On Friday and Saturday, February 3 and 4, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra enters the realm of heroes, past and present. Conductor John Storgårds returns to Music Hall to conduct Beethoven’s legendary and demonstrative Symphony No. 3, Eroica. Christian Tetzlaff’s interpretations of the violin concerto repertoire, from the classical and romantic periods to 20^th century and contemporary eras, are appreciated the world over. A former student at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Mr. Tetzlaff made his CSO debut in 1994, and returns on to perform Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1. Brahms’ warm and humorous Academic Festival Overture opens this commanding program only the CSO can deliver.

Prior these performances, Christian Tetzlaff will participate in Classical Conversations, an informative, casual discussion open to all ticketholders held in the Music Hall auditorium one hour before the start of the concert. CSO Associate Conductor Robert Treviño hosts the event.

The CSO is grateful to Messer for its generous sponsorship of these concerts. The ArtsWave partner for these performances is P&G.

Community Concert at Mason High School

Maestro Storgårds will also be leading the CSO in a community concert program at Mason High School on Thursday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. As part of an ongoing community partnership, the Orchestra will perform Brahms’ overture and Beethoven’s symphony after an opening work to be performed by the Mason High School Orchestra conducted by CSO Associate Conductor Robert Treviño. Proceeds from this community concert benefit the Mason Orchestra Boosters.

Tickets for this concert are $21 for adults and $11 for students. Tickets are available by ordering from ShowTix4u.com.  For more information, e-mail mhscsoconcert@gmail.com or call (513) 229-4065.

College Nite

CSO Ignite members always get $12 tickets to most CSO concerts, but on College Nites, students get the concert and a post-concert party for the same $12 price. College students are invited to a free after-party in Corbett Tower immediately following the performance on Saturday, January 4. Students will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with other music fans, CSO musicians, and special guests Christian Tetzlaff (a former CCM student) and John Storgårds while jamming to live music from The Minor Leagues. Free food will be provided by Arnold’s Bar and Grill and a cash bar will be available. Read more

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announces its 2012-13 season at historic Music Hall, the last before an exciting revitalization project begins that will close the hall for one year. Throughout the season the CSO celebrates Music Hall’s incredible history, all that Music Hall is, and all that Music Hall will become. The celebratory season was programmed as the CSO continued its search for its next Music Director and the Orchestra enlisted three luminaries of the music world to act as Creative Directors for three different concert series: 2011 Musical America “Conductor of the Year” Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos returns to lead the popular Masterworks Series; acclaimed saxophonist and bandleader Branford Marsalis leads the thrilling Ascent Series; Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Jennifer Higdon spearheads the groundbreaking Boundless Series.

“The Orchestra continues to perform at an extremely high level, and during this important search for our next Music Director, we’ve remained firmly committed to delivering world class artistry and unparalleled concert experiences,” said CSO President Trey Devey. “We’re delighted to have back Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos, who is one of the most respected and sought after conductors in the world. We’re also pleased to welcome Branford Marsalis and Jennifer Higdon to the CSO family. Putting together this innovative, star-studded season has been a collaborative process and we’re looking forward to presenting great performances on the Music Hall stage.”

All three Creative Directors will complete two week-long residency periods in Cincinnati during the season. Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos will conduct two concerts on the Masterworks Series. Mr. Marsalis performs as a saxophone soloist during the Ascent series. The Boundless Series includes three of Ms. Higdon’s compositions. All three residencies will include educational and community engagement activities. Details will be announced at a later date.

Among the esteemed list of artists performing with the CSO during the 2012-13 season are Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, André Watts, Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, Sarah Chang, Evelyn Glennie and Garrick Ohlssohn. The 117-year old CSO’s season also features 11 artists and conductors making their debuts with the Orchestra, in addition to several popular returning artists.

Music Director Laureate Paavo Järvi returns for the first time since his highly-successful tenure ended with a sold-out concert in May 2011. The Orchestra also continues its long tradition of commissions and American premieres, which includes a new commissioned work from Chinese-American composer Zhou Tian, and is delighted to present the Cincinnati premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker’s Sinfonia No. 4, Strands, a work co-commissioned by the CSO.

New music has played an important part in Music Hall’s history dating all the way back to 1878. The stage has hosted musical legends and significant premieres, and history will continue to be made during the upcoming season and subsequent seasons when the newly revitalized hall reopens in October of 2014.

Renée Fleming Makes Cincinnati Debut in Special One-Night-Only Opening Concert

This star-studded season begins on September 18 with one of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, soprano Renée Fleming’s exciting Cincinnati debut. “Perfect voice, endless breath, sensual tone…she is sheer perfection,” said Le Monde of this three-time Grammy winner known as “the people’s diva.” Sebastian Lang-Lessing conducts this sure-to-sell-out program featuring a wide range of operatic favorites, symphonic song, and arrangements of popular American classics.

The CSO is bringing back its immensely popular subscription incentive. Patrons purchasing ten or more concerts may choose either this Renée Fleming concert, or one of the September 21-22 concerts featuring Joshua Bell, for free. This is similar to the offer in previous seasons (which extended free tickets to concerts starring Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman to subscribers).

Subscribers also maintain seating priority for the 2013-14 season at the Taft Theatre.

The Renée Fleming concert will be accompanied by an Opening Night Gala, chaired by Jeannine Winkelman and Melanie Chavez. Details will be announced at a later date. Read more

There are very few superstars in classical music as famous and thrilling to watch on stage as pianist Lang Lang. From his blazing technique to heartfelt interpretation, outreach philanthropy to performing encores on his iPad, Lang Lang has garnered critical acclaim and wild popularity. Currently serving as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Ascent Series Creative Director, Lang Lang makes his first of two appearances with the CSO in the 2011-2012 season on Friday and Saturday, January 27 & 28 at 8 p.m. He last performed at Music Hall to sold-out crowds during the CSO’s opening night in 2009. This time, he returns to play the music of Liszt, whom he cites as being his “piano hero.” Wagner’s Overture to The Flying Dutchman and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 serve as bookends to Liszt’s fiendishly difficult Piano Concerto No. 1. German conductor Jun Märkl makes his CSO debut directing this exhilarating program.

“Liszt is my hero. He is the original piano virtuoso, and his music is timeless,” said Lang Lang. “He was a fearless entertainer and a very thoughtful artist. Every time I perform his works, I am struck by the scale of his genius,” he said in an interview with Kathleen Doane, available in full on the CSO website.

Prior to these concerts, Maestro Märkl will participate in Classical Conversations, an informative, casual discussion open to all ticketholders held in the Music Hall auditorium one hour before the start of the concert. CSO Associate Conductor Robert Treviño hosts the event.

The CSO is grateful to Macy’s for its sponsorship of this concert. The ArtsWave partner for these performances is Cincinnati Bell.

Lang Lang’s Creative Directorship is made possible by The Harold C. Schott Foundation, Francie and Tom Hiltz.

Details on Lang Lang’s residency

As part of his Creative Directorship, Lang Lang will engage in several residency activities while in Cincinnati. On Thursday, January 26, he will give a career talk to students at the School for Creative and Performing Arts. After the concert on Friday, he will attend the CSOEncore “Chinese New Year” post-concert reception in Music Hall’s Corbett Tower. On Saturday morning, he will perform as part of the Lollipops Family Concert “It’s Storytime” concert conducted by John Morris Russell. He will sign CDs as part of the CSO performances on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Parking Shuttle

The CSO will be offering complimentary parking shuttles before and after both performances. Shuttles will operate 1 1/2 hours up to 15 minutes prior to the performance and again after the concert between the Court Street Center (Turner Construction) lot on Elm Street (between Court Street and Central Parkway) and Music Hall. There will be one pick-up point on Court Street (between Plum and Elm) and one drop-off point at the main doors of Music Hall on Elm, with signage and a security officer in place throughout. Read more

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announced today that it will perform Mozart’s famed and admired Symphony No. 40, known as the “Great G minor symphony,” during the program scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, January 13 and 14 at Music Hall. The Mozart symphony will be in lieu of the originally scheduled On a Wire by American composer Jennifer Higdon. The ensemble for which On a Wire was commissioned, eighth blackbird, was forced to cancel their performances with the CSO because of a family matter. The title of the concert has been changed from “Live Wire” to “For Love & Mozart.”

Also on the program, led by celebrated conductor Juanjo Mena, is the regional premiere of Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula, a new work by American composer James Lee, III. This work is a commission of the Sphinx Commission Consortium, of which the Cincinnati Symphony is a part, highlighting Black and Latino composers. This will be the first opportunity for Cincinnati audiences to experience this groundbreaking piece. The program closes with the impressionistic Daphnis et Chloé, Suites 1 and 2 by master orchestrator Ravel. Originally a ballet suite, Daphnis et Chloé tells the ancient love story of the title characters, though stands alone as a remarkably beautiful orchestral work. The May Festival Chorus joins the CSO for this piece, adding splendor to this romantic piece.

Prior to these concerts, audience members may attend Classical Conversations, an informative, casual discussion open to all ticketholders held in the Music Hall auditorium one hour before the start of the concert. CSO Assistant Conductor William White hosts the event.

This program is part of the CSO’s Multicultural Awareness Council (MAC) Open Door Concert Series, which is supported through a grant made by The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation.

The CSO is grateful to Rendigs, Fry, Kiely & Dennis and The Rendigs Foundation for its sponsorship of this program. The ArtsWave partner for these performances is Convergys. Philip Glass’ Creative Directorship is made possible by Brad and Marsha Lindner. Read more

Drawing from the rich Latin heritage of their native Cuba, as well as their classical conservatory training, Miami-based ensemble Tiempo Libre produces a rich Afro-Cuban sound with tantalizing dance rhythms to heat up the biting January winter. On Friday and Saturday, January 20-21, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, conducted by John Morris Russell, bathes Tiempo Libre in full orchestral splendor fusing Latin pulse with all the color that only the Pops can offer. The Grammy-award winning ensemble represents the traditional rhythms and flavor of Latin jazz and dance while pursuing the American Dream, inspired by everything from rock to classical. The group has collaborated with such artists as violinist Joshua Bell and jazz trumpeter Chris Botti. They return to Cincinnati after an amazing debut at the Aronoff Center in 2008.

“People come from all over the world in search of the same thing,” said Pops Conductor John Morris Russell. “Freedom, the ability to express oneself, and the ability to ‘go for it’…To be able to take what you know and what you have a passion for and find those other people who share that passion, and taking it around the world. Tiempo Libre is a great example of this.”

This program is part of the CSO’s Multicultural Awareness Council (MAC) Open Door Concert Series, which is supported through a grant made by The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation. The ArtsWave partner for this concert is Ohio National Financial Services.

A preview video about this concert featuring Maestro Russell is available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJy0HO_W0i0

¡Fiesta Maravillosa!

After Saturday’s concert, the CSO’s Multicultural Awareness Council (MAC) hosts a Fiesta Maravillosa (“Wonderful Party”) creating an outlet for the infectious rhythms Tiempo Libre initiates in the concert hall. MAC, Cincinnati Symphony Volunteer Association, Honorary Chair Mike Robinson, and Event Committee Chair Aurelia Candie Simmons present an evening with Poppa Loves Mambo band featuring complimentary dance lessons (salsa, tango, rumba, etc.), Latin food stations and cash bar in Music Hall’s Corbett Tower. Party Proceeds will benefit the MAC Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra Norman E. Johns Chair Award for African-American, Hispanic, Latino and American Indian youth orchestra student musicians. Tickets are $100 for patron-level, $75 for concert and party combo and $50 for those who already have concert tickets. Read more