CCM Opera Presents Two One-Acts by Kurt Weill and Paul Hindemith in Free Production Oct. 24 – 26

CCM’s Department of Opera will present a mini recreation of the legendary Baden-Baden Contemporary Music Festival of 1927 with a cabaret lab production running Friday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Oct. 26 in the Cohen Family Studio Theater.

Like all Studio Series productions, admission to Baden-Baden 1927 is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 20.

During the original composer-organized summer festival, which occurred in Baden-Baden, Germany, in 1927, four one-act operas were presented in one evening. CCM’s recreation will present two of these mini-operas: Kurt Weill’s Mahagonny Songspiel and Paul Hindemith’s Hin und Zurük (There and Back). Despite being nearly 100 years old, each of these pieces will resonate with audiences today.

According to graduate student Frances Rabalais (AD Opera, Stage Directing) who is directing Baden-Baden 1927 under the guidance of CCM Assistant Professor of Opera/Directing Emma Griffin, post-Word War I Germany was a time and place of great artistic exploration as artists rejected past understanding and searched for new ways to ask, “How can we use art to better society? How can we find new ways [to involve] the audience in a fulfilling opera experience?”

“The intimacy of a smaller venue like the Cohen Family Studio Theater is thrilling and special,” says Rabalais. “The audience can experience the art in a way that’s very personal.” A single piano accompanist will compliment the talented singers in both performances. Baden-Baden 1927 features musical preparation by graduate student Levi Hammer (DMA, Orchestral Conducting), under the guidance of Junghyun Cho. Hammer and Kihwa Kim provide accompaniment.

This up-close performance is an especially unique experience because the pieces by Hindemith and Weill contrast both stylistically and narratively. Hin und Zurük is a kind of dramatic palindrome, a tragedy unfolds involving jealousy, murder and suicide. It is then replayed with the lines sung in reverse order to produce a happy ending. “Mahagonny Songspiel takes a dark approach to tackling questions about society and authority,” says Rabalais. Visually, the pieces will be styled similarly and use the same scenic elements. “I think the unified look will heighten the contrasting strengths and emphasize the stylistic impact of each opera,” explains Rabalais.

CCM Announces Fall 2014 Calendar of Major Events

Click on the image above to view CCM’s Fall 2014 Calendar Booklet.

This fall, CCM will present more than 100 public performances, ranging from faculty and guest artist concerts to fully staged opera, musical theatre, drama and dance productions. You can learn more about our performance schedule below or you can stop by the CCM Box Office and pick up a copy of our Fall 2014 Calendar of Major Events!

Download a copy of CCM’s Fall 2014 Calendar of Major Events today. Physical copies are also available at the CCM Box Office.

Single tickets for CCM’s Mainstage and Concert Series performances go on sale today! Subscription and flex ticket packages are also still available.

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.

Event Information
All events listed below take place on the campus of the University of Cincinnati unless otherwise indicated. Please see individual event information for single ticket prices and ordering information. All event dates and programs are subject to change.

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 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.

CCM Announces 2014-15 Studio Series of Opera, Musical Theatre, Drama and Dance

With free admission and limited seating, CCM’s innovative and award-winning Studio Series remains one of the hottest tickets in Cincinnati.

This season’s Studio Series includes eight exciting productions showcasing CCM’s “rising stars.” The series opens in October with the energetic musical Blood Brothers and concludes in April with the profoundly funny drama You’re Welcome (A Cycle of Bad Plays).

Other highlights include Monteverdi’s masterful opera The Coronation of Poppea in February and the Dance Department’s annual Student Choreographer’s Showcase in March.

CCM Slideshows: Don Carlos

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CCM’s 2013-14 Concert Series opened in grand fashion this past Sunday with the American premiere of the uncut 1867 Paris Opera version of Giuseppe Verdi’s Don Carlos.

In her review for ConcertoNet: The Classical Music Network, Mary Ellyn Hutton called the performance “an amazing accomplishment” and remarked that “the voices were uniformly outstanding.”

In his review for Seen and Heard International, Rafael de Acha observed, “The CCM orchestra and choruses do top-notch work in this challenging and lengthy assignment, playing passionately and when needed providing grounding accompaniment for the singers.”

Our Concert Series continues this week with an “Anniversary” themed performance by the CCM Wind Orchestra on Friday, Sept. 27, and a CCM Jazz tribute to the Rolling Stones on Sunday, Sept. 29.

For a complete calendar of events or to view CCM’s 2013-14 season brochure, visit ccm.uc.edu.

UC’s College Conservatory of Music – Define Your Inspiration

CCM’s Concert Series Opens With Verdi’s ‘Don Carlos,’ Wind Orchestra’s ‘Anniversaries’ Concert and a CCM Jazz Tribute to the Rolling Stones!

The CCM Philharmonia. Photography by Dottie Stover.

This Sunday, Sept. 22, is not only the first day of fall… it’s also the official beginning of CCM’s 2013-14 Concert Series!

CCM’s Orchestras, Choral Ensembles and special guests join forces to usher in the season in grand style with an epic concert production of Verdi’s Don Carlos on Sept. 22. Learn more about the two-part concert production of Don Carlos here.

Next Friday, Sept. 27, the Wind Orchestra celebrates the centenary of Morton Gould’s birth, the bicentenary of Richard Wagner’s birth and several other “musical milestone” anniversaries in a stylistically diverse concert performance. Learn more about “Anniversaries” here.

Finally, on Sunday, Sept. 29, CCM’s Jazz Ensembles celebrate 50 years of “the world’s greatest rock and roll band” with a jazz tribute to the Rolling Stones, featuring dynamic new arrangements by guest artist Matt Harris. Learn more about “Satisfaction – The Music of the Rolling Stones.” here.

Single tickets and flex ticket packages are on sale now. Contact the Box Office at 556-4183 or order your tickets online here.

CCM’s Wind Orchestra Showcases Musical ‘Anniversaries’ During Sept. 27 Concert

The CCM Wind Orchestra, with faculty members Terence Milligan (far left) and Glenn D. Price (far right). Photography by Dottie Stover.

The CCM Wind Orchestra opens its 2013-14 concert series with a program of musical “Anniversaries” at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, in Corbett Auditorium.

The CCM Wind Orchestra, under the direction of Professor Glenn D. Price, is poised to deliver an evening of rich music featuring compositions by Schoenberg, Woolfenden, Gould, Wagner and Hindemith. Stylistically diverse, the pieces are tied together by shared anniversaries. For example, 2013 marks the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner’s birth, the 100th anniversary of Morton Gould’s birth and the 30th anniversary of Guy Woolfenden’s composition, Gallimaufry.

Most notably, the concert will showcase “Symphony in B-flat” by Paul Hindemith, a brilliant cornerstone of the wind repertoire written in 1951. In addition, graduate student Thanapol Setabrahmana guest conducts Gould’s “West Point Symphony,” a compelling patriotic piece and a tribute to the US military.

The audience will also hear Arnold Shoenberg’s majestic “Fanfare on Motifs from Die Gurrelieder,” which he composed for the Hollywood Bowl Concerts in 1945. The program is rounded out by Wooflenden’s well known Gallimaufry, inspired by Shakespeare’s Henry IV, and Wagner’s somber Trauermusik, written for the funeral of Carl Maria von Weber based on themes from Weber’s opera, Euryanthe.

In addition to the Wind Orchestra’s “Anniversaries” concert on Sept. 27, CCM will also celebrate both the bicentenary of Wagner and the centenary of Benjamin Britten with a series of concerts, opera productions, film screenings and guest lectures scheduled for October and November. For more information about these and other events, refer to CCM’s fall calendar of events by visiting uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=18322.

CCM Winds Concludes Fall Concert Series This Week

CCM Winds' 2010 Prism XIII Concert

CCM’s Wind Symphony and Wind Ensemble bring their fall concert series to a close with two performances this week.