CCM Celebrates 150th Birthday on Friday, August 25

Join us for a birthday celebration 150 years in the making! CCM begins its Sesquicentennial Celebration with a Birthday Bash Picnic on Friday, August 25, at 4 p.m. on the CCM Plaza.

Students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends are invited to join us for an afternoon of memories and celebration, featuring performances from CCM Musical Theatre, Brass and Jazz students and a student-led string quartet. Hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and sides will be provided at the free event.

The 150th Birthday Bash is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the CCM plaza. Don’t miss the Happy Birthday sing-a-long before we cut the cake!

Acclaimed Musician Demarre McGill Joins CCM Faculty as Visiting Assistant Professor of Flute

CCM Interim Dean bruce d. mcclung has announced the appointment of lauded flutist Demarre McGill as Visiting Assistant Professor of Flute. Winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, McGill is a leading soloist, recitalist, and chamber and orchestral musician.

A native of Chicago, McGill began playing the flute at age seven. He attended Chicago’s Merit School and was a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. At age 15, he appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony.

McGill received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner. He continued his studies with Baker at The Juilliard School, where he received a Master of Music degree.

McGill has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony and Baltimore Symphony.

In September 2017, McGill will return as principal flute of the Seattle Symphony. He previously served as principal flute of the Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Florida Orchestra and Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. He recently served as acting principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

As a chamber musician, McGill is a founding member of The Myriad Trio and is a former member of Chamber Music Society Two. He has participated in the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Marlboro Music, La Jolla Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival and Stellenbosch Chamber Music Festival in South Africa, among others.

McGill is the co-founder and artistic director of the chamber music organization Art of Élan. In 2014, he founded the McGill/McHale Trio with clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Michael McHale. The trio’s first CD, Portraits, was released by Cedille Records on August 11.

Media credits include appearances on PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center, A&E Network’s The Gifted Ones and NBC’s Today Show and Nightly News. McGill also appeared on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood with his brother when they were teenagers.

Please join us in welcoming Professor McGill to the CCM family!

Learn more about CCM’s illustrious faculty by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/faculty.

Alumna Katie Johannigman Returns to CCM as Visiting Adjunct Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre

CCM Interim Dean bruce d. mcclung welcomes alumna Katie Johannigman (BFA Musical Theatre, 2012) to the college’s illustrious faculty. As Visiting Adjunct Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre, Johannigman will choreograph three of CCM’s 2017-18 productions, and teach tap and jazz dance to students.

Johannigman’s connection to CCM spans three generations of her family. Her grandmother and father took piano lessons at the college, and her sister was enrolled in ballet classes through CCM Preparatory for her entire childhood. Johannigman says she started watching her sister’s dance classes at CCM when she was 9 months old and didn’t leave the college until she graduated with her BFA.

“I am extremely honored and excited to return home to the school where I learned to walk, and eventually sing, dance and act,” Johannigman says. “I am thrilled to pass on my experiences as a professional to the next generation of artists in whatever way I can. In my 20 years of training at CCM, an array of wonderful and patient teachers generously shared their time, energy and knowledge. I am so grateful for this opportunity to join their ranks.”

Johannigman began her performing career when she was in the eighth grade by joining the National Tour of Oliver!. As a CCM student, she attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and studied at the Second City Training Center in Chicago. After graduating, Johannigman served as Artistic Director at the Broadway Method Academy in Connecticut.

Her professional credits include Thoroughly Modern Millie and Pirates! at the Muny, The Light in the Piazza and Anything Goes at Lincolnshire Marriott, Mary Poppins at Kansas City Straight Theatre, Company at the Gallery Players, and Cats and Chicago at the West Virginia Public Theatre.

As a choreographer, Johannigman’s work has appeared at the Connecticut Repertory Theater, The Human Race Theater and the Broadway Method Academy. At CCM she choreographed the Musical Theatre Studio Series productions of They Were You in 2016 and Out of This World in 2011.

This fall, Johannigman will choreograph the Studio Series production of Sondheim on Sondheim (October 5-7) and the Mainstage production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide (November 16-19). In the spring, she will direct and choreograph the Studio Series production of The Theory of Relativity (March 29-31).

Please join us in welcoming Professor Johannigman to the CCM family!

Learn more about CCM’s illustrious faculty by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/faculty.

Violinist Giora Schmidt Joins CCM Faculty as Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin

CCM Interim Dean bruce d. mcclung is proud to announce the appointment of acclaimed violinist Giora Schmidt as Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin.

Praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as “impossible to resist, captivating with lyricism, tonal warmth, and boundless enthusiasm,” Schmidt has appeared with many prominent symphony orchestras including Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Canada’s National Arts Centre, Toronto, Vancouver and the Israel Philharmonic. He made his Carnegie Hall debut performing the Barber Violin Concerto with the New York Youth Symphony.

In recital and chamber music, Schmidt has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, San Francisco Performances, the Louvre Museum in Paris and Tokyo’s Musashino Cultural Hall. His festival appearances include the Ravinia Festival, the Santa Fe and Montreal Chamber Music Festivals, Bard Music Festival, Scotia Festival of Music and Music Academy of the West.

Born in Philadelphia in 1983 to professional musicians from Israel, Schmidt began playing the violin at the age of four. He has studied with Patinka Kopec and Pinchas Zukerman at the Manhattan School of Music, and the late CCM faculty member Dorothy DeLay and Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School.

Schmidt was the first prize winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Greenfield Competition in 2000, the recipient of a 2003 Avery Fisher Career Grant and won the Classical Recording Foundation’s Samuel Sanders Award in 2005. From 2004 to 2006 he was selected to be a Starling Fellow at The Juilliard School.

Committed to education and sharing his passion for music, Schmidt was on the faculty of The Juilliard School and the Perlman Music Program from 2005 to 2009. Through technology and social media, he continues to find new ways of reaching young violinists and music lovers around the world. Over 70,000 people from around the world follow his Facebook page, facebook.com/gioraschmidt.

Please join us in welcoming Professor Schmidt to the CCM family!

Learn more about CCM’s illustrious faculty by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/faculty.

CCM’s 2017-18 Season Brochure Now Available In Print and Online

Welcome to CCM’s Sesquicentennial Performance Season!

This season, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) celebrates the 150th anniversary of its founding with an unparalleled series of performances and special events designed to highlight a tradition of innovation and excellence dating back to 1867.

The history of CCM’s success involves three institutions separate in their origins but united by a common cause: the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the College of Music of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati. Sometimes partners and sometimes rivals, these three institutions would eventually join forces to establish one of the world’s premier schools for the performing and media arts.

In the year ahead, we will look back on CCM’s illustrious history, celebrate the careers of our impressive alumni and showcase the talents of our incredible students and faculty members. We look forward to welcoming you to the CCM Village to experience our ongoing history, the artistry of our alumni and a chance to experience the stars of tomorrow.

Download a digital copy of CCM’s 2017-18 brochure today (7.1 MB). Physical copies are also available at the CCM Box Office.

Subscription and flex ticket packages are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. For more details about CCM’s 2017-18 performance schedule, contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 or visit ccm.uc.edu.

Learn more about CCM’s Sesquicentennial by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/notations-ovations/sesquicentennial-celebration.

This is our story. This is your season.
Join us for a celebration 150 years in the making!

CCM Announces 2017-18 Concert Schedule For The Ariel Quartet

Ariel Quartet members Gershon Gerchikov, Amit Even-Tov, Jan Grüning and Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky. Photography by Robert A. Flischel.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) proudly presents the award-winning Ariel String Quartet in a four-part concert series, which commences on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and continues on Nov. 14, Jan. 30 and March 20. Dubbed “rock stars of the classical scene,” by the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Ariel Quartet’s energetic performances and soulful interpretations have impressed concert goers throughout the world.

The Ariel Quartet is comprised of Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola. The group was formed in Israel in 1998 and has served as CCM’s string quartet-in-residence since 2012.

The Ariel Quartet opens its 2017-18 concert series with a program dedicated to the memory of CCM Professor Emeritus Walter Levin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, in the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall. A founding member and first violinist of the legendary LaSalle Quartet, Levin passed away in Chicago on Aug. 4, 2017, at the age of 92. During his 33-year tenure at CCM, Levin and his colleagues in the LaSalle Quartet greatly enhanced CCM’s international reputation while inspiring generations of future artists and scholars.

The members of the Ariel Quartet count themselves among the innumerable musicians influenced by Levin’s expertise. Prior to their residency at CCM, the members of the Ariel Quartet spent a formative year in Basel, Switzerland, studying with Levin. When the Ariel Quartet was named string quartet-in-residence at CCM in 2012, the appointment was seen as a natural extension of the LaSalle Quartet’s musical legacy. In the Chicago Sun-Times’ featured obituary, Gerchikov describes Levin as “incredibly influential, inspiring and demanding.” When Levin dispensed with a compliment, Gerchikov recalls, “You were in heaven.”

This season’s highlights also include collaborations with Donald Weilerstein, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein and CCM emeritus faculty member Allen Otte.

The season concludes with the regional premiere of a new piece by John Harbison, co-commissioned by the Ariel Quartet with the generous support of Ann and Harry Santen. Complete performance repertoire is listed below. You can learn more about the Ariel Quartet by visiting www.arielquartet.com.
____________________

CCM’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE SEASON
String Quartet-in-Residence Concert Series

8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26
BEETHOVEN, KURTÁG AND SCHUMANN
The Ariel Quartet

BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18, No. 2
G. KURTÁG: 12 Microludes for String Quartet, Op. 13
R. SCHUMANN: String Quartet No. 3 in A Major, Op. 41, No. 3

Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
____

8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14
JANÁCEK, MOZART AND SHOSTAKOVICH
The Ariel Quartet
Featuring guest artists Donald Weilerstein, viola, and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, piano

JANÁCEK: String Quartet No. 1 (Kreutzer Sonata)
MOZART: String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516
SHOSTAKOVICH: Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57

Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
____

8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30
HAYDN, BARTÓK AND CAGE
The Ariel Quartet
Featuring CCM emeritus faculty member Allen Otte, percussion

HAYDN: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 71, No. 2
BARTÓK: String Quartet No. 3, Sz. 85
CAGE: Five (1988)
BRAHMS: String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51, No. 1

Location: Corbett Auditorium
____

8 p.m. Tuesday, March 20
MOZART, HARBISON AND BEETHOVEN
The Ariel Quartet
Featuring John Harbison’s String Quartet No. 6, co-commissioned by the Ariel Quartet with the generous support of Ann and Harry Santen

MOZART: String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat major, K. 589
J. HARBISON: String Quartet No. 6 (regional premiere)
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131

Location: Corbett Auditorium
____________________

Purchasing Subscriptions and Single Tickets
Subscription packages are now available for the Ariel Quartet’s full 2017-18 concert series. Concert goers can subscribe to the entire series for $75 and save 25% off single ticket prices.

Single tickets go on sale on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $15 for non-UC students and FREE for UC students with valid ID.

Subscriptions and single tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office or over the telephone at 513-556-4183. 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 new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

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

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

The Ariel Quartet’s 2017-18 CCM concert series is made possible by the generous contributions of an anonymous donor, 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. Thomas E. Stegman and Mr. and Mrs. Theodore W. Striker.

In Memoriam: Emeritus Faculty Member and LaSalle Quartet Violinist Walter Levin

CCM professor emeritus Walter Levin. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

It is with great sadness that we share news of the passing of emeritus faculty member Walter Levin, founding member and first violinist of the LaSalle Quartet and a CCM faculty member from 1953 until 1986. Levin passed away in Chicago on Aug. 4, 2017, at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Evi, and two sons, David and Tom.

Born in Berlin on December 6, 1924, Levin and his family emigrated to Tel Aviv in 1938. Levin was accepted to Juilliard in 1946, where he studied with Ivan Galamian and Hans Letz. The LaSalle Quartet was formed during this period, taking its name from the nearby LaSalle Street where the Quartet members rehearsed. Upon graduation, the Quartet comprised of Levin, Henry Meyer, Peter Kamnitzer and Jack Kirstein became quartet-in-residence at Colorado College.

In 1953, the LaSalle Quartet came to what was then known as the College of Music in Cincinnati (the College of Music would merge with the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1955 before again merging with UC to become the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 1962). The Quartet served as CCM’s string quartet-in-residence for over 30 years, while also touring the world.

The LaSalle Quartet in the late 1970s: Peter Kamnitzer, Lee Fiser, Walter Levin and Henry Meyer.

After making its European debut in 1954, the LaSalle Quartet won international recognition for its masterful interpretations of the major works in the chamber music repertory. The Quartet’s programs offered a remarkable spectrum of music from all periods, including premieres of major works by 20th century composers.

The Quartet became particularly well regarded as the leading interpreters of “The Second Viennese School,” performing complete cycles of the quartets of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern throughout the United States and Europe. The LaSalle Quartet’s Deutsche Grammophon recording of these complete cycles created a sensation in the music world, winning the Grand Prix du Disque in 1972. TIME Magazine called the album “a landmark in recorded music.” In 1978, the LaSalle again won the Grand Prix du Disque, this time for its recording of the Five Late Quartets by Beethoven. The following year, the Quartet won the Edison Prize for the first recording of Alexander Zemlinsky’s Second String Quartet.

During his 33-year tenure at CCM, Levin greatly enhanced CCM’s reputation on the international stage. He also served on the faculty at Basel’s Musik-Akademie der Stadt and the Musikhochschule Lübeck. His students included the conductor James Levine, violinist Christian Tetzlaff, pianist Stefan Litwin, and members of the Alban Berg Quartet, the Arditti Quartet and the Ariel Quartet.

CCM Professor Emeritus Lee Fiser, the LaSalle Quartet’s cellist from 1975 to 1987, writes: “Walter was the last of my three colleagues who brought me to LaSalle and CCM. His passing is a great loss to the String Quartet world.”

The Strad has published a complete obituary at www.thestrad.com/walter-levin-founder-and-first-violin-of-the-lasalle-quartet-has-died/7006.article. The Chicago Sun-Times has also published an obituary at chicago.suntimes.com/news/renowned-violinist-music-teacher-walter-levin-dead-at-92/.

An upcoming performance by CCM’s current string quartet-in-residence, the Ariel Quartet, will be presented in honor of Walter Levin. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time.