John Morris Russell, conductor
Annie Moses Band
Chris Kenney, baritone

Join JMR and the Pops for a showcase of American favorites inspired by the beauty of this land and its peoples.

As one of the earliest church partners for Classical Roots, Zion Baptist Church has been an active supporter of the annual celebration. Members of the CSO will perform in celebration of this Congregation and the 20^th anniversary of this important collaboration.

The very first Classical Roots concert took place at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church on July 11, 2001. The church has been an active supporter of Classical Roots ever since. Celebrate this important 20th-anniversary milestone with members of the CSO and our community partners.

As one of the earliest church partners for Classical Roots, Quinn Chapel AME Church has been an active supporter of the annual celebration. Members of the CSO will perform in celebration of this Congregation and the 20^th anniversary of this important collaboration.

John Morris Russell, conductor

This is what joy and inspiration sound like! Learn more.

Louis Langrée, conductor

Anna Meredith, electronics

Eleanor Meredith, video

Simon Hendry, sound design

At times haunting and achingly beautiful, at others punchy and bombastic, ANNO intertwines sections from Vivaldi's hugely famous Four Seasons with newly composed electronic and acoustic music by Anna Meredith. Learn more.

Louis Langrée, conductor
Stefani Matsuo, violin
Drew Petersen, piano

Our opening concerts symbolize the freedom and joy in being able to gather together to share live music. The program features Brahms’ blockbuster Third Symphony—an outburst of freedom and joy. Pianist Drew Petersen joins concertmaster Stefani Matsuo for Brahms’ Scherzo movement from the collaborative F-A-E Sonata and then performs Andrew Norman’s enigmatic Suspend, which explores melodic fragments from both of Brahms' works.

Daniil Trifonov, piano

Daniil Trifonov wowed sold-out Music Hall audiences with his 2019 CSO debut. Now, Cincinnati will get a chance to experience a rare solo recital showcasing the remarkable talent of the famed Russian pianist—an artist The London Times calls “without question the most astounding pianist of our age."

James Gaffigan, conductor
Robert Sullivan, trumpet
Catherine Trottmann, soprano

Conductor James Gaffigan returns with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, a work depicting the stunning grace often found amid tragedy. Soprano Catherine Trottmann makes her CSO debut, and Principal Trumpet Robert Sullivan takes center stage with a rarely heard 18th-century gem by the little-known Czech composer Johann Baptist Georg Neruda.

Louis Langrée, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano

Emanuel Ax, a perpetual audience favorite, performs Haydn's shimmering Concerto in D. Composer Sebastian Currier took Louis Langrée’s CSO commission instructions literally: each of the four movements in Track 8 parallels a movement of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, in what Currier calls
“a Beethoven remix.”

Roderick Cox, conductor
Conrad Tao, piano

Roderick Cox’s CSO debut takes us into the sound world of the imagination, with works by composers who used the full palette of orchestral colors to illustrate their vision. Mallarmé’s poem depicting a faun’s ephemeral fantasies inspired Debussy’s most famous work. Pianist Conrad Tao performs Ravel’s concerto inspired by jazz and Basque folk music, and Mendelssohn’s Scottish evokes the dramatic landscapes of the British Isles.

John Morris Russell, conductor
Aubrey Logan, vocalist
Michael Preacely, vocalist

Joy to the world! Cincinnati’s beloved holiday tradition returns with music, warmth, laughter and seasonal inspiration for the entire family. Gather those dear to you to share unforgettable memories in the grandeur of a Music Hall adorned with wondrous decorations and joyful song.

John Morris Russell, conductor

Capathia Jenkins, vocalist

Ron Bohmer, vocalist

The countdown stops at 007. John Morris Russell leads a thrilling Top Secret program featuring iconic themes and famous music from the longest-running franchise in movie history. Shake things up with all things James Bond, including hits like Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, The World Is Not Enough and more. Ring in this New Year in style!

James Conlon, conductor

James Conlon, May Festival Music Director Laureate, returns with works by three composers who touch on universal themes of cultural identity and our shared humanity. Dawson, a pioneering composer in his time, expresses the Black American experience while Beethoven's and Bernstein’s works illustrate the conflicts between cultures thrown together through circumstance.

Louis Langrée, conductor
Nicola Bendetti, violin

At the turn of the 20th century, there were no greater orchestrators than Ravel and Strauss, whose works unleash the full force of the orchestra in all of its innumerable colors. Grammy-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti gives the U.S. premiere of Mark Simpson’s dazzling new violin concerto. Finished during the pandemic, the work “explodes with all those feelings—frustration, anger, restlessness, confusion, uncertainty—that have had nowhere to go during the lockdowns” (The Times, London).

John Morris Russell, conductor
Cirque de la Symphonie

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.

Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin

CSO Creative Partner Matthias Pintscher and close collaborator, violinist Leila Josefowicz, premiere Pintscher's brand new concerto, written for the CSO. Completing the program is another composer who conducted his own works: Sergei Rachmaninoff, whose spirited Symphonic Dances are always an audience favorite.

Damon Gupton, conductor

Happy Birthday, John Williams! Pops Principal Guest Conductor Damon Gupton and the Pops treat us to a slice of John Williams’ most beloved scores—just in time for his 90th birthday. Experience selections from Superman, Star Wars, E.T., Jaws, Witches of Eastwick and more by one of the greatest composers of our lifetime.

This performance does not contain film clips.

John Storgårds, conductor
Ksenjia Sidorova, accordion

The versatility of Glass, Piazzolla and Adams shines as conductor John Storgårds leads a program conjuring missing lovers, misspent youth, intrigue, and the early hours of Los Angeles. Piazzolla’s steamy, sultry Latin tangos are mesmerizing as performed by accordionist Ksenija Sidorova in her CSO debut.

Karina Canellakis, conductor

Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Audience favorite Alisa Weilerstein brings her trademark intensity to Elgar’s fiery and elegant Cello Concerto. Full of energy, Augusta Read Thomas’ Brio is a joyous opening to the program, and the artistry of conductor Karina Canellakis and the CSO is on display with Sibelius' depiction of mythological dark Nordic waters, icy adventures and a sonorous swan song.

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.

Louis Langrée, conductor
Jennifer Koh, violin
May Festival Chorus, Robert Porco, director

Jennifer Koh is a prolific champion of new works and stars in the premiere of a CSO co-commission by “Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart,” Missy Mazzoli. The May Festival Chorus makes a triumphant return to Music Hall for Mozart’s poignant Mass, taking us from anxiety and darkness to glorious transfiguration.

John Morris Russell, conductor

Tamika Lawrence, vocalist

CoCo Smith, vocalist
Blaine Krauss, vocalist

JMR and the Pops join with three powerhouse vocalists to pay R-E-S-P-E-C-T to Aretha Franklin, “the #1 singer of all time” (Rolling Stone). Come celebrate the life and music of an American icon featuring your favorite hits from the Queen of Soul!

Louis Langrée, conductor

Eighth Blackbird

GRAMMY Award-winning Eighth Blackbird joins the CSO for a premiere from
Kinds of Kings, a U.S.-based composer collective amplifying and advocating for underrepresented voices. A new fanfare by Wynton Marsalis shows off the Orchestra’s brass, and Symphonie fantastique completes the concert with a delirious dream fueled by Berlioz’s obsessive passion and unrequited love.

Kazushi Ōno, conductor

Seong-Jin Cho, piano

Prokofiev’s powerful hymn to humanity anchors a program featuring the CSO debuts of conductor Kazushi Ōno and star pianist Seong-Jin Cho. The vivid musical imagery of Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu sets the stage for Bartók’s airy and virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 3.

Louis Langrée, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano

Powerhouse pianist Yefim Bronfman returns to the CSO with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Julia Adolphe’s premiere evokes the power of nature and its malleable, playful, childlike qualities. With La Mer let your imagination soar—Debussy’s masterful use of orchestral colors makes this impressionistic work a perpetual audience favorite.

Itzhak Perlman, violin

When we say, “think of a famous violinist,” who comes to mind? For many, it’s Itzhak Perlman. The "reigning virtuoso" (The New York Times) returns for a solo violin recital, putting Perlman’s legendary sound center stage. When we think of Perlman, we think, “can’t miss.”

Flutronix

Nathalie Joachim & Allison Loggins-Hull, composers and soloists

Jaki Shelton Green, poet

Co-Commissioned by The Arts Club of Chicago and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Black Being explores the African-American female experience through themes of fear, sacrifice, beauty, survival and strength in an immersive staged performance that provides a lens into black cultural realities and human conditions. Learn more.

John Morris Russell, conductor

Shout for joy, Cincinnati! JMR and the CSO celebrate 20+ years of Classical Roots, one of The Queen City’s most inspiring musical traditions. Experience the voices of the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir and let the powerful presence of song and spirit in beautiful Music Hall lift up your heart.

John Morris Russell, conductor

We're celebrating 10 years of JMR by pulling out all the stops—and the stars! Join the Pops and a host of guest artists from some of the past decade's most memorable performances to celebrate JMR, JMR-style—with music from every genre, including iconic movie themes, pop, classics, Broadway and jazz, plus a cache of musical memories. We'll also look ahead with a new work commissioned from Grammy Award-winning composer Eric Whitacre.

Louis Langrée, conductor
Dwight Parry, oboe

Rachmaninoff’s lush and romantic Second Symphony uses the full force of the orchestra to deliver one of the most popular symphonic works. Opening the concert is a world premiere by French composer Guillaume Connesson, written for CSO Principal Oboe Dwight Parry.

Louis Langrée, conductor

Louis Langrée calls Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony “a cathedral of sound—spiritual, soaring and transcendent." The concert opens with a new work by Gabriela Ortiz, identified by NPR as “one of Mexico’s most sought-after classical composers,” whose musical language stems from her heritage and yet is all her own.

John Morris Russell, conductor

Come together and celebrate America's birthday from sea to shining sea. Join JMR and the Pops for a showcase of American favorites inspired by the beauty of this land and its peoples. This is America the Beautiful for all—with music to lift your spirit and set your heart aglow. Stick around for the post-concert fireworks!