In-Person Concerts
We’re thrilled to welcome audiences to Music Hall for an exciting season of music. Join us in-person at Music Hall and enjoy the music you love.
We’re thrilled to welcome audiences into Music Hall! Join us for an upcoming performance. Tickets for individual performances in the fall of 2024 and spring of 2025 go on sale in July 2024. Season tickets are on sale now for the 2024/25 season!
BEETHOVEN 7 & DESSNER PREMIERES
Louis Langrée, conductor
Alice Sara Ott, piano
If Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is known as a musical embodiment of fate, his Seventh carries the spirit of freedom and liberation, with catchy, dance-like melodies woven throughout. Bryce Dessner, founder of Cincinnati’s MusicNOW Festival and a member of the Grammy-winning band The National, shares two of his works for orchestra.
Bryce DESSNER: Mari
Bryce DESSNER: Piano Concerto (CSO Co-Commission, US Premiere)
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7
WIRES featuring BRYCE DESSNER
Louis Langrée, conductor
Bryce Dessner, composer
Katia and Marielle Labèque, duo pianos
“Wires that connect us, wires that make sound and wires that separate us from one another.”
– Bryce Dessner
Like an interwoven tapestry of wires, both literal and metaphorical, composer Bryce Dessner — member of Grammy-winning band The National — along with piano duo Katia and Marielle Labèque join Louis Langrée and the CSO to explore the 21st century sound.
DESSNER: Wires
SATIE arr. Debussy: Gymnopédie No. 1
SATIE arr. Debussy: Gymnopédie No. 2
DESSNER: Concerto for Two Pianos
LOUIS' GRAND FINALE
Louis Langrée, conductor
Latonia Moore, soprano
In his final program as Music Director, Louis Langrée and the CSO share the stage one more time for a performance that will pay tribute to highlights of their time together over the past 11 years. Grammy Award-winning soprano Latonia Moore will join the CSO for the world premiere of a new orchestral song cycle by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis, whose piece You Have the Right to Remain Silent profoundly impacted Louis and left a poignant impression on livestream viewers at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The program also includes Ravel’s mythical and airy Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, a work that Louis and the Orchestra performed on tour in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai in 2017; Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 2, which was last performed in 2015 as part of that season’s One City, One Symphony initiative; and Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which was a part of an all-French program that opened the Orchestra’s 2018-19 season at the newly renovated Music Hall.
Expect moving music and memories, celebrating the final performances of the CSO’s beloved Music Director.
BEETHOVEN: Leonore Overture No. 2
Anthony DAVIS: Broken in Parts (CSO Commission, World Premiere)
Paul DUKAS: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Maurice RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2
RED, WHITE & BOOM
John Morris Russell, conductor
Join JMR and the Cincinnati Pops for its annual July 4 celebration, featuring patriotic favorites and a spectacular post-concert firework show! Complete with ample space to picnic and play at Riverbend, there’s no better way to celebrate.
RICK STEVES’ EUROPE: A Symphonic Journey
John Morris Russell, conductor
Usually, you'll find Rick Steves touring the great destinations of Europe for his acclaimed PBS television series or within the pages of his numerous travel guides. Now you can join him on a different journey: A Symphonic Journey. From Italy, England, Austria, Norway and beyond, Steves combines Europe's most stirring orchestral classics with beautiful high-definition cinematography and his own insights into European history.
MAHLER SYMPHONY NO. 1
Dalia Stasevska, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano
The CSO’s emotional range emerges in Mahler’s First Symphony — a world-building Titan that rises from ethereal beginnings to tectonic eruptions of orchestral light. The finale is truly an enormous treat. Bruce Liu, First Prize Winner of the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition, makes his Music Hall debut with Prokofiev’s colorful and fantastically cinematic Third Piano Concerto.
GINASTERA: “Malambo” from Four Dances from Estancia
PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No. 3
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1, Titan
GERSHWIN, PRICE & COPLAND
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Béla Fleck, banjo
16-time Grammy Award-winner Béla Fleck joins the CSO for a celebration of the American sound. Fleck’s reimagining of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue pays homage to the legendary composer while redefining an all-time classic. Contemporaries Florence Price and Aaron Copland did the same in their time, shaping, contextualizing and creating indelible music that feels like it was always here. Copland’s ballet music to Rodeo, featuring the rip-roaring and instantly recognizable "Hoe-Down," became a new soundtrack to the American West. Florence Price, merging traditional African American themes with the latest music of her day, established a singular voice all her own.
COPLAND: Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo
GERSHWIN (arr. Fleck): Rhapsody in Blue
PRICE: Symphony No. 3
CSO RECITAL SERIES: Voice & the Violin
Joshua Bell, violin
Larisa Martínez, voice
Peter Dugan, piano
Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell and renowned soprano Larisa Martínez are joined by celebrated pianist Peter Dugan for “Voice and the Violin,” an evening of beloved romantic arias and modern classics, featuring music by Mendelssohn, Bernstein, Puccini and more.
Subscribe to 12 or more concerts and select a CSO Recital Series performance for FREE! Subscribe to 18 concerts and select TWO free.
Lollipops: Music, Magic & Mayhem
Spark your child's love for orchestral music at an early age with these fun, interactive family events. Each concert lasts just under an hour, with themes specially chosen to engage children ages 2-9. Come early for crafts and activities in the Family Fun Zone.
Tickets are just $10 for children and $15 for adults. Lap seat children ages two and under are free.
SIBELIUS & SAINT-SAËNS
Ramón Tebar, conductor
Benjamin Beilman, violin
Sibelius’s First Symphony arrives with the composer’s icy and expansive musical language fully formed, forged from influences by Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz and Beethoven. Violinist Benjamin Beilman joins the CSO for Saint-Saëns’ Third Concerto, a piece that oozes melodic and technical exuberance. Wang Lu’s Surge bottles the rush of hearing an orchestra for the very first time.
Wang LU: Surge
SAINT-SAËNS: Violin Concerto No. 3
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 1
MOZART & BRUCKNER
Marek Janowski, conductor
Mozart and Bruckner’s late symphonies explore drama on radically different scales. Mozart’s compact and wonderful Symphony No. 39 opens with plenty of pomp, interweaving effortless genius, elegance, and playfulness to the very end. Taking nearly a decade to write, Brucker’s last symphonic statement is a gloriously vast cathedral of sound built on foundations of infinite brass.
MOZART: Symphony No. 39
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9
BERNSTEIN & SHOSTAKOVICH
Marin Alsop, conductor
Conductor Marin Alsop leads the CSO in essential classics by Leonard Bernstein and Dmitri Shostakovich. The May Festival Chorus joins for Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, sacred music that illuminates a path to eternal peace, and which notably includes music cut from the Prologue of West Side Story. Shostakovich’s Leningrad martials every artistic defense, and might of the whole Orchestra, against a merciless and tyrannical siege threatening to consume all.
BERNSTEIN: Chichester Psalms
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 7, Leningrad
THE THREE-CORNERED HAT
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
Francesco Piemontesi, piano
Catalina Cuervo, soprano
A trio of influencers had hands in creating the Three-Cornered Hat — the impresario Sergei Diaghilev, Pablo Picasso and composer Manuel de Falla. De Falla’s ballet score stands apart, setting a lighthearted story (a love triangle) to dances full to the brim with Spanish flair and castanets. Gabriela Ortiz’s Téenek transcends place and time, and pianist Francesco Piemontesi joins the CSO for Beethoven’s gentle and poetic Piano Concerto No. 4.
GABRIELA ORTIZ: Téenek – Invenciones de Territorio
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 4
FALLA: Three-Cornered Hat
HOME ALONE
Damon Gupton, conductor
“KEVIN!” Hilarious and heartwarming, Home Alone is holiday fun for the whole family! This Thanksgiving weekend, experience holiday hijinks and mayhem with Kevin, Harry and Marv as John Williams’ charming score is performed live by your Cincinnati Pops with the film projected on a giant screen in stunning high definition above the stage.
HANDEL'S MESSIAH
Joélle Harvey, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Paul Groves, tenor
John Relyea, bass
The trumpet shall sound. Join the CSO, the May Festival Chorus with Director of Choruses Matthew Swanson, and an all-star cast of soloists for the return of Messiah to Music Hall. You'll hear a new orchestration of Handel’s masterwork, bringing out the glories of movements like the Hallelujah Chorus with new depths of orchestral color from winds and percussion that were not present in the original. It will be an uplifting event for making forever and ever holiday memories.
HANDEL (orch. Davis): Messiah
HOLIDAY POPS
John Morris Russell, conductor
Norm Lewis, vocalist
There’s nothing quite as magical as the memories made during the holiday season and, thanks to you, Holiday Pops has allowed us to share and create those memories year after year. With sold-out performances in a decked-out Music Hall, we invite you to join us again this year as Broadway star Norm Lewis joins JMR and the Pops with choruses, vocalists and dancers from around the city bringing festive favorites and holiday classics to life!
LET'S MISBEHAVE: The Music of Cole Porter
John Morris Russell, conductor
Tony Desare, piano & vocals
Aubrey Logan, trombone & vocals
John Manzari, tap dance & vocals
Ring in the New Year with the Pops and the sophisticated and timeless music of Cole Porter! Join Tony DeSare and his guests Aubrey Logan (trombone/vocals) and John Manzari (tap dance/vocals) as they give their fresh spin on such hits as: “Night and Day,” “I Get A Kick Out of You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “You’re the Top,” and many more.
RACHMANINOFF & COPLAND
Matthias Pintscher, conductor
George Li, piano
Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto churns with uber-romantic melodies and Unsuk Chin’s music delights in contrasts. Copland’s last symphony, ringing with bells and brass, brings us home. The finale builds on Fanfare for the Common Man — an enduring masterpiece written for and premiered by the CSO at Music Hall — signaling the culmination and convergence of the composer’s entire career.
Unsuk CHIN: subito con forza
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 3
COPLAND: Symphony No. 3
CSO RECITAL SERIES: Hilary Hahn
Hilary Hahn, violin
Violinist Hillary Hahn’s playing is “at once impetuous and authoritative, brilliant and beautiful,” (The New York Times). The 3-time Grammy Award-winner returns to Music Hall for the first time since 2016 to perform timeless solo works by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Subscribe to 12 or more concerts and select a CSO Recital Series performance for FREE! Subscribe to 18 concerts and select TWO free.
SIMPLY THE BEST: The Music of Tina Turner
Damon Gupton, conductor
All hail the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll." Tina Turner’s singular voice provided the soundtrack of a generation and her story inspired hearts and minds around the world. With a career including 12 Grammy wins and more than 100 million records sold worldwide, she was simply “better than all the rest.” Join the Pops for a tour of Turner’s iconic musical legacy featuring hits like “Proud Mary,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “Disco Inferno” and more!
THE MAGIC CELLO
Christian Reif, conductor
Ilya Finkelshteyn, cello
The richness and beauty of the cello comes through brilliantly when CSO Principal Cello Ilya Finkelshteyn plays the spellbinding melodies of Saint-Saëns’ firework First Concerto. The magical evening ties-in music by Mozart and Jimmy Lopez Bellido, each inspired by fairy tales. Prokofiev’s poignant and profound orchestral farewell provides a thrilling showpiece for the entire Orchestra.
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra world premiere commission of a New Work by Jimmy López Bellido is made possible by a generous gift from Kari and Jon Ullman.
MOZART: Overture to The Magic Flute
Jimmy López BELLIDO: New Work (CSO co-commission)
SAINT-SAËNS: Cello Concerto No. 1
PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 7
STRAUSS & DEBUSSY
Jun Märkl, conductor
Elizabeth Freimuth, horn
Till Eulenspiegel follows the exploits of a noted trickster but doesn’t fool around. The super virtuosic work is a freewheeling tour de force for every member of the Orchestra, beginning with a famous French horn solo. CSO Principal Horn Elizabeth Freimuth steps into the spotlight with a popular early concerto by Strauss, and Debussy’s impressionistic Images create the musical equivalent of a Monet masterpiece.
R. STRAUSS: Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
R. STRAUSS: Horn Concerto No. 1
DEBUSSY: Images
LOLLIPOPS: Lost in Space!
Spark your child's love for orchestral music at an early age with these fun, interactive family events. Each concert lasts just under an hour, with themes specially chosen to engage children ages 2-9. Come early for crafts and activities in the Family Fun Zone.
Tickets are just $10 for children and $15 for adults. Lap seat children ages two and under are free.
DVOŘÁK NEW WORLD SYMPHONY
Cristian Măcelaru, conductor
Randall Goosby, violin
Dvořák’s New World Symphony moves with magnificent energies and melodies that feel like home. Hearing it performed by the CSO at Music Hall is a must-have experience. Randall Goosby, a new champion of Florence Price’s solo works, returns for the composer’s Second Violin Concerto plus Chausson’s most popular work. Selections from Wynton Marsalis Blues Symphony trace the blueprints of a quintessential American style.
Wynton MARSALIS: "Southwestern Shakedown” from Blues Symphony
CHAUSSON: Poème
PRICE: Violin Concerto No. 2
DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9, From the New World
BRAHMS SYMPHONY NO. 4
John Storgårds, conductor
Gil Shaham, violin
This Valentine’s weekend, fall in love with the intensity and driving pulse of Brahms’ last symphony, an exhilarating bouquet of heart-on-sleeve melodies and relentless passion. Violin virtuoso Gil Shaham brings his signature joy and pitch-perfect technique to Dvořák’s Violin Concerto and conductor John Storgårds returns, starting the program with the CSO premiere of music by Victoria Polevá.
Victoria POLEVÁ: Symphony No. 3, White Interment
DVOŘÁK: Violin Concerto
BRAHMS: Symphony No. 4
CSO RECITAL SERIES: Conrad Tao
Conrad Tao, piano
Conrad Tao is a Cincinnati fan favorite at this point. The pianist-composer returns for an all-solo program playing Debussy Études, a shimmery reimagining of Schumann’s haunting music for a weeping bride, and one of Tao’s own explosive explorations of the piano’s far-reaching potential.
Subscribe to 12 or more concerts and select a CSO Recital Series performance for FREE! Subscribe to 18 concerts and select TWO free.
DEBUSSY: Études, Book I
ARLEN (arr. TATUM): Over the Rainbow (trans. Conrad Tao)
Conrad TAO: Keyed In
SCHUMANN: Auf einer Burg (arr. Conrad Tao)
DEBUSSY: Études Book II
FOUNTAINS & PINES OF ROME
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, soprano
Take a musical tour of Rome with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Two of Respighi’s epic showpieces bring rushing fountains, towering pines, mysterious catacombs, and triumphant Roman legions to Music Hall. Richard Strauss’ final work, four hauntingly beautiful last songs, sing of acceptance, transformation, and fruition at the end of one’s long journey.
PERRY: A Short Piece for Orchestra
STRAUSS: Four Last Songs
RESPIGHI: Fountains of Rome
RESPIGHI: Pines of Rome
CLASSICAL ROOTS
John Morris Russell, conductor
Classical Roots Community Choir
Love and community ring throughout Music Hall when the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Classical Roots Community Choir and Nouveau Program celebrate a much-beloved Queen City tradition. JMR leads an inspirational program — an evening of powerful performances that will fill your heart with joy and bring you to your feet!
AMERICAN ORIGINALS: Harlem Renaissance
John Morris Russell, conductor
From Billie Holiday and Josephine Baker to Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington, the Harlem Renaissance was a period of Black creative cultural expression in the United States that greatly influenced the sound of Jazz and Blues as we know it today. JMR, the Cincinnati Pops and special guests celebrate the centennial anniversary of the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance, with the music, dance and poetry of an all-American movement known around the world.
SHEHERAZADE
Keitaro Harada, conductor
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade, based on the legendary stories of One Thousand and One Nights, is a wild ride full of big moments for brass plus a famous violin solo for CSO Concertmaster Stefani Matsuo. Arturo Márquez’ Fandango pays tribute to dances of Mexico, performed here by Anne Akiko Meyers, the soloist it was written for. Yuzo Toyama’s Rhapsody centers on folk songs from his native Japan.
TOYAMA: Rhapsody for Orchestra
Arturo MÁRQUEZ: Fandango
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Sheherazade
STRAUSS ALPINE SYMPHONY
Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor
Maria Ioudenitch, violin
Sir Donald Runnicles leads a peak orchestral experience. Violinist Maria Ioudenitch brings elegance and poise to Mendelssohn’s soaring violin concerto. Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony follows the path of a mountain ascent, from dawn until night, through mist and storms, darkness and unfathomable heights, taking you to another world from the very first chords. Where it leads is nothing less than a total exploration of the possibilities of sound and the CSO at Music Hall.
MacCUNN: The Land of the Mountain and the Flood
MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto
STRAUSS: An Alpine Symphony
BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 3
Case Scaglione, conductor
Simone Lamsma, violin
Beethoven’s symphonies are revolutionary, genre-defining triumphs. The Third, originally titled “Bonaparte,” in dedication to Napoleon, creates a conquering storm that doesn’t resolve until the very end. Soloist Simone Lamsma returns for Max Bruch’s astonishingly beautiful and ultra-challenging First Violin Concerto and the CSO begins with Lili Boulanger’s introspective ode to spring.
L. BOULANGER: D’un matin de printemps ("Of a Spring Morning")
BRUCH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3, Eroica
MAHLER SYMPHONY NO. 6
Jaap van Zweden, conductor
Conductor Jaap van Zweden leads the CSO in Mahler’s colossal Sixth Symphony. From the first ominous beat of the strings, the work builds to shocking intensity, full of soaring melodies and towering brass, abruptly contrasted by profoundly sweet interludes. It’s all the drama you need. In time, Mahler’s whole heartfelt world becomes obliterated by cataclysmic hammerblows.
MAHLER: Symphony No. 6, Tragic
MANDY GONZALEZ: La Vida Broadway
John Morris Russell, conductor
Best known for starring on Broadway in Wicked and Hamilton, and for her portrayal of Nina Rosario in the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights, Broadway icon Mandy Gonzalez joins JMR and the Pops in a celebration of the Latine voices of Broadway, such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rita Moreno and Linda Ronstadt. Expect hits from In the Heights, Hamilton, Moana and many more!
GRIEG & ELLINGTON
Damon Gupton, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano
Grieg’s Piano Concerto is a jewel that dazzles from every angle. One of the most famous and enjoyable works of all time, its radiant charms shine in the hands of pianist and former MAC Music Innovator Michelle Cann. Pops Principal Guest Conductor Damon Gupton leads the CSO in a treasure trove of evocative works, from Dvořák's symphonic poem of Slavic mythology to Duke Ellington’s many hues.
The appearance of Michelle Cann is made possible by a generous gift from the William Hurford and Lesley Gilbertson Family Fund for Guest Pianists.
DVOŘÁK: The Noon Witch
GREIG: Piano Concerto
STRAVINSKY: Scherzo à la russe
HONEGGER: Pastorale d’été
ELLINGTON: Black, Brown and Beige
We’re thrilled to welcome audiences to Music Hall for an exciting season of music. Join us in-person at Music Hall and enjoy the music you love.
Watch digital concerts free of charge on the day of their premiere.
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JMR and the Pops open the new season with a powerful celebration of iconic divas of soul, pop, Broadway, R&B, jazz, opera and gospel that'll blow the roof off Music Hall. Experience some ofthe most popular songs made famous by the likes of Adele, Aretha Franklin, Carole King, Dolly Parton, Ella Fitzgerald and others. Three powerhouse singers join the Pops for an inspiring display of vocal fireworks sure to make you say, “I’m with HER!”
GUSTAV MAHLER: Symphony No. 2, Resurrection
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6, Pathetique
CHRISTOPHER ROUSE: Symphony No. 6
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto
RICHARD STRAUSS: Also sprach Zarathustra ("Thus Spake Zarathustra")
Academy Award, Emmy and GRAMMY-winning artist, actor, author, and activist, Common joins the Pops and Principal Guest Conductor Damon Gupton for a special one-night-only performance! After dazzling a sold-out crowd with the CSO at Classical Roots in 2016, the legendary R&B and hip-hop icon takes the stage at Music Hall to make his debut with the Pops.
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
CHARLES IVES: The Unanswered Question
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Symphony No. 6
Join JMR, the Pops and audience favorite Michael Feinstein
for a tour through the life and songs of Judy Garland, in honor
of her 100th birthday. Enjoy big screen film clips, never-before-seen photos, rare audio recordings, good humor and, of course, great music. We’ll explore Judy’s early career through her trip over the rainbow, her time on TV and the unforgettable concert years—with songs you know and love like "Get Happy," "Over the Rainbow," and more.
MISSY MAZZOLI: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
JEAN SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto
BÉLA BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 3
EDWARD ELGAR: Enigma Variations
CAROLINE SHAW: The Observatory [CSO Co-Commission]
GEORGE GERSHWIN: Rhapsody No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra
GUSTAV HOLST: The Planets
It’s not the holidays until it’s Holiday Pops! Experience the splendor of Music Hall decked out like a winter wonderland, and feel the warmth as JMR and the Pops perform beloved holiday classics.
The Annie Moses Band, who wowed Pops audiences at Riverbend last summer, adds to the joy that makes Holiday Pops the perfect tradition.