Lift ev’ry voice and sing,
‘Til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past
has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present
has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on ‘til victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears
has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through
the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
‘Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God,
where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world,
we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

John Morris Russell, Pops Conductor, Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

John Morris Russell, A.K.A. "JMR," has consistently won international praise for his extraordinary music-making and visionary leadership. This Ohio native is also Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina where his commitment has yielded a new level of artistic excellence. He has also served as the Principal Pops Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic since 2015. A popular guest conductor throughout the United States and Canada, he also holds the title of Conductor Laureate with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in Ontario, Canada, where he served as Music Director for eleven years.

With the Cincinnati Pops, JMR regularly leads sold-out performances at Cincinnati’s Music Hall. Additionally, he conducts the Pops at the Riverbend Music Center and in concerts throughout the Greater Cincinnati region and on tour.

JMR has collaborated with generations of great performers including the late Ray Charles and Rosemary Clooney, as well as Idina Menzel, Vince Gill, Branford Marsalis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Megan Hilty, Common, Cynthia Erivo, Amy Grant, Brian Wilson, Steve Martin, Katharine McPhee, Rhiannon Giddens, Rosanne Cash and Marvin Winans, among many others.

A sought-after guest conductor across the continent, John has conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Other recent engagements include the New York Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, among many other ensembles.

CLASSICAL ROOTS COMMUNITY CHOIR
William Henry Caldwell, Resident Conductor
For two decades, Classical Roots has been a Cincinnati community staple, and what started as a small concert series in 2001 has grown into a diverse community of music lovers, united in celebration of the rich legacy of African American music and the African American experience. At its center is the all-volunteer Classical Roots Community Choir, led by Resident Conductor William Henry Caldwell, and made up of singers from local churches who perform in concerts and other collaborations throughout the year. Some of the most highly regarded church music ministers in the area, including David L. Fowler, Sr., Church of the Resurrection; Ronald Logan, Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church; Marcellene Winfrey, Allen Temple A.M.E. Church; and Geneva Woode, Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church, have prepared the Choir.
The CSO and Classical Roots Community Choir would also like to thank Jason Alexander Holmes for assisting with preparation of tonight’s choir performance.

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CLASSICAL ROOTS COMMUNITY CHOIR
Allen Millsaps
Anna M Russell
LaVerne Rutledge
Wesley Barnfield
Brandon Hare
Calvin Singleton
Carol Patton
Ciara Harper
Carolyn Mitchell O’Bryan
Frank Collins
Cornelia Binford
Cynthia Cummins
Cassandra Fowler
D McGruder
Marqueta Freeman
Deanna L Brown
Donna Welch
Deborah Riley
David Fowler
Donita Binford
Eric Smith
Dawann E Jackson Sr.
Mary Franklin
Gloria Parker Martin
Archie Armstrong
Geneva Woode
Hattie Lawson
MaryCarol Hopkins
Joy Gazaway
Karen Arnold
Samuel Omoshebi
LaShaun Patton
Lenora Castleberry
Mildred Stallworth
Miriam Valley
Bridalveil Powell
Marcellene Winfrey
Natalie Hayes
Noël Walton
Margaret O’Leary
Clemmie Armstrong
Shari Palmer
Patty Bachman
Peg Bell-Lohr
Robert Thacker
Ron Logan
Janice Sanders
Sherry Scott
Shoneil Cunningham
Nor-Rita Winters
Yvonne Brantley
Yvette Jackson
Timothy Oliver
Jason Holmes

Classical Roots Community Choir singers represent the following area churches:

Allen Temple AME Church
Bethel Baptist Church
Carmel Presbyterian Church
Christ Emmanuel Christian Fellowship
Church of the Resurrection Catholic Church
College Hill Presbyterian Church
Crossroads Church
Every Nation Cincinnati Church
Heritage Universal Unitarian Church
Lee Chapel AME Church
Light of the World Church
Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church
Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church
Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church
New Covenant Community Church of God
New Nazarene Baptist Church
New Vision United Methodist Church
Quinn Chapel AME Church
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
St. John Fisher Church

Career highlights for American soprano Talise Trevigne include her celebrated portrayal of Bess in Porgy and Bess at The Atlanta Opera (TAO); she returned as a TAO company principal artist in the 2020–21 season as Nedda in Pagliacci. She will star with Cincinnati Opera during their 2022 season as Mimì in La bohème and as Patience in Castor and Patience.

Trevigne played the role of Sunny in desert in for Boston Lyric Opera in their exciting new episodic opera series devised for the small screen and curated and directed by James Darrah. Previous highlights include her return appearance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for Tippett’s A Child of our Time in performances in the UK and Germany conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.

In an earlier season, Trevigne debuted the role of Ma in Missy Mazzoli/Royce Vavrek’s highly lauded Proving Up at Omaha Opera and at Lincoln Centre, and she sang Nedda with Madison Opera. At Theater Basel she appeared as Madama Butterfly, and, for her rendition of Christopher Rouse’s masterpiece Kabir Padavali with Albany Symphony, she was honored with a 2016 Grammy Award nomination in the category “Best Solo Classical CD.” Other roles include Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, Julie in Showboat, Mimì in La bohème, Jemmy in Guillaume Tell, Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice and the title role in Manon.

Past successes include the role of Micaëla in Carmen with Hawaii Opera Theatre and at San Diego Opera, and, in Fort Worth, she created the role of Clara in JFK, a role she took to Opéra de Montréal—a Canadian debut. She sang Leila in Les pêcheurs de perles at North Carolina Opera and the title role in Iris at Bard SummerScape. Another role debut brought Ophelia in Hamlet into her repertoire at Fort Worth Opera, and she sang Grétry’s rarely heard L’épreuve villageoise in a recording and performances with Opera Lafayette. Her Heroines in Les contes d’Hoffmann at Opera de Lyon under the baton of Kazushi Ōno were a great success, and she revived the roles at Israeli Opera with Frédéric Chaslin.

Enjoying a long collaboration with composer Jake Heggie, Trevigne sang the world premiere of his song cycle Pieces of 9/11—Memories from Houston at Houston Grand Opera, where she also inaugurated the role of Clara in It’s a Wonderful Life. Her solo CD, At the Statue of Venus (GPR Records), written by Heggie and Glen Roven, quickly climbed to the top of the U.S. record charts; she is also featured on Heggie’s CD release, here/after, songs of lost voices alongside Stephen Costello, Joyce DiDonato and Nathan Gunn. She established the role of Pip the cabin boy in Moby-Dick, which was written for her, in the world premiere at Dallas Opera in 2010; she also appeared as Pip at San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera and Washington National Opera. In 2015, she brought the role of Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking into her repertoire at Opera Parallèle in San Francisco.

Talise Trevigne made her UK stage debut as June Gibbons in the world premiere of Errollyn Wallen's The Silent Twins with Almeida Opera; she also originated the title role in the world premiere of Judith Weir's Armida for the BBC. In 2007, she won the coveted Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for her mesmerizing portrayal of Violetta in La traviata with Birmingham Opera and sang Gilda in Rigoletto at the Dublin International Opera Festival in 2008. In her Australian debut, Trevigne appeared as The Beloved in the world premiere of Liza Lim's The Navigator, directed by Barrie Kosky for the Melbourne International Festival, and she revived the role at the Chekhov International Arts Festival in Moscow and at the Bastille in Paris (December 2009).

In concert, the artist’s appearances include Cantaloube's Chants D'Auvergne, Satie's Socrate, Mahler's Second Symphony and Fourth Symphony, Barber's Prayers of Kierkegaard, Strauss' Vier letzte Lieder, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. Talise Trevigne studied at the Manhattan School of Music and graduated with her Master of Music degree. While still a student, she made her operatic debut, under the direction of Julius Rudel, as Violetta in La traviata and Zerlina in Don Giovanni at the Aspen Music Festival.

American baritone Michael Preacely is a rising star on the operatic stage and is also known for a versatile singing ability and style that allow him to cross between genres from classical repertoire to pop, contemporary, and Broadway. He has received critical acclaim for many of his performances, including Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, Scarpia in Tosca, Ford in Falstaff, Marcello in La Boheme, the High Priest in Samson and Delilah, and Porgy and Jake in Porgy and Bess. Mr. Preacely has performed with many major and regional opera houses and orchestras in the United States and abroad. Recently, Mr. Preacely completed a European tour of Porgy and Bess where he received great reviews for his performance of both Porgy and Jake. He also toured Russia in a concert series with New York based Opera Noire, debuted with Opera Memphis in the role of Marullo with a Rigoletto Cover, and Opéra de Montréal in the role of Jake. Michael made his debut with the Butler University Symphony Orchestra opposite world-famous soprano Angela Brown in a beloved performance of the Porgy and Bess Suite. Michael has performed with Cincinnati Opera, Opera Company Philadelphia, Opera Memphis, Kentucky Opera, Cleveland Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, and Bohème Opera of New Jersey.

Mr. Preacely’s success on the concert stage has blossomed with some of the nation’s leading orchestras, including the Oakland East Bay Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops, the Cincinnati Pops, the Greater Trenton Choral Society, and the American Spiritual Ensemble.

Mr. Preacely has received numerous accolades. He was invited under scholarship to participate in the International Vocal Arts Institute with Joan Dornemann and the VOIC Experience with Sherrill Milnes and Friends. He was the First Place Graduate Winner in the Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition at the University of Kentucky and the recipient of awards in various competitions such as the National Opera Association Vocal Competition Artist Division, the Fritz and Jensen Vocal Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Currently, Mr. Preacely is working on the release of his first album, Spirituals and Hymns, followed by a series of concerts and recitals in various venues across the United States. Michael resides in Lexington, KY with his wife LeTicia and three sons, Joshua, Benjamin and Jayce Bryson.

View Artist Website

After a record-breaking 4,308 performances as King Mufasa in The Lion King on Broadway, Alton added author and in demand keynote speaker to his list of titles. His critically acclaimed book, My Pride: Mastering the Challenge of Daily Performance, filled with secrets to fulfillment and joy in work and life, is published by Disney Editions. Other Broadway starring roles include Mister in The Color Purple, Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime, Ken in Smokey Joe’s Cafe, John in Miss Saigon and The Hawker in The Who’s Tommy. Alton has performed concert dates all over the world that has included music from his best-selling CD Disney My Way! Alton has appeared on the big screen opposite Nicole Kidman and Sam Elliott and has had guest star roles on the hit TV series LAW AND ORDER, THE BLACKLIST, THE GOOD FIGHT, MADAM SECRETARY, a recurring role on BULL as Judge Tahani and featured in the new season of DEXTER to name a few. Alton Fitzgerald White is a Cincinnati native and a graduate of Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He performs concerts around the world and has performed with the Cincinnati Pops multiple times at Riverbend, most recently appearing with the Pops in 2010 at the opening of SCPA’s Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education.
Please feel free to join him on his Facebook fan page, @WhiteAlton on Twitter, @Alton2459 on Instagram and Altonfitzgeraldwhite.com. Wishes For Blessings and Joy! :-)

NOUVEAU PROGRAM
Marion Peraza, Artistic Advisor and Coach
Felipe Morales-Torres, Coach
The Nouveau Program supports increased participation in classical music by African American and Latine student musicians by providing equitable opportunities for music study and performance. The Nouveau Program includes several groups, and students must audition to participate. Nouveau members receive weekly chamber coaching, perform throughout the season, and participate in age-appropriate workshops and activities. Nouveau ensembles include Novice, Apprentice, Chamber Players, and Winds. The Nouveau Program is supported by the D’Addario Foundation; the CSO’s Multicultural Awareness Council; Queen City (OH) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated; PricewaterhouseCoopers; and The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation.

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MEMBERS OF THE NOUVEAU PROGRAM
Vanessa Agyei
Kennedy Baker
Evaluna Bast
Kindall Benjamin
Emery Cunningham
Lee Griffiths
Kori Hill
Patrice Kirksey
David Lancman
Julia Lancman
Alan Lawson
Madison Meredith
Maya Pero
Renee Perpignan
Eric Reigelsperger
Nyla Smith
Nilli Tayidi
Joshua Taylor
Lela Watkins
Alex Webb
Ari Webb

LOUIS LANGRÉE, CSO Music Director
- Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL, Pops Conductor
- Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

Matthias Pintscher, CSO Creative Partner

Damon Gupton, Pops Principal Guest Conductor

François López-Ferrer, CSO Associate Conductor
- Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair for Associate Conductor

Wilbur Lin, Pops Assistant Conductor
- Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair for Assistant Conductor

FIRST VIOLINS

Stefani Matsuo
Concertmaster
—Anna Sinton Taft Chair

Charles Morey
Acting Associate Concertmaster
—Tom & Dee Stegman Chair

Philip Marten
First Assistant Concertmaster
—James M. Ewell Chair++

Eric Bates
Second Assistant Concertmaster
—Serge Shababian Chair

Kathryn Woolley
—Nicholas Tsimaras–Peter G. Courlas Chair++

Anna Reider
—Dianne & J. David Rosenberg Chair

Mauricio Aguiar§

Minyoung Baik

James Braid
—Marc Bohlke Chair given by Katrin & Manfred Bohlke

Michelle Edgar Dugan

Rebecca Kruger Fryxell
Clifford J. Goosmann and Andrea M. Wilson Chair

Gerald Itzkoff
—Jean Ten Have Chair

Lois Reid Johnson
—Anne G. & Robert W. Dorsey Chair++

Sylvia Mitchell
—Jo Ann & Paul Ward Chair

Luo-Jia Wu

SECOND VIOLINS

Gabriel Pegis
Principal
—Al Levinson Chair

Yang Liu*
—Harold B. & Betty Justice Chair

Scott Mozlin**
—Henry Meyer Chair

Kun Dong

Cheryl Benedict

Evin Blomberg§

Rachel Charbel
—Ida Ringling North Chair

Elizabeth Furuta†

Chika Kinderman

Hyesun Park

Paul Patterson
—Charles Gausmann Chair++

Stacey Woolley
—Brenda & Ralph Taylor Chair++

VIOLAS

Christian Colberg
Principal
—Louise D. & Louis Nippert Chair

Paul Frankenfeld*
—Grace M. Allen Chair

Julian Wilkison**

Rebecca Barnes§

Christopher Fischer

Stephen Fryxell
—Melinda & Irwin Simon Chair

Caterina Longhi

Denisse Rodriguez-Rivera

Joanne Wojtowicz

CELLOS

Ilya Finkelshteyn
Principal
—Irene & John J. Emery Chair

Daniel Culnan*
—Ona Hixson Dater Chair

Norman Johns**
—Karl & Roberta Schlachter Family Chair

Matthew Lad§
—Marvin Kolodzik Chair

Susan Marshall-Petersen
—Laura Kimble McLellan Chair++

Hiro Matsuo

Theodore Nelson
—Peter G. Courlas–Nicholas Tsimaras Chair++

Alan Rafferty
—Ruth F. Rosevear Chair

BASSES

Owen Lee
Principal
—Mary Alice Heekin Burke Chair++

James Lambert*
—Thomas Vanden Eynden Chair

Matthew Zory, Jr.**+
—Trish & Rick Bryan Chair

Boris Astafiev§

Ronald Bozicevich
—Donald & Margaret Robinson Chair

Rick Vizachero

HARP

Gillian Benet Sella
Principal
—Cynthia & Frank Stewart Chair

FLUTES

Randolph Bowman
Principal
—Charles Frederic Goss Chair

Henrik Heide*†

Haley Bangs
—Jane & David Ellis Chair

PICCOLO

[OPEN]
—Patricia Gross Linnemann Chair

OBOES

Dwight Parry
Principal
—Josephine I. & David J. Joseph, Jr. Chair

Lon Bussell*
—Stephen P. McKean Chair

Emily Beare

ENGLISH HORN

Christopher Philpotts
Principal
—Alberta & Dr. Maurice Marsh Chair+

CLARINETS

Christopher Pell
Principal
—Emma Margaret & Irving D. Goldman Chair

Joseph Morris*
Associate Principal and Eb Clarinet
—Robert E. & Fay Boeh Chair++

Ixi Chen
Vicky & Rick Reynolds Chair in Honor of William A. Friedlander

BASS CLARINET

Ronald Aufmann

BASSOONS

Christopher Sales
Principal
—Emalee Schavel Chair++

Martin Garcia*

Hugh Michie

CONTRABASSOON

Jennifer Monroe

FRENCH HORNS

Elizabeth Freimuth
Principal
—Mary M. & Charles F. Yeiser Chair

[OPEN]*
—Ellen A. & Richard C. Berghamer Chair

Molly Norcross**
Acting Associate Principal
—Sweeney Family Chair in memory of Donald C. Sweeney

Lisa Conway
—Susanne & Philip O. Geier, Jr. Chair

Duane Dugger
—Mary & Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Chair

Charles Bell

TRUMPETS

Robert Sullivan
Principal
—Rawson Chair

Douglas Lindsay*
—Jackie & Roy Sweeney Family Chair

Steven Pride
—Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Chair++

Christopher Kiradjieff

TROMBONES

Cristian Ganicenco
Principal
—Dorothy & John Hermanies Chair

Joseph Rodriguez**
Second/Assistant Principal Trombone

BASS TROMBONE

Peter Norton

TUBA

Christopher Olka
Principal
—Ashley & Barbara Ford Chair

TIMPANI

Patrick Schleker
Principal
—Matthew & Peg Woodside Chair

Michael Culligan
Acting Associate Principal

[OPEN]*
—Morleen & Jack Rouse Chair

PERCUSSION

David Fishlock
Principal
—Susan S. & William A. Friedlander Chair

Michael Culligan*

[OPEN]*
—Morleen & Jack Rouse Chair

Marc Wolfley+

KEYBOARDS

Michael Chertock
—James P. Thornton Chair

Julie Spangler+
—James P. Thornton Chair

CSO/CCM DIVERSITY FELLOWS

Maalik Glover, violin

Mwakudua waNgure, violin

Tyler McKisson, viola

Javier Otalora, viola

Max Oppeltz-Carroz, cello

Luis Parra, cello

Samantha Powell, cello

Luis Celis Avila, bass

Amy Nickler, bass

LIBRARIANS

Christina Eaton
Principal Librarian
—Lois Klein Jolson Chair

Elizabeth Dunning
Acting Associate Principal Librarian

Adam Paxson
Interim Assistant Librarian

STAGE MANAGERS

Brian P. Schott

Phillip T. Sheridan

Daniel Schultz

Andrew Sheridan

§ Begins the alphabetical listing of players who participate in a system of rotated seating within the string section.

*  Associate Principal

**  Assistant Principal

† One-year appointment

‡ Leave of absence

+ Cincinnati Pops rhythm section

++ CSO endowment only

~ Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation