CCM and UC choirs, along with the CCM Graduate Brass Quintet and guest choirs from the Northern Kentucky Community Chorus, Cincinnati Country Day School, Scott County High School, Oak Hills High School Dec. 7 & 8 WONDERLAND: A JAZZ HOLIDAY CONCERT
An opera composed by W. A. Mozart Libretto attributed to Giuseppe Petrosellini
musical with book by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov, Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green Nov. 21-23
BLINK: Don't Miss It!
The fourth version of our public art and light festival makes an intentional effort to feature more local artists.
BY LEYLA SHOKOOHE
CURTAINS UP
7
FOTOFOCUS FILLS IN THE BACKSTORY
The largest biennial yet features 86 venues, including in Dayton and Columbus.
8
NEW ARTS LEADERS
Get to know fresh faces in the region's arts scene.
9
CINCY A&E APP-ETIZER
Hungry for arts events? This new app is at your service.
CALENDARS
17
THEATER & DANCE
New works, classics, and a world premiere Broadway hopeful.
27
VISUAL ARTS
FotoFocus shows, hip hop's birthday, and new digs for ArtWorks.
33
MUSEUMS
Gathering spots for every interest, from history to science to nature.
41
CLASSICAL MUSIC
The Symphony, Pops, and cozy chamber shows.
47
READINGS, LECTURES & COMEDY
Comedians, writers, and the Mercantile Library use their words.
55
LIVE CONCERTS
Billie Eilish, outdoor festivals, and a new venue.
POWERED BY
PUBLISHER
Ivy Bayer
EDITOR IN CHIEF
John Fox
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Emma Balcom
DIGITAL EDITOR
Claire Lefton
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
Brianna Connock
DESIGN DIRECTOR
Brittany Dexter
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR
Emi Villavicencio
ART DIRECTOR
Stef Hadiwidjaja
ADVERTISING DESIGNERS
Sophie Kallis, Matthew Spoleti
CINCY A&E CALENDAR DEVELOPMENT
Jeff Trabucco, Artsopolis
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Laura Bowling, Maggie Wint Goecke, Joe Hoffecker, Julie Poyer
SENIOR MANAGER, SPONSORSHIP SALES
Chris Ohmer
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Vu Luong
BUSINESS
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Missy Beiting
BUSINESS COORDINATOR
Erica Birkle
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CEO Stefan Wanczyk
PRESIDENT John Balardo
EDITORIAL / ADVERTISING OFFICES
CINCINNATI MAGAZINE 1818 Race St., Suite 301 Cincinnati, OH 45202
Film festivals, outdoor movies, and live orchestral soundtracks. ON THE COVER Illustration by
SCREEN & CINEMA
Chu-Chieh Lee
History, science and play. All under one dome.
THE RUBY STANDARD OF EVENT EXPERIENCES
Treat your guests like royalty with white-glove service and five-star fine dining at your wedding, corporate affair, or social soirée.
SEPTEMBER 3 & 15
FotoFocus Fills in the Backstory
8 NEW LEADERS, NEW IDEAS
9 THE CALENDAR APP WE NEED
10 BLINK: DON'T MISS IT
—BILL THOMPSON
Its largest Biennial yet includes 86 venues and builds anticipation for a new permanent home.
As FotoFocus prepares for its seventh Biennial event, the “Backstories” theme could apply as easily to the organization itself as well as the 100-plus projects at 86 venues this fall. Opening weekend is September 26-28, with most exhibits running at least through October.
The nonprofit was founded in 2010 to “present and support photography and lensbased projects that are accessible, enriching, and engaging to a diverse public … to inspire conversations about the world through the art of photography.” Fourteen years later, FotoFocus has a new leader, Katherine Ryckman Siegwarth, who’s overseeing her first Biennial since replacing founding Executive Director Mary Ellen Goeke at the start of 2023. At the same time, Siegwarth is also focused on the final construction of an almost 15,000-square-foot permanent home at
Liberty and Sycamore streets in Over-theRhine, scheduled to open next year.
Meanwhile, Artistic Director and Curator Kevin Moore, who has chosen the Biennial themes since joining FotoFocus in 2013, expands the definition of “the photograph” for “Backstories.” “For years, the reigning idea of what art photography was is that Henri Cartier-Bresson model of the decisive moment, the ‘one’ picture that summarizes everything,” says Moore. “But you don’t see what happened before the picture was taken, what happened after it, or what was outside of it. I think we’ve all become savvy at understanding that there is a backstory about everything we’re presented with. So I think the idea of multiple images is a big part of what ‘backstories’ is about.”
The Biennial’s centerpiece show is the collaboration with the Cincinnati Art Museum on Discovering Ansel Adams , which is co-curated by Rebecca Senf, an Adams scholar and chief curator at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona, and Nathaniel M. Stein, CAM’s curator of
photography. “The art museum exhibit is a wonderful tie-in because it’s not just showing Ansel Adams’s greatest hits,” says Siegwarth. “It looks at his trajectory, his early interests, his style when he was a teenager, and how he morphed into the most beloved American photographer.”
The Adams show might be the atop the marquee, but with more than 100 exhibits, there are treasures throughout the region’s venues from Hamilton, Dayton, and Columbus to Northern Kentucky. The choices can be overwhelming, but luckily those working on it are happy to offer suggestions.
Emily Akil, communications and outreach manager: Gee Horton: Chapter 2, A Subtle Farewell to the Inner Child at Kennedy Heights Art Center. Inspired by a soul-stirring pilgrimage to Senegal, the award-winning local artist weaves personal narratives and collective experiences to embark on voyages of healing and self-discovery.
Carissa Barnard, director of curatorial strategy: Madeleine Hordinski: The Lore of the Pawpaw at Lloyd Library downtown. The
Katherine Ryckman Siegwarth
young Cincinnati native shares the history, existence, and fascination behind Ohio’s state fruit.
Jacob Drabik, graphic designer: Devil’s Promenade at Dayton Art Institute. Ozark natives Lara Shipley and Antone Dolezal blend the folklore of their region with photographs of people, land, and images engaging the living mythology of the Spook Light, a scientifically inexplicable floating orb that moves, disappears, reappears, and sometimes splits in two or three.
Lilly Hinckley, participating venue coordinator: Rollin’ in Rhythm at the Gallery at 1435 Main, Over-the-Rhine. Skate Downtown Cincy presents an exhibit of street photography, portraiture, and sport videography that explores the city’s vibrant underground rollerskating culture.
There are more exhibits in more venues this year, but Siegwarth is also excited about Call for Entries, a category that welcomes individual artists. “Our level of engagement with independent creatives has been limited,” she says. “Regional artists were able to apply, and the FotoFocus team selected six projects. This is a nice way to feature things at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the Weston Gallery, and the Purple People Bridge in a nuanced way that we haven’t had before.”
A permanent headquarters is also something they haven’t had before. And that creates its own excitement. “We can be very confusing to the world because we don’t have a brick-and-mortar place,” says Moore, who is based in New York. “It’s going to be a big step for us, a really good one.”
Details: FotoFocus.org
New Leaders, New Ideas
Get to know fresh faces on Cincinnati’s arts scene.
Fresh ideas filter into arts organizations in all sorts of ways, including from new leadership. Cincinnati has welcomed a number of new artistic leaders recently, including Rebekah Beaulieu at Taft Museum of Art and Christina Vassallo at Contemporary Arts Center. Cristian Macelaru was named the Cincinnati Symphony’s Music Director Designate and will conduct at Music Hall in February. Here are four more to keep an eye on.
BRIDGET LEAK
Know Theatre of Cincinnati
TITLE: Producing Artistic Director STARTED: June 2024
BACKGROUND: Directed shows at Cincinnati Playhouse, Ensemble Theatre, and Know and is a 10-time participant in the Cincy Fringe Festival.
LOOKING FORWARD: “With two world premieres and two regional premieres, I'm incredibly excited about the variety of shows we're presenting this year.”
CERVILIO MIGUEL AMADOR
Cincinnati Ballet
TITLE: Interim Artistic Director STARTED: September 2023
BACKGROUND: The Cuban native became one of the youngest Principal Dancers in Cincinnati Ballet history in 2006 and most recently served as Rehearsal Director.
DISCOVERY: “What a joy it has been to find new choreographic voices from around the world and to champion new artists.”
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum
TITLE: Executive Director
STARTED: January 2024
BACKGROUND: Twenty years of arts administration experience, including as Pyramid Hill’s Development Director since 2021.
INSPIRATION: “Art is an essential element to healthy, vibrant communities, and Pyramid Hill contributes to the city of Hamilton’s renaissance.”
ANNUAL TBA
May Festival
TITLE: Festival Director
STARTED: May 2024
BACKGROUND: There’s a new rotating leadership model after Executive Director Steven Sunderman and Director of Choruses Robert Porco retired. Composer Julia Wolfe served as the 2024 Festival Director. WHO’S NEXT: “The artistic director could be anyone in the arts,” says Porco. “A conductor, a composer, a poet, a jazz player.”
SARAH TEMPLETON WILSON
Fill Your Arts App-etite
ArtsWave builds one arts and entertainment calendar to rule them all. —JOHN FOX
ArtsWave launched its new Cincy A&E calendar as a stand-alone website (cincyae.com) in June, and the app debuts in September. The calendar already has a database of 1,000 active events including sports and festivals (the E) in additional to all of the arts (the A).
The app is free to download and use. ArtsWave Pass holders ($100 donation and up) will gain access to exclusive content, 50 percent off ticket deals, and last-minute flash event sales. A one-time “give and go” donation of $10 provides access to some of the same content and deals.
Event listings are searchable by presenting organization, arts category, date, and neighborhood and include venue maps. App users are able to build event itineraries within the app and share them with friends.
BLINK:
In its fourth version, the public art and light festival makes an intentional effort to feature more Cincinnati artists.
Don’t Miss It
ktoberfest, Opening Day, the WEBN fireworks on Labor Day—certain annual events are established traditions in Cincinnati, and BLINK quickly earned its place on that list. The nation’s largest public art and light festival is poised for even more success in its fourth
Executive Director Justin Brookhart is now in his second turn at the helm. The festival had a local economic impact of $126 million and brought in more than two million visitors in 2022. The leadership team has built on those successes and learned from public feedback, continuing to refine an event that’s increasingly coming to define the Cincinnati experience.
“The 2022 festival was a good learning year for me personally and I think a nice evolution for BLINK,” says Brookhart. “Our biggest goal this year has been thinking about how we can collaborate better and how we commission artwork a little bit differently.”
BLINK put out its first call for artists in 2022, attracting about 250 applicants. This year, more than 950 people applied. Part of that expansion resulted from the application process being left open for a longer period of time. Another part came from the concerted effort Brookhart and team made in reaching out to artists through intentional engagement sessions in Cincinnati as well as in the international artist community.
Brookhart and BLINK partners also organized an outside set of judges to review the submissions. Eight artists and curators from various Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky institutions were tasked with the first pass at every submission.
“I think the one thing we all agreed on was that we needed more local artists involved, either in an assistant capacity or as a lead artist,” says Michael Coppage, whose “Care Bear” work was projected on the side of the Aronoff Center for the Arts at BLINK 2022. “I was looking for diversity and story as well as different ethnic backgrounds, women, and Black people, because I think I was one of two Black artists in 2022. And we wanted to make sure that, if we were having this thing in Cincinnati, Cincinnati was a big part of the art.”
This year, four muralists (out of 13), 17 lighted installation/sculptural artists (out of 35), and 11 projection artists (out of 30) hail from the Cincinnati region. Among them is muralist Javarri Lewis, who’s enjoyed one of the more meteoric rises to BLINK fame. He started painting in earnest just a few years ago, and this year he’ll take on his first solo BLINK mural.
Just before the pandemic set in, Andrew Salzbrun with AGAR, one of BLINK’s exec-
utive partners, connected him with mural artist Matthew Dayler, a past BLINK participant. Dayler brought Lewis on board to help his collective, Chroma Projects, with two murals at the then-new MegaCorp Pavilion in Newport.
“That was my initial experience doing a large-scale mural and learning project management,” says Lewis. “That was what sparked my journey of learning more about public art and working with other designers and continuing to meet people in community.” He was brought on as a mural assistant to hand-paint a BLINK 2022 piece designed by London-based Kingsley Nebechi, entitled “Justine,” located in the Findlay Market footprint.
Lewis’s own artwork is full of vibrant portraiture that often pays homage to historical figures, including his collaboration on the “Cincinnati Against the World” mural in Goose Alley in Over-the-Rhine. For BLINK 2024, he’s embarking on one of his most unique and meaningful collaborations yet, with Cincinnati muralist William Rankins Jr.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Rankins’s colorful, approachable work was
sought by many local businesses for use on buildings across the city. But the creep of gentrification, particularly in OTR, has erased nearly all of his work. And, in a sad twist, he’s lost almost all of his sight in the past few years.
With this collaboration, Lewis is looking to restore some of Rankins’ vision and visual legacy. “I thought it would be cool if we could somehow commemorate his story as one of the main people who really kicked off this explosion of Cincinnati becoming a mural city,” he says. “My idea is to do a largescale mural of him actually painting.”
The Lewis and Rankins mural will be at the Film Center apartment building near Findlay Market. Most of this year’s BLINK murals are concentrated in that zone. The festival is expanding to Newport, providing yet another concentration of art in addition to Over-the-Rhine, downtown, The Banks, and Covington.
“There’s going to be an activation primarily around Newport on the Levee,” says Brookhart. “We wanted an area that families and people are used to going to, and that’s al-
STREET WISE Join the crowds at BLINK in downtown, Over-the-Rhine, Covington, and (new this year) Newport.
ready a family-friendly entertainment area.” Newport on the Levee will have projection mapping on its floodwall, as will the historic Thompson House across the street.
A first-time laser bridge installation will light up the Ohio River. “We’ll have a 100foot array of laser lights shooting across the Roebling Suspension Bridge, running parallel to the bridge and connecting Covington and Smale Riverfront Park,” says Brookhart. “I think it will be sort of a showstopper.”
Walnut Street and Vine Street will continue to be major thoroughfares and high activation areas, as will Court Street, where the successful Asianati Night Market returns. There will be more programming
along Court Street, which Brookhart describes as the “hub” between the downtown and Over-the-Rhine zones.
Several other artists return to BLINK this year, including Chicago-based projection mapping artist George Berlin. It’s his third BLINK appearance. His 2022 work, “ECO-NNECTIONS: TOGETHER,” was projected on the facade of Hotel Covington and focused on climate change; his team spent time speaking with hotel owner Donna Salyers, researching the history of Covington, and even interviewing Mayor Joseph Meyer to get a handle on the region.
“They call this kind of art site-specific design, but it’s not just the building,” said Berlin. “The building is in a place, and the place has meaning for people. A lot of what we do is digital placemaking to give people
really great memories about a space they care about—and to do that we need to understand where it is.”
This time around, Berlin and his team will be mapping onto the YWCA building at Walnut and Eighth streets downtown. The title, “Roundabouts,” was inspired by the idea that not every goal has a straight path to its achievement and by the fact that the YWCA is historically a place that helps people on their respective paths. Berlin also commissioned friend DJ Skoli to create a mash-up of music from various cultures to complement his unity theme.
“Every city is in this city, and we’re all in one city around the world at the same time,” says Berlin. “It’s one big city. The subhead of the title for this installation is ‘One planet, one people.’ ”
Another return to get excited about in October is new projection mapping of Music Hall. BLINK’s progenitor event, Lumenocity, projected exclusively on Music Hall between 2013 to 2016.
“We’re really excited to be highlighting that obviously historical and architecturally significant building that has a great history of projection mapping,” Brookhart says. “We’ll be working with four different artists to projection map Music Hall, two local artists and two national/international. We just wanted to give multiple looks to that building since it’s such a large canvas.”
Chaske Haverkos is one of the local artists. A 3D animator and motion graphics artist, he projection-mapped the Ralph Steadman mural on 13th Street at BLINK 2019 and a mural by Max Sansig behind Deeper Roots Coffee at Findlay Market in 2022. He also uses music to help cue the mood and direction of his projections, and this year he’s working with Play Audio Agency to create an original soundscape for a fully immersive experience.
“I’ve always felt the need to inject energy, to fly forward, and to go into the mural by moving the camera to transport people or to take them on a journey of sorts,” he says. “It feels way too static to me to sit there in the same spot and let the visuals be the transitional element. I feel like it needs a bigger push.”
Another artist excited about Music
Hall’s architectural playground is Susan Kosti. “I applied for BLINK because I saw this is the biggest light festival in the U.S. and I was like, OK, I want to come here,” said the Australia-based artist. “I got the response that I would do a projection on Music Hall and I was like, What? Oh my God!”
Kosti works across the globe, creating immersive experiences through largescale projection mapping. Recent installations include a piece called “Flora” projected on the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas and a data visualization project for Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest light festival. Her piece for Music Hall will also incorporate data visualization, using all new subject matter.
“My goal here is to represent the dynamic design of the city and do a brief history,” she says. “So it’s going to be like skyscrapers, trees, and roots all over the human body, which represents the soul of Cincinnati. The whole animation will show how the city’s changed over time.”
BLINK continues to change and adapt as well. This year’s projections, for instance, will be treated more like actual shows rather than being on a constant loop, with a defined start, end, and intermission between each one. Music programming will also take into deeper consideration the artistic atmosphere and mood surrounding stage locations.
Don’t miss the shows you want to see. Here’s a peek at what’s in store:
• A fresh adaptation of the plot-twisting, iconic thriller DIAL M FOR MURDER
• The world premiere of RUTKA, a powerful indie-rock musical that will start its journey to Broadway in Cincinnati.
• Recent Broadway and off-Broadway hits, including two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays – PRIMARY TRUST and ENGLISH – and the charming BIRTHDAY CANDLES.
• A humorous and heartfelt solo performance in MR. PARENT.
• The return of two comedy favorites: THE SECOND CITY celebrates its 65th Anniversary; and the hilarious THE BOOK CLUB PLAY
• Plus, the holiday favorite A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Season presented by SCHUELER GROUP and THE VONTZ FAMILY
MUST-SEE SHOWS
THEATER & DANCE
A New Twist
Cincinnati Ballet presents its annual showcase of worldpremiere choreography, The Kaplan New Works Series, at the Aronoff Center for the Arts.
DON’T MISS
THEATER & DANCE CALENDAR
WORLD AND REGIONAL PREMIERES, UPDATES TO CLASSIC WORKS, BROADWAY FAVORITES ON TOUR, SKATERS, STOMPERS, AND THE LOVELAND FROG ARE ON CINCINNATI STAGES.
SEPTEMBER
Dial M for Murder THROUGH 9/15 Alfred Hitchcock turned this who-dun-it story into a 1954 movie. Playhouse in the Park, Rouse Theatre, cincyplay.com
Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville THROUGH 9/15 A musical comedy featuring the mostloved Jimmy Buffett classic songs. Warsaw Federal Incline Theater, clpshows.org
Mamma Mia!
9/3-15 Misadventures on a Greek island set to the timeless hits of
ABBA. Broadway in Cincinnati, Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnati.broadway.com
Hot Damn! It’s The Loveland Frog!
9/5-7 Hugo West Theatricals presents an all-star local cast in this original musical comedy adventure. Loveland Stage Company, hugowestth eatricals.com
Fat Ham
9/6-22 A sweet and spicy reimagining of Hamlet is set at a family barbecue. Cincinnati Shakespeare, cincyshakes.com
Overthrone
9/6-14 Cincinnati Music Theatre
presents an original rock revue. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnatimusictheatre. org
The Kaplan New Works Series
9/6-15 Cincinnati Ballet presents its annual showcase of world-premiere works from some of dance’s most sought-after choreographers. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cballet.org
Mr. Parent
9/7-10/6 Writer/ performer Maurice Emmanuel Parent tells his own story of bouncing between careers as a public school teacher and an actor. Playhouse in the Park, Shelterhouse Theatre, cincyplay.com
Nunsense
9/12-10/6 The hit musical spoof about wacky misadventures of five star-struck, singing, and dancing nuns. Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, clpshows.org
Camp Siegfried 9/13-28 Two teenagers fall in love in 1938 at a summer camp for American youth of German descent. Know Theatre, knowtheatre.com
BROADWAY BOUND?
The Playhouse’s world premiere of Rutka: A New Musical has its sights set on NYC.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park replaced its larger theater with Moe and Jack’s Place–The Rouse Theatre last year for multiple reasons, mostly to use state-of-the-art technology and staging. The new space was designed with a proscenium stage, rather than the old thrust stage setup, because that’s the configuration used in the major Broadway halls—and Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison wants to mount new shows in Cincinnati that eventually head to Broadway.
The Playhouse won a 2007 Tony Award when its production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company nabbed Best Revival of a Musical. Director John Doyle, lead actor Raul Esparza, and other cast members debuted the show at the Playhouse in spring 2006, then took it to Broadway that fall.
The Rouse Theatre presents another Broadway opportunity this season, when Rutka: A New Musical opens on October 13. The world premiere indie rock musical is based on the diary left behind by Polish teenager Rutka Laskier in 1943 before she and her family were murdered in the Holocaust—a tale of hope and resilience that brings to mind Anne Frank.
New York producers are partnering with the Playhouse to stage the new show here, with hopes that it will be deemed Broadway-worthy. Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Joanie Schultz says the partnership “has attracted a top-notch creative team and cast for Rutka’s journey to Broadway. Creating a world premiere musical of this size is no small effort.” —JOHN FOX
Mamma Mia!
The Garbologists 9/14-10/6 A regional premiere comedy about a pair of polar opposite sanitation workers. Ensemble Theatre, ensemblecin cinnati.org
OCTOBER
The Green Moon 10/4 Experience the stories of Mexican poet Fredrico Garcia through the art of music, dance, and shadow puppetry (told in English and Spanish). ARCO, Price Hill Will, pricehillwill. org
I’m Bored 10/4-5 Revolution
Dance presents David Choate’s original production exploring the radical concept of Black joy as a powerful act of resistance. Aronoff Center for the Arts, revodance.com
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein 10/11-11/2 A new spin on the gothic tale from the mother of science fiction, Mary Shelley. Cincinnati Shakespeare, cincyshakes.com
Frozen & Encanto 10/10-13 Disney on Ice presents two classic stories in two acts. Heritage Bank Center, heritagebank center.com
Stomp
10/11-12 A special three-show engagement of the percussion show now in its 30th year of touring. Broadway in Cincinnati, Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnati. broadway.com
Improvised Shakespeare Company
10/11-12
Based on one audience suggestion, the Improvised Shakespeare Company creates a fully improvised masterpiece right before your eyes. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinna tiarts.org
Encanto
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr.
10/12-21 Based on the Broadway production about small-town Belle and the Beast with a heart of gold. Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati , Taft Theatre, thechildrens theatre.com
Rutka: A New Musical
10/13-11/10 Based on the diary of teenage Rutka Laskier in WWII occupied Poland. Producers hope to take the show to Broadway. Playhouse in the Park, Rouse Theatre, cincyplay.com
Something Rotten!
10/17-11/10 A joyous musical celebration of everything we love about Broadway, with singing, dancing, and making fun of Shakespeare. Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, clpshows.org
The Second City
10/24-12/22 Chicago’s famous improv comedy troupe celebrates 65 years of songs, sketches, and characters. Playhouse in the Park, Shelterhouse Theatre, cincyplay.com
Afrique en Cirque
10/24 Cirque Kalabante presents a fantasy trip to African soil, where the dance, set, and costumes pay homage to the Guinean diaspora. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnatiarts.org
Blue13 Dance Company
10/25-26 From Los Angeles, presented by Mutual Dance Theatre and the 2024-25 Jefferson James Contemporary Dance Theater Series. Aronoff Center for the Arts, mutualarts.org
I Put a Spell on You
10/26 Queen City Cabaret presents a “creepy cabaret” for the Halloween season. The Carnegie, thecarnegie.com
Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert
10/30 A live orchestra accompanies original dialogue and sound effects from the animated series.
Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnati arts.org
Giselle
10/31-11/3 Considered the most romantic ballet of all time, exploring enduring love, devastating betrayal, and ultimate forgiveness. Cincinnati Ballet, Music Hall, cballet.org
NOVEMBER
Gold Over America Tour
11/2 Olympic gymnast Simone Biles leads a pop concert-style tumbling and gravity-defying spectacle. Heritage Bank Center, heritage bankcenter.com
Tomás and the Library Lady 11/2 Based on the book by Pat Mora and brought to life by Playhouse in the Park Off the Hill (told in English and Spanish). ARCO, Price Hill Will, pricehillwill.org
My One & Only 11/2 Hilarious comedy about modern-day post-divorce life (performed in Arabic and English). Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnatiarts.org
Matilda: The Musical
11/8-16 Cincinnati Music Theatre presents the tale of an extraordinary little girl who dares to take a stand and change her destiny. Aronoff Center
for the Arts, cincinnati musictheatre.org
Swan Lake 11/10 Touring show from the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
Twelfth Night 11/15-12/7 William Shakespeare spins a comedy of mistaken identities and romantic entanglements. Cincinnati Shakespeare, cincyshakes.com
Witch 11/14-17 This co-production with UC’s College-Conservatory of Music presents a modern fable exploring the intricacies of temptation and resilience. The Carnegie, thecarnegie.co
Swan Lake
Menopause the Musical 2
11/19-24 The hysterical sequel show is billed as “Cruising Through ‘The Change.’ ” Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnatiarts.org
Funny Girl
11/19-12/1 The bittersweet comedy about dreamer Fanny Brice features one of Broadway’s most iconic scores.
Broadway in Cincinnati, Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnati. broadway.com
A Christmas Carol 11/22-12/29 The classic Charles Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and Christmas redemption. Playhouse in the Park, Rouse Theatre, cincyplay.com
DECEMBER
Alice in Wonderland
12/4-30 Joseph McDonough’s and David Kisor’s annual holiday show features an updated score and exuberant, colorful costumes. Ensemble Theatre, ensemblecin cinnati.org
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
12/5-29 The stage version of Disney’s Academy Award-winning animated movie. Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, clpshows.org
Cirque Dreams Holidaze
12/6-7 This annual tradition wraps a Broadway-style production around an infusion of
contemporary circus arts. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnati arts.org
Up Close: Nature/Nurture
12/6-14 New work from Trezon Dancy and Ana Hart of Mutual Dance Theatre. Mutual Arts Centers (Hartwell), mutualdance.org
Die Hard Is a Christmas Movie
12/6-22 A shot-forshot remake of the original Bruce Willis-led action movie. Know Theatre, knowtheatre.com
A Cozy Christmas
12/7 Queen City Cabaret presents a holiday season journey through the Great American Songbook. The Carnegie, thecarnegie.com
Santa Claus: The Musical 12/7-16 Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents Santa and Mrs. Claus announcing they’re retiring and work on training their replacement, single dad Nick. Taft Theatre, thechildrens theatre.com
'Twas a Girls Night Before Christmas
12/8 From the producers of Girls Night: The Musical comes a new holiday show. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinna tiarts.org
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
12/10-15 The Broadway musical version of the beloved TV cartoon and book from Dr. Suess. Broadway in Cincinnati, Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnati. broadway.com
Every Christmas Story Ever Told 12/13-29 The annual mashup of A Christmas
Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, Charlie Brown, and other holiday classics. Cincinnati Shakespeare, cincyshakes.com
David Choate’s Hot Chocolate
12/12-22 Revolution Dance presents a unique take on the classic Nutcracker experience with professional dancers, live original music, and specialty acts. Aronoff Center for the Arts, revodance.com
A John Waters Christmas
12/14 The classic camp film director, writer, and performer offers his own stage musings on holiday traditions. Ludlow Garage, ludlowgaragecincinnati.com
The Nutcracker 12/19-29 The Cincinnati Ballet holiday tradition features the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s classic score. Music Hall, cballet.org
John Waters
A Christmas Carol
OPENING WEEKEND PROGRAM: SEP 26–28
2024 FotoFocus Biennial: backstories is an ambitious collaboration between FotoFocus and the region’s museums, galleries, universities, and non-traditional spaces. The FotoFocus Biennial is a month-long celebration of photography and lens-based art.
FOTOFOCUS CENTER
COMING SPRING 2025
FotoFocus is a nonprofit organization created to celebrate and champion photography as the medium of our time. With a mission to present and support photography and lens-based projects that are accessible, enriching, and engaging to a diverse public, FotoFocus collaborates with organizations, artists, and curators in the region.
MUST-SEE SHOWS
VISUAL ARTS
Happy Birthday to Hip Hop
The Cincinnati Art Museum celebrates 50 years of the music's influence in The Culture: Hip Hip and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century (through 9/29).
DON’T MISS
VISUAL ARTS CALENDAR
FOTOFOCUS KEEPS AREA GALLERIES AND ARTS CENTERS BUSY IN SEPTEMBER, FOLLOWED BY NEW SHOWS AT THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM, CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER, AND TAFT MUSEUM OF ART.
SEPTEMBER
Rodin | Response: FIELD Family Secrets
THROUGH 9/8 Four full-scale bronze figures by sculptor Auguste Rodin are on display along with study, conversation, critique, and creation that took place across several courses at UC’s School of Art. Cincinnati Art Museum, cincinnati artmuseum.org
Jayson Musson: His History of Art THROUGH 9/8 Created as part of his 2022 artist residency at the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, the show is inspired by sitcoms and educational and variety television shows. Contemporary Arts Center, contempo raryartscenter.org
Moment in Time THROUGH 9/15
Features more than 100 photographs dating from the early years of the medium in the 1840s through the mid-20th century.
Taft Museum of Art, taftmuseum.org
Chip Thomas and the Painted Desert Project
9/6-1/5 The photographer, public artist, activist, and physician living in Arizona moved to the Navajo Nation in 1987 to work as a physician, but he’s also run a residency program in which he invites street artists from around the world to explore and execute work in the desert landscape. Contemporary Arts Center, contemporaryartscenter. org
freshART
9/7 Artists start their
work en plein air in Devou Park on August 17 and have 10 days to complete for the live auction on September 7. Behringer-Crawford Museum, bcmuseum. org
Gee Horton: Chapter 2, A Subtle Farewell to the Inner Child
9/7-11/2 The Cincinnati artist uses photography, collage, and mixed media. Kennedy Heights Arts Center, kennedyarts.org
The Illustrated Memoir Project
9/11-11/10 Maketank Inc.’s project engages English language learner students to tell stories from their lives in words and images. Contemporary Arts Center, contemporary artscenter.org
Revival: Digging into Yesterday, Planting Tomorrow
9/13-8/31 Beauty abounds as artists deploy visual allure to illuminate how the past echoes in the present moment and into tomorrow. 21c Museum Hotel, 21cmuseumhotels.com/ cincinnati
PAINTING THEIR WAGON
ArtWorks brings its creative forces under one historic roof in Walnut Hills.
When ArtWorks toured a potential new headquarters building on Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills, its origin story was almost too good to be true. It was constructed in 1909 to house the Bolce Paint Company, which at the time was the third-oldest paint store in the U.S. and the largest west of the Allegheny Mountains. The three-story building, plus basement, later became home to Race Refrigeration for 50 years.
ArtWorks, of course, is the creative force behind Cincinnati’s renowned public mural program that recently made us the No. 1 City for Street Art in USA Today readers’ choice awards. Since its launch in 1996, the nonprofit has trained and paid more than 3,500 professional artists and 4,000 teenagers and young adults to paint 300-plus permanent outdoor murals.
Would a historic building that once housed a paint store make a great office and studio space for the city’s largest collection of painting artists? Would it help that ArtWorks’s well-known “5 Points Alley” mural has been on the side of the building since 2016? Yes and yes. ArtWorks purchased the building and moves in this fall. An official grand opening celebration is planned for November 17.
The new facility brings the organization’s office staff, creative studios, and public gallery under one roof for the first time, with enough room for 50-70 workers on any day. ArtWorks is also reimagining the parking lot across Gilbert into an ArtPark, with greenspace, sculpture, and a mural by contemporary American artist Charles Gaines (rendering above). —JOHN FOX
Chip Thomas and the Painted Desert Project
John E. Dowell: Pathways to Freedom
9/19-12/13 The photographer’s personal response to his ancestral legacy involves documenting the beauty of cotton itself to reflecting on the horrors of slavery that made cotton “king.” Solway Gallery, solwaygallery. com
Memory Fields
9/20-11/3 Explores the nuances of memory and its uncanny ability to transport culture, traditions, rituals, and feelings through space and time. Weston Art Gallery, cincinnatiarts. org/weston-art-gallery
Rachael Banks: The Trail of the Dead
9/20-11/3 A visual anthology of life and death within the central region of Kentucky. Weston Art Gallery, cincinnatiarts. org/weston-art-gallery
Norwood International Art Show
9/21 This annual
A Thousand Words
9/27-11/16 Artists
Rebecca Copper, Justin Maxon, and Darius Smith demonstrate the long-term relationship building that happens when artists work in partnership with communities. Wave Pool, wavepoolgallery. org
Discovering Ansel
Adams
event celebrates Welcoming America Week, hosted by Norwood Together Victory Park (Norwood), norwood together.org
Tina Gutierrez: Illumination
9/25-10/19 The Cincinnati artist’s underwater photographs show beauty in the movement of dancers. Eisele Gallery, eiselefineart. com
Southern Democratic 9/26-2/15
An exhibition of 15 meditative vignettes featuring a specific body of work by an artist actively examining the changing world. The Carnegie, thecarnegie. com
Rollin’ in Rhythm
9/26-10/12 A group exhibition of street photography, portraiture, and sport videography. Gallery at 1435 Main, skate downtowncincinnati. com
9/27-1/19 Provides an unprecedented exploration of the early career of Ansel Adams between 1916 and the 1940s, before he developed into America’s most celebrated photographer. Cincinnati Art Museum, cincinnati artmuseum.org
Barbara Probst: Subjective Evidence
9/27-2/9 This is the first American survey of the German photographer’s 25-year career. The exhibition opened first at the Kunstmuseum Luzern in Lucerne, Switzerland. Contemporary Arts Center, contem poraryartscenter.org
Digressions
9/27-11/1 An exhibition and corresponding book structured around written correspondence and recorded conversations between Midwestern artists
Mark Albain and Joshua Berg. Art Academy of Cincinnati, artacademy.edu
Humphrey Gets His Flowers
9/27-11/1 A combination of archival video,
large-scale projection, mixed media collages, and photography about Michael Coppage’s performance collective Mute-N-Heard. Art Academy of Cincinnati, artacademy.edu
Another First Impression
9/27-11/1 Explores the nuance within communities of color across the Midwest, curated by Cincinnati photographer Asa Featherstone, IV. Art Academy of Cincinnati, artacademy.edu
Chiaroscuro
9/27-11/7 ArtWorks Artists-in-Residence Romain Mayambi and Leo Thiam and a group of gallery fellows ages 16–24 embark on a transformative exploration of light and dark. ArtWorks V2 Gallery, artworks cincinnati.org
Mark Schlachter: Familiar Faces
9/27-10/31 This “fauxtodocumentary” project endeavors to share the hidden stories of a diverse community nestled in Indiana somewhere between El Dorado and
Brigadoon. BehringerCrawford Museum, bcmuseum.org
Generations 9/27-10/30 This call-to-artists show explores depictions of generations mirroring evolving norms, values, and aspirations. Clifton Cultural Arts Center, clifton culturalarts.org
Madeleine
Hordinski: The Lore of the Pawpaw 9/27-11/22 The Cincinnati artist presents a photographic and video installation that examines the history, existence, and fascination behind Ohio’s state fruit. Lloyd Library & Museum, lloydlibrary. org
Art Fair at Pyramid Hill 9/28-29 This annual event features paintings, ceramics, jewelry, woodworking, glass, and more from over 50 regional artists. Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, pyramidhill. org
Tina Gutierrez: Illumination
Madeleine Hordinski: The Lore of the Pawpaw
Tina Gutierrez: Kindred Spirits
9/28-10/19 The Cincinnati artist shows beauty of movement within the human. Off Ludlow Gallery, facebook.com/ offludlowgallery
The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century THROUGH 9/29 The multimedia exhibition highlights 50 years of hip hop by showcasing more than 90 works of art by some of today’s most important and celebrated artists. Cincinnati Art Museum, cincinnatiartmuseum. org
OCTOBER
Nina Wells: King Me
10/5-10/27 An ongoing photographic series of Black men and boys wearing crowns and regal attire highlights the faces, outfits, and settings to encourage viewer interpretation of the subject’s backstory. Women’s Art Club, artatthe barn.org
Posing Beauty in African American Culture
10/5-1/12 Traces the relationship between African American beauty and visual culture from the 1890s to the present through documentary, commercial, and fine art photography. Taft Museum of Art, taftmuseum.org
Journey of Healing: The Trauma-Informed Power
of Art
10/10-10/27 This collaborative exhibition with the Zonta Club of Cincinnati features works depicting the personal and painful journeys of healing from domestic violence. Contemporary Arts Center, contemporaryartscenter. org
Resilience: New Ceramic Works by Terri Kern
10/12-2/16 Using wheel throwing and hand building techniques, Kern decorates her intimate narrative works, made from white earthenware, with layers of colors, creating vibrant glazed surfaces. Taft Museum of Art, taftmuseum.org
BLINK
10/17-20 More than 80 outdoor art and projection mapping projects will be on display across downtown, Over-theRhine, Covington, and Newport. blinkcinci nnati.com
George Bellows: American Life in Print
10/25-2/9 Shows 53 lithographs and drawings by Columbus native George Bellows (1882–1925), who was a painter, illustrator, and printmaker. Cincinnati Art Museum, cincinnati artmuseum.org
NOVEMBER
Terra Futura
11/1-2/10 New York City-based artist and storyteller Louisa L. aims to ignite passion and action inspired by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Contemporary Arts Center, contemporaryartscenter. org
CAMaraderie: Artists of the Cincinnati Art Museum
11/8-1/5. Esteemed jurors Dennis Harrington (Weston Art Gallery) and Anissa Lewis (Wave Pool) select artworks made by museum staff across different department through an anonymous submission process.
DECEMBER
Oil and Dust
12/13-1/3 A solo show by Paul Loehle, winner of the CCAC’s 2023 Golden Ticket. Clifton Cultural Arts Center, clifton culturalarts.org
Meryl McMaster: Stories of the Infinite Sky THROUGH 12/22
Cincinnati Art Museum, cincinnati artmuseum.org
The Golden Ticket
11/8-12/6 The annual exhibition, presented by Summerfair Cincinnati, showcases diverse, talented artists living or working within a 25-mile radius of Clifton. Clifton Cultural Arts Center, cliftonculturalarts.org
New Works by Kennedy Collective Members
11/9-12/21 The annual show of new and previously unseen works in all media by local artists. Kennedy Heights Arts Center, kennedyarts.org
Quebec-based photographer Meryl McMaster sets her semi-transparent tapestries within Pyramid Hill’s plant and animal life. Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, pyramidhill. org
Kahlil Robert Irving THROUGH 12/30 For the lobby carpet installation, the artist integrates imagery of asphalt with pop culture references, news headlines, and digital ephemera. Contemporary Arts Center, contemporary artscenter.org
Kahlil Robert Irving's installation at CAC
Resilience: New Ceramic Works by Terri Kern
Organized by the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, with the support of The Museum Box.
Discovering Ansel Adams is a Featured Project in the 2024 FotoFocus Biennial:
Support for this 2024 FotoFocus Biennal Featured Project was provided in part by FotoFocus.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center presents The Negro Motorist Green Book, a look at the reality for Black roadtrippers in mid-century America, through 10/13.
DON’T MISS
MUSEUMS CALENDAR
FIND YOUR NEW FAVORITE MUSEUM, WHETHER YOU'RE A FAN OF HISTORY, CULTURE, SPORTS, FLOWERS, DINOSAURS, PRESIDENTS OF THE U.S., OR VENTRILOQUIST DUMMIES.
ONGOING
American Sign Museum
After doubling in size this summer, the collection of vintage and neon signage is more massive than ever. americansign museum.org
Baker-Hunt Art & Cultural Center
The Covington space offers classes in the visual arts, culinary arts, and mind & body. bakerhunt.org
BehringerCrawford Museum
The home for Northern Kentucky’s heritage opened in Devou Park in 1950. bcmuseum.org
Betts House
Built in 1804, this is the oldest residential structure in the downtown area and Ohio’s oldest brick house still sited in its original location. bettshousecincinnati.org
Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame
Opened in 2023, the downtown riverfront space brings history to life through immersive technology. cincyblack musicwalkoffame.org
Cincinnati Fire Museum
The downtown building that now
houses the museum was once home to Engine Company 45 in 1906. cincyfiremuseum. com
Cincinnati History Museum
Step back in time and experience the area’s history at the bustling Public Landing, the Cincinnati in Motion 1/64-scale replica of the city, and the new Made in Cincinnati exhibit. cincymuseum. org/historymuseum
Cincinnati Observatory
Two National Historic Landmark buildings, one designed by Samuel Hannaford, complement the beautiful setting in Ault Park. cincinnati observatory.org
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum
Ten galleries present the story of baseball’s first professional team and include World Series trophies from 1975, 1976, and 1990 as well as Reds Hall of Fame plaques. redsmuseum.org
Creation Museum
Tells its own biblical history story via 160 exhibits, a planetarium, a special FX Theatre, animatronics, an insectorium, a petting zoo, and a botanical garden. creationmuseum.org
Duke Energy Children’s Museum
Hands-on fun for children ages 0-10 in
WELCOME HOME
Restoration of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House revealed more than old wallpaper.
Anyone who’s restored an old house knows part of the fun is uncovering old layers of wallpaper, paint, floors, etc. The eight-year journey to restore the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Walnut Hills, from initial planning to July’s public reopening, uncovered similar nuggets of knowledge. In particular, says Executive Director Christina Hartlieb, workers found scraps of original wallpaper in door jams they used to create new wallpaper coverings that capture each room’s original period.
In a larger sense, the restoration also uncovers for many visitors the house’s dual significance. Most of us know it was built in 1833 and was home to Harriet Beecher Stowe after her father moved here to serve as president of Lane Theological Seminary. Harriet and many of her siblings became vocal anti-slavery activists. She moved with her new husband to Maine, where she published Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852. The novel was credited with swinging public attitudes in the North against the evil of slavery.
After changing ownership several times, the house was added on to in 1908 and eventually became the Edgemont Inn boarding house and tavern. Its relatively short life in the 1930s and ’40s corresponded with the emergence of Walnut Hills as a thriving African-American neighborhood and business district. The Negro Motorist Green Book, which helped Black motorists find safe housing and restaurants, listed the Edgemont Inn as one of the few welcoming spots in Cincinnati. —JOHN FOX
American Sign Museum
MUSEUMS
eight educational and themed play areas, including two specifically designed for preschool-aged children and younger. cincymuseum.org/ childrensmuseum
Greater Cincinnati Police Museum
The history and artifacts of more than 100 municipal, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies who have eight contiguous counties of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. gcphs.com
Harriet Beecher
Stowe House
Reopened this summer after extensive renovations
to tell the story of the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin as well as the building’s later use as a boarding house and tavern. stowehouse cincy.org
Heritage Village Museum
A living history museum depicting life in Southwestern Ohio throughout the 19th Century. heritage villagecincinnati.org
Holocaust & Humanity Center
Experience stories of courage, perseverance, loss, redemption, and new life as told by local Holocaust survivors. holocaustandhumanity.org
Krohn Conservatory
The indoor botanical garden is operated by Cincinnati Parks to showcase more than 1,000 plant species from around the world. cincinnati-oh.gov/ cincyparks
Krohn Conservatory
Lloyd Library & Museum
The independent downtown research library and exhibit space is devoted to bringing science, art, and history to life. lloydlibrary.org
Museum of Natural History & Science
A world of science, history, and nature through interactive exhibits and amazing artifacts like the Dinosaur Hall, the Cave, the Ice Age Gallery, and Advancing Health cincymuseum. org/sciencemuseum
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Shares the stories and circumstances of 19th-century slavery and the people who sought to escape it via the Underground Railroad, while also exploring the
importance of freedom in today’s world. freedomcenter. org
National Voice of America
Museum of Broadcasting Preserves and celebrates the legacy and global impact of the Voice of America and its place in Cincinnati broadcasting history. voamuse um.org
Over-the-Rhine Museum
Work is underway to restore a historic tenement building to house the museum, while historians lead educational walking
tours of the neighborhood. otrmuseum.org
Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati
Numerous historic rail artifacts are displayed in a rugged outdoor railroad yard environment in Covington. cincirailmuseum.org
Skirball Museum
A permanent collection of Jewish archaeological artifacts on the campus of Hebrew Union College. csm.huc.edu
Vent Haven Museum
The recently renovated Ft. Mitchell space the only museum in the
WEDDING
world dedicated to ventriloquism. venthaven.org
White Water
Shaker Village
More than 20 original Shaker buildings still stand, having been purchased by the Great Parks of Hamilton County from private owners. whitewater village.org
William Howard
Taft National Historic Site
Visit the two-story Greek Revival house in Mt. Auburn where the 27th President and 10th Chief Justice was born and grew up. nps. gov/wiho
SEPTEMBER
freshART
9/7 Artists start their work en plein air in Devou Park on August 17 and have 10 days to complete for the 32nd annual live auction. Behringer-Crawford Museum, bcmuseum. org
OCTOBER
The Negro Motorist Green Book
THROUGH 10/13 An immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America
and the annual guide that served as an indispensable resource for the nation’s rising Black middle class. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, freedomcenter.org
NOVEMBER
Holiday Junction
11/8-1/5 Catch the annual running of the Duke Energy Holiday Trains and get in the spirit of the season. Cincinnati Museum Center, cincymuseum. org
MKF Photo
Discover the Taft Museum of Art— your hub for art, history, and community in Downtown Cincinnati.
Scan the QR to learn more about our current promotions!
Top left and right photos by Ryan Kurtz
EXPERIENCE ART
Posing Beauty in African American Culture
On view October 5, 2024–January 12, 2025
Resilience: New Ceramic Works by Terri Kern
On view October 12, 2024–February 16, 2025
Holiday Traditions Old and New
On view November 13, 2024–January 5, 2025
DINE WITH US
Holiday Teas
November 29, 30 | December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21
The Café
Open Wednesday–Monday, 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Make a reservation at taftmuseum.org/Cafe
BRING THE FAMILY
FREE Family Fundays | Select Sundays
October 13 | Posing Beauty
December 1 | Holiday Series: German Christmas
December 8 | Holiday Series: Festive Folk
December 15 | Holiday Series: Hanukkah
’TIS THE SEASON FOR GIFTING
A one-stop-shop everyone on your list with seasonal discounts!
• Use code HOLIDAY24 for 20% off Dual/Family Level gift memberships, November 1–December 31, 2024.
• Explore our Museum Shop and save 20% on select gifts during our FREE Holiday Family Fundays.
FIVE FOR 95 — OUR 95 TH SEASON
Takács Quartet
“… one of the “ten greatest string quartet ensembles of all time.” —BBC
“One of the world’s greatest string quartets …” —New York Times
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 • 7:30 p.m. • Memorial Hall
Cuarteto Casals
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
“… the sort of lofty emotional peak you’d have expected from a du Pré or a Navarra.” —Gramophone
“Isata Kanneh-Mason is a born musician with a virtuoso technique.” —Gramophone
Tuesday, December 10, 2024 • 7:30 p.m. • Memorial Hall
Jerusalem Quartet
“Their playing has everything you could possibly wish for.” —BBC Music Magazine
Thursday, May 1, 2025 • 7:30 p.m. • Memorial Hall
“No other quartet can match this group’s four-voiced marriage …” —The Independent (London)
“There’s something so immediate about the superb Casals Quartet’s playing …” —Gramophone
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 • 7:30 p.m. • Memorial Hall
Isidore Quartet and Jeremy Denk,piano
“The commitment and artistry of this young quartet were wonderful to hear.” —The Strad
“A pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs.” —New York Times
Thursday, March 6, 2025 • 7:30 p.m. • Memorial Hall
Single Tickets: $40
Five-concert subscriptions: $125 (40% off) with code: AE2024
or call Memorial Hall at 513-977-8838.
Students under 18 admitted free, 18 and over $10, if available, on the day of performance.
MUST-SEE SHOWS
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Voice and the Violin
World-class violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Larisa Martínez partner in an evening of romantic arias and modern classics as part of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's Recital Series 10/6 at Music Hall.
DON’T MISS
CLASSICAL MUSIC CALENDAR
THE SYMPHONY AND POPS ORCHESTRAS LEAD THE WAY WITH SHOWS COVERING EVERYTHING FROM MAHLER AND GERSWHIN TO MOVIE SCORES, WHILE OTHER GROUPS HOST COZY CONCERTS IN MEMORIAL HALL AND CHURCHES.
SEPTEMBER
Pops, Inc.
9/1 Kentucky Symphony Orchestra salutes Pops composers Leroy Anderson, Richard Hayman, and Henry Mancini in a free concert. Tower Park Amphitheater, kyso.org
John Legend: A Night of Songs 9/10 Cincinnati Pops hosts an evening of songs and stories with the 12-time Grammy winner. Riverbend, cincinnatisymphony.org/ pops
Rick Steves: A Symphonic Journey
9/13-15 Public TV/ radio travel expert Rick Steves presents hi-def video cinematography of European landscapes accompanied by the Cincinnati Pops.
Music Hall, cincinnati symphony.org/pops
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt
9/15 Matinee
Musicale presents one of the most soughtafter violists of her generation. Memorial Hall, matineemusicale cincinnati.org
Jurassic Park
9/21-22 Cincinnati Symphony performs John Williams’s iconic score live to an HD projection of the movie. Music Hall, cincinnatisymphony.org
Takács Quartet
9/24 Chamber Music Cincinnati presents the Grammy-winning ensemble to perform Haydn, Janacek, and Beethoven. Memorial Hall, cincychamber.org
Mahler Symphony No. 1
9/27-28 Cincinnati
Symphony is led by guest conductor Dalia Stasevska and features Chopin Piano Competition winner Bruce Liu. Music Hall, cincinnatisymphony.org
OCTOBER
Gershwin, Price and Copland
10/4-5 Cincinnati Symphony is led by guest conductor
Thomas Wilkins and features Grammy-winning banjo player Bela Fleck. Music Hall, cincinnatisymphony.org
Voice &the Violin
10/6 CSO Recital Series presents renowned violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Larisa Martínez in an evening of romantic arias and modern classics. Music Hall, cincinnati symphony.org
The Hanick Hawley Duo
10/13 Matinee
Musicale presents the piano/clarinet duo who met as faculty members at Music Academy of the West. Memorial Hall, matineemusicale cincinnati.org
Music, Magic & Mayhem
10/19 CSO Lollipops
Series presents music concerts for children ages 2-9 and a Family Fun Zone for crafts. Music Hall, cincinnati symphony.org
Tour de Force for Four
10/20 Opening show in the Linton Chamber Music Series for 2024-25. First Unitarian Church, lintonmusic.org
Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1
10/26-27 Cincinnati Symphony is led by guest conductor Ramon Tebar and features violinist Benjamin Beilman. Music Hall, cincinnati symphony.org
Civic Orchestra Fall Concert
10/27 Founded in 1929, Cincinnati Civic Orchestra is one of the oldest all-volunteer orchestras in the U.S. Glendale Lyceum, cincinnaticivicorchestra. org
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 10/30 Features students from MYCincinnati Youth Orchestra with supertitle translations
in Spanish and English. Seton High School, queencityopera. org
NOVEMBER
Mozart and Bruckner
11/8-9 Cincinnati Symphony is led by guest conductor Marek Janowski. Music Hall, cincinnatisymphony.org
Flute & Organ Concert
11/10 Organ Concert Series presents the Philadelphia-based duo of flutist Melissa Freilich and organist Vincent Ryan, who recently made their international debut in Wittenberg, Germany. Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church, hydepark church.org
Cuarteto Casals 11/13 Chamber Music Cincinnati presents the renowned Spanish quartet performing Mozart, Shostakovich, and Beethoven. Memorial Hall, cincychamber.org
John Legend
Cincinnati Civic Orchestra
Marlin Alsop
Bernstein & Shostakovich
11/16-17 Cincinnati Symphony is led by guest conductor Marin Alsop and features the May Festival Choir. Music Hall, cincinnati symphony.org
The ThreeCornered Hat
11/22-23 Cincinnati Symphony is led by guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and features pianist Francesco Piemontesi. Music Hall, cincinnati symphony.org
Homegrown Harmony
11/25-26 CSO Young People’s Concert offers a musical journey through the
history of Cincinnati. cincinnatisymphony.org
Home Alone
11/30-12/1 Cincinnati
Pops performs John Williams’s charming score live to an HD projection of the movie. Music Hall, cincinnatisymphony. org/pops
DECEMBER
Isabel Leonard
12/1 Matinee
Musicale presents the mezzo-soprano, a regular performer at the Metropolitan Opera. Memorial Hall, matineemusicalecincin nati.org
Best Views Best
Civic Orchestra
Holiday Concert
12/5, 8, 12 Various locations, cincinnati civicorchestra.org
Bach's Christmas Oratorio
12/6-7 Cincinnati Symphony performs holiday favorites by Bach featuring the May Festival Chorus. Music Hall, cincinnati symphony.org
Colorful and Romantic Trios
12/8 Second show in the Linton Chamber Music Series for 2024-25. First Unitarian Church, lintonmusic.org
Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason 12/10 Chamber
Music Cincinnati presents the brother/ sister duo performing on cello and piano. Memorial Hall, cincychamber.org
Holiday Pops
12/13-15 Cincinnati Pops welcomes Broadway vocalist Norm Lewis to help present an array of
holiday classics. Music Hall, cincinnati symphony.org/pops
Let’s Misbehave: The Music of Cole Porter
12/31 Celebrate New Year’s Eve with the Cincinnati Pops. Music Hall, cincinnati symphony.org/pops
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MUST-SEE EVENTS
READINGS, LECTURES, & COMEDY
Love to Hate It
Comedian and actor Ronny Chieng takes his stand-up routine on tour to Europe and then across the U.S., stopping at the Taft Theatre on 9/14.
DON’T MISS
READINGS, LECTURES & COMEDY CALENDAR
THE SPOKEN WORD WILL BE EVERYWHERE THIS FALL, FROM COMEDY SHOWS AT BIG THEATERS AND SMALL CLUBS TO AUTHOR READINGS AND LECTURES AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY'S WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE.
SEPTEMBER
Jarrell Scott Barnes 9/6 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, commonwealthsanctu ary.com
Matty Ryan 9/7 Comedy. The Comet, bombsaway comedy.com
William Kent Krueger
9/10 The best-selling author discusses and signs his new novel, Spirit Crossing. Joseph-Beth Booksellers, josephbeth.com
William Kristol 9/12 The political analyst, journalist, and TV commentator gives the Mercantile’s 1835 Lecture. Mercantile Library, mercantile library.com
Bill Bellamy 9/13-14 Comedy. Funny Bone, liberty. funnybone.com
Taylor Williamson 9/13-14 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Felonious Monk 9/14 Comedy. The Comet, bombsaway comedy.com
Jim Breuer 9/15 Comedy. Ludlow Garage, ludlowgarage cincinnati.com
HeARTLAND by Paul Shortt 9/17 This staged reading of a local writer’s new play is presented by Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative’s New Voices Series. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnati arts.org
Derrick Stroup 9/19-21 Comedy. Go Bananas, gobananas comedy.com
Erwin Chemerinsky
9/19 The Dean of the University of California-Berkeley's School of Law will discuss constitutional law, criminal procedure, and federal jurisdiction. Holocaust & Humanity Center, jewishcincin nati.org
Nick Swardson 9/20 Comedy. Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
READING THE ROOM
The Mercantile Library returns home with lessons learned from a year untethered.
For most of the past year, the Mercantile Library has occupied clearly temporary quarters in the Fifth Third Museum, tucked into a corner of the bank’s Fountain Square office tower. It’s a fitting gesture of hospitality for the bank (founded 1858) to take in the library (founded 1835) while the Merc’s nearby home on Walnut Street was gutted and refurbished.
Executive Director John Faherty (pictured above) is counting the days until the hard hats are doffed and the book stacks reopen in September. “Fifth Third has been very kind, but I can’t wait to go home,” he says. “During construction, we have been meeting people where they are through monthly meetups around town. We have learned a lot, what we are as a community and how much the library means to people.”
Faherty says conversations at those off-site events have energized the Mercantile’s staff. The year-long renovations will result in a dramatically larger space with modernized accommodations, just in time to celebrate the library’s 190th anniversary next year. “I like our chances once we reopen,” he says. “I really feel like we’re contributing to a rising literary tide in our city.”
Reopening will offer a unique opportunity to counter outdated conceptions about the Mercantile Library. “We’re still fighting the impression that everyone is not allowed here,” says Faherty. “We still get asked if women are able to join. We have to make sure that more people feel like they’re welcome at the Mercantile.” —GREG HAND
Don’t leave your story untold...
CINCINNATI’S BOOK PUBLISHER SINCE 1987
185 Days:
School Stories
Linda Ball
50 Years of UC Blue Ash College
Robert Gioielli
A Cincinnati Night Before Christmas
Nadine Huffman and Marilyn Lebhar
A City That Sings: Cincinnati’s Choral Tradition 1800-2012
Catherine Roma, Craig Doolin, Frank Pendle, and Karin Pendle
A Comforting Light: Cancer Crusader
Mary Jo Cropper
Janice Hisle
A Legacy of Poems: A Collection
Vicki Grometer Johns
A Solid Foundation: A History of The Drees Company
Janice Burke
Steinberg, Ph.D., Anne Mitchell, and Geoff Williams
Amy’s Table: Food for Family and Friends
Amy Tobin
Answering the Call of the Wild: Remarkable Life of Cathryn
Hosea Hilker
Kathryn E. Merchant
Bearcats Rising: Rags to Division I Riches Josh Katzowitz
Beauty in the Grove: Spirng Grove Cemetery & Arboretum
Phil Nuxhall
Before Oprah Ruth Lyons: The Woman
Who Created Talk TV
Michael Banks
Beyond 185 Days
Linda Ball
Catch Every Ball: How to Handle Life’s Pitches
Johnny Bench with Paul Daugherty
CFM: The Power of Flight Guy Norris and Felix Torres
Chad: I Can’t Be Stopped Paul Daugherty
Checking Inn: The Adventures of a Tour Director Herb Reisenfeld
Cincinnati Characters: The Unknown, Unappreciated, and Unhinged
Brent Coleman
Cincinnati
Christmas: History, Tradition, Food
Jinny Powers Berten
Coaching Off-Broadway Basketball
John Hurley
Cuando Mi
Mama Me Lee
Julie Elkus and Jose Luis Nunez
Dear Uncle Stanley: ...Love and Letters Across Generations and Seasons
Ellen Doyle, OSU
Designing Your Life: The Intentional Entrepreneur Dr. Donald C. Harrison
Face Value: Cincinnati’s Handbook to Discount Shopping
Phyllis Hegner Fair Game
Paul Daugherty
Finding Perfection: The Albrecht Family Business Grows Up
Geoff Williams
Flying Pig Marathon: Twenty Years Running Cincinnati Marathon, Inc.
Focus Point: Blueprint to Develop a WorldClass Company
Donald G. McMullen
Free & Public: 150 Years at the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County John Fleischman
From Bulldog to Bengal: The Joe Burrow Story Through the Eyes of His Hometown
Scott Burson and Sam Smathers
From the Temple of Zeus to the Hyperloop: University of Cincinnati Stories
Greg Hand, Editor
G.E. Aviation: 100 Years of Reimagining Flight
Rick Kennedy
Going to School
Jenny McGraw
Golf Reaches the Seven Hills
Gerry A. Lanham
Hamilton County Courthouse
Honarable
Melba Marsh
Hannan’s Way: An Unlikely Trek Through Life
Greg Hoard
Harriett’s Homecoming: A High-Flying Tour of Cincinnati
Susan Levine and Erin Burchwell
Hello Saints!
Mike Myers and Jane Casserly Myers
Home Grown: A History of the Shepherd Companies
Rick Kennedy
Hope Interrupted: America Lost & Found in Letters
Jennifer Mooney and Byron McCauley
I Beg to Differ
Laura Pulfer
Imagineers, Impresarios, Inventors: Cincinnati’s Arts and the Power of Her
Kathy Merchant
In Service to the City: A History of the University of Cincinnati
David Stradling
Inspector Dewey
Kristen Heimerl
Jammu Mail
Buck Niehoff
JOE: Rounding Third & Heading for Home
Greg Hoard
Journey Across China: Images of a Changing China
Charles E. Brooks
Just a Car Salesman: The Jeff Wyler Story
Geoff Williams
Leaving a Legacy: Lessons from the Writings of Daniel Drake
Philip M. Diller
Legends Cincinnati Bengals: The Men, The Deeds, The Consequences
Chick Ludwig
Living Artfully: Inspired by Tradition
Shannon Carter
Looking East: William Howard Taft and the 1905 U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Asia
Kevin Grace, Margo Taft Stever, James Taft Stever, and Hong Shen
Mending Broken Hearts: One Cardiologist’s Journey
Dr. Donald C. Harrison
Mid-Century City: Cincinnati at the Apex
Sarge Marsh and John Fleischman
Miles and the Sons & Daughters of Liberty
Valerie Woebkenberg
Miles’ First Flight
Valerie Woebkenberg
Miles on the
Valerie Woebkenberg
Mothers and Other Heroes
Laura Pulfer
Mr. Poofy’s Puppy: Saving Cheetahs in Africa
Kathy Merchant, Dr. Elizabeth H. Brown, and Kevin Necessary
Now We Are One: Faces of International Adoption
Michael Wilson and David Wecker
Out of Habit: My Life as Xavier University’s Unlikely Point Guard
Sister Rose
Ann Fleming with Laura Pulfer
Out of Step
Jane Murray Heimlich
Over-the-Rhine in the 1970s: A Journey into a Unique Cincinnati
Stephen Albert
Panoramic Ohio
Thomas R. Schiff
Panther Tracks: The History of Elder High School
Kim Plagge
Pitching for Success: Character Lessons
The Joe Nuxhall Way
Doug Coates
Playing at the Playground
Jenny McGraw
Rags to Riches: How Corporate Culture Spawned a Great Company
Richard T. Farmer
Red Dirt Girl: Essays and Stories
Katie Laur
River Queens: Saucy boat, Stout mates, Spotted dog, America
Alexander Watson
Rocky’s Rules: A Playbook for Becoming Your Best in Challenging Times
Rocky Boiman
Sacred Spaces: Experiencing Liminality
Thomas R. Schiff and James P. Buchanan
Schoolboy Legends
John Baskin and Lonnie Wheeler with Michael O’Bryant
Sip, Pick, and Pack: HowPollinators Help Plants Make Seeds
Polly W. Cheney and Kim Overton
Spitballing: The Baseball Days of Long Bob Ewing Mike Lackey
Stahler: Inkslinger Jeff Stahler
Stories in the Grove
Phil Nuxhall
Suffer the Little Children: A Novel John Brackett
The Art of Table Dancing: Escapades of an Irreverent Woman
DC Stanfa
The Big Pig Gig: Celebrating Pigs in the City ArtWorks
The Cat With the Question Mark Tail
Annie Lee Oaks and Daniel Dufford
The Cincinnati Game John Baskin and Lonnie Wheeler
The Color of Victory: The Extraordinary Story of How Elder Won State Bill Koch
The Day I Hit a Home Run at Great American Ball Park Paul Mullen
The G-Man and the Diamond King: A True FBI Crime Story of the 1930s
William E. Plunkett
The G-Men and the Heiress: The 1934 Alice Speed Stoll FBI Kidnapping Case
William E. Plunkett
The G-Men and the Nurse: A 1929 FBI Washington Cold Case
William E. Plunkett
The Journey is the Reward
James C. Eigel
The Journeymen Kurt Dusterberg
The Pride of Price
Hill: Cincinnati’s West Side and the Elder Mystique Bill Koch
The Real McCoy: My Half-Century with the Cincinnati Reds
Hal McCoy
The Road Back: Cincinnati Bengals Thomas Witte
The Royal Adventures of Princess Darcy and Princess Daisy Cyndy Driehaus and Jessie Huser
The Savior: General Oliver Prince Smith Nick Ragland
The Steamboat
Michael Capek
The Toughest Glue on Planet Earth: Gorilla Glue
Peter Ragland
Guidebook to Paramount’s Kings Island Charles Infosino
This Day in Bengals History
Geoff Hobson To Build A Home: on Construction
Timothy P. Lynch
Tony Perez: From Cuba to Cooperstown John Erardi
Transforming Cincinnati: A Decade of ArtWorks Murals ArtWorks
University of Cincinnati College of Nursing
Wendy Hart Beckman, M.A. Vanishing Cincinnati David and Barbara Day
Voices In My Head: Gary Burbank Greg Hoard
Walking Ancient Ohio Buck Niehoff
Walking Hadrian’s Wall Buck Niehoff
Walking the Thames Buck Niehoff
When My Mama Reads to Me
Julie Elkus and Annie Ruth
Women of Devotion
Sister Monica Mary Heyes, CT Zero to Sixty in Nine Years Paul Brophy
Luke Null 9/20 Comedy. The Comet, bombsaway comedy.com
David Grann 9/25 The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Library hosts the
bestselling author and staff writer at The New Yorker to discuss and sign his book, Killers of the Flower Moon Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnatiarts.org
Matt Mathews 9/27-29 Comedy, Funny Bone, liberty. funnybone.com
Matteo Lane 9/27 Comedy. Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
Kellye Howard 9/27 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Kenny G 9/27 The musician
discusses his autobiography, Life in the Key of G. School for Creative & Performing Arts, josephbeth.com
Michael Carbonaro 9/28 Comedy. Turfway Park, turfway.com
Joe Kilgallon 9/28 Comedy. The Comet, bombsaway comedy.com
Lucia Whalen 9/28 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Bill Maher 9/29 Comedy. Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
Kurtis Conner
OCTOBER
Brad Williams 10/4 Comedy. Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
Bo Johnson 10/4 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, commonwealthsanctuary.com
Michael Blackson 10/4-5 Comedy. Funny Bone, liberty.funnybone.com
Jo Koy 10/5 Comedy. Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
Joe Gatto 10/5 Comedy.
Lawrenceburg Event Center, hollywood indiana.com
Neko White 10/5 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, commonwealthsanctuary.com
Christian Cooper
10/8 The New York-based writer delivers the Mercantile’s Memoir Lecture on his book, Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World. Mercantile Library, mercantilelibrary.com
Dauood Naimyar 10/11-12 Comedy. Commonwealth
Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Jackie Kashian 10/12 Comedy. The Comet, bombsaway comedy.com
Steven J. Rolfes
10/12 The local author and historian reads from his latest book, Beware the Banshee’s Cry: The History and Folklore of Messengers of Death. Main Public Library, cincinnati library
Thump by Michael DeFrancesco
10/15 This staged reading of a local writer’s new play is presented by
Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative’s New Voices Series. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinna tiarts.org
Jesmyn Ward 10/16 The two-time National Book Award-winner and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient delivers the Mercantile’s Modern Novel Lecture. Mercantile Library, mercantile library.com
Real Talk: Open Mic Poetry
10/18 The quarterly event spotlights and inspires LGBTQIA+ poets in the Cincinnati area. Roebling Books &
Michael Blaustein 10/19 Comedy. Hard Rock Casino, casino. hardrock.com/cincinnati
Mohanad Elshieky 10/19 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
John Kachuba 10/22 The paranormal researcher and author of Ghosthunting Ohio discusses haunted locations in the area. Public Library’s Groesbeck branch, cincin natilibrary
Todd Barry 10/25 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Dane Cook 10/26 Comedy. Brady Music Center, bradymusiccenter.com
NOVEMBER
William Montgomery 11/1-2 Comedy, Funny Bone, liberty.funny bone.com
Jim Gaffigan 11/1-3 Comedy. Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
Luis Lopez 11/1 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Amor Towles
11/2 The New York Times best-selling author is guest speaker at the Mercantile’s annual black-tie Niehoff Lecture. Mercantile Library, mercantilelibrary.com
Kenice Mobley 11/2 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Giggly Squad Live 11/7 Comedy. Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
Gianmarco Soresi 11/7 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Andrea Jin 11/8-9 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Karin Bergquist & Linford Detweiler 11/12 The husband/ wife duo behind the long-standing band Over the Rhine present the Mercantile’s Words & Music lecture. Mercantile Library, mercantile library.com
Please Hold for the Pandemic by Liz Coley and The Beginning of Forever by Bertha Lynn Davis 11/12 The staged readings of local writers’ new plays are presented by Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative’s New Voices Series. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnatiarts.org
Sophie Buddle 11/15-16 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Books by the Banks 11/16 The region’s annual literary festival moves to the Main Public Library downtown. booksby thebanks.org
Anne Byrn 11/20 The best-selling author discusses and signs her new book, Baking in the American South. Joseph-Beth Booksellers, joseph beth.com
Boone County Public Library’s 50th Anniversary 11/21 Director Carrie Herrmann discusses the history of what began as a grassroots effort and has grown to one of the largest library systems in Kentucky. Main Boone County Library, bcpl.org
Adam CaytonHolland 11/22. Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
John Morgan 11/22-23 Comedy. Funny Bone, liberty. funnybone.com
Mat Alano-Martin 11/23 Comedy. Commonwealth Sanctuary, common wealthsanctuary.com
Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show 11/24 Comedy. Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
Mark Cordes: The Spouse Whisperer 11/29 Comedy. Aronoff Center for the Arts, cincinnatiarts.org
DECEMBER
Michael Yo 12/6-7 Comedy. Funny Bone, liberty.funny bone.com
TaraShea Nesbit 12/12 The Public Library’s writer-inresidence holds office hours to chat about a writing project you have underway or discuss something you’d like to write. Public Library’s Westwood branch, cincinnatilibrary
Billie Eilish brings her sold-out U.S. tour to the Heritage Bank Arena 11/8 before heading out to Australia and Europe. Dive in if you can find a ticket.
DON’T MISS
LIVE CONCERT CALENDAR
THE FALL BRINGS OUTDOOR FESTIVALS WHILE THE WEATHER IS STILL WARM, ALONG WITH SOLD-OUT ARENA TOURS, ROCK AND R&B LEGENDS, VETERAN SINGER-SONGWRITERS, AND THE RAISINS' ANNUAL REUNION.
9/13 Liberty Theater (Lawrenceburg), WhiskeyCitysLiberty Theater.com
My Brightest Diamond
9/13 Woodward Theater, woodward theater.com
Whispering Beard Folk Festival
9/13-14 Carriage House Farms (Lawrenceburg), whispering beard.com
Kings of Leon 9/14 Brady Music Center, bradymusic center.com
Dan McCabe has been booking and promoting up-and-coming musical acts for more than three decades at the dearly departed Sudsy Malone’s and MidPoint Music Festival, the original Southgate House, MOTR Pub, and Woodward Theater. Now he’s taking his ear for talent—and his impressive music industry contact list—to downtown Lawrenceburg, Indiana, as the brains and sweat equity behind Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater. Built in 1893 as a German society’s musikhalle, the architectural gem later served as a movie theater before shuttering half a century ago.
McCabe has spearheaded the $4.75-million public/private restoration efforts, resulting in a 450-person concert venue preserving most of the original wooden plank floorboards, timber trusses, and other unique architectural details. While the refurbished music hall is the main attraction, the building also houses separate storefront entrances for a whiskey bar (a nod to Lawrenceburg’s longtime role in the industry) and a small carryout kitchen, both of which will be open even on non-show nights. The building is part of a charming downtown historic district that doubles as a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA).
Emerging country/Americana artist Kelsey Waldon (pictured above) headlines the opening concert on September 6, with a healthy number of other local and national acts already lined up for the fall. Breathing new life into an abandoned building, bringing live music energy to a historic district, and helping emerging artists expand their audience? Sounds amazing!
—DAMIAN DOTTERWEICH
Meghan Trainor
Ice Cube
9/14 Hard Rock Casino, casino.hardrock. com/cincinnati
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band 9/15 Fraze Pavilion (Dayton), fraze.com
The Raisins 11/27, 29, 30 Woodward Theater, woodwardtheater.com
Marion Meadows 11/29 Ludlow Garage, ludlowgaragecincinnati. com
DECEMBER
Juvenile 12/15 Bogart’s, bogarts.com
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder 11/16 Memorial Hall, memorialhallotr.com
Craig Finn 11/20 Woodward Theater, woodward theater.com
Wood Brothers 11/22 Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
The Tubes 11/22 Ludlow Garage, ludlowgaragecincinnati. com
Straight No Chaser 12/18 Taft Theatre, tafttheatre.org
Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone 12/21 Ludlow Garage, ludlowgaragecincinnati. com
Jelly Roll
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
The Jacksons
MUST-SEE SHOWS
SCREEN & CINEMA
A Riverfront Nightlight
Nightlight 513 concludes its summer season of outdoor film screenings on Covington Plaza with events 9/6 and 10/3-4, along with food trucks, bars, and a pre-film DJ.
DON’T MISS
SCREEN & CINEMA CALENDAR
FILM FESTIVALS DOT THE FALL CALENDAR, INCLUDING A NEW ONE AT THE URBAN LEAGUE IN AVONDALE, AND ONE-OFF SCREENINGS ARE PLANNED BOTH OUTDOORS AND INDOORS, WITH AND WITHOUT MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT.
SEPTEMBER
Deep Dive: The Seven Samurai
9/4 This newly remastered print celebrates the influential film’s 70th anniversary. Introduced and followed by a Q&A discussion with film historian Joe Horine. Kenwood Theatre, kenwood theatre.com/events
Free Movies at Ziegler Park
9/4, 11, 18 Free movies movies every Wednesday at 9 p.m. on the great lawn in OTR/ Pendleton. Ziegler Park, zieglerpark.org
Moonlight Hour
9/6 Clairemont Films
Movie Night presents the premiere of a new film written by Kaden Lucas and William Hafley and directed by Josh Knechtly. Radio Artifact, radioartifact. com
Nightlight: Remember the Titans
9/6 The outdoor movie series on the Covington riverfront includes food trucks, bar drinks, and pre-film DJ. Covington Plaza, nightlight513.com
Avondale Film Festival
9/14 Organized by the Avondale Development Corporation, the festival will award four cash prizes to area filmmakers, including two for students.
Urban League's Holloman Center for Social Justice, growavondale.org/ avondale-film-festival
Cindependent Film Festival
9/19-21 The annual celebration of independent film returns with three days of screenings, screenplay salons, master classes, and a tech exhibition. One-day tickets through three-day VIP passes are on sale. Memorial Hall, cindependentfilmfest.org
Cincinnati Symphony and Jurassic Park
9/21-22 A live performance of John Williams’s iconic score to an HD projection of the movie. Music Hall, cincinnatisymphony.org
Boom: A Film About the Sonics
9/30 Documentary about how a relatively unknown band from the Pacific Northwest became a worldwide phenomenon 50 years later, shaping music
for decades to come. Woodward Theater, woodwardtheater.com
OCTOBER
Nightlight: Hocus Pocus
10/3 The outdoor movie series on the Covington riverfront includes food trucks, bar drinks, and pre-film DJ. Covington Plaza, nightlight513.com
Nightlight: Scream (1996)
10/4 The outdoor movie series on the Covington riverfront includes food trucks, bar drinks, and pre-film DJ. Covington Plaza, nightlight513.com
Yellow Springs Film Festival
10/4-6 This second annual independent film festival will present the Julia Reichert Award to an emerging female documentary filmmaker. Little Art Theatre (Yellow Springs), ysfilmfest.com
Deep Sky
THROUGH 10/24
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals the universe as you've never seen before, including
never-before-seen cosmic landscapes and recently discovered exoplanets. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater, cincymuseum. org
NOVEMBER
Blue Whales: Return of the Giants
THROUGH 11/7 The journey of a lifetime to explore the world of a species rebounding from the brink of extinction. Narrated by Andy Serkis. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater, cincymuseum. org
Outreels
Cincinnati
11/8-10 Founded in 2012, the festival presents innovative
and thought-provoking films from around the world. Warsaw Federal Incline Theater, outreelscincinnati.org
Cincinnati Pops and Home Alone 11/30-12/1 A live performance of John Williams’s charming score to an HD projection of the movie. Music Hall, cincinnatisymphony.org/ pops
DECEMBER
Polar Express
12/7 Bring the family to see the animated classic, and feel free to rock your favorite holiday pajamas. Kids receive cookies, hot chocolate, and a special gift. ARCO, pricehillwill.org
