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.

Award-Winning Conductor and Educator Aik Khai Pung is Named Assistant Professor of Orchestral Studies at CCM

Aik Khai Pung, Assistant Professor of Music in Orchestral Conducting at CCM.

CCM Dean Peter Landgren has announced the appointment of Aik Khai Pung to the position of Assistant Professor of Music in CCM’s Department of Orchestral Studies. Pung first joined CCM’s faculty on a visiting basis in 2014. His new appointment becomes effective on August 15, 2015.

An all-around conductor and educator, Pung is music director of the CCM Concert Orchestra, NANOWorks Opera and Café MoMus, CCM’s contemporary music ensemble.

An alumnus of CCM, Pung (MM Orchestral Conducting, 2009; DMA Orchestral Conducting, 2014) studied under Mark Gibson, Annunziata Tomaro, Xu Xin, Zhang Yi and Ulrich Nicolai. He has also worked with Gustav Meier and JoAnn Falletta. Pung holds a BA from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in addition to his degrees from CCM.

Prior to his engagement at CCM, Pung taught at Earlham College in Indiana, Akademie der Chinesische Bunte Blätter in Munich and Peking University in Beijing. He has served as head instructor of the Orchestral, Choir and Opera Conducting Workshop in Malaysia, and was a clinician for Montclair State University John J. Cali School of Music Orchestra Festival in New Jersey.

On top of his passion for teaching, Pung is actively involved in music festivals around the world such as Lincoln Center Festival (New York), Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston, S.C.), CCM Spoleto (Spoleto, Italy), Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca (Lucca, Italy), Georgetown Festival (Penang, Malaysia) and Luminato Festival (Toronto, Canada) where he conducts and assists opera productions as well as symphonic concerts.

As a multi-instrumentalist, Pung plays the piano, violin, Er-hu (Chinese traditional fiddle), Chinese dulcimer and viola da gamba. On top of instrumental music, he is equally involved with vocal music. He programs and performs new operas as the music director of NANOWorks Opera. Aside from the music from the Classical and Romantic eras, Pung has conducted his research on the music of Guo Wenjing, Toshio Hosokawa, Nico Muhly, John Adams, Philip Glass and young composers such as CCM alumna Jennifer Jolley (MM Composition, 2009; DMA Composition, 2012), Danny Clay, Eric Knechtges, Li ShaoSheng and Marie Incontrera, among others.

Pung won second prize in the Taiwan Chinese Orchestra (TCO) International Conducting Competition (2015) and was the Special Award winner for Conducting Chinese Music at the First Hong Kong International Conducting Competition (2011).

He was the first international conducting student to be accepted to the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music, the top conservatory in China, where he was awarded outstanding student in 2005.

You can learn even more about Aik Khai Pung by clicking here. Please join us in congratulating him on his new appointment.

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.

CityBeat and Express Cincinnati Spotlight CCM Fall Performances

CityBeat and Express Cincinnati both published their Fall Arts Previews this week and several upcoming CCM performances made their lists of “must see” events!

CityBeat paid special attention to this fall’s Opera Fusion workshops, produced in collaboration with Cincinnati Opera, along with our Mainstage production of the rock musical Chess. Read the previews here.

Express Cincinnati singled out the Ariel Quartet’s debut performance as CCM quartet-in-residence (Sept. 11), along with our Beethoven Festival (Sept. 14 – Oct. 12) and our presentation of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor collaboration with the Constella Festival (Oct. 28). Read the full issue online here.

CCM proudly presents over 100 performing arts events this fall. Stay tuned for a full list of events next week!

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

CCM Celebrates 50 Years As a UC College With 50 Major Performing Arts Events

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is delighted to announce its 2012-13 schedule of major events. From September through May, CCM will present a series of 50 performances spanning the spectrum of the performing and media arts.

This series begins with the internationally-acclaimed Ariel Quartet’s inaugural concert as CCM string-quartet-in-residence on Tuesday, Sept. 11 and concludes with a Sunday, May 5 performance by the Cincinnati Children’s Choir, gold medal-winners at the 2012 World Choir Games.

The 2012-13 performance schedule also features festivals showcasing the works of German composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Kurt Weill, jazz tributes to the music of Stevie Wonder and Frank Zappa, a dynamic revival of the rock musical Chess, a performance of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor presented in conjunction with the Constella Festival and much more.

These creative collaborations are part of a year-long celebration, ushering in CCM’s second half-century as a college of the University of Cincinnati (UC). In August of 1962, the then century-old Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music joined UC as its 14th college. This merger created the institution now known as CCM, an institution built on the synergy of education, innovation and performance. Learn more about CCM’s history by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/history.

CCM Events Featured In The News Record’s Top 10 Entertainment Moments For 2010

Tis the season for reflection and end of the year list making. The editors for UC’s independent student newspaper The News Record recently published their “Top 10 Moments in Entertainment for 2010” and CCM made a strong showing on the list.

You can view Ariel Cheung and Kelly Tucker’s full story here.

CCM’s Schumann Bicentennial Festival Concludes Tonight

CCM Orchestras’ celebration of Robert Schumann’s repertoire concludes this evening (Nov. 5) with an 8 p.m. finale concert in Corbett Auditorium featuring the Philharmonia Orchestra. Ulrich Nicolai, conductor and professor at the Hochscule für Musik und Theater (University of Music and Performing Arts) in Munich, guest conducts. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 non-UC students, UC students FREE.

CCM Philharmonia – George Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1

For the first of our new series of CCM Audio posts, we present the CCM Philharmonia performing George Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1.



The CCM Philharmonia opens their season this evening with the Schumann Festival Opening Concert. Tickets are still available at the CCM Box Office!

CCM Orchestras Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Robert Schumann’s Birth

Annunziata Tomaro conducts a rehearsal in Teatro Nuovo.

CCM Orchestras will begin its fall concert season with the Schumann Bicentennial Festival, a celebration of Schumann’s timeless compositional prowess and diverse repertoire. Performances will showcase symphonies, overtures and the Piano Concerto in A Minor, with soloist and Eminent Scholar in Chamber Music, James Tocco. Ulrich Nicolai, conductor and professor at the Hochscule für Musik und Theater (University of Music and Performing Arts) in Munich, will guest conduct the festival’s opening and closing concerts. A series of free Schumann Festival Atrium Concerts will also be held to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Robert Schumann’s birth.