to terms with the inevitability of time? Sung in English.

Performance Dates: April 8–10, 2016
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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Swan Lake
Composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Jiang Qi, director

Tchaikovsky’s timeless ballet about love and magic returns to CCM in a fully-staged spectacle! The young Prince Siegfried, disinterested in the potential wives that his mother has picked for him, heads into the woods to hunt one night and comes across a beautiful swan…who then turns into the maiden Odette! She tells him of the curse she and others have been placed under by the evil knight Rothbart, forcing them to become swans by day and human by night. Siegfried instantly falls in love, but will he and Odette be able to overcome the curse, or will Rothbart succeed in keeping his enchantment intact?

Performance Dates: April 22–24, 2016
Location: Corbett Auditorium
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Mainstage Series Subscriptions
The 2015-16 CCM Mainstage Series of opera, musical theatre and drama productions includes subscription packages for six-show, four-show and three-show combinations. Subscribers also have the ability to add the Mainstage Series production of Swan Lake to any subscription package “a la carte.”

Full details on subscription packages and single ticket sales will be announced this summer. CCM’s customizable subscription packages range in price from $84 – $180. Current subscribers will get priority access to next season’s subscription packages.

Visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/subscribe to register for CCM’s mailing list, and the Box Office will provide you with additional information on this year’s subscription options.
____________________

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

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Community Partner: ArtsWave
____________________

A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio.

Titles and dates are subject to change—rights pending. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.

CCM Snags the Award-Winning Punk Rock Musical ‘American Idiot’ for An Exciting and Eclectic 2015-16 Mainstage Series

From left to right, CCM graduating seniors Eric Geil, Thomas Knapp, Dallas Padoven and Nate Irvin rehearsing “Holiday” from American Idiot. This song is also featured in CCM’s New York Musical Theatre Showcase later on this semester.

CCM has secured the rights to present the Tony Award-winning musical blockbuster American Idiot as part of its 2015-16 Mainstage Series. Running March 3 – 13, 2016, in CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater, this will be the first local production of the acclaimed rock opera.

A critical smash on Broadway and in London, American Idiot is based on the Grammy Award-winning album of the same name by American punk rock band Green Day. The two-time Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of three disillusioned youths who are forced to choose between freedom and the safety of suburbia.

Inspired in part by such classic concept albums as The Who’s Tommy, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Jesus Christ Superstar, American Idiot premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2009 and finished its most recent national tour in May 2014. With a raucous and exhilarating punk rock score, American Idiot boldly takes musical theatre where it has never gone before. For both the students and the faculty members at CCM, the boundary-pushing nature of this contemporary musical perfectly complements the college’s educational mission.

“Our production philosophy in the Musical Theatre program is simple,” explains Aubrey Berg, CCM’s Patricia A. Corbett Distinguished Chair of Musical Theatre and the director of this upcoming production. “During the four years a student spends with us, they will be exposed to every kind of musical theatre work. In the last few years, we have undertaken shows as varied as the groundbreaking Oklahoma!, the fancy foot-work of Singin’ in the Rain, the moving spectacle of Les Misérables and the beloved childhood fantasy of Peter Pan. And that does not include our Studio Series, which features such cutting-edge works as Carrie and Blood Brothers. Forgotten musicals are also well represented in our Musicals Redux Series, which digs into the great storehouse of musical theatre history to find some lost gems.” Chairman of CCM’s Department of Musical Theatre since 1987, Berg received the League of Cincinnati Theatres Continuing Achievement Award and was inducted into the CEA Hall of Fame in 2010.

CCM Adjunct Instructor Stephen Goers will join Berg as musical director for this production. The two have frequently collaborated on such musical productions as Into the Woods, Carrie and, most recently, Les Misérables. Over the years, their work together has garnered a large number of local arts awards, including Best Direction, Best Musical Direction and Best Musical.

Taking on a 21st century musical is already proving to be an exciting prospect for students at CCM, many of whom grew up with the original American Idiot concept album, which was released in 2004.

“I think it’s so special to be part of a program that embraces new musicals as well as the classics, in order to provide the most well rounded education possible for its students,” says third-year musical theatre major Tom Meglio. “American Idiot already has everyone in CCM’s Division of Theatre Arts rocking out and ready for some Junior High nostalgia!”

Classmate Taylor Alexander agrees: “The original Green Day album was a groundbreaking staple to our generation with its unique view on youth in America. The whole campus is going to be pumped to hear music we all grew up listening to!”

Described by the New York Times as “invigorating, moving and thrilling… a true rock opera,” American Idiot features a book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer, lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong and music by the band Green Day. The score features the hits “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “21 Guns,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “Holiday” and the iconic title track.

CCM will announce its entire 2015-16 Mainstage Series lineup in March of 2015. Running from October of 2015 through April of 2016, the series will include two operas, two musicals, two dramas and one story ballet.

Details on subscription packages and single ticket sales will be announced this summer. Visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/subscribe to register for CCM’s mailing list, and the Box Office will provide you with additional information on this year’s subscription options.

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

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Community Partner: ArtsWave

American Idiot is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 | Phone: 212-541-4684 | Fax: 212-397-4684 | http://www.MTIShows.com
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A preeminent institution for the performing and media arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio.

Titles and dates are subject to change. For a complete calendar of events, please visit us online at ccm.uc.edu.