The Memorial Hall Society’s Longworth-Anderson Series was such a hit last winter, it’s coming back for a second season. The winter lineup is impressive: Grammy Award-winning band Los Lobos (Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance), the all-girl folk band I’m With Her and country star Marty Stuart.
Longworth-Anderson has found a niche. Its concept is both diverse and non-traditional, presenting artists from multiple genres, including rock, pop, folk, bluegrass and jazz. Last year, the series – held in Memorial Hall’s intimate jewel box of a theater — sold out four out of six events, held winter and spring.
Even though Rosanne Cash was a headliner, it wasn’t guaranteed that the fledgling series would take off.
The challenges were many. Because Memorial Hall is a mid-sized theater (550 seats), organizers knew they had to sell most of those seats in order to stay afloat.
“It was a question mark,” said Bill Baumann, who heads the nonprofit Memorial Hall Society. “With so many other venues, would Memorial Hall find its place in the music scene of Cincinnati? I think it’s clear that it has.”
What worked? Success came by connecting with people on social media, by making each concert an “event” with light bites and by involving people – lots of them. Besides the 25-member Society board, there are Founders of the Longworth-Anderson Series, honorary co-chairs for each concert and an impressive lineup of food and drink partners. They include Dewey’s Pizza, The Eagle, Rhinegeist and Jean-Robert’s Table.
Finding community has always been their goal, Baumann said. And as people began showing up for the preconcert receptions, they developed a mailing list of 10,000 names and embraced social media.
Their plan was to present a line-up of Grammy Award-winning performers and bands with national name recognition. And in a growing trend, they didn’t announce them in traditional places such as newspapers or radio, but instead rolled out each artist individually on Facebook.
The artists are pleased with the hall, which was newly renovated before the launch of the series last year.
“After Rosanne and Pink Martini performed in that space, they’ve wanted to come back. The word is getting out,” said Jim Fitzgerald, who chairs the program committee.
This year, the series – which has no paid staff — has another boost. It has partnered with MEMI (Music and Events Management, Inc., a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) to act as its booking agent.
The nonprofit society started the experiment in 2012 with what was then called the Signature Series. At the time, few people knew about Memorial Hall or its history. It was built in 1908 as a memorial to veterans of the Civil War and Spanish American War, and designed by Music Hall architect Samuel Hannaford & Sons.
Today, it is a vibrant part of Over-the-Rhine’s growing arts district surrounding Washington Park.
“We wanted something that would shine a bright light on Memorial Hall and why it’s important,” Baumann said., “It’s about listening to music in this intimate space and having a close connection to the performers.”
The Longworth-Anderson Series winter concerts
Jan. 25: Los Lobos
March 5: I’m With Her
March 30: The Way Out West tour, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
Tickets: $35.00 to $52.50 available at memorialhallotr.com or 513-977-8838
janellesnotes 