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—think Adele, Aretha Franklin, Carol King, Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston—that'll blow the roof off Music Hall. 

CAROLINE SHAW: The Observatory [CSO Co-Commission]

GEORGE GERSHWIN: Rhapsody No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra

GUSTAV HOLST: The Planets

The full-feature film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, will be projected on the big screen with dialogue, singing, and effects accompanied by Danny Elfman’s darkly charming score played live by your Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

Academy Award, Emmy and GRAMMY-winning artist, actor, author, and activist, Common joins the Pops 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 returns to Music Hall for his debut with the Pops. 

“I am a Jedi, like my father before me….”

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is an epic musical stroll through an eclectic gallery of paintings, from a drawing of unhatched dancing chickens to an image of towering city gates. Originally for piano, Ravel’s version for orchestra adds a bursting palette of instrumental color. Saxophonist Steven Banks, who “has the potential to be one of the transformational musicians of the 21st century,” plays a new concerto by GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer Billy Childs.

Dizzying heights and Broadway lights come together for a captivating Pops & Cirque mashup. Marvel at the eye-popping feats of Cirque’s mesmerizing acrobats with JMR and the Pops performing top Broadway hits to accompany contortionists, balancers, tumblers, and athletes on aerial silks defying gravity and doing the seemingly impossible.

Damon Gupton and the Pops give the holidays an afterglow and keep the celebration going into the New Year! Expect timeless classics from the Billie Holiday songbook—songs like "I Cover the Waterfront," "Lady Sings the Blues," and "In My Solitude."

Set young hearts and minds aglow! For many audience members, a lifelong love and appreciation of music began with Lollipops Family Concerts at Music Hall. Introduce someone you love to the world of orchestral music with a fun, interactive concert experience—perfect for children, ages or ability of 2-9.

In 2018, Marvel Studios’ Black Panther quickly became a global sensation and cultural phenomenon, showing a new dimension of what superhero films could be. Relive the excitement of T’Challa becoming king and battling Killmonger all while the Cincinnati Pops performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar-winning score live to picture.

Experience the extraordinary talent of GRAMMY® Emmy® and Tony® Award-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo. After bursting onto West End and Broadway stages in THE COLOR PURPLE, she has taken the world by storm! Erivo wowed Cincinnati audiences at Classical Roots in 2017, and, back by popular demand, she now brings her powerful and soul-stirring vocals to Music Hall’s stage, reuniting with JMR for her Cincinnati Pops debut!