The year in review in the arts

The CSO’s first digital experiment last spring in Music Hall was music for four musicians.

What a year! If you’re a musician or a music fan, you probably remember the last live concert you attended or performed before Covid-19 shut down the country in March. Mine was on March 10: My granddaughter’s middle school orchestra concert.

Looking back, I realized that my annual “best of the year” in performances could only apply to the 10 weeks before we were locked down. So I wrote my Year in Review column for the Business Courier in two parts, as BC — Before Covid — and after.

Soprano Angel Blue wowed in Barber in a CSO livestream.

There were some unforgettable shows during both periods. In the second half — a season of screens — I am still enthralled by the Sept. 26 CSO digital program streamed from Music Hall, conducted by Louis Langrée. Gorgeous-voiced soprano Angel Blue gave an emotional performance of Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” a piece rarely heard. And what a treat it was to hear Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” as originally scored for 13 instruments.

And in a rare live performance by Cincinnati Ballet outdoors at Sawyer Point, I loved a new work for four dancers, choreographed (and danced) to Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat (fourth movement) by soloist David

Cincinnati Ballet danced at Sawyer Point

Morse. It was thrilling to see the exuberance and strength, the lifts and turns of the entire company. The program was enhanced by performances by a CSO quartet and Cincinnati Opera singers Victoria Okafor and Maria Miller.

You can read that column here (it’s free).

Earlier this year, local critic and retired opera singer Rafael de Acha asked people in the arts to answer the question, “What have you been during during the pandemic?” for his blog, rafaelmusicnotes.com.

I thank him for that, because it made me look back at how I had the opportunity to document the impact of the pandemic on our arts community in the pages of the Business Courier. Here is some of that column:

Lights, cameras, action: Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker at Home’ to debut tonight on WLWT

From a previous production, principal dancer Melissa Gelfin De-Poli (this year’s Sugar Plum Fairy) performs with Cervilio Miguel Amador; Photography: Peter Mueller

Tonight, for the first time ever, Cincinnati Ballet, WLWT (Channel 5) and Frisch’s have teamed up to present televised performances of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker.” This year’s “The Nutcracker at Home presented by Frisch’s” will premiere in Prime Time, 8 p.m. December 22, with additional re-broadcasts throughout the holiday season on both WLWT and MeTV, Cincinnati channel WLWT 5.2.

The re-imagined, one-hour broadcast is “a holiday gift to the community,” says Cincinnati Ballet President and CEO Scott Altman.

The performance was recorded in Music Hall using safety protocols. The production will introduce new choreography by Artistic Director Victoria Morgan with support from artistic team, who worked with Emmy award-winning Director David Ashbrock to adapt the ballet for television.

Please look below to see the entire cast.

Due to the pandemic, dancers will wear masks and follow socially-distancing guidelines, but Morgan said audiences will enjoy an up-close, immersive experience of The Nutcracker like never before.

“With eight cameras capturing moments from every angle, even on the stage itself, this is a truly unique experience,” said Morgan. “Those magical moments we share together each year remain in this production — Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, plus we’ve added a few surprises just for this broadcast version.”

Cincinnati Ballet Music Director Carmon DeLeone and 35 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
musicians recorded a special score for the performance at Music Hall in late November. DeLeone
also spent many hours editing the music for this special broadcast. A streaming version of the
production will be also available to watch for a limited time after Christmas. More details to come at
cballet.org.

Join the Ariel Quartet for Hanukkah special — food and music

The Ariel Quartet
Photo by Marco Borggreve

Who doesn’t love Viennese apple strudel and chocolate babka? The Ariel Quartet—violinist Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky; violinist Gershon Gerchikov; cellist Amit Even-Tov, and violist Jan Grüning—invites you to celebrate Hanukkah with an afternoon of music and holiday baking today, December 13 at 4 pm ET. The delicious and musical interactive livestream event is free to those who sign up at https://ourconcerts.live/shows/hanukkah and will be produced by OurConcerts.live.

The Ariel Quartet — Quartet in Residence at CCM — will perform Schulhoff’s String Quartet No. 1; Beethoven: Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2, and Steve Cohen’s “A Klezmer Nutcracker,” live from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

They’ll also share their family recipes for making Viennese Apple Strudel and Chocolate Babka, and there will even be a bake-off matching up Lebkuchen and Hanukkah doughnuts.

Friends since their early teenage years in Israel, Kazovsky, Gerchikov, and Even-Tov formed the ensemble two decades ago as young students at the Jerusalem Academy Middle School of Music and Dance. Violist Jan Grüning joined in 2011. Today, the Ariel Quartet is distinguished by its virtuosity, probing musical insight, and impassioned, fiery performances, and has earned praise and fans worldwide.

The bake-off promises to show a “much sillier side of our friendship,” says Even-Tov.

“Hanukkah encourages each of us to find a way to radiate light into the world, and it’s in that same spirit that inspires that openness with which we try to approach our music-making and our relationships with each other, our audience, and the world beyond us. In our sound you can hear that we have been friends for a very long time,” she said.

The livestream is free.

Museums shuttered due to Covid

The Taft Museum of Art’s annual holiday display, with Cynthia Lockhart

During the pandemic, our local museums have done a great job keeping visitors safe, with social distancing, hand sanitizer and mask-wearing. However, the current surge is just too dangerous for comfort. This week, the Taft Museum of Art and Contemporary Arts Center followed the lead of the Cincinnati Art Museum, and are closed indefinitely. (The Art Museum hopes to reopen on Dec. 15.)

Here’s the Taft/CAC joint statement:

Jointly, the Contemporary Arts Center and the Taft Museum of Art have made the decision to temporarily close to the public, effective Saturday, December 12, 2020 in light of Governor Mike DeWine’s announcement on December 10.

As Ohio continues to reach an exceedingly high number of COVID-19 cases, DeWine has
requested that individuals stay home unless necessary: “The next three weeks will really be
the most important three weeks for all of us in this pandemic,” adding, “We cannot afford, on
the very eve of a safe and effective vaccination, to further overwhelm our hospitals and health
care providers with a holiday tsunami.”

We will continue to remain closed to the public until further guidance from health and government officials.

This was a difficult decision, made in support of our community’s health, and based on DeWine’s recommendations that residents should only leave the home if necessary.

We know our institutions are among the safest places in the Cincinnati region, and we are
voluntarily and temporarily closing our doors to the public in the interest of broader community
health outside our walls. We are pleased we had the chance to safely allow the community the
chance to see and experience art in person, and we look forward for the chance to do so
again. At this time, all in-person programming will be temporarily suspended, but virtual
programming and offers will continue.

The Contemporary Arts Center and the Taft Museum of Art will continue to share updates on
COVID-19 to inform our staff, volunteers, and visitors of effects to operations and safety on
their respective websites: contemporaryartscenter.org and taftmuseum.org.

Musica Sacra offers streamed concert, rehearsed and recorded live

Musica Sacra in St. Boniface Church, Northside, in a previous concert

Cincinnati’s Musica Sacra community choral group is streaming a special performance of Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, and his “Cantique de Jean Racine,” Nov. 25 through Dec. 4. The most unique aspect of this performance is that it was rehearsed and recorded live with orchestra, with its performers masked and socially distanced at St. Boniface Church in Northside earlier in November.

You may recall that early in the pandemic, it was determined that singing in a chorus could be among the most dangerous things one could do, because of the spread of aerosols while singing. Musica Sacra found a beautiful sanctuary that was also large enough for adequate spacing in St. Boniface Church, which also has a modern HVAC system.

The choir, currently led by music director L. Brett Scott, associate professor of Ensembles and Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), has been rehearsing in person this fall, following guidance from the American Choral Directors Association and an aerosol study performed by the International Coalition of Performing Arts.

Musica Sacra in a recording session for the livestream, tomorrow through Dec. 4. Provided by Musica Sacra

Members of the chorus wore special ‘singers’ masks, sat at the recommended distance apart, and sang for only 30 minutes at a time in small groups.  A 25-minute break between groups allows for the air to be cleared.

Cincinnati Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’ to be digital only

After high hopes of mounting an in-person, socially distanced “Nutcracker” this season, Cincinnati Ballet has announced that the production will be digital only. The reason is due to the ongoing surge of coronavirus locally.

“Given the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases across the region, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel all in-person performances of The Nutcracker at Cincinnati Music Hall,” said Cincinnati Ballet President and CEO Scott Altman, in a statement. “We have a responsibility to the community to do all we can to stop the spread of COVID-19. While we will dearly miss performing for live audiences, we are producing and recording a re-imagined, hour-long performance everyone can enjoy in the comfort and safety of their own homes. We could think of no better gift for the community this holiday season.”

It is being reimagined as The Nutcracker at Home presented by Frisch’s Big Boy, and performances will be free.

The performance will be recorded at Cincinnati Music Hall following strict health and safety protocols. The production will feature Artistic Director Victoria Morgan’s whimsical choreography, Main Company dancers, and gorgeous sets and costumes.

“All those magical moments we share together each year remain in this production,” said Morgan. “Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, plus we’ve added a few surprises just for this digital version.”

A unique element is that the company’s partner in the pit, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, will create a recording of Tchaikovsky’s score for this special performance. Cincinnati Ballet Music Director Carmon DeLeone will conduct 35 CSO musicians for the recording at Music Hall.

Cincinnati Ballet successfully created live, in-person performances for Ballet in the Park and Cincinnati Made earlier this season.

More details will be announced in the coming days. Information: cballet.org.

Art Museum closes for three weeks to promote wellness

Cincinnati Art Museum recently closed an important exhibition by Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal… ” This work is his “Guernica,” 2016. Mixed media, including sport jerseys.

Cincinnati Art Museum announced today that it is temporarily suspending in-person visitation to slow the spread of Covid-19.

The museum will take a “community health break in support of health care workers and Cincinnatians” starting tomorrow, Nov. 21, through Dec. 14.

The outdoor Art Climb will remain open, and CAM’s digital offerings will allow the community to stay engaged with the museum during this time.

Cameron Kitchin, Cincinnati Art Museum’s director, said the decision is voluntary, and that the museum considers it a responsibility to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

“Community wellness, in all of its dimensions, is our guiding force at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Today’s decision is difficult, yet our museum is clear-eyed about our place in civic responsibility,” Kitchin said in a statement.

The museum intends to reopen in time for its big upcoming show, “Frank Duveneck: American Master,” opening on Dec. 18.

James Conlon adds advisory title

James Conlon

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announced on Oct. 17 the appointment of James Conlon, conductor laureate of the Cincinnati May Festival, as its Artistic Advisor. Conlon will begin his role in September 2021, following the conclusion of BSO Music Director Marin Alsop’s historic 14-year tenure.

Conlon has affirmed that he is not a candidate in the BSO’s upcoming Music Director search. The orchestra plans a “multi-year, international search” of visiting conductors beginning in its 2021-22 season.

Conlon will be leading three concert weeks per year in each of the 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 seasons, and will fill duties off the podium, such as fill orchestral vacancies. Ironically, his first appearance will mark his debut with the Baltimore Symphony.

Hamilton, Matinee Musicale postponed due to Covid

The race has heated up for a Covid vaccine. But that hasn’t stopped the postponement and cancellation of cultural offerings this season, one after another.

The latest is the much-anticipated return of “Hamilton” to the Aronoff Center this March. Today, I received this statement from Broadway in Cincinnati:

Broadway in Cincinnati has announced that due to the challenges of scheduling touring Broadway shows across the country during this unprecedented time, an additional change must be made to the upcoming season.

The Cincinnati engagement of HAMILTON, originally scheduled for March 2 – 28, 2021, has been postponed. New dates will be announced at a later time.

Season Ticketholders for this show will retain their same seats for the rescheduled engagements and will be notified when those dates have been set.

Nicole Cabell

And my inbox also had this update about Matinee Musicale. Due to ongoing concerns around the COVID-19 health crisis, Matinée Musicale has rescheduled the remaining recitals for their 2019-2020 season in Memorial Hall.

• Nicole Cabell postponed from January 2021 to early 2022, exact date to be announced.
• Christina Nam postponed to 2022-2023 season, exact date to be announced

Matinee hopes that Pene Pati’s recital will go on as planned June 6, 2021 but will notify ticket holders of any change.

If you are a ticket holder for Nicole Cabell and/or Christina Nam, please call the Memorial Hall box office (513-977-8838) before December 15, to either donate the cost of your tickets to Matinée Musicale or to receive a refund. Box office hours are Tuesday – Friday, 1:00-6:00 pm.

Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony presents Veterans Day concert

Michael Chertock

A wonderful tribute to United States Veterans is available online today and for the next 48 hours. The Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Chertock, presents an inspiring Veterans Day ceremony and concert, all performed and recorded for the streamed program using Covid-19 safety precautions.

The orchestra sent out this announcement: “No Town Square Celebration. No marching band. No traditional community luncheon. This year, Veterans Day will have a new look!  But, it doesn’t mean we won’t be able to acknowledge or celebrate Veterans Day!”

The orchestra is joined by local Veterans, performing onstage in the orchestra and as soloists, as well as through narrative.  You will hear moving stories, poems read by the students from EH Greene school as well as The Armed Forces Medley, Victory at Sea, God Bless America and other patriotic selections. It is funded by The City of Blue Ash.

One of the soloists is U.S. Navy veteran Jim Cannon, who performs Debussy’s “Clair de lune,” recorded live in his recent — and very impressive — piano recital in Werner Recital Hall for the master’s degree in piano performance at CCM.

During his career, Cannon flew the P-3 Orion, primarily an anti-submarine aircraft, in the 1980s.