CCM Philharmonia Begins Exciting Trek Through the ‘Great Decade’ This Friday, Sept. 4

The acclaimed CCM Philharmonia begins its 2015­–16 season at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, with a performance that will inaugurate the orchestra’s adventure through what CCM Professor Mark Gibson has dubbed the “Great Decade.”

The period in question – ranging from 1900 through 1909 – is noteworthy due to the explosion of cutting edge compositional techniques and modernist composers that would completely reshape the musical landscape.

In place of the homogeny that defined previous eras such as the Classical and Romantic periods, art music at the dawn of the 20th century saw the emergence of composers with very distinct, individual voices, as well as established composers evolving in new, creative ways.

“This particular period of time may be the outstanding symphonic decade in all of western classical music,” explains Gibson, the head of CCM’s Department of Orchestral Studies and music director for the CCM Philharmonia. “From an orchestral standpoint, CCM has never had a more exciting season.”

The CCM Philharmonia’s season-opening concert on Friday, Sept. 4, focuses on composers from Russia and Austria, giving the audience a taste of these new tracts in classical music.

Igor Stravinsky, often considered the father of both Primitivism (The Rite of Spring) and Neoclassicism (Pulcinella), is represented with one of his earliest works: the orchestral suite Fireworks.

Arnold Schoenberg is also showcased with his Five Orchestral Pieces, a highly chromatic work that can be seen as a gateway into his revolutionary work with atonality (Pierrot Lunaire) and 12-tone technique (Variations for Orchestra).

Finally, the concert ends with the rich orchestral colors of famed pianist/composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 28, a work that represents the transition from the previous Romantic era to a new and different world.

This special concert event also opens with an added treat: cellists from the Cincinnati Young Artists (CYA) program will join the CCM Philharmonia in a special version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” arranged by Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music Theory and Composition Miguel Roig-Francolí. The arrangement, written for 50 cellos, represents the 50 states.

This same rendition of the national anthem will also be performed the following evening (7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5), as UC President Santa J. Ono joins musicians from both CCM and the CYA on cello to perform the work at the inauguration of the newly renovated Nippert Stadium prior to the Bearcats’ football home opener against Alabama A&M. You can learn more about this performance by visiting uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=22149.

The CCM Philharmonia’s Sept. 4 performance gives a small glimpse of what is to come during this season’s celebration of the “Great Decade.” Learn more about this four-concert adventure below!
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THE GREAT DECADE (1900–1909): A SEASON OF EXPLORATION

8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4
WORKS FROM RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA
CCM Philharmonia
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
STRAVINSKY: Fireworks
SCHOENBERG: Five Orchestral Pieces
RACHMANINOFF: Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 28
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2
WORKS FROM ITALY AND ENGLAND
CCM Philharmonia
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
RAVEL: Alborada del Grazioso
PUCCINI: Duetto: “Bimba, bimba non piangere” (from Madama Butterfly)
ELGAR: Symphony No. 1 in A-flat Major, Op. 55
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20
MAHLER’S SYMPHONY NO. 7
CCM Philharmonia
Mark Gibson, music director
Ulrich Nicolai, guest conductor
MOZART: Piano concerto TBA
Feat. the winner of the CCM Piano Concerto Competition
MAHLER: Symphony No. 7
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29
RICHARD STRAUSS’ SALOME
CCM Philharmonia
Featuring faculty artists Amy Johnson, Kenneth Shaw and Tom Baresel, along with several student soloists
Mark Gibson, music director and conductor
Robin Guarino, stage director
The capstone of CCM’s festival celebrating the “Great Decade,” Richard Strauss’ 1905 masterpiece Salome represents the epitome of pre-World War I decadence, opulence and extravagance. An adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s controversial stage work of the same name, this staging is an hour and a half of irresistible drama and ecstatic hyper-romanticism. It is a must see for opera fans, theatre enthusiasts and lovers of massive orchestral sound.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $15 general, $10 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

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

Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

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

Community Partner: ArtsWave

Orchestral Sponsor: Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn
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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.

Next Installment of Student-Produced ‘Gold Rush Expedition Race’ Film Series to Premiere at the Esquire Theatre on April 28

The 2014 installment of the University of Cincinnati‘s student-produced Gold Rush Expedition Race documentary film series will receive a special premiere screening at Cincinnati’s Esquire Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28. Hosted by the University of Cincinnati Production Master Class, this screening is free and open to the entire UC community.

The event is sponsored and supported by the UC Forward Initiative, the Office of the President, CCM’s Division of Electronic Media (CCM E-Media), McMicken College’s Center for Film and Media Studies and the UC Alumni Association.

Join us at Cincinnati’s Esquire Theatre on April 28 for a premiere screening of the 2014 ‘Gold Rush Expedition Race’ documentary film.

The 2014 Gold Rush Expedition Race documentary will have its national broadcast premiere on NBC’s Universal Sports Network on May 27, 2015. The documentary program will air 10 times on USN. The cable network aired the 2012 and 2013 installments of this action-packed documentary series last October. You can learn more about those initial broadcasts by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/notations-ovations/student-produced-film-series-airs-on-universal-sports-network.

Educationally grounded, professionally driven and student produced, the UC Production Master Class has been transforming the college classroom since its inception in 2012, bringing together an interdisciplinary group of UC students and faculty who are working with nationally-recognized digital media professionals to produce a documentary film series that is currently airing on national television.

To date, this course has involved three UC professors, a UC alumnus, a cadre of film professionals and over 90 UC students from nine different academic programs at CCM, DAAP and the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.

This group has fused its skills on the production of a three-year, 90-minute documentary film series about the Gold Rush Expedition Race, one of the world’s premier expedition races that features an international field of 50 elite athletes trekking, mountain biking, climbing and kayaking along a grueling 275-mile course amidst the beauty of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. The race is part of the Adventure Racing World Series.

The Production Master Class was the idea of CCM Professor of Electronic Media Kevin Burke and distinguished UC Alumnus and Emmy award-winning producer, Brian J. Leitten. The initiative was originally made possible by a three-year grant from the University of Cincinnati’s UC Forward Collaborative, which supports experiential learning and is part of the UC Academic Master Plan.

The Production Master Class was designed to create a transformative “hands-on” experience for the students by taking them out of the classroom and into the field to produce a documentary film series that could be distributed to a national television audience. “The idea was to totally re-invent the college classroom,” notes UC President Santa J. Ono, PhD, “focusing interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students on real world projects.”

Over the past three years, the Production Master Class has brought dozens of UC students to California to work alongside educators and a select crew of film and media professionals. The interaction with professional mentors and students from different disciplines enhances experiential learning and prepares the students for professional careers in the television and film industry. Both Burke and Leitten serve as Executive Producers, advising the project and providing professional guidance and feedback to the students during all phases of the documentary’s development.

Students take on the roles of supervising producers, story producers, editors, scriptwriters, music supervisors and narrators. Leitten joins Burke for each class session via social media applications from New York, where he serves as the Director of Production at the internet media entertainment giant, VEVO.com.

The Production Master Course is also taught by DAAP Associate Professor of Graphic Communication Design Yoshiko Burke, whose students create all motion graphic design and animation content. CCM Assistant Professor of Electronic Media Lorin Parker provides professional guidance and expertise to those students who create the audio mix and sound design for the documentary. At each stage of the project, the students are held to the standards and expectations of professionals in the discipline, providing them with invaluable industry experience.

The Production Master Course has resulted in both academic and professional recognition in peer-reviewed competitions and film festivals. The 2012 Gold Rush Expedition Race documentary was selected from over 1,300 global entries for the Best of Festival Award in the 2014 Broadcast Education Association Film Festival, capturing its highest honor of the Festival, the prestigious Chairman Award. The film went on to win professional recognition with two bronze Telly Awards, and most recently, the student design team was recognized with a Silver Award at the prestigious Graphis New Talent Annual 2015 for their work on the 2013 Gold Rush Expedition Race documentary.

In August 2015, the 2013 Gold Rush Expedition Race film will screen at the University Film and Video Association conference in Washington, D.C.

Screening Time
7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28

Location
Esquire Theatre
320 Ludlow Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45220

Admission
Admission to the premiere screening of the 2014 Gold Rush Expedition Race is free. Reservations are not required. Learn more about the screening by visiting goldrushracedoc.com/2014-premiere.

Parking and Directions
The Esquire Theatre is located in Clifton’s Gaslight District, just a short drive from UC’s campus. The theatre  validates tickets for moviegoers for two hours of parking in the “Merchant Lot” on Howell, located one block from Ludlow Avenue (a side street off Clifton Avenue, behind the former IGA Grocery Store). Howell Avenue is parallel to Ludlow Ave. On street parking is also often available on or near Ludlow Avenue.

Everyone is welcome to use the Valet Parking available in front of La Poste Eatery on Telford St. (just around the corner from the Esquire, off Ludlow). This valet service costs $7.00 and is available Mon. – Sat., from 5-10 pm.

For more information on parking and directions, please visit www.esquiretheatre.com/location.

UC President Ono Provides Support for Student-Produced Documentary Series

We are delighted to report that UC President Santa Ono has announced funding support for the interdisciplinary Production Master Class in digital media, which uses experiential learning to create student-produced documentaries. Since the course’s inception with a three-year UC Forward grant in 2012, it has produced three 90-minute documentaries that air nationally on the Universal Sports Network.

Each documentary focuses on the Gold Rush Expedition Race, one of the world’s premier expedition races that feature an international field of 50 elite athletes trekking, mountainbiking, climbing and kayaking along a grueling 275-mile course in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The presidential investment in the UC Production Master Class will allow the production to continue beyond its initial three-year grant period and represents Ono’s ongoing support of interdisciplinary digital media projects and experiential learning at the University of Cincinnati.

You can read the full announcement at uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=21328.

You can learn even more about UC’s student-produced Gold Rush Expedition Race film series at ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/notations-ovations/student-produced-film-series-airs-on-universal-sports-network.

CCM Professor Awadagin Pratt Featured in New “Faces of UC” Video Series

This week, UC President Santa J. Ono launched a new video series celebrating the people who make the University of Cincinnati the #HottestCollegeinAmerica.

CCM’s very own Professor Awadagin Pratt is the focus of the first episode of Faces of UC. Watch his full video below.

While this video series takes its name from the popular hashtag that President Ono coined to describe UC’s momentum and spirit, it also complements the university-wide planning initiative, Creating Our Third Century, which President Ono launched in April 2014 and places a priority on investing in people.

In addition to viewing the video, members of the UC community can participate by:

• Viewing the Faces of UC website and watching the episodes.
• Suggesting a face to highlight in future episodes.
• Giving recognition to other deserving members of the UC community by submitting kudos.
• Posting selfies using the hashtag, #FacesofUC.
• Continuing to be great ambassadors of the university.

Corbett Foundation’s Final Gift Benefits UC’s College-Conservatory of Music

The Corbett Foundation, established in 1955 by J. Ralph and Patricia Corbett, has donated $1 million to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) to benefit the J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair in Opera. The gift is the final one to be dispersed by the Corbett Foundation, which closed its doors in August.

“This final act of generosity by the Corbett Foundation, which announced its closure earlier this fall, will strengthen an already unparalleled opera program at CCM,” said Peter Landgren, Dean and Thomas James Kelly Professor of Music at CCM.

“For decades, the Corbetts’ support has helped to usher countless students from the CCM stage to the stages of some of the world’s most famous opera houses and concert halls,” said Landgren. “This gift will ensure that generations of students enrolled in CCM’s opera program will follow in the footsteps of some of CCM’s most accomplished alumni. We are eternally grateful to the Corbett Foundation.”

The internationally renowned opera department at CCM boasts one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches and directors in the United States. In 1982, the Corbett Foundation made a gift to establish the J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair in Opera, which was the first chair of its kind at any university in the United States.

The chair provides scholarships for graduate students studying voice and coach accompanying, support for touring productions, an archive and partial funding of a distinguished professional in opera. Accomplished Metropolitan Opera stage director Robin Guarino has held the position since August 2008.

“CCM ranks among the top schools for performing arts in the nation, and its success is thanks in large part to donors like the Corbett family,” said UC President Santa J. Ono. “I am thankful for the Corbetts’ support and proud of the achievements of our faculty, staff, alumni and students who inspire us onstage and behind-the-scenes with their talents.”

The Corbett Foundation has left an incredible legacy that will be felt for years to come at UC. Over the years its gifts to the university have created the Corbett Center for the Performing Arts, Corbett Auditorium, Patricia Corbett Theater, the J. Ralph Corbett Audio Production Center, the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall, several distinguished chairs and an endowment for the theatre design and production program.

“The Corbett family is a tremendous example of the impact private support can have not only on UC but on the entire Greater Cincinnati community,” said Rodney Grabowski, UC Foundation president. “Thank you to everyone who has been involved with the Corbett Foundation over the years. UC is stronger because of you.”

J. Ralph Corbett, founder of the electrical manufacturing company NuTone and later the Corbett Foundation, was a staunch patron of the performing arts, medicine and education. In 1963, he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from UC and was recognized with a Great Living Cincinnatian award in 1970. He passed away in 1988, but his legacy lives on at CCM and the Cincinnati arts community.

Combined, the foundation has donated more than $70 million to Cincinnati arts organizations including CCM, Music Hall, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Riverbend Music Center & PNC Pavilion, CET programming and a theater and string quartet-in-residence at Northern Kentucky.

For more information, please visit the UC Foundation’s website.

CCM Dance Makes its Mainstage Debut with ‘Giselle’ April 17-19

Photography by Will Brenner.

CCM’s Mainstage Series proudly presents the romantic ballet Giselle from April 17–19 in UC’s Corbett Auditorium. This lavish production is being presented in celebration of the 50th anniversary of CCM’s dance program.

Giselle is directed by Dance Department Chair Jiang Qi and features accompaniment by the CCM Concert Orchestra, conducted by Assistant Professor of Conducting Annunziata Tomaro.

One of the most romantic and beloved ballets about love’s triumph over treachery and death, Giselle continues to stir the emotions of audiences of all ages. When a young peasant girl is seduced and betrayed by a nobleman, she dies of a broken heart and joins the ranks of the Wilis, female spirits scorned before their wedding days and doomed to take their revenge upon men by dancing them to death. In the end, Giselle’s ghost tries to protect her lover from the vengeance of this group of evil female spirits.

“The traditional choreography that has been passed down to the present day derives primarily from the revivals staged by Marius Petipa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries for the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg,” explains director Jiang Qi.

CCM’s Bearcat Piano Festival Presents Momoro Ono in Concert on Feb. 11

CCM presents guest artist Momoro Ono in concert on Feb. 11, 2014.

CCM’s Bearcat Piano Festival proudly presents guest artist Momoro Ono in a free concert performance at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall.

A Professor of Piano at Creighton University (and brother of UC President Santa J. Ono, PhD), Ono is scheduled to perform Brahms’ Caconne von J. S. Bach; Haydn’s Sonata in F Major, Hob. XVI:23; Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Op. 16; and Stravinsky’s Trois Mouvements de Pétrouchka.

CCM Presents a Plethora of Piano Performances This February

CCM will celebrate the art of the piano with a series of special events this February. The fifth annual Bearcat Piano Festival presents master classes and guest artist concerts from Feb. 6 – 11 in the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall and the Mary Emery Hall Master Classroom, followed by the ninth edition of CCM’s Pianopalooza showcase at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, in Corbett Auditorium.

Launched in 2010 by CCM’s Piano Department Chair Awadagin Pratt, the Bearcat Piano Festival has grown into a veritable piano spectacular with several days of master classes and recitals by piano greats. This year’s Festival will feature a “Friends, Family and Favorites” theme:

• Performances by “friends” include Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Louisville Dror Biran and University of Michigan doctoral student pianists.
• The festival celebrates “family” as Professor Emeritus Frank Weinstock returns to the CCM stage, while Momoro Ono – Juilliard graduate and brother of UC President Santa J. Ono – makes his CCM debut.
• As for “favorites,” CCM presents performances by acclaimed pianist Boris Slutsky and 2013 World Piano Competition Gold Medalist Marianna Prjevalskaya (who also studied with Slutsky). This will mark the first time in the history of the World Piano Competition that the winner is presented in a public recital.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Pianopalooza IX, directed by CCM’s Division of Keyboard Studies Head Michael Chertock, will include songs of love and romance. The program showcases spectacular student pianists and features special appearances by CCM faculty artists including Awadagin Pratt, James Tocco and Chertock himself. Pratt will perform music by Rachmaninoff, Tschaikovsky, Schumann and celebrated jazz pianist (and Cincinnati native) Fred Hersch. Tocco and Chertock will present selections from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.

Pianopalooza IX and the Bearcat Piano Festival promise to excite audiences with the beautiful sound and versatile styles that this popular and complex instrument has to offer — the perfect listening opportunity for music and keyboard enthusiasts of all ages.

Event Information
Please see individual listings below for additional information. The Boris Slutsky, Marianna Prjevalskaya and Pianopalooza IX concerts require paid admission. All other Bearcat Piano Festival events are free and open to the general public. All dates and programs are subject to change.

CCM’s Bearcat Piano Festival and Pianopalooza Showcase Return Feb. 6 – 16, 2014

Next month, CCM celebrates the art of the piano with a star-studded series of master classes, guest artist concerts and more! Launched in 2010 by Piano Department Chair Awadagin Pratt, the 2014 Bearcat Piano Festival welcomes a plethora of visiting pianists this February, including:

• Professor Emeritus Frank Weinstock on Feb. 6.
• Peabody Conservatory Piano Chair Boris Slutsky on Feb. 7.
• 2013 World Piano Competition Gold Medalist Marianna Prjevalskaya on Feb. 8.
• University of Louisville Piano Professor Dror Biran on Feb. 9
• Juilliard graduate (and brother of UC President Santa J. Ono, PhD) Momoro Ono on Feb. 11.

The celebration culminates with the return of Pianopalooza on Feb. 16. In honor of the Valentine’s Day holiday, this year’s concert celebrates “Keys to Love and Romance!”

For a complete schedule of festival events and additional information, please visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/bearcatpianofestival. Some performances require paid admission.

Stay tuned for even more information about this exciting series of events!

CCM Celebrates Benjamin Britten at 100 With Special Events

Composer Benjamin Britten, circa 1949. Photography by Roland Haupt; courtesy of http://www.britten100.org.

CCM celebrates the 100th anniversary of composer, conductor and pianist Benjamin Britten with a pair of free film screenings, a Mainstage Opera production, a concert performance and a special guest lecture by acclaimed film director Tony Palmer.

Beginning on Thursday, Oct. 24, and running through what would be Benjamin Britten’s 100th birthday on Friday, Nov. 22, CCM’s Britten Centenary Celebration includes a guest lecture by filmmaker Tony Palmer, free public screenings of the films Nocturne and A Time There Was, plus a Mainstage Series production of Britten’s two-act opera Owen Wingrave.

The celebration culminates with a birthday concert on Nov. 22 by the CCM Philharmonia featuring the orchestral showpiece The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, narrated by special guest Santa J. Ono, PhD, President of the University of Cincinnati.

Please see individual listings below for additional information on the festival’s public events.