Category Archives: Events

February 13, 2024 · 5:44 pm

OVERTURE AWARDS – Finals Competition and Awards Ceremony | Sat., March 16 | Aronoff Center

CAA_Overture AwardsTOMORROW’S STARS

FINALS COMPETITION AND AWARDS CEREMONY
Tickets on sale now

CINCINNATI, OH – The Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is proud to present the 2024 Overture Awards Finals Competition. The Overture Awards provides $3,000 to six area high school students for education and training expenses, with eighteen finalists each winning $1,000. The program also includes Arts Educator Awards for Excellence in Arts Instruction totaling $2,000.

Tickets are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office.

The Overture Awards Finals Competition and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at 1:00 PM at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater. Winners will be announced immediately following the competition. The Visual Art Finalists Exhibition will be showcased in the Aronoff Center’s Center Stage Room (adjacent to the Weston Art Gallery on 7th Street) from Tuesday, March 12 – Saturday, March 23, 2024.

This year, 235 students applied to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Final, and Final.

The Overture Awards Regional Competitions were held virtually in January 2024. The top twenty-five percent of competitors in each discipline advanced to the Semi-Finals, which were held at the Aronoff Center on February 1-3. Twenty-four finalists will compete in the Finals Competition at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater on March 16.

Now in its 28th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation (now Duke Energy) and Leadership Cincinnati (a program of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber). The Overture Awards is funded and administered by the Cincinnati Arts Association, which operates and manages the Aronoff Center and Music Hall. The Overture Awards also relies on hundreds of volunteers from the community who help raise funds, adjudicate, manage the competitions, and nurture the program.

THE OVERTURE AWARDS ARE ENDOWED BY THE OTTO M. BUDIG FAMILY FOUNDATION.

THANK YOU to the following generous supporters of Dancing for the Stars and The Overture Awards: A Catered Affair, Accent on Cincinnati, Amanda Barraza, Douglas Beal, Bonita Brockert, Chris & Janeen (“Married with Microphones”), Lane Glick, Heidelberg Distributing Company, JD Hughes, David Kapor, Jon Lawhead, Jeremy Mainous, Frank Marzullo, Metropolitan Club, Diana Nguyen, Amanda Orlando, Morgan Angelique Owens, Tom Parker, Party Source, Pepsi, Prime Cincinnati, Primo Italian Steakhouse, Punky’s Pixel’s, Erin Rolfes, Skyline, Litsa Spanos, Britton Spitler (as Brock Leah Spears), Andrea Stefano, Street City Pub, That’s So Sweet, Josh Tilford, Rostislav Toporski, Melissa Vaughn, Vonderhaar’s Catering.

Overture Scholarship Sponsors: The Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee; Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.; Otto M. Budig Family Foundation; Summerfair Cincinnati; TriHealth

Printing Sponsor:  Harlan Graphics

THE 2024 OVERTURE AWARDS FINALISTS

CREATIVE WRITING

  • Marguerite Flaig, grade 11, Ursuline Academy
  • Hailey Hartman, grade 12, William Mason High School
  • Nkemdilim (Anna Rose) Matu, grade 12, William Mason High School
  • Lillian Waltz, grade 11, Indian Hill High School

DANCE

  • Nora Doyle, grade 9, School for Creative and Performing Arts / Just Off Broadway
  • Isabella Shearer, grade 12, School for Creative and Performing Arts / Just Off Broadway
  • Alexandria Yetter, grade 11, Sycamore High School / Hairston School of Dance
  • Audrey Zuziak, grade 11, Dixie Heights High School / Expressions Dance Theater

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

  • Christy Kim, grade 12, William Mason High School
  • Grace Kim, grade 11, William Mason High School
  • Erica Nam, grade 11, Walnut Hills High School
  • Keliang Yao, grade 11, The Seven Hills School / University of Michigan

THEATER

  • Oluwatobiloba Aina, grade 12, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy / The Musical Arts Center
  • Arabella Bertucci, grade 12, Campbell County High School
  • Natalie Hudepohl, grade 12, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy / The Musical Arts Center / Cincinnati Music Academy
  • Ali Lewis, grade 11, Mercy McAuley High School

VISUAL ART

  • Isabella Brink, grade 12, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
  • Rylee Dissinger, grade 12, Oak Hills High School
  • Alisha Verma, grade 12, William Mason High School
  • Ellen Zhang, grade 12, William Mason High School

VOCAL MUSIC  

  • Ella Clark, grade 12, Dixie Heights High School / Talia Zoll Studio of Music
  • Jacob Eddingfield, grade 12, Elder High School / Michelle Wells Voice Studio
  • Ishanvi Karthikeyan, grade 11, Lakota West High School
  • Evan Stuart, grade 12, Highlands High School / Keen Voice Studio

Arts Educator Award for Excellence in Arts Instruction

The Arts Educator Award promotes and rewards excellence in arts instruction throughout Greater Cincinnati. An educator who teaches any of the following arts disciplines may be nominated: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. They can be a high school arts specialist, teaching artist working with high school students, or an arts professional or educator providing private lessons or instruction. Nominations for the award must come from students between the ages of 14-19 who are currently enrolled in high school. Nominations are made by submitting an on-line application with a three-minute video about why the nominee is an exemplary arts educator.

The recipients of the Arts Educator Award may utilize their prize money to strengthen their program or practice, e.g. an artist fee for a guest lecturer or master class, the purchase of equipment, or a professional learning opportunity such as tuition assistance for either the educator or for students to study with the recipient or another professional.

Arts Educator Award Nominees

John Ingram, Private Instructor
Discipline: Instrumental Music
Nominated by John Paul Shannon

Lincoln Chapman, Musical Arts Center
(posthumous nomination)
Discipline: Vocal Music
Nominated by Alice Pooley

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of two of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than two million students and adults.

CAA is proud to be a member of Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Greater Cincinnati Alliance for Arts Education, Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau, Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce.

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February 11, 2024 · 7:25 pm

Cincinnati Opera and CCM to Workshop THE HIGHLANDS, a new Opera by Carlos Simon, Lynn Nottage, and Ruby Aiyo Gerber, through Opera Fusion: New Works Partnership

Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater New Works Program, The Highlands workshop culminates in a free, public presentation of excerpts on Saturday, March 23 at Music Hall’s Wilks Studio

CO_The Highlands

CINCINNATI (February 8, 2024)—Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) have announced the next workshop in their joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works.

In March 2024, the partners will host a workshop of Act I of the new two-act opera The Highlands, with music by GRAMMY-nominated composer Carlos Simon and a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and her daughter, poet and writer Ruby Aiyo Gerber. The Highlands is a commission of the Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater New Works Program, a co-venture between the two institutions that aims to nurture, promote, and stage new opera and music theater works.

Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is co-directed by Robin Guarino, professor of opera at CCM, and Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera, and provides composers and librettists the opportunity to collaborate with singers and creative personnel to refine their works-in-progress. During the March workshop, Simon, Nottage, and Gerber will work alongside conductor Donald Lee III, dramaturg Paul Cremo, and a cast of singers to take the opera to its next creative stage.

The OF:NW workshop for The Highlands will culminate in a public performance of excerpts on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 2 p.m. at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio (1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202). The performance will be followed by a conversation about the opera with the creative team and cast moderated by Guarino and Mirageas. Admission to the performance and post-performance conversation is free, though seating is limited and reservations are required. Tickets become available on Thursday, February 8, 2024, and can be reserved at cincinnatiopera.org or by calling 513-241-2742.

About The Highlands
In the near future amid the flood-ravaged Louisiana territory known as The Highlands, the matriarch of the Lenox family informs her heirs of a deeply-held family secret—that they are the keepers of an ancient griot magic originating with their African ancestors. On the eve of Carnival, one of the Lenox siblings—Clarence, Darius, or their younger sister, Lucinda—will inherit this great gift, as well as the responsibilities that come with it. When the family’s secret is revealed, members of their community debate how it should be used and whom it should benefit. Amid arguments and struggles, the magic is eventually entrusted to the compassionate yet reluctant Lucinda, who must decide how best to wield its power.

Opera Fusion: New Works is generously funded by the Mellon Foundation.

About Opera Fusion: New Works
Funded through a generous gift from the Mellon Foundation, Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is a partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) dedicated to fostering the development of new American operas. This collaboration is jointly led by Robin Guarino, professor of opera at CCM, and Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera. OF:NW offers composers or composer/librettist teams the opportunity to workshop an opera during a residency in Cincinnati. Residencies utilize the facilities, personnel, and talent of both Cincinnati Opera and CCM. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists, and each workshop concludes with a free public presentation of excerpts followed by an audience Q&A session. For more information, visit ofnw.org.

About CCM
Nationally ranked and internationally renowned, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a preeminent institution for the performing and media arts. The school’s educational roots date back to 1867, and a solid, visionary instruction has been at its core since that time. CCM offers nine degree types (BA, BM, BFA, MFA, MM, MA, AD, DMA, PhD) in nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs.

Declared a top college vocal program by Backstage Magazine and described as “one of the continent’s major music schools,” by the Toronto Star, CCM’s Departments of Opera and Voice provide one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches, and directors in the United States. CCM offers an international faculty of dedicated educators who are also celebrated professionals in their own right, widely and currently active in their respective fields. Several national opera companies hold auditions at the conservatory, and CCM students frequently advance to the final rounds of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. CCM graduates have performed on the stages of the world’s greatest opera companies, including Cincinnati Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera (London), La Scala (Italy), and more. To learn more, visit ccm.uc.edu.

About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920 and the second-oldest opera company in the nation, Cincinnati Opera presents a thrilling season of grand opera every summer and engaging programs throughout the year. The company’s repertoire includes beloved classics and contemporary masterworks brought to life by some of the world’s most dynamic performers and creative artists.

Cincinnati Opera is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. 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. Cincinnati Opera also receives general season support from The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust, and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, along with general season and project support from many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of OPERA America. Learn more at cincinnatiopera.org.

About The Metropolitan Opera /Lincoln Center Theater New Works Program
The Metropolitan Opera /Lincoln Center Theater New Works Program, founded in 2006, has provided developmental resources for many composers and librettists. The program has overseen the creation of several new operas, including Two Boys, composed by Nico Muhly with a libretto by Craig Lucas; Eurydice, composed by Matthew Aucoin with a libretto by Sarah Ruhl, based on her play; and Grounded, composed by Jeanine Tesori with a libretto by George Brant, based on his play—all three produced by the Met. Intimate Apparel, composed by Ricky Ian Gordon with a libretto by Lynn Nottage, based on her play, was produced by Lincoln Center Theater. Other projects in development include new works by Joshua Schmidt and Dick Scanlan; David. T. Little and Royce Vavrek; Maxim Kolomiiets and George Brant; Carlos Simon; and Valerie Coleman, Jessie Montgomery, and Joel Thompson.

The Met/LCT New Works Program is funded by a generous gift to the Met from the Francis Goelet Charitable Trusts, with additional support from Linda Hirshman.

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February 7, 2024 · 6:57 pm

Mars Hills Academy to Present OUR TOWN

Audiences will be swept back in time to 1901, as the Mars Hill Academy Players present Thornton Wilder’s OUR TOWN

MHA_Our Town

Zeke Crocker of Maineville, Ellery Powers of Maineville, Lydia Cunningham of Liberty Twp., Marko Mavridis of Lebanon, Kaiya Knodel of Springboro, and Camdon Hutchinson of Cincinnati.

MASON – Milk is delivered, breakfast is on the stove, and the town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire is alive. These everyday moments that shape the human experience will unfold on stage as the Mars Hill Academy Players transport audiences to the turn of the last century in Thornton Wilder’s timeless classic, “Our Town,” Feb. 29-March 2.

In scenes of daily life that capture the poetic beauty of the everyday, this Pulitzer Prize-winning American classic celebrates family, faith and the wonders that happen all around us, if we are just attuned to see them.

Audiences will meet the town gossips, the boys who play baseball, and the choirmaster with a secret sorrow. They’ll witness the unfolding journey of teenagers George Gibbs (played by senior Andrew Leonard of Liberty Twp.) and Emily Webb (played by senior Lydia Cunningham of Liberty Twp.), as they navigate the realms of friendship, love, marriage, and beyond. The drama culminates in Emily’s third act revelation that humans fail to “realize life while they live it…every, every minute.”

Directed by the Headmaster Mike McKenna, the cast brings a fresh and heartfelt perspective to the enduring themes of the play.

“This production is a nostalgic journey that invites audiences to immerse themselves in the simplicity and richness of life in Grover’s Corners. ‘Our Town’ not only captures the essence of a bygone era but also explores the universal aspects of love, gratitude, and the human experience,” he explained.

McKenna said one unique aspect of directing Wilder’s classic is stripping the play of artifice with minimal scenery or props.

“The show contains fewer props and visuals, allowing the audience to focus on the characters and the strong emotions,” he said.

“Our Town” is a show for all ages. McKenna explained, “The themes of ‘Our Town’ are timeless and resonate with audiences of every generation. It invites us to reflect on the simple yet profound aspects of life that connect us all.”

How to go:

  • Dates: February 29 to March 2, 7 p.m., Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.
  • Location: The Fitton Center for the Arts (101 S. Monument Avenue, Hamilton, OH 45011)
  • Tickets: Thursday tickets are $15 for Premium and $12 for General Admission. Friday and Saturday tickets are $18 for Premium and $15 for General Admission.
  • More information or to purchase tickets: visit www.marshill.edu/drama

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January 28, 2024 · 5:53 pm

Carol Burnett Dinner Theater on Feb. 16-17

GST_Carol Burnette✨ Dinner Theater Extravaganza! ✨

🍝Join us on February 16th or 17th at 6:30 pm for a Night of Laughter and Delicious Eats!

🎭Featuring Hilarious Carol Burnett Skits

Carol Burnett is known as one of the most brilliant comedians of all time and her sow ran for 11 years. Her show received many awards and made it to Time Magazine’s list of 100 Best TV shows of all time.

You are going to love this opportunity to re-live the wonderful and hilarous sketches from the great Carol Burnett show. You will be able to reminisce with laughter and the actual skits from her famous show.
Sit back and enjoy the great comedy of Carol Burnett as presented by the Gaslight Theater Players.

🍽️ Indulge in a Scrumptious Spaghetti Dinner:
*Classic Red Sauce (with and without meat)
*Fresh Salad🥗
*Warm Bread🍞
*Irresistible Desserts🍰

💸 Ticket Prices:
Adults: $25
Kids 16 and Under: $10

🎟️ Secure Your Seats – Sign Up Online!

Friday (16th) night showGLP_Feb 16

Saturday (17th) night showGLP_Feb 17

📍Venue:
True Life Christian Church
15117 Eastwood Rd
Williamsburg, OH 45176

📅Save the Date and Join Us for an Unforgettable Evening of Entertainment and Flavor!For more information, contact Angie Mckibben at (513) 479-1460 or angie@truelifecc.com

✨ Dinner, Laughter, Memories – Don’t Miss Out! ✨

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January 28, 2024 · 5:43 pm

Financial Literacy Workshop for Artists On Feb. 5

TGSC_logoJoin The Ghostlight Stage Company for our workshop, Financial Literacy for Artists on Feb. 5!

About the workshop:
Being a professional artist takes much more than just creativity and artistic talent. Every working artist knows that the business side of things is just as, if not more, important than the art itself. That’s why professional artist and finance expert Julie Locker is here to guide you with an overview of financial literacy geared specifically towards artists!

This 2 hour workshop will include:

  • comprehensive budgeting advice geared towards independent contractors
  • money mindset: replacing anxiety with empowerment
  • retirement planning for freelancers
  • how to self-fund your projects
  • presentation & talk-back with a professional artist and finance expert

This workshop is part of The Ghostlight Stage Company’s Shining a Light Series, presented in part by the support of ArtsWave. You can purchase individual tickets for $15 or purchase a season subscription to attend all 4 workshops/lectures for just $40.

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