CCM, Cincinnati Opera Co-host Free Performance of ‘Intimate Apparel’ Nov. 14

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and Cincinnati Opera’s Opera Fusion: New Works program presents a free performance of excerpts from new American opera Intimate Apparel at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 14 in the Cincinnati Club’s Oak Room.

‘Intimate Apparel’ composer Ricky Ian Gordon.

Tickets are available now though the Cincinnati Opera box office by calling 513-241-2742 or visiting cincinnatiopera.org.

Opera Fusion: New Works is currently providing a 10-day workshop for Intimate Apparel, which is composed by Ricky Ian Gordon to a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage. The new opera is commissioned by The Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater’s New Works Program.

The workshop is directed by Robin Guarino, CCM’s J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair, and conducted by Timothy Myers, the artistic and music director of North Carolina Opera. Paul Cremo, dramaturg and director of opera commissioning programs for the Metropolitan Opera, will be the dramaturg for the workshop.

‘Intimate Apparel’ playwright, Lynn Nottage.

Adapted by Nottage from her prize-winning 2003 play of the same name, Intimate Apparel tells the story of Esther, a 35-year-old seamstress in 1905 New York City. Esther sews lingerie for a living, interacting with a wealthy Fifth Avenue wife, a Tenderloin prostitute, and a Jewish fabric merchant on the Lower East Side, with whom she shares a closeness that cannot be pursued further because of his religion. Esther embarks on a letter-writing relationship with a Panama Canal laborer, leading to marriage and ultimately heartbreak, but she maintains her strength of character and determination to make a better life for herself.

Learn more about Intimate Apparel at cincinnatiopera.org.

About Opera Fusion: New Works
Funded by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Opera Fusion: New Works is a groundbreaking joint program of Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music created in 2011 to foster the development of new American operas. The program offers composers or composer/librettist teams the opportunity to workshop an opera during a 10-day residency in Cincinnati, utilizing the talent, personnel and facilities of both organizations. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists, and each workshop concludes with a public performance. The program is led by co-artistic directors Marcus Küchle, Director of Artistic Operations of Cincinnati Opera, and Robin Guarino, the J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair of Opera at CCM. In 2015, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation renewed the program’s funding, allowing for a second cycle of six workshops over three years.

In 2011, Opera Fusion: New Works awarded its first workshop to composer Douglas J. Cuomo and librettist John Patrick Shanley in support of their new opera Doubt, which premiered at Minnesota Opera in January 2013. In 2012, Opera Fusion: New Works provided workshops for Champion, by composer Terence Blanchard and librettist Michael Cristofer, which premiered at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in June 2013; and Morning Star, by composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist William M. Hoffman, which premiered at Cincinnati Opera in June 2015. In 2013, the residency went to Fellow Travelers, by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Greg Pierce, which premiered at Cincinnati Opera in June 2016. In 2014, the program invited composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally to workshop Great Scott, which premiered at the Dallas Opera in October 2015. For the final workshop of the original six-workshop grant, the residency was awarded to Meet John Doe, with music and libretto by the late Daniel Catán. The first workshop of the second grant cycle was given in October 2015 to Shalimar the Clown, by composer Jack Perla and librettist Rajiv Joseph, which premiered at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in June 2016.

Most recently Opera Fusion: New Works presented excerpts from new American opera Some Light Emerges on September 22, 2016. Composed by Laura Kaminsky to a libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, Some Light Emerges was originally inspired by the creation of Houston’s iconic Rothko Chapel by philanthropist and art collector Dominique de Menil.

Opera Fusion: New Works Lab Presents
Intimate Apparel
Composed by Ricky Ian Gordon
Libretto by Lynn Nottage
Co-artistic Directors Robin Guarino and Marcus Küchle
Robin Guarino, director
Paul Cremo, Dramaturg
Timothy Meyers, conductor

Performance Time
7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14

Location
The Cincinnati Club’s Oak Room
30 Garfield Place, Cincinnati OH 45202

Reserving Tickets
Admission to Intimate Apparel is free, but reservations are required. Please contact the Cincinnati Opera box office for tickets by calling 513-241-2742 or visiting cincinnatiopera.org.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

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

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith

CCM’s Studio Opera Series Presents ‘Bright Eyed Joy!’ Nov. 4-5

‘Bright Eyed Joy!’ composer Ricky Ian Gordon.

This release has been updated. Click here to read the current version.

CCM’s Studio Opera Series presents Bright-Eyed Joy!, a free cabaret of songs by Ricky Ian Gordon, which opens at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 4 and continues through Saturday, November 5 in the Cohen Family Studio Theater. Tickets to this free production become available on Monday. October 31 through the CCM Box Office.

As one of the county’s most popular and respected composers of art song, Ricky Ian Gordon is a living legend. Bright-Eyed Joy! features his recently composed songs as well as arias from Gordon’s two acclaimed operas, Grapes of Wrath and Morning Star.

The songs tell relatable stories of survival, inspiration and hope. Gordon has been actively collaborating with the CCM students in this production, and he personally hand-selected the program’s songs for each individual singer.

This will be the second instance in which CCM opera students have performed Gordon’s music. In December 2012, students had the rare opportunity to perform in a workshop of Gordon’s Morning Star, as part of the Opera Fusion: New Works initiative with the Cincinnati Opera. Morning Star later premiered at Cincinnati Opera in June 2015.

Oussama Zahr of Opera News praised Gordon for his diverse and “distinctive style — one that seems effortlessly to combine Broadway clarity, art-song melodies and jazzy flourishes with a sophisticated approach to harmony.”

Zahr wrote that Gordon’s Grapes of Wrath, based on John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name, “has many of the qualities you’d expect from an acclaimed opera in a tonal palette — abundant melody, shining orchestrations — but it is Gordon’s lyrical exuberance that stands out as uniquely his own.”

The audience can expect nothing less from Bright-Eyed Joy!, which opens at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 4 and continues through Saturday, November 5. Admission is free, but tickets are required. They often sell out quickly, so visit our guide to Studio Series tickets for tips and tricks to secure your seats.

CCM students will have an additional opportunity to work with Gordon later this month in the next installment of Opera Fusion: New Works. The 10-day workshop culminates in a free performance of excerpts from the composer’s newest opera, Intimate Apparel at 7:30 p.m. on November 14 at the Cincinnati Club, 30 Garfield Place, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

Program
Once I Was
Morning Star
Poor Girl’s Ruination/The Dream Keeper
Hallie Ann
Souvenir
Afternoon on a Hill
Otherwise
Resume/Wail/Frustration
To the Maid of Orleans
The Spring and the Fall
I Seen Snow
Being Small
Home of the Brave
Bound to Be
Kid in the Park
When Sue Wears Red
Joy
New Moon

Cast List
TJ Capobianco
Eric Heatley
Chandler Johnson
DeRon McDaniel
Briana Moynihan
Fotina Naumenko
Gabriella Sam
Paulina Villarreal

Accompanists
Maria Fuller
John Combs

Performance Times
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5

Location
Cohen Family Studio Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Admission
Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 31. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor & Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

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

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith

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Story by CCM Graduate Student Charlotte Kies

CCM Announces 2016-17 Studio Series of Opera, Musical Theatre, Dance and Acting Productions

All-time favorites and daring new works receive equal billing during CCM’s 2016-17 Studio Series. This year’s 13-part series of performing and media arts events features an eclectic mix of opera, musical theatre, dance and acting productions, all featuring CCM’s acclaimed “stars-of-tomorrow.”

CCM’s Studio Series opens with Elizabeth Swados’ RUNAWAYS, co-produced with Know Theatre of Cincinnati.

Season highlights include Elizabeth Swados’ powerful and rarely-seen musical Runaways co-produced with Know Theatre of Cincinnati and two world-premieres produced by the Opera Fusion: New Works Lab in partnership with Cincinnati Opera.

CCM’s Department of Musical Theatre also presents the world-premiere of a musical revue showcasing the work of legendary Broadway collaborators Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. Devised and directed by Aubrey Berg, the Patricia A. Corbett Distinguished Chair of Musical Theatre at CCM, They Were You: The Songs of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt features songs from throughout the celebrated duo’s oeuvre.

This year’s lineup also includes the return of two popular festivals, the 48-Hour Film Festival and the TRANSMIGRATION Festival of Student-Created Plays.

CCM’s Studio Series runs from Sept. 21, 2016, through April 22, 2017. Please see below for full production and ticketing details.

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CCM’S 2016-17 STUDIO SERIES

8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21 (preview)
8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22
8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23
3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24
3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
A co-production between CCM and Know Theatre of Cincinnati
RUNAWAYS
Music, lyrics and book by Elizabeth Swados
Vince DeGeorge, director and choreographer
Luke Flood, music director
Runaways is a collage of songs, monologues and dances that captures the energy, courage and honesty of a group of teenagers who are running away “from home… from a boyfriend… from a predator… from themselves.” Created in 1977 by groundbreaking theatre artist Elizabeth Swados, Runaways was born from interviews and workshops that she held with children and young adults who were escaping from their deteriorating family lives. It is a challenging piece of theatre that ultimately celebrates the power of the imagination and the resilience of the human spirit.
Location: Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Admission: Ticket prices range from $15 – $25. Tickets available through the Know Theatre Box Office by calling 513-300-5669 or online at http://knowtheatre.com.

Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
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7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22
• Opera Fusion: New Works Lab •
A collaboration between CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera
Co-Artistic Directors Robin Guarino and Marcus Küchle
SOME LIGHT EMERGES
Composed by Laura Kaminsky
Libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed
Robin Guarino, director
Bradley Moore, conductor
Funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera present a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an original work! Presented in collaboration with Houston Grand Opera, Some Light Emerges takes its inspiration from the creation of Houston’s iconic Rothko Chapel by philanthropist and art collector Dominique de Menil.
Location: Cincinnati Club Oak Room, 30 Garfield Place, Cincinnati 45202
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available on Monday, Sept. 12. Please contact the Cincinnati Opera box office for tickets at 513-241-2742 or www.cincinnatiopera.org.
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8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5
8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8
2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
THEY WERE YOU: The Songs of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Aubrey Berg, director
Stephen Goers, musical arrangements
CCM proudly presents the world premiere of a musical revue showcasing the work of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. Devised and directed by Aubrey Berg with musical arrangements by Steve Goers, They Were You features songs from The Fantasticks, Celebration, 110 in the Shade, The Bone Room, Colette Collage and more. This revue celebrates Jones’ and Schmidt’s ability to reflect the human condition with humor, compassion and wry affection.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 3. 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. Thursday, Oct. 20
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22
• Studio Acting Series •
MIDDLETOWN
Written by Will Eno
Richard E. Hess, director
Middletown considers the strange beauty of life and its sometimes unbearable weight. Inspired by Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, the inhabitants of Middletown have a remarkable talent for articulating the hiccups of fear and anxiety in their souls with moving delicacy. The folks are friendly, and the view of star-dappled skies and modest homes is familiar and comforting. Welcome to Middletown.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 17. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub
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8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6
• Studio Opera Series •
BRIGHT-EYED JOY! A RICKY IAN GORDON CABARET
Composer Ricky Ian Gordon, one of America’s most respected composers of art song, opera and musical theatre, joins CCM’s Opera and Voice singers and pianists for an evening of his music. Come watch our “stars-of-tomorrow” work with a living legend!
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 31. 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. Monday, Nov. 14
• Opera Fusion: New Works Lab •
A collaboration between CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater’s New Works Program
Co-Artistic Directors Robin Guarino and Marcus Küchle
INTIMATE APPAREL
Composed by Ricky Ian Gordon
Libretto by Lynn Nottage
Robin Guarino, director
Paul Cremo, Dramaturg
Timothy Meyers, conductor
Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera present a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an original work! Adapted by Lynn Nottage from her prize-winning 2003 play of the same name, Intimate Apparel tells the story of Esther, a 35-year-old seamstress in 1905 New York City. Esther sews lingerie for a living, interacting with a wealthy Fifth Avenue wife, a Tenderloin prostitute and a Jewish fabric merchant on the Lower East Side, with whom she shares a closeness that cannot be pursued further because of his religion. Esther embarks on a letter-writing relationship with a Panama Canal laborer, leading to marriage and ultimately heartbreak, but she maintains her strength of character and determination to make a better life for herself.
Location: Cincinnati Club Oak Room, 30 Garfield Place, Cincinnati 45202
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Please contact the Cincinnati Opera box office for tickets at 513-241-2742 or www.cincinnatiopera.org.
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7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20
• E-Media/Acting Film Series •
THIRD ANNUAL CCM 48-HOUR FILM FESTIVAL
Join us for our annual celebration of original film work by students. After random team placement, student authors, actors, directors, editors and composers have 48 hours from 7 p.m. on Friday night to 7 p.m. on Sunday night to create finished original short films. At the close of the 48-hour period, audiences can join us in UC’s MainStreet Cinema to enjoy eight original short films by eight amazing teams.
Location: MainStreet Cinema, UC’s Tangeman University Center
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5
• CCM Opera d’arte – Undergraduate Opera Series •
ALBERT HERRING
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Eric Crozier, freely adapted from a story of Guy de Maupassant
Jesse Leong, conductor
Kenneth Shaw, director
Britten’s brilliantly witty score comes to life again at CCM, presented with the effervescence and energy unique to the outstanding young artists of Opera d’arte! Set in the small town of Loxford, in East Sussex, Albert Herring explores the themes of losing innocence and coming of age in the face of old fashioned morality and social stratification.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Jan. 30. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

This production of Albert Herring is presented in honor of Rafael and Kimberly de Acha

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

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith
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8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19
• Studio Opera Series •
TRANSFORMATIONS
Music by Conrad Susa
Libretto by Anne Sexton
Avishay Shalom, conductor
Emma Griffin, director
CCM’s Studio Series presents the Brothers Grimm fairy tales like you’ve never seen them before! This 1973 chamber opera, with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Anne Sexton, is darkly humorous with audaciously recounted tales, and filled with mid-20th-century references, both literary and musical. Based on Sexton’s acclaimed 1971 book of poems of the same name, Transformations promises to challenge audiences’ understanding of what “happily-ever-after” truly means. This production contains adult themes and is not recommend for young audiences.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Feb. 13. 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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8 p.m. Thursday, March 2
8 p.m. Friday, March 3
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, March 4
• Studio Dance Series •
DANCE STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHER’S SHOWCASE
André 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. 27. 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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7 p.m. Wednesday, March 8
7 p.m. Thursday, March 9
7 p.m. Friday, March 10
• Studio Acting Series •
TRANSMIGRATION 2017
A Festival of Student-Created New Works
Richard E. Hess and Brant Russell, producers
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 Acting. 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 [Acting] 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 6. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub
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8 p.m. Thursday, March 30
8 p.m. Friday, March 31
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, April 1
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
CHILDREN OF EDEN
Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Book by John Caird
Vince DeGeorge, director and choreographer
Steve Goers, musical director
From the composer of smash hits Wicked and Godspell comes a uniquely personal and intimate retelling of the biblical Genesis story. Through the narratives of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah and his family, this beloved 1991 musical explores the uniquely human trait to desire adventure but yearn for the comfort and safety of home, or, “Eden.”
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, March 27. 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. Thursday, April 20
8 p.m. Friday, April 21
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, April 22
• Studio Acting Series •
VERY DUMB KIDS
By Gracie Gardner
Brant Russell, director
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, her friends meet for their annual Fourth of July reunion. Very Dumb Kids explores entitlement and how its effects are visited upon the disenfranchised as well as the privileged. But it’s also about empowerment, exploring how to live responsibly in an irresponsible universe. Join CCM Acting as we embark on our 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 theater 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 17. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub
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Reserving Tickets
All Studio Series performances held in CCM’s Cohen Family Studio Theater are free and open to the general public, but reservations are required. Reservations can be made the Monday before each show by visiting the CCM Box Office in person or calling 513-556-4183. Limit two tickets per order.

For additional information on reserving tickets for CCM’s Studio Series, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/did-you-know/how-to-studio-series.

Some off-campus Studio Series productions require paid admission or reservations through a partner organization’s box office. Please refer to individual production listings for more information.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the 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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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 Fall 2016 schedule of Major Events

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is delighted to announce its fall schedule of major events. The largest single source of performing arts events in the state of Ohio, CCM proudly presents more than 100 major public performances from Aug. 29 through Dec. 11, 2016.

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

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

Click on the image above to view CCM’s Fall 2016 Calendar Booklet.

You can also view a digital copy of CCM’s Fall Calendar of Events by visiting ccm.uc.edu/content/dam/ccm/docs/boxoff/CCMFall2016CalendarBooklet.pdf.

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 in the event listings below, 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.

Subscription packages and concert series single tickets are on sale now! Single tickets for CCM’s Mainstage Series productions go on sale at noon on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016.

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 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 FALL 2016 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS

AUGUST

8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29
• Faculty Artist Series •
TIMMER AND FRIENDS
Timothy Northcut, tuba
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE
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SEPTEMBER

The Ariel Quartet, string quartet-in-residence at CCM.

8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
• CCM String Quartet-in-Residence •
The Ariel Quartet
Featuring faculty artist Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
Dubbed “rock stars of the classical scene” by the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Ariel Quartet’s four-part concert series at CCM begins with this concert, featuring a collaboration with renowned pianist Soyeon Kate Lee.
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1
JÖRG WIDMANN: String Quartet No. 3 (“Hunting”)
SCHUMANN: Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44
Featuring Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $25 general, $15 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

The Ariel Quartet’s 2016-17 CCM concert series is made possible by the generous contributions of Anonymous, The Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander, Mrs. William A. Friedlander, Dr. & Mrs. Randolph L. Wadsworth, Mr. & Mrs. Frank Bloom, Mr. & Mrs. J. David Rosenberg, Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen, Mr. & Mrs. Paul G. Sittenfeld, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman, Mr. & Mrs. Theodore W. Striker and The Thomas J. Emery Memorial.
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8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7
• Faculty Artist Series •
Alan Siebert, trumpet
Sandra Rivers, piano
A night of trumpet and piano, with selections by Joseph Turrin, George Gershwin, Robert Schumann, J.G.B. Neruda, Brendan Collins and others.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9
• The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series •
A LOOK INTO POLISH ART AND CULTURE
Halina Goldberg, Jacobs School of Music
Dr. Halina Goldberg, acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost experts on Polish music, will present a lecture on aspects of Polish art and culture.
Location: Baur Room
Admission: FREE

Polish Festival Sponsor: Judith Heiny and Piotr Chomczynski
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CCM’s renowned Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Mark Gibson.

8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9
• Orchestra Series •
POLISH FESTIVAL OPENING CONCERT
CCM Philharmonia
Featuring faculty artist Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
Join us as the acclaimed CCM Philharmonia commences a month-long Polish Festival featuring performances by student and faculty artists from throughout the college. The festival opening performances include the world premiere of a new work American Dreams, composed by accomplished CCM alumnus Piotr Szewczyk!
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21
Featuring Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
LUTOSŁAWSKI: Concerto for Orchestra
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

Polish Festival Sponsor: Judith Heiny and Piotr Chomczynski
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4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11
• Faculty Artist Series •
Marie-France Lefebvre, piano
Featuring Mark Gibson, piano; Donna Loewy, piano; and Nathaniel Chaitkin, cello
This program will include Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata, Op. 19, and Corigliano’s Gazebo Dances, along with works by Mozart and Schubert.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13
• Orchestra Series •
POLISH FESTIVAL
Café MoMus
Aik Khai Pung, music director
As part of the Polish Festival, Café MoMus will present works of Polish composers from three different generations: Krzysztof Penderecki, Bettina Skrzypczak and Artur Słotwiński. Join us for coffee and conversation with Artur Słotwiński and the musicians after the performance.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE

Polish Festival Sponsor: Judith Heiny and Piotr Chomczynski
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13
• Winds Series •
WITH LIBERTY & JUSTICE FOR ALL
CCM Wind Ensemble
Angela Holt, music director and conductor
Join us for our commemoration of America! For this concert, we are excited to bring together the talents of the CCM Wind Ensemble with voices from across the Greater Cincinnati area!
S. SMITH: The Star-Spangled Banner
CAMPHOUSE: A Movement for Rosa
MASLANKA: Testament
COPLAND: A Lincoln Portrait
STEFFE/WILHOUSKY: The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
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2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16
• The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series •
HOW THE GIVEN IS TAKEN: BABBITT, PRINCETON AND THE PSYCHOLOGIZATION OF POSTWAR AMERICAN MUSIC ANALYSIS
Stephen Peles, University of Alabama
The public controversy engendered by Babbitt’s call for a “scientific” music theory has tended to overshadow other more enduring aspects of his meta-theoretical program. This lecture argues for the significance to Babbitt’s legacy of his insistence on the centrality of the listener (real and imagined) to analytic claims.
Location: Baur Room
Admission: FREE
____

Members of CCM’s Wind Orchestra. Photography by Dottie Stover.

8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16
• Winds Series •
OLD AND NEW WORLDS
CCM Wind Orchestra
Terence Milligan, music director and conductor
STRAVINSKY: Symphonies of Wind Instruments
SAINT-SAËNS: Orient et Occident
SCHMITT: Dionysiaques
TORKE: The Kiss
TICHELI: Symphony No. 2
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
____

8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17
• Orchestra Series •
POLISH FESTIVAL
CCM Concert Orchestra
Aik Khai Pung, music director and conductor
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1
Featuring the winner of the CCM Piano Competition
GÓRECKI: Symphony No. 3 (“Symphony of Sad Songs”)
Featuring the winner of the CCM Voice Competition
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

Polish Festival Sponsor: Judith Heiny and Piotr Chomczynski
____

4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18
• Winds Series •
CCM Chamber Players
Terence Milligan, music director and conductor
SCHWANTNER: Music of Amber
MOZART: Serenade in E-flat Major, K. 375
HIGDON: Zaka
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE
____

CCM Jazz Faculty.

7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18
• Jazz Series •
POLISH FESTIVAL
CCM Jazz Orchestra and Faculty Jazztet
Featuring guest artist Włodek Pawlik, piano
Scott Belck, conductor
Join us as we celebrate the stunning music and musicians of Poland and feature Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and composer Włodek Pawlik as he performs his original compositions and arrangements.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

Polish Festival Sponsor: Judith Heiny and Piotr Chomczynski
____

The previously announced Daniel Weeks/Donna Loewy Faculty Artist Recital has been rescheduled for 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. The performance will remain in the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall.
8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19
• Faculty Artist Series •
DEVOTED, DELIGHTED, DEFUSED & DESPONDENT: A SONG RECITAL
Daniel Weeks, tenor
Donna Loewy, piano
Featuring songs by Quilter, Dubois, Donizetti, Totsi, Strauss and Liszt.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19
• Faculty Artist Series •
Allen Otte, Percussion
Featuring music written for Allen Otte by Rzewski, Schuette and Applebaum as well as original compositions by Otte himself!
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20
• Faculty Artist Series •
Mary Stucky, mezzo-soprano
Rodney Stucky, guitar and lute
Performing songs from the rich repertory of French, German, Spanish and English music for voice, guitar and lute.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20
• Faculty Artist Series •
Russell Burge, vibraphone
Steve Allee, piano
Original compositions and great American standards.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21 (preview)
8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22
8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23
2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24
3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25
• Studio Musical Theatre Series •
A co-production between Know Theatre of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
RUNAWAYS
Music, lyrics and book by Elizabeth Swados
Vince DeGeorge, director and choreographer
Luke Flood, music director
Runaways is a collage of songs, monologues and dances that captures the energy, courage and honesty of a group of teenagers who are running away “from home… from a boyfriend… from a predator… from themselves.” Created in 1977 by groundbreaking theatre artist Elizabeth Swados, Runaways was born from interviews and workshops that she held with children and young adults who were escaping from their deteriorating family lives. It is a challenging piece of theatre that ultimately celebrates the power of the imagination and the resilience of the human spirit.
Location: Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Admission: Ticket prices range from $15 – $25. Tickets available through the Know Theatre Box Office by calling 513-300-5669 or online at http://knowtheatre.com.

Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
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8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21
• Faculty Artist Series •
Mara Helmuth, composition
Pianists Shiau-uen Ding and Kristofer Rucinsky perform Helmuth’s All Alarms Sounding, a new work for two pianos and 8-channel electronics. This recital also features from O for two cellos and electronics, along with works from the Sonic Refuges projects, which was inspired by Helmuth’s trip to Australia.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
____

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22
• Opera Fusion: New Works Lab •
A collaboration between CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera
Co-Artistic Directors Robin Guarino and Marcus Küchle
SOME LIGHT EMERGES
Composed by Laura Kaminsky
Libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed
Robin Guarino, director
Bradley Moore, conductor
Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera present a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an original work! Presented in collaboration with Houston Grand Opera, Some Light Emerges takes its inspiration from the creation of Houston’s iconic Rothko Chapel by philanthropist and art collector Dominique de Menil.
Location: Cincinnati Club−Oak Room, 30 Garfield Place, Cincinnati 45202
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available on Monday, Sept. 12. Please contact the Cincinnati Opera box office for tickets at 513-241-2742 or www.cincinnatiopera.org.
____

8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22
• Guest Artist Series •
Shiau-uen Ding, piano
Guest artist Shiau-uen performs Philippe Manoury’s Pluton, with the assistance of special guest Miller Puckette, the associate director of the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts as well as a professor of music at the University of California San Diego.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
____

Photography by Andrew Higley.

4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25
• Choral Series •
FALL CHORAL SHOWCASE
CCM Chorale, Cincinnati Children’s Choir Bel Canto, UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses and guest choir Central State University Chorus
Andreas Herrmann, Robyn Lana, Kevin Coker, Alex Sutton and Jeremy Winston, conductors
This concert features the CCM Chorale in two German Romantic works, Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52 and Rheinberger’s Kyrie, conducted by Andreas Herrmann of the Hochschule für Musik of Munich, Germany. Highlights also include the Central State University Chorus in a variety of gospel music.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
____

4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25
• Faculty Artist Series •
Michael Chertock, piano
Featuring the music of Ravel, Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Messiaen.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26
A VIEW FROM THE EDGE
A showcase of music by CCM student composers.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE
____

The previously announced Thomas Baresel/Amy Johnson/ Kenneth Griffiths/Mark Gibson Faculty Artist Recital has been rescheduled for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. The performance will remain in the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall.
8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26
• Faculty Artist Series •
Thomas Baresel, tenor
Amy Johnson, soprano
Kenneth Griffiths and Mark Gibson, piano
Join us for an evening of art song featuring French duets by Hue, Duparc and Saint-Saëns and operetta duets by Lehár, Strauss and Milloeker, along with Alan Louis Smith’s Windows: Five Songs of Love and Rachmaninoff’s Songs, Op. 14, No. 1 and 2; and Songs, Op. 34, 10 and 12.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27
• Faculty Artist Series •
Commercial Music Production Faculty Concert
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
____

Romeo and Juliet preview photography by Mark Lyons.

8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28 (preview)
8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29
8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1
2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2
• Mainstage Acting Series • Ÿ
ROMEO AND JULIET
Written by William Shakespeare
Brant Russell, director
“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” William Shakespeare’s legendary tale of young love and bitter hatred returns to the CCM stage like you’ve never seen it before. Witness the deadly feud between the Montagues and Capulets in this subversive retelling of the Bard’s iconic story. It’s a comedy ­— until it’s not.
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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2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30
• The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series •
HEARING DOUBLE: JAZZ ONTOLOGY
Brian Kane, Yale University
Philosophers have often considered the ontology of music, worrying over the relation between works, scores and performances – yet jazz has not received the same consideration. This lecture argues for a non-essentialist, network-based ontology of jazz standards.
Location: Baur Room
Admission: FREE
____

OCTOBER

4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2
• Orchestra & Choral Series •
POLISH FESTIVAL CLOSING CONCERT
CCM Philharmonia, CCM Chamber Choir and Xavier University Concert Choir
Featuring faculty artist Daniel Weeks, tenor
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
MONIUSZKO: Overture to Halka
PENDERECKI: Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima
SKROWACZEWSKI: English Horn Concerto
SZYMANOWSKI: Symphony No. 3 in B-flat Major, Op. 27 (“Song of the Night”)
Featuring Daniel Weeks, soloist
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

Polish Festival Sponsor: Judith Heiny and Piotr Chomczynski
____

8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3
CELEBRATING 70 YEARS
CCM Brass Choir
Timothy Northcut, music director and conductor
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5
8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8
2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9
Studio Musical Theatre Series Ÿ
THEY WERE YOU: The Songs of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Aubrey Berg, director
Stephen Goers, musical arrangements
CCM proudly presents the world premiere of a musical revue showcasing the work of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. Devised and directed by Aubrey Berg with musical arrangements by Steve Goers, They Were You features songs from The Fantasticks, Celebration, 110 in the Shade, The Bone Room, Colette Collage and more. This revue celebrates Jones’ and Schmidt’s ability to reflect the human condition with humor, compassion and wry affection.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 3. 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
____

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7
CCM Percussion Ensemble
James Culley, music coordinator
The CCM Percussion Ensemble will present a variety of chamber works for percussion, stretching from the 1930s to the present, by composers John Cage, Gerald Strang, Lukas Foss, Frederic Rzewski and more, as well as works by CCM student composers.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
____

Guitar virtuoso Oscar Ghiglia.

4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9
• Guest Artist Series •
Oscar Ghiglia, guitar
Celebrating his 42^nd residency at CCM, virtuoso Ghiglia performs a solo recital of his concert favorites.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
____

7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9
• Jazz Series •
STILL LIFE TALKING: THE MUSIC OF PAT METHENY
CCM Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Lab Band
Scott Belck and Craig Bailey, conductors
A vibrant mixture of world music and jazz, Pat Metheny’s music is renowned for its sophistication, exotic rhythms and beauty. His long form compositions include everything from Brazilian to American pop to Country and Western and beyond.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
____

8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9
• Winds Series •
CCM Chamber Players
Terence Milligan, music director and conductor
MARTINŮ: Nonet
VARÈSE: Octandre
KURKA: The Good Soldier Schweik
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
____

7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11
• 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
____

8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11
• Winds Series •
HINDEMITH & CO.
CCM Wind Orchestra
Terence Milligan, music director and conductor
SCHOENBERG: Theme and Variations
HINDEMITH: Konzertmusik for Piano, Brass and Harps, Op. 49
GÁL: Promenadenmusik
HINDEMITH: Symphony in B-flat
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
____

8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12
• Winds Series •
THE LEAVES ARE FALLING
CCM Wind Ensemble
Angela Holt, music director and conductor
Presenting a collection of works that will capture the colorful sounds of the wind band.
BARNES: Symphonic Overture
DAHL: Sinfonietta
IVES: Country Band March
BENSON: The Leaves are Falling
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18
• Orchestra Series •
ACROSS THE POND
CCM Concert Orchestra
Aik Khai Pung, music director and conductor
WALTON: Johannesburg Festival Overture
ELGAR: Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 89
Featuring the winner of CCM cello competition
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Symphony No. 2 (“London”)
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
____

“A Chorus Line” preview photography by Mark Lyons.

8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22
2 & 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23
8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26
8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29
2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30
• Mainstage Musical Theatre Series Ÿ•
A CHORUS LINE
Conceived and originally directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett
Book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics by Edward Kleban
Diane Lala, director and choreographer
Roger Grodsky, musical director
A nine-time Tony Award-winner, and one of the longest running productions in Broadway history, A Chorus Line tells a strikingly honest tale about the backstage world of musical theatre as 17 dancers vie to make the final cut for the latest smash hit. As the auditions proceed, the diverse backgrounds and motivations of the hopefuls come to the fore, revealing stories that run the gamut of human experience and emotion as they all compete with and learn about one another. It is a process that will change them all forever… for better or worse. A Pulitzer Prize-winning fusion of dance, song and drama, A Chorus Line is a powerful metaphor for all human aspiration.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Tickets: $31–35 adults, $22–25 non-UC students, $18–21 UC students.

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

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s
____

8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21
2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22
• Studio Acting Series •
MIDDLETOWN
Written by Will Eno
Richard E. Hess, director
Middletown considers the strange beauty of life and its sometimes unbearable weight. Inspired by Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, the inhabitants of Middletown have a remarkable talent for articulating the hiccups of fear and anxiety in their souls with moving delicacy. The folks are friendly, and the view of star-dappled skies and modest homes is familiar and comforting. Welcome to Middletown.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 17. Please visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Acting Studio Series Sponsor: Neil Artman & Margaret Straub
____

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21
• Guest Artist Series •
THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE BAND
Colonel Larry H. Lang, commander and conductor
The United States Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants are two of the six performing ensembles within the United States Air Force Band, the premier musical organization of the U.S. Air Force, and will perform at CCM as part of their 10-day community relations tour.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets are available online at https://bit.ly/USAFBandTour or in person at UC’s Veterans Programs and Services Office. Call 513-556-6811 for more information.

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4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23
• Winds Series •
PRISM XX
CCM Wind Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensembles and Special Guests
Terence Milligan and Angela Holt, music directors and conductors
CCM proudly presents 60 minutes of crowd-pleasing, non-stop excitement by diverse performers throughout Corbett Auditorium. An annual favorite, the PRISM concert is perfect entertainment for the entire family!
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
____

8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24
• Guest Artist Series •
SPHINX VIRTUOSI TOUR
The Sphinx Virtuosi, led by the Catalyst Quartet, is one of the nation’s most dynamic professional chamber orchestras. Comprised of 18 of the nation’s top Black and Latino classical soloists, these alumni of the internationally renowned Sphinx Competition come together each fall as cultural ambassadors to reach new audiences. This unique ensemble earned rave reviews from the New York Times during its highly acclaimed debut at Carnegie Hall in December 2004. The Sphinx Virtuosi’s 2016 program explores the great palette of the string medium through the prism of celebrated composers of Latin heritage as well as those heard more seldom.  Celebrate the intricate mosaic of sounds and colors that pay homage to our vastly diverse heritage through music!
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Visiting Artist
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The Ariel Quartet. From left to right: Alexandra Kazovsky, Jan Grüning, Amit Even-Tov and Gershon Gerchikov.

8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25
• CCM String Quartet-in-Residence •
The Ariel Quartet
Praised by the New York Times for its “gift for filling the pristine structures of Classicism with fire,” CCM’s string quartet-in-residence continues its concert series with works from these powerhouse composers.
MOZART: String Quartet No. 14 in G Major, K. 387
SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73
DVOŘÁK: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 (“American Quartet”)
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $25 general, $15 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

 The Ariel Quartet’s 2016-17 CCM concert series is made possible by the generous contributions of Anonymous, The Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander, Mrs. William A. Friedlander, Dr. & Mrs. Randolph L. Wadsworth, Mr. & Mrs. Frank Bloom, Mr. & Mrs. J. David Rosenberg, Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen, Mr. & Mrs. Paul G. Sittenfeld, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman, Mr. & Mrs. Theodore W. Striker and The Thomas J. Emery Memorial.
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2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28
• The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Thinking About Music Lecture Series •
I TOO SING AMERICA: BLACK WOMEN MUSICIANS, LANGSTON HUGHES AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF BLACK RADICAL EXPRESSIVE CULTURE IN COLD WAR ERA AMERICA
Tammy Kernodle, Miami University
This talk will explore how poet/activist Langston Hughes’ collaborations with Margaret Bonds, Odetta and Nina Simone provided the foundation for the type of radical expressive culture that advanced, musically, the ideals of political and social equality during the 1950s and 1960s.
Location: Baur Room
Admission: FREE
____

3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30
• CCM Preparatory & Community Engagement •
Gino DiMario Scholarship Recital
CCM Prep music students will perform in this annual fundraising recital for the Gino DiMario Memorial Scholarship Fund. Please join us for a reception following the performance.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE, donations accepted
____

Photography by Joseph Fuqua II

4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30
• Jazz Series •
BASICALLY BAKER: A JOURNEY BACK TO INDIANA
CCM Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Lab Band
Featuring the music of David Baker
Scott Belck and Craig Bailey, conductors
We celebrate the life and music of Indiana’s own David Baker, a legendary jazz educator and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. Join us as we honor his life and career and explore the great jazz that has come out of the Hoosier State!
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
____

4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30
• Choral Series •
CCM Chorale
Featuring CCM student string quartets
Brett Scott, conductor
CCM Chorale and student string quartets mentored by the Ariel Quartet, CCM’s Quartet-in-Residence, present works for string quartets and chorus, featuring Ivan Moody’s Stabat Mater and John Tavener’s If Ye Love Me.
Location: Knox Presbyterian Church, Michigan & Observatory Avenues, Cincinnati, OH 45208
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31
A VIEW FROM THE EDGE
A showcase of music by CCM student composers.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
____

NOVEMBER

8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1
• Faculty Artist Series •
Percussion Group Cincinnati
Featuring music by Cage, Stockhausen and a premiere from CCM alumnus Mark Saya.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
____

 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2
• Choral Series •
DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
Kevin Coker and Alex Sutton, conductors
Comprised of students from all 14 UC colleges, the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses and Cabaret Singers present works on the theme of All Souls’ Day (November 2) by Caldwell and Ivory, Forest, Gawthrop, Koppin, Schubert, Stroop and Washburn. The combined choirs offer Fauré’s Requiem.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE
____

Ricky Ian Gordon
Photographer: Duncan Hannah.

8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6
• Studio Opera Series •
BRIGHT-EYED JOY! A RICKY IAN GORDON CABARET
Composer Ricky Ian Gordon—one of America’s most respected composers of art song, opera and musical theatre—joins CCM’s Opera and Voice singers and pianists for an evening of his music. Come watch our “stars-of-tomorrow” work with a living legend!
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 31. 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
____

8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4
• Orchestra Series •
BARTÓK: CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA
CCM Philharmonia
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
KODALY: Dances of Galanta
BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra
This concert will also feature the winner of the CCM Violin Concerto Competition performing a concerto by either Shostakovich or Bartók.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6
• Choral Series •
RACHMANINOFF ALL-NIGHT VIGIL, OP. 37
CCM Chamber Choir
Earl Rivers, conductor
The greatest a cappella masterwork of the early 20^th century, the All-Night-Vigil (Vespers) is a series of 15 liturgical/concert settings from the Russian Orthodox tradition in 65 minutes that achieves great heights of expressive power and intensity through “choral orchestration” by continually varying the textures and sonorities.
Location: Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, 1140 Madison Ave., Covington, KY 41011
Admission: FREE
____

8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8
Classical Guitar Ensemble
Clare Callahan, music director
Solos, duos, trios and quartets for classical guitar.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE

The Classical Guitar 2016-17 CCM concert series is made possible by the generous contribution of the Sarah Marvin Foundation for the Performing Arts.
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2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13
MUSIC FOR FOOD – CCM BENEFIT CONCERT
The Ariel Quartet, Lydia Brown and Gwen Coleman Detwiler, series coordinators
CCM presents the second year of its chamber 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. Suggest donation: $20 general, $15 students.
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4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13
• Winds Series •
CCM Chamber Players
Terence Milligan, music director and conductor
MURRAY: Ronald Searle Suite
MOZART: Concerto for Clarinet, K. 622
BRITTEN: Sinfonietta
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Admission: FREE
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Photo by UC Photography Services.

7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13
• Piano Series •
PIANOPALOOZA: FRESH SOUNDS, FRESH FACES
Featuring CCM’s world-class piano faculty
New CCM piano professors Dror Biran and Ran Dank add their individual flair and style as they join Soyeon Kate Lee, Awadagin Pratt, James Tocco, Michael Chertock and Sandra Rivers on stage for this annual display of stunning virtuosity!
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14
Opera Fusion: New Works Lab•
A collaboration between CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater’s New Works Program
Co-Artistic Directors Robin Guarino and Marcus Küchle
INTIMATE APPAREL
Composed by Ricky Ian Gordon
Libretto by Lynn Nottage
Robin Guarino, director
Paul Cremo, Dramaturg
Timothy Meyers, conductor
Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera present a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an original work! Adapted by Lynn Nottage from her prize-winning 2003 play of the same name, Intimate Apparel tells the story of Esther, a 35-year-old seamstress in 1905 New York City. Esther sews lingerie for a living, interacting with a wealthy Fifth Avenue wife, a Tenderloin prostitute and a Jewish fabric merchant on the Lower East Side, with whom she shares a closeness that cannot be pursued further because of his religion. Esther embarks on a letter-writing relationship with a Panama Canal laborer, leading to marriage and ultimately heartbreak, but she maintains her strength of character and determination to make a better life for herself.
Location: Cincinnati Club−Oak Room, 30 Garfield Place, Cincinnati 45202
Admission: Admission is free. Reservations are required. Tickets become available on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Please contact the Cincinnati Opera box office for tickets at 513-241-2742 or www.cincinnatiopera.org.
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15
• Winds Series •
DREAMS…
CCM Wind Ensemble
Angela Holt, music director and conductor
Let us take you away to a world of dreams where anything is possible!
MARKOWSKI: Dreamland
SCHWANTER: In Evening’s Stillness
GILLINGHAM: Symphony No. 1 (“Apocalyptic Dreams”)
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15
SONIC EXPLORATIONS
Mara Helmuth, music director
Featuring an evening of electroacoustic and computer music by CCM students, faculty and guests.
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theatre
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16
• Winds Series •
NORTH AMERICA
CCM Wind Orchestra
Featuring faculty artists James Bunte and Nathan Nabb, saxophones; as part of the Oasis Quartet
Terence Milligan, music director and conductor
BOLCOM: Concerto Grosso
Featuring The Oasis Quartet
GOULD: Symphony for Band “West Point”
And additional works
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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“Cendrillon” preview photography by Mark Lyons.

8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20
• Mainstage Opera Series Ÿ•
CENDRILLON (CINDERELLA)
Composed by Jules Massenet
Libretto by Henri Caïn
Mark Gibson, conductor
Robin Guarino, director
One of the world’s most beloved fairy tales comes to the CCM stage in a new modernist production! Despite being under the thumb of her evil stepmother, a poor girl wishes for her dream to come true. Enter her fairy godmother, who provides a ticket to the ball! The poor girl meets Prince Charming and they fall in love. When the clock strikes 12, though, she vanishes… leaving only a single shoe behind. Jules Massenet’s elegant score brings wit and charm to this timeless romance based on Charles Perrault’s telling of the Cinderella fairy tale. This production is sung in French with English supertitles.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $31–35 adults, $22–25 non-UC students, $18–21 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. Saturday, Nov. 19
• 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, Nov. 20
• Jazz Series •
JAZZ HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA
CCM Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Lab Band
Scott Belck and Craig Bailey, conductors
Celebrate the holidays with the hot rhythms and cool sounds of Kenton, Duke and a host of others who will help us swing into the season!
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20
Classical Guitar Chamber Music
Clare Callahan, music director
Pieces for guitar with voice, strings and winds.
Location: Watson Hall
Admission: FREE

The Classical Guitar 2016-17 CCM concert series is made possible by the generous contribution of the Sarah Marvin Foundation for the Performing Arts.
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7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20
• Acting Series •
THIRD ANNUAL CCM 48-HOUR FILM FESTIVAL
Join us for our annual celebration of original film work by students. After random team placement, student authors, actors, directors, editors and composers have 48 hours from 7 p.m. on Friday night to 7 p.m. on Sunday night to create finished original short films. Enjoy eight original short films by eight amazing teams.
Location: Main Street Cinema at TUC
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21
CELEBRATING 70 YEARS
CCM Brass Choir
Timothy Northcut, music director
Joe Parisi, guest conductor
EDWARD GREGSON: Symphony in Two Movements
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22
• Orchestra Series •
THE SYMPHONIC MASTERS – HAYDN AND BRAHMS
CCM Concert Orchestra
Aik Khai Pung, music director and conductor
DVOŘÁK: In Nature’s Realm, Op. 91
HAYDN: Symphony No. 103 in E-flat major
BRAHMS: Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 73
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
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DECEMBER

8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1
8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2
8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3
3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4
• Mainstage Dance Series •
CLASSICS WITH A TWIST
CCM Ballet Ensemble
Jiang Qi and André Megerdichian, co-directors
CCM’s Department of Dance opens its performance season with a concert of mixed repertoire featuring alumnus James Cunningham of the Cincinnati Ballet, who will choreograph a new work La Nymph with music by Youngwon French. Highlights also include a performance of Schubert’s Winterreise with choreography by Dance Department Chair Jiang Qi and accompaniment by CCM students Yijia Fang, cello and Xinyuan Li, piano. In addition, the graceful performers from CCM Dance will mount a staging of Glazunov’s Scènes de Ballet with choreography by Associate Professor Michael Tevlin, and Assistant Professor André Megerdichian will choreograph a collage of dance scenes spanning diverse genres.
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
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.
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CCM Moveable Feast. Photo by Joseph Fuqua II

2 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3
2 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4
• Prestige Event Series •
FEAST OF CAROLS
CCM Chamber Choir, Chorale and Concert Orchestra; UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses; Cincinnati Children’s Choir
Featuring guest choirs from Mason, St. Xavier and Taylor High Schools
Earl Rivers, Brett Scott, Robyn Lana, Kevin Coker, Alex Sutton, Bret Albright, Jason McKee and Jeffrey Sterns, conductors
Bring family and friends to CCM to welcome the 2016 holiday season with festive choral favorites performed by CCM’s, UC’s and CCC’s fabulous choirs and outstanding guest choirs.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5
• CCM Preparatory & Community Engagement •
Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble and Jr. Youth Wind Ensemble
Ann Porter and Jim Daughters, conductors
The area’s most talented middle school and high school instrumentalists perform traditional and contemporary band music.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7
University of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Yael Front, 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, Dec. 7
• CCM Preparatory & Community Engagement •
Preparatory Brass Choir
Paul Hillner, director
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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Preparatory Ballet Concert. Photography by Kyuran Ann Choe.

7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10
• CCM Preparatory & Community Engagement •
FALL YOUTH BALLET CONCERT
Jonnie Lynn Jacobs-Percer, director
The CCM Youth Ballet Companies feature talented students from ages nine through adult, 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.
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2 & 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10
• CCM Ensemble-in-Residence •
HOLIDAY CONCERT
Cincinnati Children’s Choir
Robyn Lana, music director
The 450 members of the Cincinnati Children’s Choir, including CCM resident choirs and satellite choirs from across the Tri-state area, perform holiday songs from around the globe.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.
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3 p.m. Sunday, December 11
• CCM Preparatory & Community Engagement •
Cincinnati Junior Strings
Rachel Bierkan, director
The area’s finest young string musicians perform a concert of music composed and arranged for string orchestra.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Admission: FREE
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2 p.m. Sunday, December 11
• CCM Preparatory & Community Engagement •
Preparatory Jazz Combos
Jennifer Grantham, director
Location: 3250 Mary Emery Hall
Admission: FREE

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SPONSORS

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 Theater Program Sponsor and Event Sponsor

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

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

Macy’s
Mainstage Season Production Sponsor

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

Genevieve Smith
Opera Production Sponsor

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

Anonymous
The Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander
Mrs. William A. Friedlander
Dr. and Mrs. Randolph L. Wadsworth
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bloom
Mr. and Mrs. J. David Rosenberg
Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Santen
Mr. and Mrs. Paul G. Sittenfeld
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore W. Striker
The Thomas J. Emery Memorial
Ariel Quartet Sponsors

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

Ms. Margaret L. Straub and Mr. Neil R. Artman
Studio Drama Series Sponsor

 Judith Heiny & Piotr Chomczynski
Polish Festival Sponsor

 The Sarah Marvin Foundation for the Performing Arts
Classical Guitar Sponsor

 Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn
Orchestral Sponsor

 CCMpower
The CCM Harmony Fund: Challenging Hate and Prejudice through Performing Arts
Jeff Thomas Catering
Sigma Alpha Iota
Graeter’s
Event Sponsors

Opera Fusion: New Works Grant Renewed by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

 

Cincinnati Opera and CCM are pleased to announce that their groundbreaking joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works, has been renewed by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with a gift of $300,000, which will fund another six workshops over the next three years.

Thanks to a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Opera Fusion: New Works was created in 2011 to foster the development of new American operas. The program offers composers or composer/librettist teams the opportunity to workshop an opera during a 10-day residency in Cincinnati, utilizing the talent, personnel, and facilities of both organizations. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists, and each workshop concludes with a public performance. The program is led by co-artistic directors Marcus Küchle, Director of Artistic Operations of Cincinnati Opera, and Robin Guarino, the J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair of Opera at CCM.

“We are thrilled that The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation recognized the impact and importance of this collaboration,” said Patricia K. Beggs, The Harry Fath General Director & CEO of Cincinnati Opera. “The mainstage success of the operas that have come through Opera Fusion: New Works is a testament to the invaluable workshop opportunity the program offers to a new piece.”

“Opera Fusion: New Works provides CCM’s students with something truly remarkable: an opportunity to work directly with world-class artists on the development of new creative works,” said Peter Landgren, the Thomas James Kelly Professor of Music and Dean at CCM. “This workshopping process allows our students to exercise a very different set of artistic and pedagogical muscles, when compared to the process of learning standard repertoire. These life-changing opportunities would not be possible without The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s generous support of experiential learning at CCM, and we could not have a better partner in this endeavor than Cincinnati Opera.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the trust in and recognition of our work with Opera Fusion: New Works over the past three years that is expressed through this generous grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,” said Marcus Küchle, co-artistic director of Opera Fusion: New Works. “These are exciting times for the development of new opera and we are thrilled to continue to play a meaningful role.”

In 2011, Opera Fusion: New Works awarded its first workshop to composer Douglas J. Cuomo and librettist John Patrick Shanley in support of their new opera Doubt, which premiered at Minnesota Opera in January 2013. In 2012, Opera Fusion: New Works provided workshops for Champion, by composer Terence Blanchard and librettist Michael Cristofer, which premiered at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in June 2013; and Morning Star, by composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist William M. Hoffman, which premiered at Cincinnati Opera in June 2015. In 2013, the residency went to Fellow Travelers, by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Greg Pierce, which will have its world premiere at Cincinnati Opera on June 17, 2016. In 2014, the program invited composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally to workshop Great Scott, which will premiere at The Dallas Opera on October 30, 2015. For the final workshop of the original six-workshop grant, the residency was awarded to Meet John Doe, with music and libretto by the late Daniel Catán.

“Over the past three years, Opera Fusion: New Works has had a seismic effect on the current art of opera, developing six world premieres, all operas with vital themes for today’s audiences,” said co-artistic director Robin Guarino. “We kick off the next three years and the renewal of our grant with an opera by an innovative composer and librettist team.”

‘Shalimar the Clown’ is adapted from the 2005 novel of the same name by Salman Rushdie.

The first opera to benefit from the new cycle of workshops will be Shalimar the Clown, which will receive a residency in Cincinnati from October 7 to 17, 2015. The new opera features music by Jack Perla and a libretto by Rajiv Joseph, adapted from the 2005 novel of the same name by Salman Rushdie.

The opera will have its world premiere at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis on June 11, 2016. The workshop will be directed by James Robinson, artistic director at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, who will also direct the mainstage premiere, and will be conducted by Roberto Kalb, the resident assistant conductor at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. This is the second time that Opera Fusion: New Works has awarded a workshop to an opera with an upcoming premiere at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; the first was the aforementioned Champion, by composer Terence Blanchard and librettist Michael Cristofer.

The 10-day workshop will culminate in a free public reading of excerpts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, 2015 at the newly-opened Over-the-Rhine event space The Transept, 1205 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Tickets are available now through the Cincinnati Opera box office; call 513-241-2742 to reserve. The performance will stream on the Cincinnati Opera website at cincinnatiopera.org.

“I’ve been hoping to work with Robin, Marcus, and Opera Fusion: New Works for some time, and I couldn’t ask for better than to do so with Shalimar the Clown,” said composer Jack Perla. “This is a tremendous opportunity to test and fine-tune this opera stem to stern—to assess its pacing, vocal writing, and dramatic development, well in advance of production and the work’s premiere. Director Jim Robinson, librettist Rajiv Joseph, and the Opera Fusion: New Works team all together in one place, focused on that effort? I couldn’t ask for a better situation for developing this ambitious piece.”

“Workshops such as these are essential for the development of new works such as Shalimar,” said librettist Rajiv Joseph. “It’s one thing to sit in one’s room and write out a bunch of sentences and lyrics, hoping they’re perfect. But, for me at least, it’s not until I can hear them read—and sung—aloud in a room that I have any idea whether what I’ve done is working. Usually it’s not, and so the real work begins.”

About Shalimar the Clown
Shalimar the Clown tells the story of Shalimar and his beloved Boonyi, who have grown up together in a pastoral Kashmiri village, making people laugh as acrobats and dancers in a traditional folk theater. Though one is Muslim and one is Hindu, they fall in love—and despite all odds, their village embraces their marriage. But when a new American ambassador sees Boonyi dance, dark clouds gather. The promise of a new life tears their love apart and sends Shalimar down a path of revenge.

About composer Jack Perla
Composer and pianist Jack Perla is active in opera, jazz, chamber, and symphonic music. His operas and instrumental compositions have been widely performed, and he has performed in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, forging a reputation for his unique cross-fertilization of jazz and classical music. Perla has been commissioned by Seattle Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Houston Grand Opera, and the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition. He is also a recipient of the Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Composers Award, as well as awards, support, and recognition from the Argosy Fund for New Music, the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and numerous other organizations. Called “a gripping piece of musical theater,” An American Dream, Perla’s fifth work for a major U.S. company, received its premiere with Seattle Opera in August 2015. Enormous Changes, Perla’s third jazz recording, was recently released on Origin Records, and Pretty Boy, a new disc of chamber and vocal music, is slated for release this winter. Perla grew up in Brooklyn and lived in New York City while attending NYU and the Manhattan School of Music. He earned his D.M.A. in composition from the Yale School of Music, and lives and works in San Francisco.

About librettist Rajiv Joseph
Rajiv Joseph is the author of the Broadway play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, which was a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Drama and was also awarded a grant for Outstanding New American Play by the National Endowment for the Arts. Joseph’s other plays include Guards at the Taj, The North Pool, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Animals Out of Paper, Mr. Wolf, and The Lake Effect. Joseph has written for television, including seasons 3 and 4 of the award-winning Showtime series Nurse Jackie. He also has written for film, and is the co-writer of the 2014 Lionsgate feature Draft Day and the upcoming release, Army of One. He received his B.A. in Creative Writing from Miami University and his M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He served for three years in the Peace Corps in Senegal and now lives in Brooklyn.

About stage director James Robinson
James Robinson is the artistic director at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where he has directed the world premieres of Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27 in addition to John Adams’s Nixon in China and The Death of Klinghoffer, the American premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland and Tobias Picker’s Emmeline. His work has been seen throughout the world at such companies as the Wexford Festival, the Royal Swedish Opera, Opera Australia, Canadian Opera Company, the London Symphony, Welsh National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, New York City Opera, Dallas Opera, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Aspen Music Festival. He has directed several productions for the Santa Fe Opera, including the American premiere of Huang Ruo’s Dr. Sun Yat-Sen and will return in 2016 for Vanessa. Other future projects include Nixon in China for Houston Grand Opera, The Elixir of Love for the Canadian Opera Company, and the world premiere of Shalimar the Clown for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Opera Fusion: New Works is sponsored by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

CCM Students and Alumnae Advance to Semifinals of the 2015 Lotte Lenya Competition

We are delighted to report that four current and former CCM students have advanced to the semifinal round of the 2015 Lotte Lenya Competition! Those include Artist Diploma candidate Jasmine Habersham (also MM Voice, 2013), Artist Diploma candidate Talya Lieberman, first-year DMA candidate Reilly Nelson (also MM Voice, 2014) and alumna Christine Cornish Smith (BFA Musical Theatre, 2013).

This impressive showing gives CCM more semi-finalists than any other school in the 2015 competition!

Habersham, Lieberman, Nelson and Smith will join 24 other singer-actors from the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to compete in the Lotte Lenya Competition Semifinals on March 13 and 14 in New York City.

A program of the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music now in its 18th year, the Lotte Lenya Competition is an international theatre singing contest that recognizes exceptionally talented young singer/actors, ages 19-32, who are dramatically and musically convincing in a wide range of repertoire, from opera and operetta to contemporary Broadway musicals, with a focus on the works of Kurt Weill.

CCM alumna Lauren Roesner (BFA Musical Theatre, 2013) took Third Prize in the 2013 installment of this prestigious international theater singing contest. CCM alumna Caitlin Mathes (MM Voice, 2009; Artist Diploma in Opera, 2010) earned First Prize in 2011 and fellow alumna Alisa Suzanne Jordheim (BM Voice, 2008; MM Voice, 2010; DMA candidate) progressed to the final round of the competition that same year.

The competition grants over $50,000 in prizes each year, and previous winners have gone on to forge prominent careers in opera houses and on Broadway. More information can be found at www.kwf.org/LLC.

About Jasmine Habersham
Jasmine Habersham returns to the Glimmerglass Festival this summer as Papagena in The Magic Flute. A member of the Glimmerglass Young Artist program in 2014, she also received the Central City Opera Guild Young Artist Award the previous year. The soprano holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from CCCM where she has appeared as Norina in Don Pasquale, Mrs. Julian in Owen Wingrave and Pearl in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star. The Georgian is a graduate of Shorter University with a Bachelor of Music degree and is currently working toward her Artist Diploma at CCM.

About Talya Lieberman
An alumna of San Francisco’s 2014 Merola Opera Program, Talya Lieberman returns this spring to the San Francisco Opera Center to make her debut as part of the Schwabacher Debut Recital series. This summer she will perform Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro at Wolf Trap Opera. While pursuing her Artist Diploma at CCM, the Italo Tajo Award recipient performed Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. She anticipates her first professional opera engagement in 2016 when she will perform Musetta in La bohème at Opera Columbus. In addition to her vocal studies, Lieberman completed a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts degree with Highest Distinction in Linguistics at Duke University. Born in New York, Talya now calls Ohio home.

About Reilly Nelson
Born in the coastal town of Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario, Canada, Reilly Nelson attended the Eastman School of Music where she received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and CCM where she completed a Master of Music in Vocal Performance. At CCM she performed Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and Mary in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star. She also performed Hansel, as well as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center. The mezzo-soprano was a vocal fellow at Tanglewood in summers 2013 and 2014, performing Les nuits d’été, Op. 7 and Folk Songs by Bernard Rands.

About Christine Cornish Smith
A graduate of CCM with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Music Theater, Christine performed Polly Peachum in CCM’s Mainstage Series production of The Threepenny Opera, which was part of a year-long Kurt Weill Festival on campus. She also performed the Stepmother and covered the Witch in Into the Woods, and appeared in Oklahoma! and Anything Goes. Upon graduation, she performed Reuben’s Wife in the National Tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She is currently performing in Guys and Dolls at the Goodspeed Opera House (CT). The soprano made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in the Ensemble of Oklahoma! In her native Texas, she made her Lyric Stage debut as Cutie in Fiorello! and performed as a Hot Box Girl in Guys and Dolls at Water Tower Theatre. She has also performed as principal dancer with the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet. She was a recipient of an Emerging Talent Award in the 2014 Lotte Lenya Competition.

Performance Details Announced for Free Public Reading of 2013 Opera Fusion: New Works Residency

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Cincinnati Opera and CCM’s Department of Opera are pleased to announce performance details for the free public reading of the 2013 Opera Fusion: New Works residency Fellow Travelers. The reading will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26, in the Small Auditorium of the Cincinnati Masonic Center. The event is free, but reservations through the Cincinnati Opera box office are required.

Fellow Travelers, composed by Gregory Spears with a libretto by Greg Pierce, will be in workshop in Cincinnati from Nov. 17-26, 2013. Pierce’s libretto is adapted from the best-selling 2007 novel by Thomas Mallon. The director of the work is Kevin Newbury, who directed Cincinnati Opera’s 2007 production of Nixon in China. CCM Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Gibson will conduct. G. Sterling Zinsmeyer is the executive producer of Fellow Travelers.

CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera Select New Work for Fall 2013 Opera Fusion Residency

Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s ‘Fellow Travelers’ is adapted from the best-selling 2007 novel by Thomas Mallon.

CCM and Cincinnati Opera are pleased to announce the selection of a new American opera, Fellow Travelers, for the Opera Fusion: New Works program’s third year of residencies.

Fellow Travelers, composed by Gregory Spears with a libretto by Greg Pierce, will receive a workshop from Nov. 17 to 26, 2013. Pierce’s libretto is adapted from the best-selling 2007 novel by Thomas Mallon. The director of the work is Kevin Newbury, who directed Cincinnati Opera’s 2007 production of Nixon in China. Mark Gibson, Director of Orchestral Studies at CCM, will conduct. G. Sterling Zinsmeyer is the executive producer of Fellow Travelers. The workshop will culminate in a public performance on Tuesday, Nov. 26; location and ticket information will be announced at a later date.

Janelle Gelfand Reviews CCM’s Latest Opera Fusion Workshop

The Cincinnati Enquirer‘s Janelle Gelfand shares her thoughts on our latest Opera Fusion workshop production, Morning Star, in today’s installment of the Arts in Focus blog. You can read her review here.

CCM and Cincinnati Opera presented public workshop performances of Ricky Ian Gordon and William M. Hoffman‘s Morning Star earlier this week. The workshop was filmed for a forthcoming documentary focusing on Opera Fusion: New Works, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. You can learn more about this documentary here.

Opera Fusion: New Works is generously funded by a $300,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

‘CityBeat’ Previews Next Opera Fusion Workshop

‘Morning Star’ composer Ricky Ian Gordon.

Anne Arenstein previews Opera Fusion‘s next workshop in this week’s issue of CityBeat. View the story online here.

CCM and Cincinnati Opera will present public workshop performances of Ricky Ian Gordon and William M. Hoffman‘s Morning Star Dec. 4 (at Memorial Hall in downtown Cincinnati) and Dec. 5 (at CCM’s Cohen Family Studio Theater). This workshop is being filmed for a forthcoming documentary focusing on Opera Fusion: New Works, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. You can learn more about this documentary here. Opera Fusion: New Works is generously funded by a $300,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Tickets for CCM’s presentation become available at noon on Monday, Dec. 3 – visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Learn more about Morning Star here.