CSO POPS Fanfare Cincinnati - Nov/Dec 2024 by Cincinnati Magazine

“Brother and Sister Triumph at Carnegie Hall”

Cincinnati Duet Debut — Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Enters Britain’s Royal Academy of Music at 10 (2006)Enters Britain’s Royal Academy of Music at 10 (2009) First concerto performed by an orchestra (2007) Britain’s Got Talent

Performs with Elton John at Hollywood Bowl (2013)

Winner, UK Young Musician competition (2016)

Britain’s Got Talent Soloist, Royal Wedding telecast to 2 billion (2018) Debut album #1 on UK classical charts (2019)Debut album reaches UK pop charts Top 20 (2018)

Carnegie Hall debut with Sheku Kanneh-Mason (2019)

Carnegie Hall debut with Isata Kanneh-Mason (2019)

Artist-in-Residence, Royal Philharmonic (2022–23)London Symphony debut with Sir Simon Rattle (2020) Soloist, First Night of the Proms, 2024Soloist, Last Night of the Proms 2023 Carnegie Hall return, December 15, 2024Carnegie Hall return, December 15, 2024

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 • 7:30 p.m.

Mendelssohn • Fauré • Poulenc • Two North American Premieres Program also to be performed at Carnegie Hall, December 15.

Memorial Hall 1225 Elm Street on Washington Park

Tickets and information at CincyChamber.org

or call Memorial Hall at 513-977-8838.

Tickets: $40. Students under 18 admitted free, 18 and over $10, if available, on the day of performance.

Photo:

Karolina Wielocha

Photo: Chris O’Donovan

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello

Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano

28 Concerts in this Issue:

•NOV 5: Harmonic Explorations (Winstead Chamber Series)

•NOV 8 & 9: Mozart & Bruckner (CSO)

•NOV 13: Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros (Pops)

•NOV 16 & 17: Bernstein & Shostakovich (CSO)

•NOV 22 & 23: The Three-Cornered Hat (CSO)

•NOV 30 & DEC 1: Home Alone: Film in Concert (Pops)

•DEC 6 & 7: Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (CSO)

•DEC 8 & 15: Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras (Dec. 8 Philharmonic, Dec. 15 Concert Orchestra)

•DEC 13–15: Holiday Pops

“Having lived in nearly every corner of the continent, this place just feels right,” confesses Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell, who, with his wife, Thea Tjepkema, and their two children, calls Cincinnati home. Find out more about his love of the city’s history, its musical legacy and nightlife…and great food…on pp. 7–10.

The first installment of Fanfare Magazine’s multi-part introduction of Music Director Designate Cristian Mӑcelaru recalls his childhood in Romania and journey to America, a story full of twists and turns. Read more on pp. 13–16.

Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell. Credit: Mark Lyons

Matthew Swanson has been a fixture of the Chorus since he joined the ensemble in 2012 as a tenor. From Conducting Fellow and Associate Director of Choruses to today, as the May Festival’s new Director of Choruses, Swanson has been singing in the city for more than a decade and now prepares the Chorus for its performances of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Learn more about Matthew on pp. 17–21.

CSO Brass Players Answer ‘What’s on Your Playlist?’

Music is central at the CSO, but we all have eclectic tastes. Fanfare Magazine asked the Orchestra’s brass section, “What’s on your playlist?”

Trumpet

Christopher Kiradjieff

Duane Dugger

Horn

Mary & Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Chair

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue and Birth of the Cool

Elizabeth Freimuth

Principal Horn

Mary M. & Charles F. Yeiser Chair

When I’m not working, I don’t spend a lot of time alone, so my playlist is strongly inﬂuenced by my 10- and 12-year-old daughters or whatever I feel like exercising to—Taylor Swift, the soundtracks to the Broadway musicals Wicked and Six, or anything from the 80s that takes me back in time to high school dances!!

Alexander Pride

Trumpet

Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Chair

A little bit of everything! A taste of my favorite composers, artists and songs, as well as some music from some of our upcoming concerts.

Listen to Alex’s Apple Music playlist:

Johnny Cash: “Hurt”; Brandon Lake: “Gratitude”; Rush: “Tom Sawyer” and ”Limelight”; Triumph: “Fight the Good Fight” and “Lay It on the Line”; John Williams: “Dorinda Solo Flight” from Always (played by the Cincinnati Pops); Respighi: Pines of Rome; Billy Joel: “Just the Way You Are,” “She’s Always a Woman to Me” and “She’s Got a Way”; Rod Stewart: You’re in My Heart and “Tonight’s the Night”; Christina Perri: “A Thousand Years”; Davis Leonard: “Light a Fire”; Led Zeppelin: “Stairway to Heaven”; and Hillsong UNITED: “Oceans.”

Joseph Rodriguez

Second/Assistant Principal Trombone

Sallie Robinson Wadsworth & Randolph L. Wadsworth Jr. Chair

German Brass, Chicago Trombone Consort, Berlin Philharmonic, Strauss: Alpine Symphony, Wagner: Ring Cycle, Jimmy Bosch, Eva Cassidy and Norah Jones.

WE BELIEVE MUSIC LIVES WITHIN US ALL

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Along with the online version of Fanfare Magazine, the CSO has developed a digital platform to deliver concertspecific content to audiences.

WELCOME

to the November/December issue of Fanfare Magazine

As family and friends gather and New Year’s resolutions are set, the holiday season is a time of reﬂection—remembering the good times and the moments of struggle, creating wishes for the future, and forming memories that will last a lifetime. Sharing his reﬂections—on what makes Cincinnati home for him and his family—is Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell (pp. 7–10).

At the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the May Festival, there is a buzz of “new.” New musicians of the Orchestra, new artistic leaders and new concert experiences are shaping the CSO’s wishes for the future. In his ﬁrst installment of a multi-part series introducing Music Director Designate Cristian Mӑcelaru to Fanfare Magazine readers, writer James M. Keller delves into Mӑcelaru’s childhood and journey to America, a story full of twists and turns (pp. 13–16). Sprinkled throughout this issue you will encounter Q&A’s with the new musicians of the Orchestra and two in-depth proﬁles on new artistic leaders. On pp. 17–21, Hannah Edgar dives into the life of Matthew Swanson, the newly appointed Director of Choruses of the May Festival, who has prepared the May Festival Chorus for Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms (NOV 16 & 17) and J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (DEC 6 & 7).

Facebook: @CincySymphony @CincinnatiPops

Instagram: @CincySymphony

YouTube: @CincySymphony

TikTok: @cincysymphony

Please enjoy these stories that have been curated for you in Fanfare Magazine, but also know that the Fanfare Magazine experience is not limited to a print publication available only at Music Hall concerts. You can always explore Fanfare Magazine at any time via our website at cincinnatisymphony.org/fanfare-magazine.

Along with the online version of Fanfare Magazine, the CSO has developed a digital platform to deliver concert-speciﬁc content to audiences. To meet the CSO’s ongoing commitment to digital storytelling, innovation and accessibility, in the 2024–25 season this digital platform has expanded to offer early access to exclusive concert-speciﬁc content: full-length program notes, artist biographies, feature stories, up-to-the-minute information and much more! As a bonus, program notes and artist biographies for the entire season will be available on this digital platform in advance of the seasonopening concerts, allowing you to engage with all the content before you arrive at Music Hall.

*By texting to this number, you may receive messages that pertain to the organization and its performances; msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP to help, STOP to cancel.

Unlike a print magazine, this digital platform is compatible with all smartphone accessibility features such as resizing font, reader mode, “listen to this page,” color ﬁlters and more. The CSO’s digital platform is easily accessible— no app to download or subscription to manage. To explore our digital content, visit cincinnatisymphony.org/DigitalProgram or text the word PROGRAM to 513.845.3024.* Bookmark the digital program on your smart phone, laptop or computer for quick and easy access.

The CSO hopes you ﬁnd inspiration within these pages and within the music—past, present and future—that reverberates at Music Hall and in the community. Thank you for being with us, and have a happy holiday season!

CINCINNATI SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA & CINCINNATI POPS

Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers

Dianne Rosenberg, Chair

Robert W. McDonald, Immediate Past Chair

Sue McPartlin, Treasurer and Vice-Chair of Finance

Gerron McKnight, Esq., Secretary

Kari Ullman, Vice-Chair of Volunteerism

Anne E. Mulder, Vice-Chair of Community Engagement

Charla B. Weiss, Chair Elect, Vice-Chair of Institutional Advancement

Melanie Healey, Vice-Chair of Leadership Development

Directors

Dorie Akers

Heather Apple

Michael P. Bergan

Evin Blomberg

Kate C. Brown

Ralph P. Brown, DVM

Trish Bryan*

Otto M. Budig, Jr.*

Andrea Costa

FANFARE MAGAZINE STAFF:

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Tyler Secor

Senior Editor/Layout

Teri McKibben

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Stephanie Lazorchak

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You are welcome to take this copy of Fanfare Magazine home with you as a souvenir of your concert experience. Alternatively, please share it with a friend or leave it with an usher for recycling. Thank you!

Adrian Cunningham

Gabe Davis

Maria Espinola

Mrs. Charles Fleischmann III*

Kori Hill

Francie S. Hiltz*

Joseph W. Hirschhorn*

Lisa Diane Kelly

Edna Keown

Florence Koetters

John Lanni

Shannon Lawson

Spencer Liles*

Will Lindner

James P. Minutolo

Laura Mitchell

Aik Khai Pung

James B. Reynolds*

Jack Rouse*

Patrick Schleker

Valarie Sheppard

Stephanie A. Smith

Albert Smitherman

Randolph L. Wadsworth, Jr.* *Director Emeritus

BOARD OF DIRECTORS DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (DE&I) COMMITTEE and MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS COUNCIL

In May 2020, the CSO created a 10-point DEI Action Plan to prioritize the Orchestra’s work to better represent and serve the entirety of the Cincinnati community. Action items included the continued ampliﬁcation of BIPOC artists on stage and in education programs, a review of hiring and compensation practices, organization-wide implicit bias training and increased mentorship opportunities. We thank our many partners who are helping us with this important work.

CSO Board of Directors

DE&I Committee

Charla B. Weiss, Lead

Heather Apple

Ralph Brown

Adrian Cunningham

Maria Espinola

Kori Hill (MAC)

Lisa Kelly

Gerron McKnight

Lisa Lennon Norman

Jack Rouse

Stephanie Smith

Primary Staff Liaison: Harold Brown

Other Staff: Kyle Wynk-Sivashankar

Multicultural Awareness Council

Holly Bates

Susan Carlson

Andria Carter

Piper Davis

Kori Hill

Alverna Jenkins

Beverley Lamb

Kick Lee

Quiera Levy-Smith

RaeNosa Onwumelu

Yemi Oyediran

Aurelia “Candie” Simmons

Daphney Thomas

Staff: Key Crooms

What Makes Cincinnati HOME for JMR?

by ERICA REID

Although John Morris Russell (known around town as JMR) travels widely for guest conducting engagements, Cincinnati is truly home for him and his family, which includes historic preservationist Thea Tjepkema and their two children, both of whom were born in the Queen City. “Having lived in

nearly every corner of the continent, this place just feels right,” confesses John.

“Since our very ﬁrst day here, in the fall of 1995 when John began work as assistant conductor, the Orchestra has been like family,” says Thea. “We knew no one here, but all of a sudden we had 90 new family members.”

“They helped look after the kids,” laughs John. Several Orchestra members brought meals when the Russell children were born and remain good friends with the family to this day.

“It goes beyond the Orchestra,” John continues. “Some of our best friends work for the Opera, Ballet, Playhouse in the Park, Art Museum…. Across our entire arts community, everyone is always so supportive and fun to be with. There’s this sense that we’re all on the same team—that the pursuit of beauty and excellence is enhanced by our mutual experience.”

Beyond Cincinnati’s collaborative arts scene, what makes Cincinnati feel like home to JMR? If you’ve attended any of his Pops concerts, it may not surprise you that his ﬁrst answers revolve around history.

“You can actually see Cincinnati’s history in the buildings around us, an extraordinary timeline of American architecture, and of course Music Hall is the crown jewel,” he says. “I get teary-eyed when I see the Museum Center at Union Terminal—the extraordinary workmanship and design inside and out.” John also appreciates the details in the Mercantile Library, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Italianate brownstones throughout the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. “The fact that so much of it is gorgeously preserved—it gives us a unique sense of place,” he adds. His interest spans beyond Cincinnati’s most famous attractions, as well. “It’s really cool to be in Eden Park and see the vestiges of the old water plant, with these huge chunks of limestone that have been repurposed from a reservoir into a park.” John loves the “thousands of stairs that cover

Previous page: John Morris Russell and Thea Tjepkema in front of Cincinnati Music Hall.

JMR, Thea Tjepkema, JMR’s mother Janet and brother Eric in the rotunda at Cincinnati Union Terminal.

all of our hills” and the footings of the old inclines

That sense of history informs Cincinnati’s music,

“Why the Pops in Cincinnati? We are at the crossroads of musical culture in the USA,” he explains. “The ﬁrst settlers came down the Ohio River from Appalachia, and later riverboats brought coal to stoke the ﬂames of the Industrial Revolution in our burgeoning city. Those boats also brought Appalachian music, much of which had Celtic roots, that settled in the Ohio Valley and morphed into bluegrass and country.”

Cincinnati’s riverboats also connected the city to the deep south, from ports such as New Orleans, where they picked up more than cargo: they ferried Black musical culture, including African folk songs, blues, jazz and gospel traditions. German immigrants in the mid-19th century would add another layer to that musical history, bringing orchestral instruments and musical traditions along with them—forming orchestras and singing ensembles that would eventually spawn the May Festival, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and so much more.

JMR is just as fascinated by Cincinnati’s current music scene as he is by its history. A few of his and Thea’s favorite spots for live music—outside of Music Hall—are The Comet in Northside, Caffè Vivace in Walnut Hills and Schwartz’s Point Jazz & Acoustic Club in Over-the-Rhine.

“Although we adore ﬁne dining when we have the opportunity (and there are plenty of options here), we really like ‘mom-and-pop joints,’” explains JMR. “We lived in Windsor [Ontario] for 11 years before moving back to Cincinnati, and one of the things we loved there was the incredible international cuisine,” he says, noting that their favorites were often family-owned restaurants with authentic cuisines from China or Iraq. The Russells had a harder time ﬁnding those great off-the-beaten-path restaurants when they moved to Cincinnati, until their children took up the challenge. “Both Alma and Jack started

At right, from top: John Morris Russell with FC Cincinnati mascot Gary. JMR with Chip Graeter (left) and Bob Graeter on a recent tour of the Graeter’s factory to see the production of JMR’s Holiday Pops ice cream (peppermint stick chocolate chip flavor). JMR, Thea Tjepkema and composer Eric Whitacre at The Alcove.

ﬁnding really interesting places with their high school friends (mostly in the ‘burbs). Now we know a bunch of spots to have fantastic dim sum or an exceptional shawarma.”

When visitors come to town, the Russells show them Cincinnati-iconic places, starting with Graeter’s Ice Cream in Hyde Park Square. “That’s always a gotta-do: eating an ice cream cone while sitting by the Kilgour Fountain,”

says John. Guests can count on one of Thea’s amazing tours of Music Hall, and other visits may include exploring the American Sign Museum, wandering around Over-the-Rhine, any number of amazing parks, or grabbing a coffee at Lookout Joe. Ready for a beer or a bite? Zip’s Cafe in Mt. Lookout Square, City View Tavern in Mt. Adams, Rhinegeist in Overthe-Rhine, Scotti’s Italian Restaurant in downtown Cincy and New Riff Distillery in Bellevue are always on the list. Oh, and, naturally, guests will be invited to try Cincinnati-style chili—but the Russells are likely to choose Price Hill Chili over Skyline or Gold Star: “It’s the spiciest!” John declares.

To JMR and his family, the city they call home is a diverse blend of history, art, ﬂavor and fascination. They ﬁnd it walkable and family-friendly, and they adore the robust system of public parks. “There are so many things here that are unique and cherished, and so beautifully maintained and woven together,” John says.

At the end of the day, it is the people who make a place a home, and the Russells have found a richly diverse community of, as he likes to say, “really groovy people.”

“It comes down to the people who really love this place and all of the quirky, wonderful things about it,” he says. “All those folks who come to our concerts, who sing in our choruses, who make music together in dozens of community ensembles—it deﬁnes us. We are neighborly, supportive and empathetic, and, yes, a little geeky— that’s Midwestern chill.”

“In Cincinnati, people stay because they’re always looking out for each other,” he adds. “They invest in their community—their treasure, their time, their talents. They keep it here. I think that’s what we really love most, that everyone is invested in this place and in one another.”

John Morris Russell and Thea Tjepkema with the sparkling lights of the Roebling Bridge in the background.

John Morris Russell and Thea Tjepkema at Great American Ballpark for a Cincinnati Reds game.

INVEST ENGAGE INNOVATE LEAD

Investing state and federal dollars, the Ohio Arts Council funds and supports quality arts experiences for all Ohioans to strengthen communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

Learn more about our grant programs and resources, find your next arts experience, or connect: OAC.OHIO.GOV.

Grantee Spotlight: INSPIRATION STUDIOS, INC.

Inspiration Studios, Inc., and Sonny Spot Too are two Southwest Ohio organizations serving people with developmental disabilities. In 2023, they collaborated to create a new mural for Sonny Spot’s computer and technology room. Image courtesy of the organziation

A proud sponsor of the musical arts

Music Director Designate Cristian Măcelaru will be introduced to CSO audiences in a series of articles in Fanfare Magazine. Follow along as the story of the CSO’s 14th Music Director unfolds.

Getting to Know Cristian Măcelaru

by JAMES M. KELLER

WWhen Cristian Măcelaru was named the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director last April, his calendar for the 2024–25 season was already bursting at the seams. That was to be expected with a fast-rising star conductor who already serves as music director of the Orchestre National de France (ONF), is in his ﬁnal year as chief conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester and oversees the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California as well as the George Enescu Festival and Competition in his native Romania— and is in demand as a guest conductor for leading orchestras everywhere.

Nonetheless, as Music Director Designate this season, Măcelaru (you may call him “Cristi”) will be introduced to CSO audiences when he conducts the Orchestra for a week in February, as well as through a series of articles in Fanfare Magazine

When Fanfare Magazine spoke with Cristi for this ﬁrst installment, in early August, he was shuttling between orchestra rehearsals and masterclasses at Cabrillo. A week earlier, he had led the ONF at the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics, and he was gratiﬁed to recently learn that his newest recording with that orchestra (on Deutsche Grammophon) had just been named Orchestral Choice of the Month by BBC Music Magazine

How did this 44-year-old conductor get to where he is? Talent, of course, and hard work, but also an origin story so astonishing that a Hollywood producer ought to snap it up.

It starts in 1980 in Timișoara, a good-sized city in the Banat region of western Romania. “The Banat region is a beautiful representation of the multicultural, diverse experience,” Cristi says. “Three distinct ethnicities have co-existed there over hundreds of years: a strong Hungarian presence, a strong German presence and the Romanian presence. They have found a way to maintain peace and respect for each other. If you go to Timișoara, there is the Romanian National Theatre, there’s the German National Theatre and there’s the Hungarian National Theatre. Each is independently administered, and each has its separate entrance—three sets of doors. But once you step through the door, it’s the same hallway, the same lobby. The separate doors are literally just a façade. That impression is signiﬁcant for me. I grew up with all these people, and then

people from smaller ethnicities—Russian, Serbian, Croatian—so it is an unbelievable melting pot.”

This spirit of diversity became central to his outlook. Today, his children attend a school in Paris that was founded on the idea that multicultural exposure promotes world peace. It admits only students of broad cultural backgrounds—from families like his. “I’m Romanian (now a naturalized American citizen), my wife is American, we’ve lived in Germany and the U.S. and now in France, we’ve been immigrants, we speak a few languages. All of this led to a deeper understanding of how peace can come about.”

Romania in the 1980s was grim. Nicolae Ceaușescu wielded iron-ﬁsted power as General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party until he was executed in 1989. People were imprisoned on whims. The economy was in shambles. Cristi was young enough to be shielded from much of the unpleasantness. “I do remember many aspects of those years, though not the pain and difficulty.

Cristian Mӑcelaru conducting the Orchestre National de France during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Credit: Orchestre National de France.

Previous page: Cristian Mӑcelaru overlooking Green Lake at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Credit: Tyler Secor

My strongest general memory is that absolutely anything you would need to get done—going to the grocery store, to the motor vehicles department, anything—you had to wait in an insanely long line. The line to buy bread would be three hours; you had to plan your entire day around it.”

He knew ﬁrst-hand about that, because buying bread was often his job within the family—and it was a large family since he is the youngest of 10 children.

Music reigned at home. His father had studied accordion and also played piano. His mother, a trained ﬂutist, taught music theory. All the kids learned instruments. “In order from oldest to youngest, we played cello, violin, trombone, French horn, violin, ﬂute, violin, viola, violin, and then I played violin. We had seven rooms in which we could practice. We’re not talking bedrooms, but rather seven places where you could close the door, including bathrooms, hallways, the kitchen. We had a schedule on the fridge.”

At night, his father, having worked multiple jobs during the day, would write arrangements for the family to play in their daily concerts. Cristi learned to read and write musical notes a year before he learned the alphabet. “I say my ﬁrst language was music, because it really was.”

He was admitted to the city’s specialized music school, where he skipped classes to hide in the auditorium when the Banatul Philharmonic rehearsed there. “I remember listening to Dvořák’s Ninth [which Cristi will conduct in his CSO debut as Music Director Designate Feb. 8–9] from underneath a chair. I was completely blown away by the ﬁnale and thought this must surely be the greatest thing ever written. Well, I wasn’t very wrong.”

In the 1990s, Romania gained international notoriety for the deplorable condition of its orphanages, which led to a surge in adoptions by families overseas. The government

decreed that adoptive families would have to spend two or three weeks in Romania to absorb something of the culture before heading home, and usually these people stayed with Romanian families.

Cristi, who was obsessed with speaking English, loved having Americans

constantly around the Mӑcelaru home. In 1996, a family from Grand Rapids, Michigan stayed with the Mӑcelarus. “They were adopting a son who was 16, exactly my age. This is a pretty signiﬁcant challenge, to adopt someone at the age of 16!” Before they left, they told Cristi about a famous music camp in Michigan—Interlochen— and volunteered that if he could get admitted, they would pay for his airfare, which would have exceeded his family’s resources by an unimaginable degree.

They had Interlochen send him materials and an application. “I devoured this magazine,” he said. “I looked at the pictures and thought this must be the greatest place on the planet. Every kid looked so happy and it was in a beautiful setting.”

He ﬁlled out the attached application, assembled the required transcripts and recommendations, and made an audition videotape, borrowing what seemed to be the only American-compatible VCR machine in town.

He heard nothing. Then in December, a letter arrived from Interlochen offering him a full scholarship to attend “the academy.” Confused, he asked his Grand Rapids friends about it, and they discovered that he had sent in the wrong application. Instead of applying to the summer camp, which admits 3,000 young musicians, he had applied to Interlochen’s year-round boardingschool program, which accepts only 250.

Keep an eye on the CSO's YouTube channel to watch the upcoming multi-part docuseries about Cristi.

His parents said they would let him go if he could get a visa, but they knew full well that getting a visa would be almost impossible.

“I got up at 5:00 in the morning and waited in line at the

A frame from a December 1992 home movie of Cristian Mӑcelaru, age 12, recorded in his parents’ home in Timișoara, Romania.

embassy for the doors to open at 9,” he recalls. “I had my letter of admission, all the documents. But even though my expenses would be covered, I had to show proof that I had personal assets that could cover that amount, which I certainly didn’t. My parents didn’t even have a bank account.”

He went to his interview all the same, and was processed by an older woman who reviewed his materials but, as expected, pointed out that his family could not show that they could support him while he was in the United States. “She looked at me and she smiled, and she said, ‘You know, my kids went to Interlochen. I know this place, and I know what it is. What you have here is not enough to give you a visa, but I will overlook it—and she gave me the visa, which she shouldn’t have. So that September I arrived at Interlochen. As soon as I arrived, I sent applications to all my friends. About 15 of them applied and many of them received full scholarships to come—but when they went to the embassy, they were all denied visas.”

One year at Interlochen turned into two. He was primarily a violin student, but at some point he took a conducting class, reputed to be “an easy credit.” He asked the directors of Interlochen’s orchestra and band for pointers and ended up conducting the orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s Marche slave (“my symphonic debut,” he notes) and the wind ensemble in Holst’s Suite in E-ﬂat.

espagnol. He didn’t tell them that he had just played it at Interlochen and knew it by heart. It turned out that the orchestra’s concertmaster had unexpectedly died the week before, and they offered him the job. He took it, becoming, at age 19, the orchestra’s youngest-ever concertmaster. After college he headed to Rice University in Houston for a master’s degree in violin. At Interlochen he had met conductor Larry Rachleff, who taught conducting at Rice, and Rachleff referred him to violinist Sergiu Luca. They both became formative mentors to Cristi.

One thing led to another. He received the prestigious Solti Conducting Award in 2014, and the same year he was named conductorin-residence at The Philadelphia Orchestra. He ﬁrst conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2015, the WDR Sinfonieorchester in 2017 and the ONF in 2019—and now he is music director of them all.

When he became artistic director of the Enescu Music Festival in 2023, he decided on a theme for his ﬁrst year’s programming: Generosity Through Music. “If I were to start listing all the mentors who gave so much of themselves

Then he was off to the University of Miami for college as a violin major. On his ﬁrst day there he responded to an ad for substitute players at the Miami Symphony Orchestra. At his audition he played the Sibelius Violin Concerto and some Bach, after which the committee asked him to sight-read Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio

to put me on the right path, it would be a very long list of people,” he says. “For that 2023 festival, I used a quotation from Enescu himself, which was ‘In the area of the arts, nothing can truly be yours if you don’t give it away’—the idea that in the process of sharing the music you create the art, that it requires sharing for the art to be created.”

James M. Keller, in his 25th season as program annotator of the San Francisco Symphony, was formerly program annotator of the New York Philharmonic and is the author of Chamber Music: A Listener’s Guide (Oxford University Press).

Cristian Mӑcelaru outside the cabin where he had his first conducting class at Interlochen Arts Academy. Credit: Tyler Secor

FEATURE

Singing in the City: Meet Matthew Swanson, the May Festival’s New Director of Choruses

by HANNAH EDGAR

Matthew Swanson, 35, has been a ﬁxture of the May Festival Chorus since 2012, when he joined the ensemble as a tenor. In the intervening years, he’s worked for the organization at multiple levels: in the box office for two years, as a Festival Conducting Fellow in 2015, and as Associate Director of Choruses, leading the Festival’s special projects and conducting the May Festival Youth Chorus.

All that experience ﬂows easily into the concerts Swanson is preparing this fall. Chichester Psalms, with Marin Alsop? He’s already an old hand at all things Leonard Bernstein, having been instrumental in the Festival’s performances of MASS (2018) and Candide (2022). Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, with Richard Egarr? Although the May Festival hasn’t programmed the Oratorio in more than a century, Matthew has sung it at Knox Church in Cincinnati and knows Egarr from his grad school days in Cambridge, England to boot.

The seeds for such rich experiences need to take root somewhere. For Swanson, it was rural southeast Iowa. His family runs a farm with corn, soybean and alfalfa ﬁelds and a herd of about 80 Sim-Angus cattle. The nearest incorporated town, Ollie, has a population of 200.

At an early age, Swanson began his journey into music by taking piano lessons from Kay Evans, who also taught elementary music and led the choir at the high school.

Above: Director of Choruses Matthew Swanson conducts the May Festival Chamber Choir during a performance at Westwood First Presbyterian Church, October 2024. Credit: Charlie Balcom

Both his parents played instruments in their youth, and his mother sang in the church choir before he was born. Swanson followed in her footsteps in their church’s youth program, where an attentive instructor noticed Swanson’s zeal for singing. She recommended that Swanson audition for the Greater Ottumwa Vocal Arts Project, or GOVAP, a regional choir serving kids from ﬁfth through seventh grades.

The program was “transformative,” says Swanson. He experienced all his first choral milestones through GOVAP: his first time singing in parts, his first time singing a non-English language and his first time singing with an orchestra. He also encountered core repertoire, even if he didn’t understand what that meant at the time.

“I remember working on Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel with an orchestra, and the conductor said, at some point, ‘You know, you’re going to sing and hear these songs for the rest of your life.’ I thought, ‘What? How is that possible?’

“He was absolutely correct. I learned ‘The Vagabond,’ ‘The Roadside Fire,’ and all these other great songs from that cycle when I was 10. And sure enough, they have followed me around my whole life.”

In parallel with his years in GOVAP, Swanson had been

introduced to the trumpet through his school music program and excelled at that, too. When he enrolled at Notre Dame for college, he declared a trumpet performance major and assumed his singing days were over.

Fate had other plans. Turns out the director of Notre Dame’s symphony orchestra, Daniel Stowe, also directed its Glee Club. After he learned that Swanson sang, too, Stowe staged an “intervention, or invitation”—per Swanson— for him to join that ensemble, too. The Glee Club embarked on a 10-day Southeast tour shortly after Swanson joined.

It wasn’t Swanson’s ﬁrst concert tour. Nonetheless, that experience became “the best week of [his] life” thus far.

“I thought we were singing such interesting repertoire: Gregorian chant, Renaissance motets, barbershop and close harmony songs, folk songs and weighty Romantic works. It was almost everything that you could pack into a concert,” Swanson remembers. “Taking a band on tour, it’s almost more stuff than people. There was something magical about the fact that the singers themselves were the instruments…. Singing is a sonic act, a physical act, an emotional, communal and spiritual act all at the same time.”

When the time came for him to apply to grad school, Swanson was at another crossroads: Should he apply to programs in

From left: Matthew Swanson at age 4, playing the piano at home. Swanson at age 10, as a new member of the GOVAP Children’s Choir. Swanson at age 17, after playing in the Iowa All-State Band.

Matthew Swanson and Daniel Stowe, conductor of the University of Notre Dame Glee Club and Symphony Orchestra, following the Glee Club’s 2011 Commencement Concert.

trumpet performance or pursue his interest in choral conducting? He opted for the latter, which brought him to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)—and, by extension, to the May Festival Chorus. He’d encountered the choral–orchestral repertoire occasionally at Notre Dame, and the May Festival offered an opportunity to delve deeper.

“When I saw the list of repertoire they were doing all in one season”—Carmina Burana, the

Colorful and Romantic Trios

December 8/9, 2024

Chamber music luminaries join forces as the Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio. Their Cincinnati debut features the quintessentially romantic music of Schumann, a work that Ravel completed during the outbreak of war, and a tone poem by Liszt inspired by Orpheus, the legendary musical hero of ancient Greece.

Duruﬂé Requiem, the Stabat Mater and Te Deum of Verdi, Russian opera choruses, Poulenc’s Gloria, and the Brahms Requiem—“I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve just got to get down there,’” Swanson recalls.

Thanks to his experience in the May Festival, by now Swanson has sung most of the choral–orchestral biggies—essential to him now as a director, “because I can have some sympathy for what the singers might be going through.” He also got to observe Director of Choruses Robert Porco’s leadership, which left a deep impression.

“That was a huge education for me, to [work with] someone of such vast experience and high standards of excellence. He has a deep commitment to the art and ideals of volunteer singing and what that can mean for a community of people,” Swanson says.

But Swanson’s education wasn’t yet complete. Between his degrees at CCM, he applied to a master’s degree program in choral studies at the University of Cambridge, somewhat on a whim. To his surprise, he got in—and to his delight, his application to King’s College, home to the prestigious choir of the same name, was also accepted. When he wasn’t busy singing around the university, he got to sit in on the group’s rehearsals.

In the end, Swanson’s biggest takeaway from that experience wasn’t technical or musical. Nor

Essentially French

January 26/27, 2025

CSO principals Gillian Benet Sella, Randolph Bowman, and Christopher Pell perform with the Ariel String Quartet. Experience and strings and discover musical gems and Mozart.

Director of Choruses Matthew Swanson conducts the May Festival Chamber Choir during a performance at Westwood First Presbyterian Church, October 2024. Credit: Charlie Balcom

was it leadership skills, per se. Instead, it was witnessing, in live-time, that even the world’s most prestigious choirs never rest on their laurels.

“I think it’s easy to look at any institution that’s achieving at a high level and take it for granted. But any institution which is achieving— by whatever deﬁnition of success you wish to apply—is doing so not because of one instance of hard work and effort, but consistent instances of hard work and effort over long, long spans of time,” he says. “None of that happens in a vacuum; none of it happens automatically. It’s the process of truly daily work.”

The same could be said of his path toward helming the May Festival Chorus. Swanson didn’t just work for the organization at every level: As director of the May Festival Youth Chorus, he inaugurated an annual commissioning project for the ensemble, which gave choristers the experience—many for the ﬁrst time—of performing a piece from scratch. The roster of commissioned composers has been impressive, too. BrazilianAmerican composer Clarice Assad kicked off the program in 2019 with Cantos da Terra, a “charming, inventive and jazz-inﬂected” riff on Brazilian Christmas songs. Eminences like Gwyneth Walker and James Lee III have followed. To celebrate the 150th anniversary, the Youth Chorus joined the May

Festival Chorus for the world premieres of James MacMillan’s Timotheus, Bacchus and Cecilia, which went on to be performed at this year’s BBC Proms, and James Lee III’s Breaths of Universal Longings, which included texts inspired by members of the Youth Chorus.

“I think it’s important that people are writing for young voices and that our students have the opportunity to understand what it means to be a composer and what a commission is…. In many cases, we were able to bring the composer here for them to meet,” Swanson says.

Young performers clearly stand to learn a lot from experienced composers. But what about young composers?They stand to learn a lot by working with performers, too—and they rarely get the chance to do so before heading off to college. So, Swanson also steered last year’s “25 for 25: A New Time for Choral Music,” the May Festival’s massive commissioning process undertaken in partnership with the New Yorkbased Luna Composition Lab and 25 community ensembles. The initiative matched local choirs with talented teenage composers who would write a new work for them. In the process, the tide raised all ships: The choirs got to premiere a work specially made for them, and the young Luna Lab composers—all of whom are

girls or nonbinary— would get a valuable professional clip they could present to college composition programs.

25 for 25 augmented the work started by former May Festival principal conductor Juanjo Mena, who established the May Festival Community Chorus, a non-auditioned ensemble drawn from other Cincinnati-area choruses. In 2018, the year of its inception, Swanson became its de facto chorus manager.

Swanson sees promoting “the breadth and the depth of the choral ecosystem in Cincinnati” as a core part of the May Festival’s mission.

“The May Festival, throughout its history, has been a celebration of singing in the city and across the region,” Swanson says.

Suffice to say, Swanson is already spinning lots of plates. But, every once in a while, when he has the time, Swanson still busts out his trumpet, mostly to check on his chops. Otherwise, in his spare time, he jokes that he’s “trying very hard to be a tenor,” though he’ll take singing in a choir over singing a solo any day. He hasn’t found anything that beats that feeling.

“I used to talk to the May Festival Youth Chorus about the idea of magic. I think, for me, the best evidence of magic in the world is when a choir starts to sing really, really well in tune and, all of a sudden, these overtones are happening—these notes that no one is singing, but that are produced tangibly and sonically in the world by the combination of us as a whole.

“That’s the closest thing to magic I know.”

Matthew Swanson leads a May Festival Youth Chorus rehearsal in April 2022 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.

INSIDE THE ORCHESTRA: Musical Chairs

by TYLER M. SECOR

“Inside the Orchestra” seeks to demystify the many routines or rituals that are often part of any orchestra concert. From the modern perspective, these routines seem fixed, but historical context demonstrates that the typical “orchestra concert” has rapidly and significantly changed.

Where instruments and instrument families sit on stage is as varied as the pieces played and the venues in which those pieces are performed. Diagrams and drawn pictures from Europe depicting orchestra seating can be found as far back as the late17th century, but those early depictions show smaller ensembles, scenes at parties, or ensembles in theatre pits or balconies accompanying operas or plays. The simile of the modern-day orchestra began to emerge in the 18th century, but the average size of the orchestra varied from locale to locale and so did the space to house the orchestra.

In the 19th century, composers began to write pieces for bigger and bigger orchestras, creating the need for larger stages and houses and requiring changes to orchestra seating and arrangements of instruments. In the 19th and 20th century, composers entered the orchestra seating fray and began to specify the seating for their works within the scores. For example, the unique seating of Olivier Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles…. is clearly spelled out in the score. Moreover, evolving instrument design and technological advances played a role in where members of the orchestra sat, not to mention the acoustics of the hall and the acoustics of the instruments themselves.

So, answering the question “why does the orchestra sit like that?” is complicated. However, there are some widely accepted answers, even in scores that do not include a clearly drawn seating chart. The modern-day orchestra has generally accepted two standard models: antiphonal and non-antiphonal seating. Perhaps the most common in the U.S. is non-antiphonal, which has violin I, violin II, cello and viola placed left to right in front of the conductor. Within this conﬁguration, there are variations; for example, the cello and viola may swap places. Antiphonal seating has violin I, viola, cello and violin II placed left to right in front of the conductor. Antiphonal also has its variations, sometimes swapping the placement of the violas and cellos.

Who sits where for each concert is a complex formula of history, acoustics, composer/

conductor preferences and stage design, but the goal is the same: the best expression of the music for the audience.

Non-antiphonal seating

Antiphonal seating

Above: The CSO pictured in non-antiphonal seating (Credit: Mark Lyons). Below: Creative Partner Matthias Pintscher conducting Olivier Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles… for CSO Proof in March 2024 (Credit: JP Leong).

WELCOME TO NOV–DEC GROUPS!

(as of October 16, 2024)

CSO Bernstein & Shostakovich: Nov. 16 & 17

Havighurst Center-Miami University

CSO The Three-Cornered Hat: Nov. 22 & 23

Barrington of Oakley

Christian Village at Mason

Maple Knoll Village

Otterbein Retirement Community

Twin Lakes at Montgomery

Seasons Retirement Community

The Knolls of Oxford

The Kenwood

Pops Home Alone: Nov. 30 & Dec. 1

Amanda Birck Friends and Family

Danica Stevens Friends and Family

GSWO Troop 4380

Jasmine Artikova Friends and Family

Jeff Enderle Friends and Family

Kaitlin Rose Friends and Family

Megan Salisbury Friends and Family

Mark Kinsel Friends and Family

Kathleen Blain Friends and Family

Christina Gromada Friends and Family

Richard and Joyce Seeger and Family

Shih-Cheng Wang and Nathan Hoffman and Friends and Family

Andrea Kaminski Friends and Family

Connie Boehner Friends and Family

Holly Ippisch Friends and Family

Stephen Stone Friends and Family

Robert and Libby Turner Friends and Family

CSO Bach’s Christmas Oratorio: Dec. 6 & 7

Twin Lakes at Montgomery

Holiday Pops: Dec. 13–15

Anderson Senior Center

Anna Hogan Friends and Family

Barrington of Oakley

Batavia Middle School

Bayley at Green Township

Berkely Square

Christian Village at Mason

Colerain Middle School

Conner Middle School

Daniela Tabone Friends and Family

Deborah Ruffner Friends and Family

Garﬁeld Middle School

Gary and Bonnie Carothers Friends and Family

George Schmidt III Friends and Family

Hoeting Realtors

Howard Financial Service

Ian and Jennifer Rodway Friends and Family

Jackie Ramsey Friends and Family

Jane Feil Friends and Family

Joe Brinkmeyer-Cops Go To Pops

Karen Isaacs Friends and Family

The Kenwood

The Knolls of Oxford

Madeira Middle School

Maple Knoll Village

Mary Blake Friends and Family

Mary Kirsch Friends and Family

Michelle Schilling Friends and Family

Mike Burns Friends and Family

Myrna and Rex Overstreet Friends and Family

Myrna Little Friends and Family

Nancy Jacob Friends and Family

Nicole Patitucci Friends and Family

Otterbein Retirement Community

Owen Talbott Friends and Family

Provident Travel

Rosemary Franck Friends and Family

SASEAS

Seasons Retirement

South Dearborn High School Art Club

South Dearborn High School Music

Stephen Stone Friends and Family

Steve Lynn Friends and Family

Sunny Grothaus Friends and Family

Twin Towers

Wilson Middle School

ENJOY THE MUSIC, TOGETHER!

• Groups of 10+ save 20% on most concerts and seniors and students save even more!

• Curate your own event with a private reception, guided tour or meet and greet—the possibilities are endless.

Contact CSO Group Sales: 513.744.3252 or wmarshall@cincinnatisymphony.org cincinnatisymphony.org/groups

COMING UP at

Music Hall

JAN 2025

RACHMANINOFF & COPLAND

JAN 11 & 12 SAT 7:30 PM; SUN 2 PM

Matthias Pintscher conductor; George Li piano

Unsuk CHIN subito con forza

RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3

COPLAND Symphony No. 3

CSO Recital Series

HILARY HAHN

JAN 14 SUN 7:30 PM

Hilary Hahn violin

SIMPLY THE BEST:

The Music of Tina Turner

JAN 17-19 FRI & SAT 7:30 PM; SUN 2 PM

Damon Gupton conductor

THE MAGIC CELLO

JAN 24 & 25 FRI 11 AM; SAT 7:30 PM

Christian Reif conductor; Ilya Finkelshteyn cello

MOZART Overture to The Magic Flute

Jimmy LÓPEZ BELLIDO Symphony No. 5, Fantastica (World Premiere, CSO Co-commission)

SAINT-SAËNS Cello Concerto No. 1

PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 7

STRAUSS & DEBUSSY

JAN 31 & FEB 1 FRI & SAT 7:30 PM

Jun Märkl conductor; Elizabeth Freimuth horn

R. STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks

R. STRAUSS Horn Concerto No. 1

DEBUSSY Images

FEB 2025

DVOŘÁK NEW WORLD SYMPHONY

FEB 8 & 9 SAT 7:30 PM; SUN 2 PM

Cristian Măcelaru conductor, Randall Goosby violin

Wynton MARSALIS "Southwestern Shakedown” from Blues Symphony

CHAUSSON Poème

PRICE Violin Concerto No. 2

DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9, From the New World

FOR A FULL LIST OF UPCOMING EVENTS AND ADDITIONAL INFO VISIT CINCINNATISYMPHONY.ORG

FIRST VIOLINS

Stefani Matsuo

Concertmaster

Anna Sinton Taft Chair

Felicity James

Associate Concertmaster

Tom & Dee Stegman Chair

Philip Marten

First Assistant Concertmaster

James M. Ewell Chair++

Eric Bates

Second Assistant Concertmaster

Serge Shababian Chair

Kathryn Woolley

Nicholas Tsimaras–

Peter G. Courlas Chair++

Anna Reider

Dianne & J. David Rosenberg Chair

Mauricio Aguiar§

Anne G. & Robert W. Dorsey Chair

Minyoung Baik

Jo Ann & Paul Ward Chair

James Braid

Marc Bohlke Chair given by Katrin & Manfred Bohlke

Rebecca Kruger Fryxell

Clifford J. Goosmann &

Andrea M. Wilson Chair

Elizabeth Furuta

Gerald Itzkoff

Jean Ten Have Chair

Joseph Ohkubo

Luo-Jia Wu

Jonathan Yi

SECOND VIOLINS

Gabriel Pegis

Principal

Al Levinson Chair

Yang Liu*

Harold B. & Betty Justice Chair

Scott Mozlin**

Henry Meyer Chair

Kun Dong

Cheryl Benedict

Evin Blomberg§

Sheila and Christopher Cole Chair

Rose Brown

Rachel Charbel

Ida Ringling North Chair

Chika Kinderman

Charles Morey

Hyesun Park

Paul Patterson

Charles Gausmann Chair++

Stacey Woolley

Brenda & Ralph Taylor Chair++

VIOLAS

Christian Colberg

Principal

Louise D. & Louis Nippert Chair

Gabriel Napoli

Acting Associate Principal

Grace M. Allen Chair

Julian Wilkison**

Rebecca Barnes§

Christopher Fischer

Stephen Fryxell

Melinda & Irwin Simon Chair

Caterina Longhi

Denisse Rodriguez-Rivera

Dan Wang

Joanne Wojtowicz

CRISTIAN MӐCELARU, Music Director Designate

Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL, Cincinnati Pops Conductor

Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

Matthias Pintscher, CSO Creative Partner

Damon Gupton, Pops Principal Guest Conductor

Louis Langrée, Music Director Laureate

Samuel Lee, Associate Conductor

Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair

Daniel Wiley, Assistant Conductor

Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair

CELLOS

Ilya Finkelshteyn

Principal

Irene & John J. Emery Chair

Lachezar Kostov *

Ona Hixson Dater Chair

Norman Johns**

Karl & Roberta Schlachter

Family Chair

Drew Dansby§

Daniel Kaler

Peter G. Courlas–

Nicholas Tsimaras Chair++

Nicholas Mariscal

Marvin Kolodzik & Linda S. Gallaher Chair for Cello

Hiro Matsuo

Laura Kimble McLellan Chair++

Alan Rafferty

Ruth F. Rosevear Chair

Tianlu (Jerry) Xu

BASSES

Owen Lee

Principal

Mary Alice Heekin Burke Chair++

Luis Celis*

Thomas Vanden Eynden Chair

Stephen Jones**

Trish & Rick Bryan Chair

Boris Astaﬁev§

Gerald Torres

Rick Vizachero

HARP

Gillian Benet Sella

Principal

Cynthia & Frank Stewart Chair

FLUTES

Randolph Bowman

Principal

Charles Frederic Goss Chair

Henrik Heide*

Haley Bangs

Jane & David Ellis Chair

PICCOLO

Rebecca Pancner

Patricia Gross Linnemann Chair

OBOES

Dwight Parry

Principal

Josephine I. & David J. Joseph, Jr. Chair

Lon Bussell*

Stephen P. McKean Chair

Emily Beare

ENGLISH HORN

Christopher Philpotts

Principal

Alberta & Dr. Maurice Marsh Chair++

CLARINETS

Christopher Pell

Principal

Emma Margaret & Irving D.

Goldman Chair

Joseph Morris*

Associate Principal and E-ﬂat Clarinet

Robert E. & Fay Boeh Chair++

Ixi Chen

Vicky & Rick Reynolds Chair in honor of William A. Friedlander

BASS CLARINET

Ronald Aufmann

BASSOONS

Christopher Sales

Principal

Emalee Schavel Chair++

Martin Garcia*

Hugh Michie

CONTRABASSOON

Jennifer Monroe

HORNS

Elizabeth Freimuth

Principal

Mary M. & Charles F. Yeiser Chair

David Alexander

Acting Associate Principal

Ellen A. & Richard C. Berghamer

Chair

Molly Norcross** ‡

Sweeney Family Chair in memory of Donald C. Sweeney

Lisa Conway

Susanne & Philip O. Geier, Jr. Chair

Duane Dugger

Mary & Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Chair

Charles Bell

Donald & Margaret Robinson Chair

TRUMPETS

Anthony Limoncelli

Principal Rawson Chair [OPEN]

Jackie & Roy Sweeney

Family Chair

Alexander Pride† Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Chair++

Christopher Kiradjieff

TROMBONES

Cristian Ganicenco

Principal

Dorothy & John Hermanies

Chair

Joseph Rodriguez**

Second/Assistant Principal Trombone

Sallie Robinson Wadsworth & Randolph L. Wadsworth Jr. Chair

BASS TROMBONE

Noah Roper

TUBA

Christopher Olka

Principal

Ashley & Barbara Ford Chair

TIMPANI

Patrick Schleker

Principal

Matthew & Peg Woodside Chair

Joseph Bricker*

Morleen & Jack Rouse Chair

PERCUSSION

David Fishlock

Principal

Susan S. & William A. Friedlander Chair

Michael Culligan*

Joseph Bricker

Morleen & Jack Rouse Chair

Marc Wolﬂey+

KEYBOARDS

Michael Chertock

James P. Thornton Chair

Julie Spangler+

James P. Thornton Chair

CSO/CCM DIVERSITY

FELLOWS~

Lucas Ferreira Braga, violin

Melissa Peraza, viola

Manuel Papale, cello

Caleb Edwards, double bass

Wendell Rodrigues da Rosa, double bass

LIBRARIANS

Christina Eaton

Principal Librarian

Lois Klein Jolson Chair

Elizabeth Dunning

Associate Principal Librarian

Cara Benner

Assistant Librarian

STAGE MANAGERS

Brian P. Schott

Phillip T. Sheridan

Daniel Schultz

Mike Ingram

Andrew Sheridan

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

* Associate Principal

** Assistant Principal

† One-year appointment

‡ Leave of absence

+ Cincinnati Pops rhythm section

++ CSO endowment only

~ Funded by The Mellon Foundation

AND ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP

CRISTIAN MĂCELARU

Music Director Designate

Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

Grammy-winning conductor Cristian Măcelaru is the Music Director Designate of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, artistic director of the George Enescu Festival and Competition, music director of the Orchestre national de France, artistic director and principal conductor of the Interlochen Center for the Arts’ World Youth Symphony Orchestra, music director and conductor of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and chief conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester in Cologne, where he will serve through the 2024–25 season and continue as artistic partner for the 2025–26 season.

Măcelaru recently appeared at the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony, which was broadcast to 1.5 billion viewers worldwide. He led the Orchestre national de France and Chœur de Radio France in the performance of the Olympic Anthem as the Olympic Flag was raised at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Măcelaru and the Orchestre national de France continue their 2024–25 season with tours throughout France, Germany, South Korea and China. Guest appearances include his debuts with the Oslo Philharmonic and RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin as well as returns with the Wiener Symphoniker, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in Europe. In North America, Măcelaru leads the Pittsburgh Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Măcelaru’s previous seasons include European engagements with the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Concertgebouworkest, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Staatskapelle Berlin and Budapest Festival Orchestra. In North America, he has led the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

In 2020, he received a Grammy Award for conducting the Decca Classics recording of Wynton Marsalis’ Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti and The Philadelphia Orchestra. His most recent release is of Enescu symphonies and two Romanian Rhapsodies with the Orchestre national de France, released on Deutsche Grammophon.

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL

Cincinnati Pops Conductor

Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

John Morris Russell’s (JMR) embrace of America’s unique voice and musical stories has transformed how orchestral performances connect and engage with audiences. As conductor of the Cincinnati Pops since 2011, the wide range and diversity of his work as a musical leader, collaborator and educator continues to reinvigorate the musical scene throughout Cincinnati and across the continent. As Music Director of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina, JMR conducts the classical series as well as the prestigious Hilton Head International Piano Competition.

A Grammy-nominated artist, JMR has worked with leading performers from across a variety of musical genres, including Aretha Franklin, Emanuel Ax, Amy Grant and Vince Gill, Garrick Ohlsson, Rhiannon Giddens, Hilary Hahn, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Cynthia Erivo, Sutton Foster, George Takei, Steve Martin, Brian Wilson, Leslie Odom, Jr., Lea Salonga and Mandy Gonzalez.

For over two decades, JMR has led the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s wildly successful Classical Roots initiative honoring and celebrating Black musical excellence. Guest artists have included Marvin Winans, Alton White, George Shirley, Common and Hi-Tek.

JMR has contributed seven albums to the Cincinnati Pops discography, including 2023’s holiday album JOY!. In 2015, he created the “American Originals Project,” which has won both critical and popular acclaim and features two landmark recordings: American Originals (the music of Stephen Foster) and the Grammynominated American Originals 1918 (a tribute to the dawn of the jazz age). The 2020 “American Originals” concert King Records and the Cincinnati Sound with Late Show pianist Paul Shaffer honored legendary recording artists associated with the Queen City. In the 2024–25 season JMR takes on the next installment of the project, offering a concert and recording celebrating the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance, and presents a national PBS broadcast of Rick Steves Europe: A Symphonic Journey. JMR’s American Soundscapes video series with the Pops and Cincinnati’s CET public television station, has surpassed one million views on YouTube since its launch in 2016.

©Adriane White

©Mark Lyons

WINSTEAD CHAMBER SERIES

TUE NOV 5, 7:30 PM Music Hall Ballroom

György Ligeti Six Bagatelles for Woodwind Quintet (1923–2006)

Allegro con spirito

Rubato. Lamentoso

Allegro grazioso

Presto ruvido

Béla Bartók In Memoriam: Adagio. Mesto

Molto vivace. Capriccioso

Rebecca Pancner, ﬂute

Lon Bussell, oboe

Joseph Morris, clarinet

Martin Garcia, bassoon

Lisa Conway, horn

Sergei PROKOFIEV

Quintet in G Minor, Op. 39 (1891–1953)

Moderato

Andante energico

Allegro sostenuto, ma con brio

Adagio pesante

Allegro precipitato, ma non troppo presto Andantino

Dwight Parry, oboe

Joseph Morris, clarinet

Felicity James, violin

Rebecca Barnes, viola Boris Astaﬁev, contrabass

INTERMISSION

Franz SCHUBERT

String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, D. 804, Op. 29, Rosamunde (1797–1828)

Allegro ma non troppo

Andante

Menuetto: Allegretto

Allegro moderato

For exclusive content, such as full-length program notes and artist biographies, please text PROGRAM to 513.845.3024*.

*By texting to this number, you may receive messages that pertain to the organization and its performances; msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP to help, STOP to cancel.

Eric Bates, violin

Cheryl Benedict, violin

Rebecca Barnes, viola

Nicholas Mariscal, cello

This performance is approximately 105 minutes long, including intermission.

YOU’RE INVITED to greet the musicians after the concert.

The Winstead Chamber Series is endowed by a generous gift from the estate of former CSO musician WILLIAM WINSTEAD

GYÖRGY LIGETI: Six Bagatelles for Woodwind Quintet

Composed: 1953

Premiere: Movements 1–5 premiered in 1956, Budapest; complete work premiered October 6, 1968, Södertälje, Sweden

Duration: approx. 12 minutes

György Ligeti, one of music’s greatest modern masters, studied composition at the conservatory in his boyhood home of Kolozsvár during the early years of World War II. In 1944, however, Ligeti, with many other Jews, was pressed by the Nazis into forced labor in dangerous situations, including working in a munitions dump just in front of the Russian advance. After the war, Ligeti continued his studies at the Budapest Academy of Music, briefly pursued field research in Romanian folk music following his graduation in 1949 and returned to the Budapest Academy a year later, when he was appointed professor of harmony, counterpoint and analysis. He fled Hungary in the wake of the Russian occupation of 1956 and settled in Vienna, and, in 1957, he was invited to work at the West German Radio in Cologne, where he again took up several modernistic compositions in daring idioms that he had to put aside because of the repressive political situation in Hungary. He achieved his first wide recognition in 1960, when his Apparitions was performed at the International Society for Contemporary Music Festival in Cologne.

In 1953, when Ligeti arranged a half-dozen numbers from his Musica ricercata for Piano (1951–53) as the Six Bagatelles for Woodwind Quintet, he was teaching at the Budapest Conservatory and largely cut off from musical developments in the West, so Béla Bartók (whose style Ligeti emulated early in his career) became for him a strong inﬂuence—“the big genius” in Ligeti’s words. The Bagatelles provide a virtual catalog of Bartókian techniques.

—Dr. Richard E. Rodda

SERGEI PROKOFIEV: Quintet in G Minor, Op. 39

Composed: 1924

Premiere: March 6, 1927, Moscow

Duration: approx. 21 minutes

After Russian émigré conductor Sergei Koussevitzky had successfully premiered Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 at his Parisian concert of October 18, 1923, the composer thought the time had come for him to end his residency in America (and, briefly, Germany) and settle in the French capital. Given the French proclivity for modernity, Prokofiev thought that Paris was a good place to try a new symphony, his second, which he determined was “to be made of iron and steel.” Koussevitzky commissioned the Symphony No. 2 from him early in 1924, and Prokofiev worked on the score as much as his busy piano performance schedule and the birth of his first child, Sviatoslav, allowed. “In order to earn some money while writing the Symphony,” he recalled, “I accepted a commission [in July 1924] to compose a ballet for a roving dance troupe which wished to present a program of several short pieces accompanied by an ensemble of five instruments. I proposed a quintet consisting of oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass. The simple plot, based on circus life, was titled Trapeze.” The little ballet company was headed by Boris Romanov, a Russian émigré who had studied under Fokine and worked for a time at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg; there, Romanov had assisted with the choreography for Prokofiev’s ill-fated 1915 ballet, Ala and Lolly, whose music was diverted into the thunderous Scythian Suite. Romanov toured Trapeze through Germany and Italy during 1925, after which the ballet was forgotten, though Prokofiev reworked the music into a six-movement concert suite for the original instrumentation. The Quintet, Op. 39 was premiered in 1927 in Moscow, during one of Prokofiev’s visits to his homeland in the years preceding his permanent return there in 1933.

—Dr. Richard E. Rodda

Born: May 28, 1923, Dicsőszentmárton, Hungary

Died: June 12, 2006, Vienna, Austria

Born: April 23, 1891, Sontsovka, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire) Died: March 5, 1953, Moscow

György Ligeti 1989. ©SchottPromotion/Peter Andersen

Born: January 31, 1797, Vienna, Austria

Died: November 19, 1828, Vienna

FRANZ SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, D. 804, Op. 29, Rosamunde

Composed: 1824

Premiere: March 14, 1824 in Vienna, by the Schuppanzigh Quartet

Duration: approx. 34 minutes

When Helmina von Chézy’s play Rosamunde, with extensive incidental music by Franz Schubert, was hooted off the stage at its premiere in Vienna on December 20, 1823, the 27-year-old composer decided to turn his efforts away from the theater, where he had found only frustration, and devote more attention to his purely instrumental music. The major works of 1823—the operas Fierrabras and Der häusliche Krieg (“The Household War”), the song cycle Die schöne Müllerin (“The Beautiful Maid of the Mill”) and Rosamunde—gave way to the 1824 string quartets in D minor (Death and the Maiden) and A minor, the A minor cello sonata (Arpeggione), several sets of variations and German dances, and the Octet.

The A minor String Quartet dates from February and March 1824. It had been more than three years since Schubert had written in the genre, and that earlier example, the so-called Quartetsatz (“Quartet Movement”) in C minor (D. 703), was abandoned with only a single movement completed. Schubert’s 11 previous specimens of the form had all been written as Hausmusik for the family quartet (his two brothers on violin, his father playing cello and Franz as violist), so the A minor Quartet therefore stands as the gateway to the incomparable chamber music of his maturity.

—Dr. Richard E. Rodda

The family-friendly holiday musical returns!

This season, audiences will see eight new faces on Music Hall’s stage: four violinists, two cellists, a horn player and a bass trombonist bring their talents to the CSO. Woven within this issue of Fanfare Magazine are Q&A’s with the ﬁrst four of those new players.

Joseph Ohkubo

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky

Instrument: Violin

How did you get involved with playing violin?

It was actually picked for me. My parents are both string players, and they started me on the instrument when I was four. I kind of bailed out on it, and then I started again when I was eight. I was pretty reluctant about it until I was in middle school, and then something clicked and I got really interested in it. Being musicians, my parents picked up on that and were like, “Uh-oh. Here we go.”

Did you know any of your fellow new CSO musicians before winning your position?

I do! Jonathan Yi (violin) and I are both from Louisville. We actually had the same ﬁrst violin teacher, and his lesson was right after mine. We ended up going to high school together, too. I think we’ve shared three teachers in total over the years. It’s crazy that we both ended up here at exactly the same time, in the same section.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received from a musical mentor?

It would probably be to avoid getting sucked into the routine of it all, to the point where the career becomes mundane. I think one of the things that’s great about an orchestral career is the consistency you have. You play with the same people. You have the stability, and you have this large group of people who really learn to work with each other. I think it helps to remember why that’s so special.

Find the other three New Musician Q&A’s for this issue on the following pages: Rose Brown, violin, p. 40; Elizabeth Furuta, p. 47; Noah Roper, bass trombone, p. 53

What is your post-concert routine?

I need a few hours to decompress afterwards. Usually, I just want to go home and watch a movie to bring the energy down a bit. I like to hang out with my dogs. They’re both mutts with big ﬂoppy ears. Love them.

What do you do when you aren’t playing music?

I’m splitting my time at the moment—my wife lives in Indianapolis, so I’m trying to spend as much of my free time with her there as I can. I also love to run, and I’ll occasionally do a half marathon. I’d really like to run the Flying Pig sometime!

What is one Cincinnati staple that you’re excited to experience?

There’s a Japanese fusion restaurant here called Cafe Mochiko that sells ramen, and they have this Cincinnati Chili ramen. I just can’t help but feel curious about it.

If you had to play an instrument besides violin, what would you pick and why?

Probably cello. My parents play violin and cello, and my brother plays cello, too, so I would hear it all the time growing up. I love the sound. It never gets shrill, you know what I mean? It’s more sonorous, more warm. I don’t love the idea of having to travel with it, though. You have to buy it its own seat on airplanes.

Bradley J. Hunkler Senior Vice President,

Kate C. Brown, CFP® Managing Director, Fort Washington, CSO Board Member

John F. Barrett Chairman, President & CEO, Western & Southern Financial Group

Maribeth S. Rahe President & CEO, Fort Washington

Tracey M. Stofa Managing Director, Head of Private Client Group, Fort Washington

FRI NOV 8, 7:30 PM SAT NOV 9, 7:30 PM Music Hall

MAREK JANOWSKI conductor

Wolfgang Amadeus

Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543 MOZART

Adagio—Allegro (1756–1791)

Andante con moto

Menuetto: Allegretto Allegro

INTERMISSION

Anton BRUCKNER

Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (1824–1896)Feierlich, misterioso

Scherzo: Bewegt, lebhaft

Adagio: Langsam, feierlich

For exclusive content, such as full-length program notes and artist biographies, please text PROGRAM to 513.845.3024*.

*By texting to this number, you may receive messages that pertain to the organization and its performances; msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP to help, STOP to cancel.

These performances are approximately 125 minutes long, including intermission.

The CSO is grateful to CSO Season Sponsor Western & Southern Financial Group and Presenting Sponsor Peter E. Landgren and Judith Schonbach Landgren

Peter E. Landgren and Judith Schonbach Landgren

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is grateful for the support of the Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund of the Greenacres Foundation and the Nina Browne Parker Trust, and for the thousands of people who give generously to the ArtsWave Community Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding. This project was supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts

Pre-Concert Talks are made possible by an endowed gift from Melody Sawyer Richardson

WGUC is the Media Partner for these concerts.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in-orchestra Steinway piano is made possible in part by the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust

Listen to selections from this program on 90.9 WGUC February 9, 2025 at 8 pm, followed by 30 days of streaming at cincinnatisymphony.org/replay.

Born: January 27, 1756, Salzburg, Austria

Died: December 5, 1791, Vienna, Austria

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: Symphony No. 39 in E-ﬂat Major, K. 543

Composed: 1788

Premiere: Unknown

Instrumentation: ﬂute, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings

Duration: approx. 29 minutes

Mozart’s final three symphonies are remarkable both for the incredible speed with which they were written and their forward-thinking boldness. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1788, he completed symphonies nos. 39, 40 and 41 (known as the Jupiter) while struggling to stay afloat financially and remain popular in the public eye.

The Symphony No. 39 is unusual from the very beginning. Mozart opens it with a slow, declamatory introduction that sets the stage for the grandeur and contrasts to come. Resounding chords alternate with delicate scales in the strings, and the continuous dotted rhythms recall the elegant style of baroque overtures. This is Mozart’s only symphony to not use oboes, and their absence allows the clarinets to be in the foreground, adding a rich, mellow tone to the ensemble.

The second movement begins sweetly with strings alone playing a charming theme in A-ﬂat major. Dotted rhythms are again prominent, and a short foray into a minor mode hints at darkness.

The third-movement minuet is stately and upbeat, and the ﬁnal movement displays Mozart’s wit and love of surprise. The entire movement is based on the opening theme, a jubilant and mischievous melody ﬁrst heard in the violins.

—Catherine Case

PRESENTING SPONSORS OF MOZART & BRUCKNER

Peter E. Landgren and Judith Schonbach Landgren are excited to welcome a new era with Music Director CRISTIAN MӐCELARU.

ANTON BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor

Composed: unﬁnished at the time of his death

Premiere: April 1932, Munich, Siegmund von Hausegger conducting

Instrumentation: 3 ﬂutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 8 horns (incl. 4 Wagner tubas), 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, strings

Duration: approx. 63 minutes

In the 1850s, when Anton Bruckner ﬁrst came to Vienna, the strong-willed and opinionated critics and audiences of the city were divided between the adherents of the traditional style of Johannes Brahms and the modernity of Richard Wagner. Bruckner admired Wagner but did not see himself as a devoted disciple by any means. The powerful music critic Eduard Hanslick, a staunch supporter of Brahms, widely scorned Bruckner’s ideas on the future of the symphony and used his inﬂuence to block Bruckner from gaining traction in his career. After years of effort, Bruckner reached a turning point with the premiere of his Seventh Symphony in 1884, which enjoyed immediate success with the public—a welcome relief for the beleaguered composer.

As he worked on his Ninth Symphony, Bruckner humbly accepted a new level of fame and, in 1886, was honored by the Emperor with the Order of Franz Joseph. Work on his final symphony continued for seven years until his death in 1896 left it unfinished. He was in poor health, suffering from a heart condition, progressive liver failure and mental decline. Knowing the Ninth would be his last symphony, he told a visitor that this would be his masterpiece, saying, “I just ask God that he’ll let me live until it’s done.” He completed three movements and was at work on the finale on the day he died, when, after sitting at his piano all morning, he took tea and went to bed complaining of a cold. He passed away peacefully in his sleep.

—Catherine Case

Born: September 4, 1824, Ansfelden, Austria

Died: October 11, 1896, Vienna, Austria

Connecting the World, Celebrating the Arts!

As a proud partner of the CSO and Pops, CVG

WED NOV 13, 7:30 PM Music Hall

BOBBY WEIR & WOLF BROS JOHN MORRIS RUSSELLconductor

A founding member of the Grateful Dead, Bobby Weir is one of rock’s ﬁnest and most distinctive guitarists. In a career that has spanned six decades, Weir has become a rock music icon who continues to write new music, perform, and ﬁnd ways to reinvent the timeless material of the Grateful Dead.

Formed in 2018 by Weir, Grammy-winning producer and bassist Don Was, and drummer Jay Lane, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros. will perform selections from the expansive Grateful Dead catalogue, Bobby’s solo albums, and beloved covers with original orchestration by Stanford professor and composer Dr. Giancarlo Aquilanti.

There will be one 20-minute intermission.

Please do not record the concert.

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is grateful to Pops Season Presenter PNC

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in-orchestra Steinway piano is made possible in part by the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust

For exclusive content, such as full-length artist biographies, please text PROGRAM to 513.845.3024*.

*By texting to this number, you may receive messages that pertain to the organization and its performances; msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP to help, STOP to cancel.

SAT NOV 16, 7:30 PM

SUN NOV 17, 2 PM Music Hall

MARIN ALSOP conductor

ELESSAR DeHOFF boy soprano

MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS Matthew Swanson, conductor

The May Festival Chorus is endowed by the Betsy & Alex C. Young Chair

Leonard BERNSTEIN Chichester Psalms (1918–1990)Psalm 108:2 and Psalm 100 (Maestoso ma energico; Allegro molto)

Psalm 23 and Psalm 2:1–4 (Andante con moto, ma tranquillo; Allegro feroce; Meno come prima)

Psalm 131, Psalm 133:1 (Sostenuto molto; Peacefully ﬂowing; Lento possibile)

INTERMISSION

Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH

Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60, Leningrad (1906–1975)Allegretto

Moderato—poco allegretto Adagio

Allegro non troppo

For exclusive content, such as full-length program notes and artist biographies, please text PROGRAM to 513.845.3024*.

*By texting to this number, you may receive messages that pertain to the organization and its performances; msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP to help, STOP to cancel.

These performances are approximately 120 minutes long, including intermission.

The CSO is grateful to CSO Season Sponsor Western & Southern Financial Group and Fort Washington Investment Advisors and Digital Access Partner CVG Airport Authority

The appearance of the May Festival Chorus is made possible by a generous gift from the Nancy & Steve Donovan Fund for Chorus and Orchestra

Pre-Concert Talks are made possible by an endowed gift from Melody Sawyer Richardson

WGUC is the Media Partner for these concerts.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in-orchestra Steinway piano is made possible in part by the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust

Listen to this program on 90.9 WGUC February 16, 2025 at 8 pm, followed by 30 days of streaming at cincinnatisymphony.org/replay.

LEONARD BERNSTEIN: Chichester Psalms

Composed: February–June 1965

Premiere: World premiere: July 15, 1965, New York Philharmonic Hall, Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic and Camerata Singers. Original version with an all-male chorus and the treble parts being performed by boys: July 31, 1965, Chichester Cathedral with the combined choirs of Winchester, Salisbury and Chichester cathedrals. Dedication: Cyril Solomon

Instrumentation: boy soprano solo, SATB chorus, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, bass drum, bongo drums, chime, crash cymbals, glockenspiel, rasping stick, slapstick, snare drum, suspended cymbals, tambourine, temple blocks, triangle, whip, wood block, xylophone, 2 harps, strings

Duration: approx. 19 minutes

Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms begins exuberantly with an arresting choral exhortation in Hebrew on the text of Psalm 108: “Awake, psaltery and harp: I will rouse the dawn!” The singers continue with more verve, singing Psalm 100, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.” These opening strains introduce one of Bernstein’s most cherished and frequently performed works, reflecting the composer’s own words: “It is quite popular in feeling… and it has an old-fashioned sweetness along with its more violent moments.” Indeed, Bernstein’s description applies just as well to the music as it does to the text, in which the composer couches the sacred texts in a wide range of musical atmospheres and effects to shepherd the audience through the Psalms’ nuanced and personal sensitivities. The Psalms’ themes speak to the circumstances under which Bernstein composed the work: personally, in the midst of a frenetically paced decade at the helm of the New York Philharmonic and, broadly, during decades of social and cultural upheaval around the country. Although his compositional productivity flagged during these years, the piece stands as a clear encapsulation of the composer’s musical powers and his flair for assembling musical, literary and dramatic elements into thrilling and emotionally moving experiences.

—Jacques Dupuis

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60, Leningrad

Composed: 1941

Premiere: March 5, 1942 by Samuil Samosud and the orchestra of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre

Instrumentation: 3 flutes (incl. alto flute and piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 3 clarinets (incl. E-flat clarinet), bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 8 horns, 6 trumpets, 6 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, crash cymbals, snare drums, suspended cymbals, tam-tam, tambourine, triangle, xylophone, 2 harps, piano, strings

Duration: approx. 70 minutes

Dmitri Shostakovich had long been recognized as one of the foremost composers of his country by the time he began work on his Symphony No. 7, shortly after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The symphony became known as the Leningrad, the Soviet-era name of Shostakovich’s native city of St. Petersburg. The historic city was under blockade from September 8, 1941 until January 27, 1944, that is, for a full 872 days, during which an estimated 1.5 million people died of disease and starvation. Shostakovich and his family were evacuated from the city at the end of September 1941, so they were spared the worst. Yet Leningrad was constantly on the composer’s mind, and when the work was performed in the besieged city, it became an international sensation as a symbol of Russian resistance and heroism. The most famous part of the 80-minute, four-movement work is a roughly 10-minute segment in the ﬁrst movement. It consists of a single melody, starting softly and repeated louder and louder until it explodes in a dramatic climax. This inexorable crescendo is most frequently interpreted as a representation of the advancing Nazi army. Movements 2–4, which initially bore the working titles “Reminiscences,” “The Vast Expanses of Our Country,” and “Victory,” add notes of lament, hope and triumph, rounding out one of the most gripping artworks ever created on the topic of war.

—Peter

Laki

Born: August 25, 1918, Lawrence, Massachusetts Died: October 14, 1990, New York, NY

Born: September 25, 1906, Saint Petersburg, Russia Died: August 9, 1975, Moscow, Russia

Rose Brown

Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Instrument: Violin

How did you get involved with playing violin?

I started when I was three years old. My mom very much put the violin in my (and my twin brother’s) hands. We started with the Suzuki method, and she would take both of us into lessons. My brother may not have stuck with it, but I did, and now here we are!

What is one Cincinnati staple you’ve had a chance to try?

Oh, I ran both the Flying Pig half marathon and the Queen Bee half marathon, and those were easily some of the most fun races I’ve done. The energy from the city was amazing.

What is one thing you can’t live without in rehearsal?

Well, I bring about a hundred pencils because I’m very paranoid that I won’t be able to mark something very important into my music. Beyond that, I’ve become the designated Altoid person backstage. I always have a box of Altoids, and it’s always gone within a week because everyone knows to come to me for those.

What piece of advice helped you the most when auditioning for the CSO?

Find the other three New Musician Q&A’s for this issue on the following pages: Joseph Ohkubo, violin, p. 31; Elizabeth Furuta, p. 47; Noah Roper, bass trombone, p. 53

To trust my own ideas, my own sound and my own choices when preparing music for an audition. When I was auditioning constantly, I was changing everything about how I played based on what I thought the individual panels wanted, and it made the process more stressful. When I prepared for my CSO audition, I stopped playing for other people and started just recording myself and listening to my own playing. It completely changed how I played and how I felt going into the audition.

What musicians are you currently listening to?

I think my listening habits are pretty focused on what we’re playing this season. So today it’s Mahler; next week, it’ll be Florence Price. Outside of preparing for work, my brother’s in this really great band in Nashville called The War and Treaty, and I listen to them a lot.

What do you do when you aren’t playing music?

I’m a big runner. I also do a lot of knitting. I just learned how to crochet, and I do a lot of reading. I’m typically reading like four or ﬁve books at a time. I like Emily St. John Mandel, Murakami, Truman Capote—the list goes on.

If you had to play an instrument besides violin, what would you pick and why?

This is a very speciﬁc answer, and it only applies to certain pieces, but there’s this giant sheet of metal that the percussionists will use to make, like, wind sounds by wiggling it back and forth.

MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS

The May Festival Chorus is endowed by the Betsy & Alex C. Young Chair

MATTHEW SWANSON, Director of Choruses

Jason Alexander Holmes, Associate Director of Choruses & Youth Chorus Director

Heather MacPhail, Accompanist

Andrew Miller, Conducting Fellow

Sarah Farwell, Chorus Manager

Kathleen Moran, Chorus Librarian

The May Festival Chorus has earned national and international acclaim for its musicality and command of repertoire. Consisting of 135 avocational singers who collectively devote more than 45,000 hours in rehearsals and performances annually, the Chorus is the core artistic element of the Cincinnati May Festival and the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Cincinnati Pops. The premier choral ensemble in Cincinnati, the May Festival Chorus has garnered national and international attention through numerous PBS broadcasts and award-winning recordings, many in collaboration with the CSO and Pops. Most recently, a live recording of Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses featuring Music Director Laureate

James Conlon conducting the Chorus and CSO at Carnegie Hall was released to critical acclaim in 2016 on Bridge Records, and, in 2017, the Chorus re-released its popular a cappella holiday recording Christmas with the May Festival Chorus on the Fanfare Cincinnati label. The Chorus is also featured on several Pops recordings, which have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

MATTHEW SWANSON Director of Choruses

Matthew Swanson is Director of Choruses for the Cincinnati May Festival, a cornerstone of the Cincinnati arts community since its founding in 1873. He is the artistic leader of the May Festival’s choral ensembles—the May Festival Chorus, the May Festival Chamber Choir, the May Festival Youth Chorus and the Cincinnati Boychoir— and collaborates with the annually appointed Festival Director to craft programming for the May Festival. He conducts and prepares the May Festival Chorus—the core artistic element of the

Together Now All

SUN

FEB 16 Music Hall | 5 pm

May Festival Chorus

Matthew Swanson, conductor

Andrew Miller, conducting fellow

Cincinnati Boychoir

Lisa Peters, conductor

May Festival Youth Chorus

Jason Alexander Holmes, conductor

Hundreds of singers take the stage at Music Hall to celebrate a new alliance between the May Festival and the Cincinnati Boychoir! Featured performances by the Cincinnati Boychoir, May Festival Youth Chorus and May Festival Chorus culminate in the world premiere of a new work by Cincinnati's own Howard Helvey, commissioned for the occasion.

This concert is sponsored by Rozy Park and Chris Dendy.

Credit: Krista DeVaul

Cincinnati May Festival and the official Chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Cincinnati Pops—for their performances at historic Music Hall and beyond. As Director of Choruses, he also leads the May Festival Conducting Fellowship, a collaboration of the May Festival and the Choral Studies Program at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).

Previously, Matthew Swanson was the Associate Director of Choruses, Youth Chorus Director and Director of Special Projects for the May Festival. Beyond the May Festival, he

MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS

SOPRANO

Tracy Bailey

Cassandra Bailey-Langjahr

Karen Bastress

Laurel Boisclair Ellsworth

Dawn Bruestle

Sage Bushstone

Caitlyn Byers

Renee Cifuentes

Rachel Curran

Kathy Dietrich

Jennifer Dobson

Bethany Dorsel

Donna Dunlap

Erin Focke

Ella Giesler

Joelle Graham

Anita Marie Greer

Grace Guthrie

Melissa Haas

Dana Harms

Mary Wynn Haupt

Carolyn Hill

Alexandra Kesman

Lisa Koressel

Judith C. LaChance

Hilary Landwehr

Jennifer Leone

Julia Marchese

Audrey Markovich

Noelle Marousis

Justine Merritt

Mary Patton*

Alison Peeno

Regina Rancourt

Kristi C. Reed

Beth Roberts

Hannah Schafer

Julia H. Schieve

Amanda Schwarz

Rosenzweig

Amanda Seifert

Yvon F. Shore

Katherine Sullivan

Taraneh R. Wilkinson

ALTO

Caitlin Ahmann-Miller

Hannah Bachmann

Deborah Barnett

Emily Benoit

Robin Bierschenk

Jennifer Blair

Margaret Eilert

Sarah Fall

Lindsey Fitch

Amanda Gast

Bella Gullia

Emma Hage

Sally Vickery Harper

Grace Ho

Spence B. Ingerson

Amy Jackson

Karolyn L. Johnsen

Sarah Keeling Horseman

Jenifer Klostermeier

Julie Laskey

Emma Lawrence

Megan Lawson

Katherine Loomis

Alexx Lujan

Elaine P. Lustig

Kathy Mank

Melissa A. Martin

Teri McKibben

Jennifer Moak

Amy M. Perry

Christy Roediger

has been affiliated with Lincoln Center (New York), CCM and Xavier University, along with other educational and cultural institutions. He is frequently engaged as a host and presenter of lectures, concerts and broadcasts in Cincinnati, New York and elsewhere.

Swanson is a native of southeast Iowa and was educated at the University of Notre Dame, CCM and King’s College, Cambridge. He held the May Festival Conducting Fellowship in 2015. Prior to his fellowship appointment, he sang in the May Festival Chorus and worked in the CSO Box Office.

Ann Schwentker

Karen Scott-Vosseberg

Molly Scruta

Emily Seedle*

Sarah Stoutamire

Kristie Stricker

Nikki Tayidi

Megan Weaver

Robin Rae Wiley

Patricia Wilkens

Meg Zeller

TENOR

Avery Bargasse*

Ryan Block

David Bower

Scott C. Osgood

Timothy Carnahan

Brian Donaldson

Douglas Easterling

Andrew Kneer

Fansheng Kong

Kevin Leahy

Matthew Leonard

Robert Lomax

Austin M. Schafer

Andrew Miller

Jason Ramler

Larry Reiring

H Scott Nesbitt

Adam Shoaff

Gary Wendt

Stephen West

Evan Young

Barry Zaslow

BASS

Mark Barnes

Richard Becker

Nathan Bettenhausen

Kenny Bierschenk

Andrew L. Bowers

Scott Brody

Douglas J. Bruestle

Darren Bryant

Christopher Canarie

Steven L. Dauterman

David Dugan

Benjamin Flanders*

Steve France

Mark Hockenberry

Jason Alexander Holmes

Kim P. Icsman

Takuya Konishi

Alex Kress

Jim Laskey

John McKibben

Salvador Miranda

James Murray

James V. Racster

Brian Reilly

Joshua Wallace

Mark Weaver

Paul Wessendarp

Tommy Wessendarp

*Chichester Psalms solo quartet

FRI NOV 22, 11 AM SAT NOV 23, 7:30 PM Music Hall

CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO conductor

FRANCESO PIEMONTESI piano

CATALINA CUERVO mezzo-soprano

Gabriela ORTIZ Téenek—Invenciones de Territorio (b. 1964)

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN

Concerto No. 4 in G Major for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 58 (1770–1827)

Allegro moderato

Andante con moto

Rondo: Vivace

INTERMISSION

Manuel de FALLA El sombrero de tres picos (“The Three-Cornered Hat”) (1876–1946)

Introduction

PART I:

Afternoon

Dance of the Miller’s Wife (Fandango)

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The Grapes

PART II:

The Neighbor’s Dance (Seguidillas)

The Miller’s Dance

The Corregidor’s Dance

The Final Dance

These performances are approximately 130 minutes long, including intermission.

The CSO is grateful to CSO Season Sponsor Western & Southern Financial Group

These concerts are endowed by Martha Anness, Priscilla Haffner & Sally Skidmore in loving memory of their mother, LaVaughn Scholl Garrison, a long-time patron of the Orchestra.

Pre-Concert Talks are made possible by an endowed gift from Melody Sawyer Richardson

WGUC is the Media Partner for these concerts.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in-orchestra Steinway piano is made possible in part by the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust

Listen to this program on 90.9 WGUC February 23, 2025 at 8 pm, followed by 30 days of streaming at cincinnatisymphony.org/replay.

GABRIELA ORTIZ: Téenek—Invenciones de Territorio

Composed: 2017

Premiere: October 12, 2017, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, Gustavo Dudamel conducting

Instrumentation: 2 ﬂutes, 2 piccolos (incl. alto ﬂute), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, bongos, claves, cowbells, crotales, crash cymbals, glockenspiel, gong, güiro, jawbone, maracas, marimba, snare drum, suspended cymbals, tam-tam, timbales, triangle, tubular bells, vibraphone, xylophone, celeste, piano, strings

Duration: approx. 16 minutes

Téenek is the language spoken in the Huasteca region, which encompasses the states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Puebla and Querétaro in Mexico. Téenek means “local man,” in reference to all the men and women who belong to a place whose mere existence determines their destinations in time and space—their territories. Indeed, in any region of the world, human beings from any given era determine a way of BEING that transcends through time and deﬁnes their relationship with their surroundings, no matter their race, skin color, political borders or socio-economic condition.

Téenek is a sonorous metaphor of our transcendence, a strength that alludes to a future where there are no borders, but rather, a recognition of the actual particularities and differences between us that propitiate our development, while at the same time enriching and uplifting us. Through the plain and simple idea of ﬁtting in, of not dividing but rather recognizing otherness, Téenek reﬂects on the importance of reaffirming identities through fragmentation.

It is precisely because of this that Téenek is composed of a series of apparently dissimilar inventions, which ﬁnd their strength in their differences, enrichment and musical development.

—Alejandro Escuer

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Concerto No. 4 in G Major for

Piano and Orchestra, Op. 58

Composed: 1804–06

Premiere: March 5, 1807 at the palace of Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz in Vienna, with the composer as soloist

Instrumentation: solo piano, ﬂute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings

Duration: approx. 34 minutes

The ﬁrst Napoleonic occupation of Vienna began on November 13, 1805, less than a month after the Austrian armies had been soundly trounced by the French legions at the Battle of Ulm on October 20.

Such soul-troubling times would seem to be antithetical to the production of great art, yet for Beethoven, those years were the most productive of his life, yielding Fidelio; the music for Egmont; the “Appassionata” Piano Sonata; the violin concerto; the fourth and ﬁfth piano concertos; the Leonore Overture No. 3 and Coriolan Overture, the fourth, ﬁfth and sixth symphonies and several more works.

The mood of the Fourth Concerto is established immediately by a hushed, prefatory phrase for the soloist. The form of the movement, vast yet intimate, begins to unfold with the ensuing orchestral introduction. The soloist re-enters to decorate the themes with elaborate ﬁgurations, and the return of the themes allows an opportunity for a cadenza (Beethoven composed two for this movement) before a glistening coda closes the movement.

The second movement starkly opposes two musical forces—the stern, unison summons of the strings and the gentle, touching replies of the piano. The strings are eventually subdued by the entreaties of the piano, which then gives forth a wistful little song ﬁlled with quivering trills. After only the briefest pause, a high-spirited and long-limbed rondo-ﬁnale is launched by the strings to bring the concerto to a stirring close.

—Dr. Richard E. Rodda

Born: 1964, Mexico City, Mexico

Born: December 16, 1770, Bonn, Germany

Died: March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria

Born: November 23, 1876, Cádiz, Spain

Died: November 14, 1946, Alta Gracia, Argentina

MANUEL DE FALLA: El sombrero de tres picos (“The Three-Cornered Hat”)

Composed: 1917 and 1919

Premiere: July 22, 1919 in London, Ernest Ansermet conducting Instrumentation: soprano solo, 3 ﬂutes (incl. 2 piccolos), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, castanets, crash cymbals, glockenspiel, side drum, suspended cymbals, tam-tam, triangle, xylophone, harp, celeste, piano, strings

Duration: approx. 34 minutes

The dazzling Parisian success of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe that began in 1909 came to a jarring halt when the Guns of August tore across Belgium and France to begin World War I in 1914. Diaghilev, Léonide Massine and some of the company took refuge in Switzerland and Spain, while Nijinsky and others ﬂed to America. Diaghilev arranged a season in Spain for 1917 and took the opportunity to look up a musician Igor Stravinsky had met in Paris in 1910: Manuel de Falla.

Falla had completed only a few works by 1917—most notably Nights in the Gardens of Spain, the opera La vida breve and the ballet El amor brujo—and was little known outside of his homeland. When Diaghilev and Massine presented themselves to him in Barcelona, he took them to see a pantomime for which he had composed the music, El corregidor y la molinera (“The Corregidor and the Miller’s Wife”). Massine and Diaghilev proposed that Falla expand the work into a full-length ballet. Falla accepted the proposal, but with the provision that he be allowed enough time to study Spanish folk music and dance styles to assure the correct atmosphere for the ﬁnished work.

Falla’s ballet The Three-Cornered Hat concerns a village miller and his pretty wife. The Corregidor (mayor) is attracted to the miller’s wife and makes his advances, using his power to arrest the miller and keep him away from home so that he can pursue the miller’s wife. Falla’s masterful score captures both the dramatic action of the story and the colorful milieu of its setting.

—Dr. Richard E. Rodda

MAC FILM SERIES

Elizabeth Furuta

Hometown: College Station, Texas

Instrument: Violin

How did you get involved with playing violin?

When I was about three years old, I was watching Sesame Street and the Letter of the Day was ‘V.’ They were featuring the violin and had a whole segment with the Tokyo String Quartet. I decided that playing violin was what I needed to do, so I went to my parents and told them I needed a violin, and they thought I was crazy (because I was three years old). I kept bugging them for a year, and ﬁnally got a violin for Christmas.

What has been your favorite experience with the CSO so far?

I played a couple of the CSO in Your Neighborhood concerts, and it’s always so much fun to see everyone from those neighborhoods coming out and enjoying the music, the good food, the atmosphere. I mean, the community is really supportive of the symphony, and I love that.

Did you know any of your fellow new CSO musicians before winning your position?

Yes! Joseph Ohkubo (violin) and I went to summer camp together 10 or 15 years ago. Then we were at Kent Blossom Music Festival together in college. It was funny to run into him at the audition and end up playing in the same orchestra together!

Find the other three New Musician Q&A’s for this issue on the following pages: Joseph Ohkubo, violin, p. 31; Rose Brown, violin, p. 40; Noah Roper, bass trombone, p. 53

What do you do when you aren’t playing music?

I like to play video games. My favorite game right now is “Dead by Daylight.” I also like to read and go for walks, and I like to knit. I’ve been knitting for like eight years now.

What’s your post-concert routine?

Typically, I just go home, chill on the couch, talk to my mom, generally just take it easy. I’m also really into foam rolling, and I try to keep enough of an exercise and stretching routine to keep my muscles strong enough to do the things they need to do, but not too tight or overworked.

What is one Cincinnati staple you’re excited to experience?

I’ve been in Cincinnati for a few years, playing on a short-term contract with the CSO, but I still haven’t tried Cincinnati chili! I feel like I should, but I’m kind of scared to try it. Mixed reviews from everyone I know, but I’m still curious.

If you had to play an instrument besides violin, what would you pick and why?

I’ve always thought that oboe would be fun. It’s a beautiful instrument and it sounds gorgeous. I also think that making reeds would be right up my alley, because I love to craft. Hand-making reeds sounds like something I’d really enjoy.

SAT NOV 30, 7:30 PM SUN DEC 1, 2 PM Music Hall

DAMON GUPTONconductor

MEMBERS OF THE MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS AND MAY FESTIVAL YOUTH CHORUS, prepared by Andrew Miller, May Festival Conducting Fellow

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX Presents A JOHN HUGHES Production A CHRIS COLUMBUS Film

HOME ALONE

MACAULAY CULKIN JOE PESCI

DANIEL STERN

JOHN HEARD and CATHERINE O’HARA

Music by JOHN WILLIAMS

Film Editor RAJA GOSNELL

Production Designer JOHN MUTO

Director of Photography JULIO MACAT

Executive Producers MARK LEVINSON & SCOTT ROSENFELT and TARQUIN GOTCH

Written and Produced by JOHN HUGHES

Directed by CHRIS COLUMBUS

Soundtrack Album Available on CBS Records, Cassettes and Compact Discs

Color by DELUXE®

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is grateful to Pops Season Presenter PNC

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is grateful for the support of the Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund of the Greenacres Foundation and the Nina Browne Parker Trust, and for the thousands of people who give generously to the ArtsWave Community Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding. This project was supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in-orchestra Steinway piano is made possible in part by the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust

Tonight’s program is a presentation of the complete film Home Alone with a live performance of the film’s entire score, including music played by the orchestra during the end credits. Out of respect for the musicians and your fellow audience members, please remain seated until the conclusion of the credits.

Film screening of Home Alone courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Home Alone in Concert produced by Film Concerts Live!, a joint venture of IMG Artists, LLC and The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, Inc.

Producers: Steven A. Linder and Jamie Richardson Director of Operations: Rob Stogsdill

Production Manager: Sophie Greaves

Production Assistant: Katherine Miron

Worldwide Representation: IMG Artists, LLC

Supervising Technical Director: Mike Runice

Technical Director: Matthew Yelton

Music Composed by John Williams

Music Preparation: Jo Ann Kane Music Service

Film Preparation for Concert Performance: Ramiro Belgardt

Technical Consultant: Laura Gibson

Sound Remixing for Concert Performance: Chace Audio by Deluxe The score for Home Alone has been adapted for live concert performance.

With special thanks to: Twentieth Century Fox, Chris Columbus, David Newman, John Kulback, Julian Levin, Mark Graham and the musicians and staff of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

For exclusive content, such as full-length artist biographies, please text PROGRAM to 513.845.3024*.

*By texting to this number, you may receive messages that pertain to the organization and its performances; msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP to help, STOP to cancel.

FRI DEC 6, 7:30 PM

SAT DEC 7, 7:30 PM

Music Hall

RICHARD EGARR conductor

JOÉLLE HARVEY soprano

JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO mezzo-soprano

PAUL GROVES tenor

JOHN RELYEA bass-baritone

MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS Matthew Swanson, director*

Johann Sebastian BACH

Weihnachtsoratorium (“Christmas Oratorio”), BWV 248 (1685–1750)

Cantata 1: Am 1 Weihnachtstag (“On the 1st Day of Christmas”). Jauchzet, frohlocket! Auf, preiset die Tage (“Shout for Joy, Exult, Rise Up, Glorify the Day”)

Chorus: Shout for joy, exult, rise up, glorify the day

Recit: It happened at that time—

Recit: Now my dearest bridegroom

Aria: Make yourself ready, Zion, with tender desires

Chorale: How should I receive you

Recit: And she gave birth to her ﬁrst son—

Chorale: He has come on earth in poverty—

Recit: Who will rightly extol the love

Aria: Great Lord, O mighty King

Chorale: Ah, little Jesus, dear to my heart!

For exclusive content, such as full-length program notes and artist biographies, please text PROGRAM to 513.845.3024*.

*By texting to this number, you may receive messages that pertain to the organization and its performances; msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP to help, STOP to cancel.

Cantata 3: Am 3 Weihnachtstag (“On the 3rd Day of Christmas”). Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen (“Ruler of Heaven, Hear Our Inarticulate Speech”)

Chorus: Ruler of Heaven, hear our inarticulate speech

Recit: And as the Angels went from them to Heaven—

Chorus: Let us now go to Bethlehem—

Recit: He has consoled His people

Chorale: All this He has done for us

Duet: Lord, your compassion, your mercy

Recit: And they came in haste and found both, Mary and Joseph Aria: Enclose, my heart, this blessed wonder

Recit: Yes, Yes! My heart will keep

Chorale: I shall diligently keep you in mind

Recit: And the Shepherds went back again

Chorale: Meanwhile, be joyful

Chorus da capo: Ruler of Heaven, hear our inarticulate speech

INTERMISSION

The CSO is grateful to CSO Season Sponsor Western & Southern Financial Group

Pre-Concert Talks are made possible by an endowed gift from Melody Sawyer Richardson

WGUC is the Media Partner for these concerts.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in-orchestra Steinway piano is made possible in part by the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust

Listen to selections from this program on 90.9 WGUC March 2, 2025 at 8 pm, followed by 30 days of streaming at cincinnatisymphony.org/replay.

BACH “Air” for String Orchestra from Orchestral Suite No. 3

BACH

Weihnachtsoratorium (“Christmas Oratorio”), BWV 248

Cantata 6: Epiphaniasfest (“Feast of Epiphany”). Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben (“Lord, When Our Arrogant Enemies Snort with Rage”)

Chorus: Lord, when our arrogant enemies snort with rage

Recit: Then Herod summoned the Wise Men secretly... Go there and inquire about the little child

Recit: You cheat, you only seek the Lord to bring him down

Aria: Just a wave of your hand—

Recit: And when they had heard the king they went away

Chorale: I stand by your crib here

Recit: And God ordered them in a dream—

Recit: Go then! It is enough that my treasure does not depart from here

Aria: Now, you arrogant enemies, may try to scare me

Recit: What will the terror of hell do now

Chorale: Now you are well avenged

These performances are approximately 120 minutes long, including intermission.

*Biographies and a roster for the May Festival Chorus are on pp. 41–43.

You are welcome to take this copy of Fanfare Magazine home with you as a souvenir of your concert experience. Alternatively, please share it with a friend or leave it with an usher for recycling.

Thank you!

Noah Roper

Hometown: Aledo, Texas Instrument: Bass Trombone

How did you get involved with playing bass trombone?

I started like most Texas band students do—in middle school. I started on the euphonium, which is essentially a mini tuba. It’s funny because I went to a band fair, where you try the different instruments to ﬁnd out what would ﬁt you the best. I went in hoping to play clarinet because of Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants. Anyhow, euphonium was one of my lowest-scoring instruments, but I felt drawn to it anyway and trusted my gut. I ended up switching to bass trombone in high school because I wanted to join the jazz band, and the bass trombone position was open. From there, it stuck. Trombone makes my brain buzz in a way that I can’t replicate with euphonium.

What are you most excited about in the CSO’s 2024–25 season?

In November, we’ll be doing Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony, which involves a ton of trombone players. That will be really great. We’re also doing a week-long residency at Indiana University, which is my alma mater. It’s such full-circle moment.

What is your post-concert routine?

I like to calm down with more ambient music on the drive home. For some reason, I’m really drawn to Brian Eno’s Music for Airports. It’s very meditative. Once I’m home, I like to give myself space from the instrument and bring myself back up energy-wise—usually by hanging out with my cats, Toby and Remy.

Find the other three New Musician Q&A’s for this issue on the following pages: Joseph Ohkubo, violin, p. 31; Rose Brown, violin, p. 40; Elizabeth Furuta, violin, p. 47

What is one Cincinnati staple you’ve experienced?

I’m a huge, huge baseball fan, so going to the Reds’ stadium was amazing. I’ve been to 20 of the 30 Major League Baseball stadiums (Cincinnati was my 20th)! I do also love the chili, so getting Skyline at the Reds’ stadium is like having two of my great loves together in one place.

What musicians are you currently listening to?

I’m a big Bon Iver fan. I also like the band Beach House. Last year, I think I was one of their top 15 listeners. I like them a lot. If I’m listening to classical, lately it’s been James Markey. He’s an incredible trombonist.

If you had to play an instrument besides trombone, what would you pick and why?

I’ve always wanted to play contrabassoon. I don’t know why, but I’ve just always been drawn to the sound, which is great, because they literally sit right in front of me in the orchestra.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

Weihnachtsoratorium (“Christmas Oratorio”), BWV 248

Composed: 1734

Premiere: Leipzig, Christmas 1734–Epiphany 1735

Instrumentation: SATB soloists, SATB chorus, 2 ﬂutes, 2 oboes (incl. 2 oboes d’amore), bassoon, 3 trumpets, timpani, harpsichord, organ, strings

Duration: approx. 85 minutes

“Air” for String Orchestra from Orchestral Suite No. 3

Composed: c. 1730

Premiere: Unknown

Instrumentation: strings

Duration: approx. 4 minutes

No music-loving Lutheran in Leipzig would have wanted to miss church during the Christmas season of 1734–35, when Johann Sebastian Bach, the city’s music director, unveiled the six cantatas of his Christmas Oratorio, each on a different occasion from Christmas Day to Epiphany. His schedule was already full with overseeing weekly music for services at the city’s principal churches and tending to the students at the choir school, but he had a head start: he could repurpose some movements from secular cantatas he had recently written for the town’s civic celebrations, retroﬁtting new texts and scattering them amid entirely original material.

The cantatas trace the complete Christmas story through a succession of solo arias (many of which are duets for the singer and an instrumental soloist), vocal ensembles, large-scale choruses and traditional chorales (hymns that churchgoers would have recognized from services). The whole is bound together by verses from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew sung in recitative style by the tenor Evangelist. At these concerts we hear the ﬁrst, third and sixth of the cantatas; these three are all set in D major and use festive scoring that includes trumpets and timpani, which are absent from the other three. The ﬁrst cantata relates the Nativity of Jesus, the third involves the adoration of the shepherds and rejoicing of the angels, and the sixth recounts the villainy of Herod and the journey of the wise men.

As a prelude to the sixth, we hear in this concert the famous Air from Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3, probably written around 1730. Although orchestral suites were extremely popular in Bach’s Germany, he composed only four—or at least that is how many have survived. In this poised movement, a “walking bass line” keeps the momentum from being slowed by the subtle interweaving of inner lines.

—James M. Keller

OF NOTE

Randall Goosby is the 2025 MAC Music Innovator, a designation that amplifies Black leaders of classical music who embody artistic innovation and a passion for community engagement and education. With support from the Multicultural Awareness Council (MAC), Goosby will collaborate with the CSO’s Community Engagement, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) and Learning departments to create a distinctive residency that includes educational and community engagement programs.

Born: March 31, 1685, Eisenach, Germany

Died: July 28, 1750, Leipzig, Germany

“It is a special honor to receive the 2025 MAC Innovator Award from my friends at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra,” said Goosby. “No matter where I go, or what I play, building community and sharing the transformative power of music with young people is at the center of what I do. I look forward to the exchange of ideas, perspectives and experiences, which I hope will inspire and motivate students to embrace music for all its wonders!”

Goosby will return February 8 and 9, 2025 to perform Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Ernest Chausson’s Poème with the Orchestra under the direction of CSO Music Director Designate Cristian Măcelaru. Additional public appearances will be announced soon.

2024–25 SEASON

CSYO PHILHARMONIC

SUN DEC 8, 2 PM, Music Hall INVITATION TO THE DANCE

SAMUEL LEE, conductor

Emmanuel CHABRIER España (1841–1894)

Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34 (1844–1908)

Arturo MÁRQUEZ

Danzón No. 2 (b. 1950)

INTERMISSION

Piotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker (1840–1893)

Maurice RAVEL La valse (1875–1937)

CSYO CONCERT ORCHESTRA

SUN DEC 15, 7 pm, Corbett Auditorium, CCM SLAVONIC LEGENDS

FELIPE MORALES-TORRES, conductor

Alexander BORODIN

Symphony No. 2 (1833–1887) I. Allegro

Jean SIBELIUS

Valse Triste, Op. 44, No. 1 (1865–1957)

Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Mlada Suite (1844–1908) Lithuanian Dance Procession of the Nobles

INTERMISSION

Igor STRAVINSKY Firebird Suite (1882–1971) Introduction The Firebird

The Princesses’ Round Dance Infernal Dance of King Kastchei Berceuse

Finale

For program notes, please visit our digital program by texting PROGRAM to 513.845.3024.

Ellen and Richard Berghamer Foundation

The Charles H. Dater Foundation

The Unnewehr Foundation

Support provided by the Ellen and Richard Berghamer Foundation The Charles H. Dater Foundation and The Unnewehr Foundation

The Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras is a program of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and receives generous support in the form of rehearsal space from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Walnut Hills High School.

CSYO PHILHARMONIC ROSTER 2024–25

FIRST VIOLIN

Vivian Chang, Concertmaster

Angela Tang, Assistant Concertmaster

Hollis Chan+ Andrew Cheng

Anna Christos

Marley Feng

Yuhan Gu

Paul Ku

Annie Li

Norika Oya

Ian Shang

Isabelle Tardivon

Ethan Yao

Yeming You

Irene Zhang

Emily Zhao

SECOND VIOLIN

Kieran Niska, Principal

Angelina Chen,

Assistant Principal

Sophia Hamel+ Caitlin Hartley

Cecilia Lehmann

Julia Li

Will Oertel

Jubilee Shang

Alexander Wang

Kyle Wang

Mia Wang

Kenneth Wu

Raina Yang

Elizabeth Yeoh

VIOLA

Grace Yu, Principal

Maeve Henderson, Assistant Principal

Zamar Deering+ Ethan Goehring

Noah Huber

Seth Israel

Christy Kim

Lainie Stautberg

Kasinda Willingham

Alina Zhang

CELLO

Sonya Moomaw, Principal

Autumn Rinaldi, Assistant Principal

Lucy Beatty+ Lillian Duhaime

Nathan Lehmann

Jayden Lu

John Opalinski

Kate Wells

Kallea Willingham

Jihye Woo

Brandon Yang

DOUBLE BASS

Matteo Meli, Co-Principal

Aaron Scott, Co-Principal

Evan Butler+ Loki Wirman

FLUTE/PICCOLO

Maya Hansen

Grace Kim

Sam Waspe

Mingjia Zhang

OBOE/ENGLISH HORN

Ella Bill

Heather Bromwell

CLARINET

Hannah Huh

Rylan Palmer

Walter Piper IV

Liheng Wang

HORN

Lucas Elmore

Lucas Monjot

Jayce Mullins

Jordan Reid

Lily Wheatley

TRUMPET

Katie Koziel

Thomas Stricker

Trent Stricker

CSYO CONCERT ORCHESTRA ROSTER 2024–25

FIRST VIOLIN

Eva Cate Wesley, Concertmaster

Grace Barnett, Assistant Concertmaster

Joel Butler

Carmen DeAtley-Rosales+ Hyori Han

Ishanvi Karthikeyan

Allyson Kim

Elaine Peng

Sarah Perpignan

Santhosh Rajan

Clara Schmid

Sarang Srikanth

Kevin Wen

Claire Wolford

Clairette Yang

Angela Zhang

SECOND VIOLIN

Julia Lancman, Principal

Ben Truong,

Assistant Principal

Thanh-Tú Buccholz+ Youngwoo Choi

Elessar DeHoff

Eli Hu

Evie Hu

Grace Kim

Nathan Lee

Andy Li

Brianna Luo

Madeline Mozlin

Ella Shadix

Sarah Wang

Iris Xu

Jenna Zhang

TROMBONE

Karna Gajjar

Tvasta Gajjar

Colin Van Niman

TUBA

Owen Kearney

PERCUSSION

Braeden Brown

Knox Dowell

Benjamin Hofmann

Benjamin Schuler

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

All wind players are considered principals and rotate between pieces.

VIOLA

Isabella Wang, Principal

Lucia Schartung, Assistant Principal

Sam Butler+

Sylvia Fatten

Christin Wheeler

Emily Winner

CELLO

William Yeoh, Principal

Vivian Niu, Assistant Principal

Alexander Berger+ Thanh-Nhã Buccholz

Sieun Ghim

Marie Godarova

Reign Matu

Adhi Nayak

Clara Rafferty

Alana Williams

Michelle Xu

Alex Zhuang

DOUBLE BASS

Kaden Theile, Principal

Alaz Erdem+

Gerrit Johnson

Darcy McMahon

FLUTE/PICCOLO

Mona Allen

Francesca Harper

Camille Kolar

Riya Tummala

Sammi Wong

OBOE/ENGLISH HORN

Sophia Cheng

August Hagen

Sabareesh Rajan

CLARINET

Lucian Chang

Vincent DiCicco

Emily Gibbs

Jackson Runtenelli

Evelyn Shin

BASSOON

Sean Hayes

Gabriel Johnson

Isabella Loberg

Josie Youstler

HORN

Nathan Barkley

Evan Blubaugh

Charles Healy

Cate Mahoney

Eden Proctor

Madelyn Ryan

TRUMPET

Samuel Goetz

Ryan Metsker

Ben Yoby

TROMBONE

Brandon Hutchins

Mikayla November

Conner Perkins

TUBA

Gino Calipo

George Kaiser

PERCUSSION

Adolphus McCullom II

John Troyer

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

All wind players are considered principals and rotate between pieces.

The CSYO CCM Conducting Fellow for 2023–24 is Stephen Hardie

Celebrating the

FRI DEC 13, 11 AM & 7:30 PM

SAT DEC 14, 2 PM & 7:30 PM SUN DEC 15, 2 PM & 7 PM

Music Hall

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL conductor

NORM LEWIS vocalist

THE STUDIO FOR DANCE

MAY FESTIVAL YOUTH CHORUS

SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS CHORALE

SYCAMORE HIGH SCHOOL CHORUS

On Christmas Day

Steven Amundson Angels We Have Heard on High Traditional Silver Bells

Jay Livingston/Ray Evans Little Drummer Boy

Katherine Kennicott Davis Dance of the Floreadores from The Nutcracker Suite (for Orchestra) Piotr IlyichTchaikovsky; arranged by Edward ‘Duke’ Ellington and Billy Strayhorn; arranged and adapted by Jeff Tyzik. Presented under license by Music Sales Corporation o/b/o Itself, Tempo Music, Inc. and Sony/ATV Harmony, copyright owners

“Fairy Dreams” Concertino for Celesta

Michael Kurek March of the Toys Victor Herbert “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” with “Nimrod” from Enigma Variations Edward Elgar I Believe Wesley Whatley/William Schermerhorn Joy to the World Traditional

INTERMISSION

Of Nights and Lights: A Chanukah Celebration

Darin Kelly Patapan

Hershey Kay Santa Does the Mambo

Eric Whitacre

John Greer Glow

Ave Maria/Oh Holy Night Franz Schubert/Adolphe Adam Holiday Sing-Along Various

Jingle Bells • Santa Claus is Coming to Town • Up On the Housetop Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer • White Christmas

We Wish You a Merry Christmas Traditional

Program subject to change.

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is grateful to Pops Season Presenter PNC, Concert Sponsor Graeter’s Ice Cream and Digital Access Partner CVG Airport Authority

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in-orchestra Steinway piano is made possible in part by the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust

For exclusive content, such as full-length artist biographies, please text PROGRAM to 513.845.3024*.

*By texting to this number, you may receive messages that pertain to the organization and its performances; msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP to help, STOP to cancel.

HOLIDAY POPS ENSEMBLES

THE STUDIO FOR DANCE

Shari Poff, director; Della Lehane, choreographer

Santa Does the Mambo

Lily Bingcang

Lucy Brockman

Sophia Brockman

Maria Colas

Doris Du

Declan Dyer

Mia Goodlett

Cassie Guthrie

Chana Horewitz

Sophia Lauterbur

Fiona Lehane

Winifred Lehane

Livia Leonard

Caroline Reinke

Lucy Salters

Molly Salters

Anna Wonderling

Ellie Wonderling

Abby Zender

Sara Zink

Dance of the Floreadores

Mia Goodlett

Chana Horewitz

Sophia Lauterbur

Lucy Salters

Abby Zender

March of the Toys

Mika Baum

Victoria Colas

Harper Davis

Nika Kartashov

Meredith Koppenhoefer

Chelsea Mora-McCardle

MAY FESTIVAL YOUTH CHORUS

Jason Alexander Holmes, Director

Ava Altenau

Seth Barry

Hope Bowden

Lenora Braukman

Sam Bringle

Anna Burkhart

Cameron Carnahan

Jaana Christian

Sophia Clever

Thanh Dao

Lucy Dixon

Mary Hollon

Natalie Hoover

Vris Hossain

Genevieve Howard

Naomi Jackson

Aiden Jin

Madeleine Kasman

Seava Sierra King

Preston Koeninger

Claire Kruckeberg

Nick Kruckeberg

Talula Lane

Emily Lewis

Zachary Li

Adelaide Linser

Kelly Lonneman

Grace Manning

Sylvie Martin

Ella Martin

Adriana Mayﬁeld

Runako Muvirimi

Charles Rahner

Pearl Ramstetter

Norah Shadwell

Nathan Share

Jenavieve Southcombe

Oliver Wagner

Eden Walker

Emily Wendt

Adelynn Woodward

Sam Wright

Maggie Zink

SCPA

Sterling Finkbine, Director of Choirs

Eden Duebber

Aledriana Duett

AnnaClaire Dunn

Mariam Elwaﬁ

Aspen Fecher

Heru Finnell

Parker Flautt

Jorge Garay

Abigail Glacken

Palmer Goodman

Mabel Hodson

Evelyn Huey

Skylar Jones

Donovan Kesler

Cora Koltak

Riley Lawrence

Ethan Leonard

Kelly Lonneman

Morgan Lumpkins

Zack Parrette

Madison Perkins

Christian Rauen

Ezra Reidel

Luna Roberts

Heather Sherwood

Carson Smedley

Jenny Smith

Jenavieve Southcombe

Olive Stewart

Margaret Todd

Lydia Trout

Abby Turner

Athena Updike

Gemariah Washington

Espen Wells-Jordan

Charles-Michael Williams

Abigail Woltz

SYCAMORE

HIGH SCHOOL

Ken Holdt, Director of Choral Activities

Hannah Alex

Carter Allen

Jaedyn Amos

Scarlet Bales

Colin Battson

Yajath Birru

Sam Bringle

Sophia Brown

Samuel Broxterman

Lucas Calabrese

Katherine Christenson

Eliana Clayton

Baden Danner

Hannah Donnellan

Aidan Finn

Emma Garcia

Cassiaha Gibson

Evan Gonzalez

Grace Howard

Andy Lee

Rohan Mathew

Emma Powell

Jai’Den Pritchett

Clarissa Ramirez

Madison Rick

Chloe Robinson

Alexander Ruff

Maevry Sams

Anya Sawnani

Noah Song

Sadie Whalen

Hadley Wick

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

Local and national foundations, businesses, and government agencies are integral to the Orchestra’s vibrant performances, community engagement work, and education activities. We are proud to partner with the following funders.

ANNUAL SUPPORT

SEASON AND SERIES SPONSORS

PLATINUM BATON CIRCLE ($50,000+)

Anonymous ArtsWave

Ellen and Richard Berghamer Foundation

Charles H. Dater Foundation

Dr. John & Louise Mulford Fund for the CSO

Harold C. Schott Foundation / Francie and Tom Hiltz, Trustees

H.B., E.W., F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation

Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund of the Greenacres Foundation

Margaret McWilliams Rentschler Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Nina Browne Parker Trust

Ohio Arts Council

PNC Bank

Robert H. Reakirt Foundation Equities

The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation

The Fifth Third Foundation

The Mellon Foundation

The Unnewehr Foundation

Western & Southern Financial Group

GOLD BATON CIRCLE ($25,000–$49,999)

HORAN Wealth

George and Margaret McLane Foundation

Louis H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation Inc.

Oliver Family Foundation

The Cincinnati Symphony Club

The Ladislas & Vilma Segoe Family Foundation

The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

United Dairy Farmers & Homemade Brand Ice Cream

SILVER BATON CIRCLE ($15,000–$24,999)

Johnson Investment Counsel

Peter E. Landgren and Judith Schonbach Landgren

The Procter & Gamble Company

The Rendigs Foundation

Scott and Charla Weiss

Wodecroft Foundation

CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE ($10,000–$14,999)

Bartlett Wealth Management

Graeter’s Ice Cream

Chemed Corporation

CVG Airport Authority

Kelly Dehan and Rick Staudigel

Messer Construction Co.

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

The Daniel & Susan Pfau Foundation

YOT Full Circle Foundation

CONCERTMASTER’S CIRCLE ($5,000–$9,999)

Duke Energy Interact For Health

JRH Consultants

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Pyro-Technical Investigations, Inc.

Queen City (OH) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated

SORTA/Go Metro

The Willard & Jean Mulford Charitable Fund

Thompson Hine LLP

ARTIST’S CIRCLE ($2,500–$4,999)

Charles Scott Riley III Foundation

d.e. Foxx and Associates, Inc.

Huntington Bank

Learning Links Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Visit Cincy

BUSINESS & FOUNDATION PARTNERS (up to $2,499)

African American Chamber of Commerce

Albert B. Cord Charitable Foundation

The Blue Book of Cincinnati

Clark Schaefer Hackett

William G. and Mary Jane Helms Charitable Foundation

Earthward Bound Foundation

Frances L. P. Ricketts Sullivan Memorial Fund

Hixson Architecture Engineering Interiors

Journey Steel

League of American Orchestras

Robert A. & Marian K. Kennedy Charitable Trust

The Kroger Co.

The Voice of Your Customer

Join this distinguished group!

Contact Sean Baker at 513.744.3363 or sbaker@cincinnatisymphony.org to learn how you can become a supporter of the CSO and Pops. This list is updated quarterly.

2025 ARTSWAVE PARTNERS

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops acknowledge the following partner companies, foundations and their employees who generously participate in the Annual ArtsWave Community Campaign at the $100,000+ level. Thank you!

$2 million+

P&G

$1 million to $1,999,999

Fifth Third Bank and Fifth Third Foundation

$500,000 to $999,999

GE Aerospace

$250,000 to 499,999

altaﬁber

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

The Cincinnati Insurance Companies

Great American Insurance Group

The H.B., E.W. and F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, N.A., Trustee

Western & Southern Financial Group

$100,000–$299,999

Cincinnati Open

Cincinnati Reds

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Duke Energy

The E.W. Scripps Company and Scripps Howard Foundation

The Enquirer | Cincinnati.com

Greater Cincinnati Foundation

The Kroger Co.

Messer Construction Co.

National Endowment for the Arts

PERMANENT ENDOWMENTS

Endowment gifts perpetuate your values and create a sustainable future for the Orchestra. We extend our deep gratitude to the donors who have provided permanent endowments in support of our programs that are important to them. For more information about endowment gifts, contact Kate Farinacci, Director of Special Campaigns & Legacy Giving, at 513.744.3202.

ENDOWED CHAIRS

Grace M. Allen Chair

Ellen A. & Richard C. Berghamer Chair

Robert E. & Fay Boeh Chair

The Marc Bohlke Chair given by Katrin & Manfred Bohlke

Trish & Rick Bryan Chair

Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Chair

Mary Alice Heekin Burke Chair

Michael L. Cioffi & Rachael Rowe— the Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones

Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Sheila and Christopher Cole Chair

Peter G. Courlas–Nicholas Tsimaras Chair

Ona Hixson Dater Chair

The Anne G. & Robert W. Dorsey Chair+

Jane & David Ellis Chair

Irene & John J. Emery Chair

James M. Ewell Chair

Ashley & Barbara Ford Chair for Assistant Conductor

Ashley & Barbara Ford Chair for Principal Tuba

Susan S. & William A. Friedlander Chair+

Charles Gausmann Chair

Susanne & Philip O. Geier, Jr. Chair+

Emma Margaret & Irving D. Goldman Chair

Clifford J. Goosmann & Andrea M. Wilson Chair

Charles Frederic Goss Chair

Jean Ten Have Chair

Dorothy & John Hermanies Chair

Lois Klein Jolson Chair

Josephine I. & David J. Joseph, Jr. Chair

Harold B. & Betty Justice Chair

Marvin Kolodzik & Linda S. Gallaher Chair+

Al Levinson Chair

Patricia Gross Linnemann Chair+

Alberta & Dr. Maurice Marsh Chair

Stephen P. McKean Chair

Laura Kimble McLellan Chair

The Henry Meyer Chair

The Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chairs

Rawson Chair

The Vicky & Rick Reynolds Chair in honor of William A. Friedlander+

Ida Ringling North Chair

Donald & Margaret Robinson Chair

Dianne & J. David Rosenberg Chair+

Ruth F. Rosevear Chair

The Morleen & Jack Rouse Chair+

Emalee Schavel Chair

Karl & Roberta Schlachter Family Chair

Serge Shababian Chair

Melinda & Irwin Simon Chair+

Tom & Dee Stegman Chair+

Mary & Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Chair+

Cynthia & Frank Stewart Chair

The Jackie & Roy Sweeney

Family Chair

The Sweeney Family Chair in memory of Donald C. Sweeney

Anna Sinton Taft Chair

Brenda & Ralph Taylor Chair

James P. Thornton Chair

Nicholas Tsimaras–

Peter G. Courlas Chair

Thomas Vanden Eynden Chair

Sallie Robinson Wadsworth & Randolph L. Wadsworth Jr. Chair

Jo Ann & Paul Ward Chair

Matthew & Peg Woodside Chair

Mary M. & Charles F. Yeiser Chair

ENDOWED PERFORMANCES

& PROJECTS

Eleanora C. U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee

Rosemary and Frank Bloom Endowment Fund*+

Cincinnati Bell Foundation Inc.

Mr. & Mrs. Val Cook

Nancy & Steve Donovan*

Sue and Bill Friedlander Endowment Fund*+

Mrs. Charles Wm Anness*, Mrs. Frederick D. Haffner, Mrs. Gerald Skidmore and the La Vaughn Scholl Garrison Fund

Fred L. & Katherine H. Groll Fund for Musical Excellence

Fred L. & Katherine H. Groll Fund for Great Artists

Fred L. & Katherine H. Groll Trust Pianist Fund

The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation Endowment Fund

Anne Heldman Endowment Fund**

Mr. and Mrs. Lorrence T. Kellar+

Lawrence A. & Anne J. Leser*

Mr. & Mrs. Carl H. Lindner**

Janice W. & Gary R. Lubin Fund for Black Artists

PNC Financial Services Group

The Procter & Gamble Fund

Vicky & Rick Reynolds Fund for Diverse Artists+

Melody Sawyer Richardson*

Rosemary and Mark Schlachter Endowment Fund*+

The Harold C. Schott Foundation, Francie and Tom Hiltz Endowment Fund+

Peggy Selonick Fund for Great Artists

Dee and Tom Stegman Endowment Fund*+

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Fund for Great Artists

U. S. Bank Foundation*

Sallie and Randolph Wadsworth Endowment Fund+

Educational Concerts

Rosemary & Frank Bloom * Cincinnati Financial Corporation & The Cincinnati Insurance Companies

The Margaret Embshoff Educational Fund

Kate Foreman Young Peoples Fund

George & Anne Heldman+

Macy’s Foundation

Vicky & Rick Reynolds*+

William R. Schott Family**

Western-Southern Foundation, Inc.

Anonymous (3)+

GIFT OF MUSIC: July 2–August 27, 2024

OTHER NAMED FUNDS

Ruth Meacham Bell Memorial Fund

Frank & Mary Bergstein Fund for Musical Excellence+

Jean K. Bloch Music Library Fund

Cora Dow Endowment Fund

Corbett Educational Endowment**

Belmon U. Duvall Fund

Ewell Fund for Riverbend Maintenance

Linda & Harry Fath Endowment Fund

Ford Foundation Fund

Natalie Wurlitzer & William Ernest Griess Cello Fund

William Hurford and Lesley Gilbertson Family Fund for Guest Pianists

The Mary Ellyn Hutton Fund for Excellence in Music Education

Josephine I. & David J. Joseph, Jr. Scholarship Fund

Richard & Jean Jubelirer & Family Fund*

Anne C. and Robert P. Judd Fund for Musical Access

The Kosarko Family Innovation Fund

Elma Margaret Lapp Trust

Jésus López-Cobos Fund for Excellence

Mellon Foundation Fund

Nina Browne Parker Trust

Dorothy Robb Perin & Harold F. Poe Trust

Rieveschl Fund

Thomas Schippers Fund

Martha, Max & Alfred M. Stern Ticket Fund

Mr. & Mrs. John R. Strauss Student Ticket Fund

Anna Sinton & Charles P. Taft Fund

Lucien Wulsin Fund

Wurlitzer Season Ticket Fund

CSO Pooled Income Fund

CSO Musicians Emergency Fund

*Denotes support for Annual Music Program Fund

**Denotes support for the 2nd Century Campaign

+Denotes support for the Fund for Musical Excellence

The following people provided gifts to the Gift of Music Fund to celebrate an occasion, to mark a life of service to the Orchestra, or to commemorate a special date. Their contributions are added to the Orchestra’s endowment. For more information on how to contribute to this fund, please call 513.744.3271.

In honor of Rennie and David Siebenhar

Marte Siebenhar

In memory of Charles Blades Hardtke Karen Hardtke

HONOR ROLL OF CONTRIBUTORS

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops are grateful to the following individuals that support our efforts by making a gift to the Orchestra Fund. We extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one and pay tribute to them here. You can join our family of donors online at cincinnatisymphony.org/donate or by contacting the Philanthropy Department at 513.744.3271.

PLATINUM BATON CIRCLE

Gifts of $50,000 and above

Mr. and Mrs. Frederick E. Bryan, III §

Robert W. Dorsey §

Kathy Grote in loving memory of Robert Howes

Healey Liddle Family Foundation, Mel & Bruce Healey

Harold C. Schott Foundation, Francie & Tom Hiltz

Florence Koetters

Jo Anne and Joe Orndorff

Vicky and Rick Reynolds

Irwin and Melinda Simon §

Tom and Dee Stegman §

Jackie and Roy Sweeney Family Fund*

Mr. Randolph L. Wadsworth Jr. §

Ginger Warner

Scott and Charla Weiss §

GOLD BATON CIRCLE

Gifts of $25,000–$49,999

Joe and Patricia Baker

Dr. and Mrs. John and Suzanne Bossert §

Robert and Debra Chavez

Sheila and Christopher C. Cole

Stephen J Daush

Kelly Dehan and Rick Staudigel

Dr. and Mrs. Carl G. Fischer

Ashley and Bobbie Ford §

Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Joffe

Mrs. Andrea Kaplan

Calvin and Patricia Linnemann

G. Franklin Miller and Carolyn Baker Miller

Dianne and J. David Rosenberg

Moe and Jack Rouse §

Mark S. and Rosemary K. Schlachter §

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Ullman

Mrs. James W. Wilson, Jr. §

Anonymous (1)

SILVER BATON CIRCLE

Gifts of $15,000–$24,999

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Brueshaber

Mr. Gregory D. Buckley and Ms. Susan Berry-Buckley

In Loving Memory of Diane Harrison Zent

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Evans

The Garber Family

Tom and Jan Hardy §

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn

Dr. Lesley Gilbertson and Dr. William Hurford §

Marvin P. Kolodzik and Linda S. Gallaher §

Mrs. Erich Kunzel

Peter E. Landgren and Judith Schonbach Landgren §

Will and Lee Lindner

Adele Lippert

Mark and Tia Luegering

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Maloney

Alan Margulies and Gale Snoddy

Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. McDonald

Susan McPartlin & Michael Galbraith

Joseph A. and Susan E. Pichler Fund*

Ann and Harry Santen

In memory of Mary and Joseph S. Stern, Jr

Mrs. Theodore Striker

Sarah Thorburn

DeeDee and Gary West §

Mr. and Mrs. James M. Zimmerman §

CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE

Gifts of $10,000–$14,999

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Akers

Jan and Roger Ames

Ms. Melanie M. Chavez

Michael L. Cioffi & Rachael Rowe

Mrs. Thomas E. Davidson §

K.M. Davis

Dianne Dunkelman and Clever Crazes for Kids

Emory P. Zimmer Insurance Agency

Lynne Friedlander and Jay Crawford

John B. and Judith O. Hansen

Patti and Fred Heldman

John and Ramsey Lanni

Whitney and Phillip Long

Holly and Louis Mazzocca

In memory of Bettie Rehfeld

James and Margo Minutolo

Melody Sawyer Richardson

Bill and Lisa Sampson

Martha and Lee Schimberg

Mr. Lawrence Schumacher

Dr. Jean and Mrs. Anne Steichen

Ralph C. Taylor §

Nancy C. Wagner and Patricia M. Wagner § Anonymous (2)

CONCERTMASTER’S CIRCLE

Gifts of $5,000–$9,999

Mr. Nicholas Apanius

Heather Apple and Mary Kay Koehler

Thomas P. Atkins

Mrs. Thomas B. Avril

Kathleen and Michael Ball

Robert and Janet Banks

Michael P Bergan and Tiffany Hanisch

Louis D. Bilionis and Ann Hubbard

Robert L. and Debbie Bogenschutz

Thomas A. Braun, III §

Sally and Rick Coomes

George Deepe and Kris Orsborn

Bedouin and Randall Dennison

Dennis W. and Cathy Dern

Mrs. Diana T. Dwight

Dr. and Mrs. Alberto Espay

Mr. and Mrs. James T. Fitzgerald

Mrs. Charles Fleischmann

Marlena and Walter Frank

Dr. and Mrs. Harry F. Fry

L. Timothy Giglio

Thomas W. Gougeon

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Hamby

Ms. Delores Hargrove-Young

William and Jo Ann Harvey

Dr. James and Mrs. Susan Herman

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Keenan

Mrs. Barbara Kellar in honor of Mr. Lorrence T. Kellar

Holly King

Michael and Marilyn Kremzar §

Richard and Susan Lauf

The Lewis and Marjorie Daniel Foundation

Elizabeth and Brian Mannion

David L. Martin §

Mr. Jonathan Martin

Mandare Foundation

Barbara and Kim McCracken §

Linda and James Miller

George and Sarah Morrison III

Mr. and Mrs. David W. Motch

Ms. Mary Lou Motl §

Mr. Arthur Norman and Mrs. Lisa Lennon Norman

Poul D. and JoAnne Pedersen

David and Jenny Powell

Ellen Rieveschl §

Elizabeth and Karl Ronn §

Mr. and Mrs. James E. Russell

Dr. E. Don Nelson and Ms. Julia Sawyer-Nelson

Mike and Digi Schueler

Brent & Valerie Sheppard

Rennie and David Siebenhar

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Skidmore §

Michael and Donnalyn Smith

Brett Stover

Mr. and Mrs. David R. Valz

Christopher and Nancy Virgulak

Mrs. Paul H. Ward §

Donna A. Welsch

Cathy S. Willis

Andrea K. Wiot

Irene A. Zigoris

Anonymous (5)

ARTIST’S CIRCLE

Gifts of $3,000–$4,999

Dr. Charles Abbottsmith

Mr. and Mrs. Gérard Baillely

Ms. Marianna Bettman

Glenn and Donna Boutilier

Peter and Kate Brown

Dr. Ralph P. Brown

Chris and Tom Buchert

The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Daniel A. Burr

Janet and Bruce Byrnes

Peter G. Courlas §

Jim and Elizabeth Dodd

Dr. and Mrs. Stewart B. Dunsker

Ann A. Ellison

Hardy and Barbara Eshbaugh

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Fencl

Mrs. Amy Forte

Yan Fridman

Linda P. Fulton §

Frank and Tara Gardner

Naomi T. Gerwin

Dr. and Mrs. Ralph A. Giannella

Anne E. Mulder and Rebecca M. Gibbs

Lesha and Samuel Greengus

Esther B. Grubbs §

Dr. and Mrs. Jack Hahn

Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Heidenreich

Donald and Susan Henson

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Hicks

Karlee L. Hilliard §

Ruth C. Holthaus

In Memory of Benjamin C. Hubbard §

Mr. and Mrs. Bradley G. Hughes

Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Hughes

Karolyn Johnsen

Dr. Richard and Lisa Kagan

Dr. Robert W. Keith and Ms. Kathleen Thornton

Don and Kathy King

Lynn Keniston Klahm

Marie and Sam Kocoshis

Mr. Frank P. Kromer

Carol Louise Kruse

Mr. Shannon Lawson

Richard and Nancy Layding

Mrs. Robert Lippert

Merlanne Louney

Luke and Nita Lovell

Larry and Mary Geren Lutz

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Marshall

Glen and Lynn Mayﬁeld

Allen-McCarren

Becky Miars

Ms. Sue Miller

Mr. and Mrs. David E. Moccia §

Phyllis Myers and Danny Gray

Alice Perlman

Mark and Kim Pomeroy

Drs. Marcia Kaplan and Michael Privitera

Michael and Katherine Rademacher

Sandra Rivers

James Rubenstein and Bernadette Unger

Mr. & Mrs. Peter A. Schmid

Sandra and David Seiwert

Mr. Rick Sherrer and Dr. Lisa D. Kelly

Sue and Glenn Showers §

Elizabeth C. B. Sittenfeld §

William A. and Jane Smith

Nancy Steman Dierckes §

Elizabeth A. Stone

Peggy and Steven Story

Emily Terwilliger

Mr. and Mrs. J. Dwight Thompson

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Tinklenberg

Neil Tollas and Janet Moore

Dr. Barbara R. Voelkel

Dr. and Mrs. Galen R. Warren

Jonathan and Janet Weaver

Jim and George Ann Wesner

Stephen and Amy Whitlatch

Jo Ann Wieghaus

In Memory of Bruce R. Smith

Ronna and James Willis

Steve and Katie Wolnitzek

Carol and Don Wuebbling

Anonymous (3)

SYMPHONY CIRCLE

Gifts of $1,500–$2,999

Jeff and Keiko Alexander §

Judy Aronoff and Marshall Ruchman

Dr. Diane S. Babcock §

Beth and Bob Baer

Mrs. Gail Bain

David and Elaine Billmire §

Neil Bortz

William & Mary Bramlage

Ms. Jaqui Brumm

Rachelle Bruno and Stephen Bondurant

Dr. Leanne Budde

Bob and Angela Buechner

Ms. Deborah Campbell §

Tom Carpenter and Lynne Lancaster

Dr. Alan Chambers

Gordon Christenson

Carol C. Cole §

Mr. and Mrs. Philip K. Cone

Randy K. and Nancy R. Cooper

Andrea D. Costa, Esq. §

Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Curran, III §

Mr. Louis M. Dauner and Ms. Geraldine N. Wu

Tom and Leslie Ducey

David and Linda Dugan

Amy Dunlea and Lois Mannon

Mr. and Mrs. John G. Earls §

Barry and Judy Evans §

Dr. and Mrs. William J. Faulkner

Janice and Dr. Tom Forte

Richard Freshwater §

Dudley Fulton

Louis and Deborah Ginocchio

Mr. Mark W. Glogowski

Donn Goebel and Cathy McLeod

Dr. and Mrs. Glenn S. Gollobin

Drew Gores and George Warrington

Jim and Jann Greenberg

Bill and Christy Griesser

John and Elizabeth Grover

Mr. and Mrs. Byron Gustin

Catherine K. Hart

Mrs. Jackie Havenstein

Mr. John A. Headley

Mr. Fred Heyse

Linda Busken and Andrew M. Jergens §

Andrea Kaplan and Paul Isaacs at the Conductor’s Circle Dinner in April 2024. Credit: Claudia Hershner

The Marvin Jester Family

Barbara M. Johnson

Mr. and Mrs. Paul H. Johnson

Ms. Sylvia Johnson

Holly H. Keeler

Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Keown, Jr.

John and Molly Kerman

Bill and Penny Kincaid

Mark & Elisabeth Kuhlman

Everett and Barbara Landen

Evelyn and Fred Lang

Mary Mc and Kevin Lawson

Mrs. Jean E. Lemon §

Andi Levenson Young and Scott Young

Mr. Peter F. Levin §

Paula and Nick Link

Mr. and Mrs. Clement H. Luken, Jr.

Edmund D. Lyon

Mark Mandell-Brown, MD and Ann Hanson

John and Roberta Michelman

Mr. and Mrs. David A. Millett

Eileen W. and James R. Moon

Mrs. Sally A. More

Nan L. Oscherwitz

Sandy Pike §

James W. Rauth §

Beverly and Dan Reigle

Stephen and Betty Robinson

Marianne Rowe §

Frederick R. Schneider

Tim and Jeannie Schoonover

Stephanie A. Smith

Albert and Liza Smitherman

Bill and Lee Steenken §

Mrs. Donald C. Stouffer

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Stradling, Jr.

Mr. Mark Stroud

Susan and John Tew

Dr. Judith Vermillion

Michael L. Walton, Esq

Ted and Mary Ann Weiss

Mr. Donald White

Virginia Wilhelm

Rev. Anne Warrington Wilson

Robert and Judy Wilson

Drs. Marissa S. Liang and Y. Jeffrey Yang

David and Sharon Youmans

Anonymous (7)

CONCERTO CLUB

Gifts of $500–$1,499

Christine O. Adams

Dr. Mary Albers

In memory of Carol Allgood & Ester Sievers

Lisa Allgood

Mr. Thomas Alloy & Dr. Evaline Alessandrini

Paul and Dolores Anderson §

Dr. Victor and Dolores Angel

Nancy J. Apfel

Lynne & Keith Apple, Honoring our Family

Ms. Laura E. Atkinson

Mr. David H. Axt and Ms. Susan L. Wilkinson

Todd and Ann Bailey

Jack and Diane Baldwin

Peggy Barrett §

Michael and Amy Battoclette

Fred Berger

Dr. Allen W. Bernard

Glenda and Malcolm Bernstein

Ms. Henryka Bialkowska-Nagy

Sharon Ann Kerns and Mike Birck

Milt and Berdie Blersch

Randal and Peter Bloch

Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Bloomer

Ms. Sandra Bolek

Ron and Betty Bollinger

Clay and Emily Bond

Dr. and Mrs. Kevin Bove

Dr. Carol Brandon

Briggs Creative Services, LLC

Robert and Joan Broersma

Jacklyn and Gary Bryson

Gay Bullock

Angie & Gary Butterbaugh

Jack and Marti Butz

John & Terri Byczkowski

Ms. Cindy Callicoat

Mike and Shirley Chaney

Dee and Frank Cianciolo Fund*

James Civille

James Clasper and Cheryl Albrecht

Mr. Robert Cohen and Ms. Amy J. Katz

Dr. George I. Colombel

Fred W. Colucci

Marilyn Cones

Dr. Margaret Conradi

Janet Conway

Robin Cotton and Cindi Fitton

Dennis and Pat Coyne

Martha Crafts

Tim and Katie Crowley

Adrian and Takiyah Cunningham

Jacqueline Cutshall

Mr. and Mrs. Henry F. Dabek, Jr.

Diane and Wayne Dawson

Loren and Polly DeFilippo

Stephen and Cynthia DeHoff

Rozelia Park and Christopher Dendy

Robert B. Dick, Ph.D.

Ms. Rhonda Dickerscheid

Ms. Andrea Dubroff

Tom and Dale Due

Sally Eversole

Ms. Kate Farinacci

Ms. Jean Feinberg

Ilya Finkelshteyn and Evin Blomberg

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Fischer

Anne and Alan Fleischer

Mr. and Mrs. James Foreman

Mr. and Ms. Bernard Foster

Dr. Charles E. Frank and Ms. Jan Goldstein

Susan L. Fremont

In memory of Eugene and Cavell Frey

Mr. and Mrs. James Fryman

Marjorie Fryxell

Mark S. Gay

Drs. Michael and Janelle J. Gelfand

Kathleen Gibboney

Dr. and Mrs. Charles J. Glueck

Dan Goetz

Robert and Cynthia Gray

Mary Grooms

Janet C. Haartz and Kenneth V. Smith

Alison and Charles Haas

Mary and Phil Hagner

Peter Hames

Ham and Ellie Hamilton

Roberta Handwerger, in memory of Dr. Stuart Handwerger

Dr. Donald and Laura Harrison

Mariana Belvedere and Samer Hasan

Mr. A. M. Heister

Mrs. Betty H. Heldman §

Howard D. and Mary W. Helms

Mrs. E. J. Hengelbrok, Jr.

Mr. Jeff Herbert

Michelle and Don Hershey

Janet & Craig Higgins

The Rev. Canon and Mrs. George A. Hill III

Mr. and Mrs. William A. Hillebrand

Kyle and Robert Hodgkins

Ms. Leslie M. Hoggatt

Tim and Connie Holmen

Richard and Marcia Holmes

Mr. Joe Hoskins

Ms. Sandra L. Houck

Melissa Huber

Dr. G. Edward & Sarah Hughes

Caroline Isaacs

Dr. Maralyn M. Itzkowitz

Mrs. Charles H. Jackson, Jr.

Marcia Jelus

Robert Johnson

Mrs. Marilyn P. Johnston

Jay and Shirley Joyce

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Judd §

Christopher and Felecia Kanney

Dr. James Kaya and Debra Grauel

Mr. and Mrs. Dave Kitzmiller

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Kregor

Kathleen B. and Michael C. Krug Fund*

Pat and Randy Krumm §

Mrs. John H. Kuhn §

Pinky Laffoon & Family

Asher Lanier

Janet R. Schultz

Mrs. Julie Laskey

Joe Law and Phil Wise

Dr. Carol P. Leslie

Mr. and Mrs. Lance A. Lewis

Mrs. Maxine F. Lewis

Mr. Arthur Lindsay

Mr. and Mrs. James A. Link

Mrs. Marianne Locke

Steven Kent Loveless

JP and Footie Lund

Larry and Mary Geren Lutz

Mrs. Mary Reed Lyon

Marshall and Nancy Macks

Mr. and Mrs. Julian A. Magnus

Ms. Cheryl Manning

Andrew and Jean Martin

Mr. and Mrs. Dean Matz

Ms. Mary Jane Mayer

Dr. Janet P. McDaniel

Tim and Trish McDonald

Robert and Heather McGrath

Mark McKillip and Amira Beer

Art and Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie McNeill

Charles and JoAnn Mead

Ms. Nancy Menne

Michael V. Middleton

Laura Milburn

Rachel and Charlie Miller

Sonia R. Milrod

Ms. Laura Mitchell

Mr. Steven Monder

Regeana and Al Morgan

Mr. Scott Muhlhauser

Alan Flaherty and Patti Myers §

Hochwalt Naumann Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Neal

Mrs. Sara Nemeth

Amy Paul and Jerry Newfarmer

Susan E. Noelcke

Jane Oberschmidt §

Mr. Gerardo Orta

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Piazza

Dr. Robert and Jackie Prichard

Mrs. Stewart Proctor

Dr. Aik Khai Pung

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Reed

Dr. Robert Rhoad and Kitsa Tassian Rhoad

Stephanie Richardson

Mr. David Robertson

Laurie and Dan Roche

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Rodner

Dr. Anna Roetker

Ms. Jeanne C. Rolfes

Dr. and Mrs. Gary Roselle

Amy and John Rosenberg

Ellen and Louis Ross

Mr. and Mrs. G. Roger Ross

Dr. Deborah K. Rufner

Mr. Christian J. Schaefer

Cindy Scheets

Ms. Carol Schleker

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Schleker

Dr. and Mrs. Michael Schmerler

George Palmer Schober

Glenda C. Schorr Fund*

Carol J. Schroeder §

James P. Schubert

Mary D. Schweitzer

Dr. Joseph Segal and Ms. Debbie Friedman

Mick and Nancy Shaughnessy

The Shepherd Chemical Company

Alfred and Carol Shikany

Stanley and Jane Shulman

Jacqueline M. Mack and Dr. Edward B. Silberstein

Ms. Joycee Simendinger

Doug and Laura Skidmore

In Honor of Kenneth Skirtz

Ms. Martha Slager

Susan and David Smith

Mark M. Smith (In memory of Terri C. Smith)

Stephen and Lyle Smith

Phillip and Karen Sparkes

In Honor of Melody Sawyer Richardson

Marian P. Stapleton

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Stautberg

Ms. Ruth M. Stechschulte

Mr. John Stein

Kathryn Stieler

Stephanie and Joseph Stitt

Nancy and Gary Strassel

Ms. Susan R. Strick

Mr. George Stricker, Jr.

Kathryn Sullivan

Thomas and Keri Tami

Dr. Alan and Shelley Tarshis

Maureen Taylor

Mr. Fred Tegarden

Carlos and Roberta Teran

Rich and Nancy Tereba

Linda and Nate Tetrick

Greg Tiao and Lisa Kuan

Marcia and Bob Togneri

Mr. D. R. Van Lokeren

Jim and Rachel Votaw §

Ms. Barbara Wagner

Mr. and Mrs. James L. Wainscott

Jane A. Walker

Sarella Walton

Herman & Margaret Wasserman Music Fund*

Mary Webster

Maryhelen West

Ms. Elizabeth White

Ms. Diana Willen §

Marsha Williams

Mr. Dean Windgassen and Ms. Susan Stanton Windgassen

Donald and Karen Wolnik

Rebecca Seeman and David Wood

Judith R Workman

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wylly III

Mr. John M. Yacher

Mrs. Darleen Young

Judy and Martin Young

Mr. David Youngblood and Ms. Ellen Rosenman

Cheryl Zalzal

Dr. and Mrs. Daryl Zeigler

Mr. and Mrs. John Zeller

Moritz and Barbara Ziegler

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Zierolf

Mr. Richard K. Zinicola and Ms. Linda R. Holthaus

Anonymous (19)

List as of September 4, 2024

GIFTS IN-KIND

Mr. Michael Culligan

Jones Day

Paul and Anna Isaacs

List as of September 4, 2024

* Denotes a fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation.

§ Denotes members of The Thomas Schippers Legacy Society. Individuals who have made a planned gift to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Pops Orchestra are eligible for membership in the Society. For more information, please contact Kate Farinacci at 513.744.3202.

Charla Weiss with Music Director Designate Cristian Măcelaru. Credit: Tyler Secor

Principal Clarinet Christopher Pell and Rob McDonald. Credit: Claudia Hershner

THE THOMAS SCHIPPERS LEGACY SOCIETY

Mr. & Mrs. James R. Adams

Jeff & Keiko Alexander

Mrs. Robert H. Allen

Dr. Toni Alterman

Paul R. Anderson

Carole J. Arend

Donald C. Auberger, Jr.

Thomas Schippers was Music Director from 1970 to 1977. He left not only wonderful musical memories, but also a ﬁnancial legacy with a personal bequest to the Orchestra. The Thomas Schippers Legacy Society recognizes those who contribute to the Orchestra with a planned gift. We thank these members for their foresight and generosity. For more information on leaving your own legacy, contact Kate Farinacci at 513.744.3202.

Rich Freshwater & Family

Mr. Nicholas L. Fry

Linda P. Fulton

H. Jane Gavin

Edward J. & Barbara C.* Givens

Kenneth A. Goode

Clifford J. Goosmann &

Dr. Diane Schwemlein Babcock

Henrietta Barlag

Peggy Barrett

Jane* & Ed Bavaria

David & Elaine Billmire

Walter Blair

Lucille* & Dutro Blocksom

Dr. John & Suzanne Bossert

Dr. Mollie H. Bowers-Hollon

Ronald Bozicevich

Thomas A. Braun, III

Joseph Brinkmeyer

Mr. & Mrs. Frederick Bryan, III

Harold & Dorothy Byers

Deborah Campbell & Eunice M. Wolf

Catharine W. Chapman

Michael L. Cioffi & Rachael Rowe

Mrs. Jackson L. Clagett III

Lois & Phil* Cohen

Leland M.* & Carol C. Cole

Sheila & Christopher Cole

Grace A. Cook*

Jack & Janice Cook

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Cordes

Ms. Andrea Costa

Peter G. Courlas & Nick Tsimaras*

Mr. & Mrs. Charles E Curran III

Amy & Scott Darrah, Meredith & Will Darrah & children

Caroline H. Davidson

Harrison R.T. Davis

Ms. Kelly M. Dehan

Janice Denton*

Amy & Trey Devey

Robert W. Dorsey

Jon & Susan Doucleff

Ms. Judith A. Doyle

Mr. & Mrs. John Earls

Mr. & Mrs. Barry C. Evans

Linda & Harry Fath

Alan Flaherty

Mrs. Richard A. Forberg

Ashley & Barbara Ford

Guy & Marilyn Frederick

Andrea M. Wilson

Mrs. Madeleine H. Gordon

J. Frederick & Cynthia Gossman

Kathy Grote

Esther B. Grubbs, Marci Bein & Mindi Hamby

William Hackman

Vincent C. Hand & Ann E. Hagerman

Tom & Jan Hardy

William L. Harmon

Mary J. Healy

Frank G. Heitker

Anne P. Heldman*

Betty & John* Heldman

Karlee L. Hilliard

Michael H. Hirsch

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn

Daniel J. Hoffheimer

Kenneth L. Holford

George R. Hood

Mr. & Mrs. Terence L. Horan

Mrs. Benjamin C. Hubbard

Susan & Tom Hughes

Dr. Lesley Gilbertson & Dr. William Hurford

Mr. & Mrs. Paul Isaacs

Julia M. F. B. Jackson

Michael & Kathleen Janson

Andrew MacAoidh Jergens

Jean C. Jett

Anne C. & Robert P. Judd

Margaret H. Jung

Mace C. Justice

Karen Kapella

Dr. & Mrs.* Steven Katkin

Rachel Kirley & Joseph Jaquette

Carolyn Koehl

Marvin Kolodzik & Linda Gallaher

Carol & Scott Kosarko

Marilyn & Michael Kremzar

Randolph & Patricia Krumm

Theresa M. Kuhn

Warren & Patricia Lambeck

Peter E. Landgren & Judith Schonbach Landgren

Owen & Cici Lee

Steve Lee

Mrs. Jean E. Lemon

Mr. Peter F. Levin

George & Barbara Lott

Janice W.* & Gary R. Lubin

Mr.* & Mrs. Ronald Lyons

Marilyn J. Maag

Margot Marples

David L. Martin

Allen* & Judy Martin

David Mason

Barbara & Kim McCracken

Laura Kimble McLellan

Dr. Stanley R. Milstein

Mrs. William K. Minor

Mr. & Mrs. D. E. Moccia

Mary Lou Motl

Kristin & Stephen Mullin

Christopher & Susan Muth

Patti Myers

Susan & Kenneth Newmark

Dr. & Mrs. Theodore Nicholas

Jane Oberschmidt

Marja-Liisa Ogden

Julie & Dick* Okenfuss

Dr. & Mrs. Richard E. Park, MD

Charlie & Tara Pease

Poul D. & JoAnne Pedersen

Sandy & Larry* Pike

Mrs. Harold F. Poe

Anne M. Pohl

Irene & Daniel Randolph

James W. Rauth

Barbara S. Reckseit

Melody Sawyer Richardson

Ellen Rieveschl

Elizabeth & Karl Ronn

Moe & Jack Rouse

Marianne Rowe

Ann & Harry Santen

Rosemary & Mark Schlachter

Carol J. Schroeder

Mrs. William R. Seaman

Dr. Brian Sebastian

Mrs. Robert B. Shott

Sue & Glenn Showers

Irwin & Melinda Simon

Betsy & Paul* Sittenfeld

Sarah Garrison Skidmore*

Adrienne A. Smith

David & Sonja* Snyder

Marie Speziale

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher L. Sprenkle

Barry & Sharlyn Stare

Bill & Lee Steenken

Tom and Dee Stegman

Barry Steinberg

Nancy M. Steman

John & Helen Stevenson

Mary* & Bob Stewart

Brett Stover

Dr. Robert & Jill Strub

Patricia M. Strunk

Ralph & Brenda* Taylor

Conrad F. Thiede

Minda F. Thompson

Carrie & Peter Throm

Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Todd

Nydia Tranter

Dick & Jane Tuten

Thomas Vanden Eynden & Judith Beiting

Mr. & Mrs. James K. Votaw

Mr. & Mrs.* Randolph L. Wadsworth Jr.

Nancy C. Wagner

Patricia M. Wagner

Mr.* & Mrs. Paul Ward

Jo Anne & Fred Warren

Mr. Scott Weiss & Dr. Charla Weiss

Anne M. Werner

Gary & Diane West

Charles A. Wilkinson

Ms. Diana Willen

Joan R. Wilson

Susan Stanton Windgassen

Mrs. Joan R. Wood

Alison & Jim Zimmerman

* Deceased

New Schippers members are in bold

ADMINISTRATION

SHARED SERVICES & SUBSIDIARIES. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s business model is unique within the orchestral industry because it provides administrative services for other nonproﬁts and operates two subsidiary companies—Music & Event Management, Inc. and EVT Management LLC. With the consolidation of resources and expertise, sharing administrative services allows for all organizations within the model to thrive. Under this arrangement, the CSO produces hundreds of events in the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton regions and employs hundreds of people annually.

SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

Jonathan Martin

President & CEO

Harold Brown

The Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer

John Clapp Vice President of Orchestra & Production

Rich Freshwater

Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Felecia Tchen Kanney

Vice President of Marketing, Communications & Digital Media

Mary McFadden Lawson Chief Philanthropy Officer

Robert McGrath

Chief Operating Officer

Anthony Paggett

Vice President of Artistic Planning

Kyle Wynk-Sivashankar

Vice President of Human Resources

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Laura Ruple

Executive Assistant to the President & CEO

Shannon Faith Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer

ARTISTIC PLANNING

Maddie Choi

Artistic Planning Intern

Theresa Lansberry

Artist Liaison

Shuta Maeno

Assistant to the Music Director & Artistic Planning

Sam Strater

Senior Advisor for Cincinnati Pops Planning

COMMUNICATIONS & DIGITAL MEDIA

Charlie Balcom

Social Media Manager

KC Commander

Director of Digital Content & Innovation

Maria Cordes

Digital Media Coordinator

Kaitlyn Driesen

Digital Media & Label Services Manager

Mya Gibson Communications Intern

Noah Moore

Digital Content Intern

Tyler Secor Director of Publications & Content Development

Lee Snow Digital Content Technology Manager

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

Key Crooms Director of Community Engagement

Pamela Jayne Volunteer & Community Engagement Manager

Tiago Nunez Community Engagement Intern

Molly Rains Community Engagement Events Manager

FINANCE, IT & DATA SERVICES

Deborah Benjamin Accounting Clerk

Julian Cann Accounting Clerk

Kathleen Curry Data Entry Clerk

Elizabeth Engwall Accounting Manager

Matt Grady Accounting Manager

Sharon Grayton Data Services Manager

Marijane Klug Accounting Manager

Shannon May Accounting Clerk

Kristina Pfeiffer Director of Finance

Elizabeth Salmons Accounting Clerk

Judy Simpson Director of Finance

Tara Williams Data Services Manager

HUMAN RESOURCES & PAYROLL

Megan Inderbitzin-Tsai Director of Payroll Services

Natalia Lerzundi Human Resources & Payroll Coordinator

Jenny Ryan Human Resources Manager

LEARNING

Carol Dary Dunevant Director of Learning

Hollie Greenwood Learning Coordinator

Kyle Lamb Learning Programs Manager

Anja Ormiston Education Programs Intern

MARKETING

JoVahn Allen Marketing Intern

Leon Barton Website Manager

Jon Dellinger

Copywriter & Marketing Manager

Drew Dolan Box Office Manager

Carmen Granger Subscriptions & Loyalty Marketing Manager

Stephanie Lazorchak Graphic Designer

Daniel Lees Assistant Box Office Manager

Michelle Lewandowski Director of Marketing

Tina Marshall Director of Ticketing & Audience Services

Wendy Marshall Group Sales Manager

Madelyn McArthur Audience Engagement Manager

Amber Ostaszewski Director of Audience Engagement

Alexis Shambley Email & Insight Marketing Manager

Patron Services

Representatives

Ellisen Blair, Lead

Hannah Blanchette, Lead Talor Marren, Lead

Lucas Maurer, Lead

Malone Blaich

Craig Doolin

Mary Duplantier

Summer Feldt

Ebony Jackson

Monica Lange

Marian Mayen

Gregory Patterson

Matthew Wallenhorst

PHILANTHROPY

Sean Baker

Director of Institutional Giving

Bhavya Nayna Channan

Corporate Giving Manager

Ashley Coffey

Foundation & Grants Manager

Kate Farinacci

Director of Special Campaigns & Legacy Giving

Catherine Hann

Assistant Director of Individual Giving

Rachel Hellebusch

Institutional Giving Coordinator

Leslie Hoggatt

Director of Individual Giving & Donor Services

Quinton Jefferson

Research & Grants Administrator

Ethan Mann

Philanthropy Intern

D’Anté McNeal

Special Projects Coordinator

Jenna Montes

Individual Giving Manager

Emma Steward

Leadership Giving Manager

PRODUCTION

John Clapp Vice President of Orchestra & Production

Laura Bordner Adams Director of Operations

Michelle Camargo

Production Intern

Carlos Javier

Production Manager

Alex Magg

Production Manager

Brenda Tullos

Director of Orchestra Personnel

Rachel Vondra

Assistant Orchestra Personnel

Manager