Celebrate Valentine’s Weekend with an Afternoon of Music and Memories at CCM

Student and faculty artists from CCM’s music and theatre arts programs present a concert of great works about love on Sunday, Feb. 18 — just in time for Valentine’s weekend.

CCM’s Acting, Choral, Dance, Jazz, Opera, Orchestra, Piano and Winds departments unite for a special concert at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, in Corbett Auditorium. Dubbed “Con Amore,” this unique program features excerpts from iconic works by Ravel, Shakespeare, Brahms, Puccini and more!

Repertoire
RAVEL: Bolero; featuring dancers from CCM’s Ballet Ensemble and the CCM Concert Orchestra

SHAKESPEARE: Romeo and Juliet (excerpt); featuring performers from CCM’s Acting program

BRAHMS: Liebeslieder Waltzes; featuring the CCM Chorale

VARIOUS: Love Songs; featuring CCM Jazz musicians performing with the Art Blakey Ensemble

MOBBERLEY: Words of Love; featuring the CCM Wind Orchestra with soprano Yewon Yoon

RAVEL: La Valse; featuring husband-and-wife pianists Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank

PUCCINI: “Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso” from La Rondine; featuring the CCM Concert Orchestra and singers Amber Monroe, Claire Lopatka, Brandon Russell and Robert Stahley

Presented as part of CCM’s Sesquicentennial Celebration, Con Amore will spotlight 150 years of love stories during one unforgettable afternoon of music and memories.

Performance Time
4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18

Location
Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village,
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for non-UC students and FREE for UC students with valid ID. Free UC student tickets available beginning Feb. 8.

Single tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online though out 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 campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

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CCM presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Foundation

CCM Celebrates the Music of the Bard at Knox Presbyterian Church on Saturday, April 23

CCM’s Departments of Choral Studies and Dramatic Performance honor the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare‘s passing (April 23, 1616) with a special concert honoring the Music of the Bard on Saturday, April 23, 2016.

Under the music direction of Earl Rivers and stage direction of D’Arcy Smith, the Music of the Bard is a 75-minute, one-act presentation of Shakespeare’s texts through choral music, scenes, monologues and sonnets.

This concert features the 30-voice Chamber Choir, CCM’s premiere choral ensemble, along with nine student actors. Featured students include conductors Daniel Blosser and Matthew Swanson, and actors Owen Alderson, Sydney Ashe, Mafer Del Real, James Egbert, Annie Grove, Laura McCarthy, Meg Olson, Josh Reiter and Graham Rogers.

The program showcases texts from 18 Shakespeare plays and sonnets, highlighted with the premieres of three newly commissioned choral works by composers Judith Bingham, Dominick DiOrio and Jake Runestad. The music encompasses a range of styles from jazz arrangements by legendary jazz pianist George Shearing to modern a cappella classics, enhanced with violin, flute, clarinet, vibraphone, piano, and string bass as accompanying and obbligato instruments.

With this performance, CCM’s Department of Choral Studies completes The Shakespeare Quadricentennial, a two-year commemoration of the playwright’s birth and death through choral music. The celebration commenced on Shakespeare’s 450th birthday on April 23, 2014.

The Shakespeare Quadricentennial has produced four all-Shakespeare programs since Sept. 21, 2014, which have featured CCM’s Chamber Choir and Chorale, the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses, the Cincinnati Children’s Choir and local guest choirs.

The Shakespeare Quadricentennial has fostered the commissioning of new works on Shakespeare texts by Dan Forrest (Cincinnati Children’s Choir), Daniel Elder (UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses), as well as those performed on April 23, 2016 by Judith Bingham, Dominick DiOrio and Jake Runestad.

Performance Time
7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23

Location
Knox Presbyterian Church
Michigan and Observatory Avenues,
Cincinnati, OH 45208

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for non-UC students and FREE for UC students with valid ID.

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
Knox Church is located on the corner of Observatory and Michigan, at 3400 Michigan Avenue, in the heart of Hyde Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. Please refer to the interactive map found online at www.knox.org/directions for details on Knox’s location and for directions to Knox Church.

Parking at Knox can be a bit challenging. The best advice is to arrive a little early for the event you are attending.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Community Partner: ArtsWave
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Story by Curt Whitacre

CCM’s Department of Dance Presents Diverse, Collaborative Concert of Mixed Repertoire Dec. 4-6

CCM’s Department of Dance presents an impressive array of diverse and collaborative selections in this year’s Fall Dance Concert, running Dec. 4-6 in the Patricia Corbett Theater. The concert features works choreographed by guest artists Diego Salterini and David Hochoy, along with contributions by CCM faculty members Andre Megerdichian and Deirdre Carberry.

The concert begins with the classic staging of the famous pas de deux from Le Corsaire, staged by CCM Associate Professor of Dance Deirdre Carberry. Set to music by Adolphe Adam, who also wrote the popular ballet Giselle and the Christmas song “O Holy Night,” the pas de deux is one of the most beloved selections in the entire ballet cannon. “This dance is so grand and virtuosic. It really starts off the concert by showing the audience who we are as a program,” explains Andre Megerdichian, an Assistant Professor of Dance at CCM and the director of this year’s Fall Dance Concert.

On the heels of this classic start comes the largest and most collaborative performance of the night, Night’s Daughters, which is an original collaboration by Megerdichian and CCM Drama visiting faculty member Giles Davies. The piece explores the consequences of betrayal, but in a unique way, “Usually stories of betrayal are told from the perspective of the one betrayed, but this story is told from the perspective of the one who commits the act and details how one puts themselves back together afterward,” says Megerdichian.

Joining the dancers on stage will be a drummer, a Shakespearean actor and the quirky harp duo Beyond Pluck, who are quickly making a name for themselves thanks to their classic rock covers for the harp. “Beyond Pluck members Rachel Miller and Paula Bressmen are adventurous and were really excited to create this with us,” says Megerdichian. Usually understood to be stationary instruments, the harps in Night’s Daughters will move around the stage on custom-built platforms and are an integral part of the piece’s movement.

Diego Salterini, founding co-director of Dance Now! Miami, choreographs the third work, Themes and Variations. The Interlochen and Joffrey Ballet faculty member created the work specifically for CCM, which features dancers on pointe, but with a twist, “It’s not traditional ballet by any means, it’s far more contemporary with a jazzy element to it,” explains Megerdichian.

To end the show with a bang, the department presents the incredibly athletic and strenuous iconoGlass, which features music by the renowned composer Philip Glass. Choreographed by David Hochoy, artistic director of the Indianapolis-based company Dance Kaleidoscope, the work premiered in 1998 with a cast that included Megerdichian himself as one of the featured dancers. “I remember being completely exhausted after this piece, so it’s an amazing challenge for our dancers,” says Megerdichian.

The 2015 Fall Dance Concert is a collection of varied and exciting works that will showcase the unbelievable versatility of the students in CCM’s Department of Dance.

Performance Times

• 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4
• 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5
• 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6

Location
Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to the “Fall Dance Concert” are $15 for general admission, $10 for non-UC students and FREE for UC students with valid ID.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/concerts/dance.

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

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor & Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Community Partner: ArtsWave

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

The Cincinnati Children’s Choir Premieres the Winner of its 2015 Competition for Emerging Composers During Annual Spring Concert on May 3

Celebrate “Angelic Spring” with the Cincinnati Children’s Choir on May 3, 2015.

CCM presents the Cincinnati Children’s Choir’s annual spring concert, “Angelic Spring,” at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 3, in Corbett Auditorium. A CCM ensemble-in-residence, the Cincinnati Children’s Choir is directed by Robyn Lana.

Highlights of “Angelic Spring” include Ban Ban Caliban, a choral setting of Shakespearean text composed by Dan Forrest. Performed by the Cincinnati Children’s Choir Bel Canto Choir, the piece is a quirky, fun, octatonic setting for treble choir, piano and percussion including cabasa, ratchet, vibraslap and police whistle. The performance of this piece coincides with the CCM Department of Choral Studies’ ongoing Shakespeare Quadricentennial celebration.

The Bel Canto Choir will also premiere the winner of its national competition for emerging composers. This year’s winner is Kevin Padworski from Denver with his pieceVidi Aquam.

In addition to the Bel Canto Choir, the Con Brio, Vivace and Allegro and Piccolo Coro Choirs, as well as the Cincinnati Girl Choir and Cincinnati Young Men’s Choir will be performing music from around the globe, singing of travel, hope and love. The concert will feature many alumni of the Cincinnati Children’s Choir, along with this year’s graduating seniors.

“Angelic Spring” is the start of a very busy season for the members of the Cincinnati Children’s Choir. Later on this summer, the ensemble will travel to Vatican City to perform in a mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The Cincinnati Children’s Choir has also been asked to represent the USA at the World Expo in Milan, performing under the American flag. The annual Expo gathers countries from around the world to state their thoughts on a chosen theme. This year’s theme is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.”

The Cincinnati Children’s Choir travels often, although international performances generally happen only once every three years. Since the ensemble had traveled to Beijing in 2014 for the International Children’s Choir Festival, this latest international opportunity was an unexpected honor!

Director Robyn Lana explains, “Participation in the program fosters joyful fulfillment, a sense of achievement, increased independence, confidence and leadership qualities in our choristers.”

Performance Time
5 p.m. Sunday, May 3

Location
Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to the Cincinnati Children’s Choirs spring concert are $12 for general admission, $6 for non-UC students and FREE for UC students with valid ID.

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 new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Community Partner: ArtsWave

CCM Announces Fall 2014 Calendar of Major Events

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

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

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

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

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice.

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

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

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

CCM Announces Initial Concert Schedule for 2014-15

CCM is pleased to announce initial details on its 2014-15 Concert Series. From J.S. Bach and W.A. Mozart to Leonard Bernstein and Ray Charles, CCM’s student ensembles, faculty artists and guest performers will traverse the breadth and depth of the performing arts in this dynamic series of events.

Encompassing over 50 different concerts, this series begins with a performance by the internationally acclaimed Ariel Quartet with legendary guest artist Menahem Pressler on Sept. 9, 2014, and concludes with a number of performances by CCM’s Preparatory Department running May 1 – 9, 2015.

Other highlights of CCM’s 2014-15 concert series include:

• a performance of Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Timothy Lees and Ilya Finkelshteyn,
• choral concerts celebrating the Shakespearean Quadricentennial,
• a Wind Orchestra tribute to Leonard Bernstein,
• a guest artist recital by renowned German countertenor Andreas Scholl,
• a joint faculty artist recital by CCM’s two Naumburg gold medalists Awadagin Pratt and Soyeon Kate Lee,
• a rare stateside performance by the Cambridge-based Academy of Ancient Music,
• jazz concerts celebrating the music of Ray Charles and Duke Ellington,
• a guest artist recital by renowned pianist Stephen Hough co-presented with the Xavier University Classical Piano Series,
• a CCM Ballet Ensemble production of Stravinsky’s Les Noces,
• and much more!

Several perennial favorites are also returning this season, including the Feast of Carols holiday concert, the Steel Drum Band’s annual performance, the 18th PRISM showcase and the 10th installment of PIANOPALOOZA, which celebrates the piano concerti of Rachmaninoff.

CCM’s Production of ‘Living Dead in Denmark’ Recognized by League of Cincinnati Theatres

We are happy to report that panelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have recognized CCM’s Studio Series production of Living Dead in Denmark for its fight choreography and make-up, and for the work of lead actress Anna Stapleton!

In this hilarious spoof set five years after the tragic events that ended Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a resurrected Ophelia, Juliet and Lady MacBeth must save Denmark from an overwhelming zombie horde. Anna Stapleton, portraying “Lady M,” was a panelist favorite, conjuring up “a bouncy sword wielding Xena: Warrior Princess in her shorty short leather skirt and her blunt blonde cut, festooned with at least seven knives, a sword and a shield.”

Panelists also praised Professor of Make-Up Kelly Yurko for “outstanding” make-up, special effects and wigs, as well as Professor of Drama k. Jenny Jones and Andrew Dylan for exemplary fight choreography including rapier and dagger work and plenty of zombie killing in a graphic superhero comic book style.

CCM’s 2013-14 Studio Series Concludes This Week With Zombie Drama ‘Living Dead in Denmark’

Something wicked this way comes… as CCM presents ‘Living Dead in Denmark’ April 17-19, 2014! Photography by Una Lin.

CCM’s acclaimed Studio Series comes to a dramatic conclusion with a thrilling production of the irreverent Shakespearean zombie mash-up Living Dead in Denmark, playing April 17-19 in CCM’s Cohen Family Studio Theater. Admission is free, but reservations are required. CCM’s very own resident Fight Director and Professor of Drama k. Jenny Jones directs this can’t-miss production, which is intended for mature audiences.

Written by Qui Nyguen, a founding father of the OBIE Award-winning “geek theatre” company the Vampire Cowboys, Living Dead in Denmark is described as the “perfect storm of horror and geek obsessions” by Time Out New York. The action of the play is set five years after the tragic events of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as a resurrected Ophelia, Juliet and Lady Macbeth must save Denmark from an overwhelming zombie horde.

First staged in 2006, the play has been hailed by the New York Times as “a crazy quilt of pop reference, dueling blades and scattershot anachronisms,” with figures from both Shakespeare’s canon and the 21st century pop cultural zeitgeist making appearances. This entertaining and comical zombie drama is sure to be the perfect antidote to exam week blues!

CCM Alumnus Noel Bouley To Make His German Debut in Title Role of Deutsche Oper Berlin’s Upcoming ‘Falstaff’

CCM alumnus Noel Bouley will sing the title role in Deutsche Oper Berlin’s upcoming production of ‘Falstaff.’

Congratulations to bass-baritone Noel Bouley (MM, 2010; AD 2011), who will be making his German debut in Deutsche Oper Berlin‘s upcoming production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff!

A native of Houston, Texas, Bouley first sang the role of Sir John Falstaff in CCM’s May 2009 Mainstage Series production of the opera. The Deutsche Oper Berlin production opens on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013.

CCM Slideshows: Don Carlos

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

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

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

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

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

UC’s College Conservatory of Music – Define Your Inspiration