Category Archives: Events
CINCY BLACK WINE FEST | Sat., Feb. 17 | Music Hall Ballroom
Second Annual Cincy Black Wine Fest
to Celebrate Wine and Culture
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Cincinnati Music Hall Ballroom
[Cincinnati, OH] – Lush Life Brands is excited to announce the highly anticipated return of the Cincy Black Wine Fest on February 17, 2024, at the historic Cincinnati Music Hall Ballroom. Following the success of its inaugural event in 2023, the festival promises to be even more exceptional in year two, offering an elevated experience for wine enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Cincy Black Wine Fest 2024 will bring together more than thirty-five exceptional wine brands from across the country, celebrating the rich diversity and artistry of Black winemakers. The festival will be a journey through wine, featuring pairings provided by festival partners Lucius Q, Murray’s Cheese, GFI, Sweet Petite’s, and more.
During the festival, guests will be transported to the idyllic landscapes of Napa Valley through immersive activations and experiences that are designed to make this event truly unforgettable. To further enhance the experience, the 2024 festival will introduce two premium liquor brands, offering a diverse range of spirits for attendees to savor. Guests will also have the opportunity to indulge in a cigar lounge, adding an extra layer of sophistication to the event.
Cincy Black Wine Fest 2024 will feature two sessions to accommodate all attendees:
- DAY SESSION: 1:00 – 4:00 PM
- NIGHT SESSION: 6:30 – 9:30 PM
Tickets are currently on sale at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-2787 [ARTS], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Applicable services fees may apply.
There are two ticket options:
- VIP: $125 – This exclusive ticket provides access to two private festival lounges, one sponsored by Uncle Nearest in addition to The Lush Lounge sponsored by Yelp. VIP guests will have the opportunity to explore elevated wine and cuisine, conversational lounge seating, additional Uncle Nearest cocktails and tastings, and more sponsored activities.
- GENERAL ADMISSION: $85 – General admission tickets will grant access to one of the two fantastic sessions, unlimited tasting samples, access to multiple activations, and additional festival activities.
For businesses and organizations looking to support this year’s event, sponsorship opportunities are still available and offer a unique chance to align their brand with a diverse audience. For more information about sponsorship opportunities or the Cincy Black Wine Fest, visit www.lushlifebrands.net.
About Lush Life Brands
Lush Life Brands is a company dedicated to celebrating diversity and culture through the world of wine and spirits. The Cincy Black Wine Fest is just one of the ways in which Lush Life Brands strives to create memorable experiences that bring people together through a shared love of fine libations and delicious cuisine. www.lushlifebrands.net
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PUFFS at Cooper Drama Club, Nov. 16-18
PUFFS Two Act Young Wizard’s Edition
Cooper Drama Club
Nov. 16-18
Cooper High School [Union, Ky.]
Puffs takes you on an adventure! You know the guy who had a scar on his forehead and found out he was a wizard? Well, this is the story about the OTHER people in that school – the ones who might have been forgotten.
This play goes through all seven books in about 2 hours.
- Thu-Fri, Nov. 16-17 at 7pm
- Sat, Nov. 18 at 1pm & 7pm
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Filed under Events, High School Theatre, On Stage
Cincinnati Opera and CCM to Workshop LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, a New Opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, through Opera Fusion: New Works Partnership
Based on George Saunders’s award-winning novel, the work has been commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and is a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Los Angeles Opera
The Opera Fusion: New Works workshop of Lincoln in the Bardo culminates in a free, public presentation of excerpts on Sunday, November 12
CINCINNATI (October 19, 2023)—Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) have announced the next workshop in their groundbreaking joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works.
In collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera, the Cincinnati partners will host a workshop in November 2023 for the new opera Lincoln in the Bardo, with music by Missy Mazzoli and libretto by Royce Vavrek, based on the celebrated novel by George Saunders. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Los Angeles Opera, Lincoln in the Bardo is slated to receive its world premiere in 2026.
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 November workshop, Mazzoli and Vavrek will work alongside conductor Steven Osgood, stage director Lileana Blain-Cruz, dramaturg Paul Cremo, and a cast of singers including renowned soprano Christine Goerke, to take the opera to its next creative stage.
The OF:NW workshop for Lincoln in the Bardo will culminate in a public performance of excerpts on Sunday, November 12, 2023, at 2 p.m. (ET) at Cincinnati Opera’s Corbett Opera Center at Music Hall (1243 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202). The performance will be followed by a conversation about the opera with Mazzoli, Vavrek, Saunders, Osgood, Cremo, Goerke, and the 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, October 19, 2023, at 12 p.m. (ET) and can be reserved at cincinnatiopera.org or by calling 513-241-2742.
Opera Fusion: New Works is generously funded by the Mellon Foundation.
About Lincoln in the Bardo
Lincoln in the Bardo is a new opera by composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by George Saunders, which spins a fantastical and supernatural tale inspired by a true historical event. In the early days of the Civil War, President Lincoln’s beloved 11-year-old son, Willie, dies unexpectedly and is laid to rest at Georgetown Cemetery. A grief-stricken Lincoln returns several times to the crypt to hold his son’s body. Meanwhile, Willie finds himself in a strange purgatory where ghosts mingle, gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state—called, in the Tibetan tradition, the bardo—a monumental struggle erupts over Willie’s soul. As in the novel, the opera employs a kaleidoscopic panorama of voices to ask a timeless, profound question: How do we live and love when we know that everything we love must end? (Description adapted from Penguin Random House.)
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 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. Cincinnati Opera also receives general season support from the Ohio Arts Council, 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 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.
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The Walnut Hills High School Theatre Department Presents THE LARAMIE CYCLE
Members of The Tectonic Theatre Project played by Arrow Coker, Adah Mosher, Jonathan Rubin, Charles Burdsall, Clark Sayre, and Nola Stowe. Photo by Mikki Schaffner. Costumes by Diabou Fall.
Cincinnati, OH- Following a fantastic season last year, the Walnut Hills High School Theatre Department is eager to welcome back audiences to The Rick Steiner Black Box Theater with THE LARAMIE CYCLE.
Part I, The well-known classic THE LARAMIE PROJECT, runs November 2nd-4th, 2023 at 7 p.m. with an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, November 4th. Part II, the lesser-known THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER runs December 9 &10, 2023 at 2 p.m. with an additional 7 p.m. performance on Saturday, December 9.
In October 1998, a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised, and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half, in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, while others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of the reactions to the crime is fascinating.
Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences in Laramie. THE LARAMIE PROJECT is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.
Ten years later on September 12th, 2008, five members of Tectonic returned to Laramie to try to understand the long-term effect of the murder. They found a town wrestling with its legacy and its place in history. In addition to revisiting the folks whose words riveted us in the original play, this time around, the company also spoke with the two murderers, McKinney and Henderson, as well as Matthew’s mother, Judy Shepard. THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER is a bold new work, which asks the question, “How does society write its own history?”
“On the 25th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death, we are incredibly honored and excited to be the first high school theatre program in the area to do both of these plays as a cycle.” says director Mike Sherman. “Matthew’s murder was a watershed moment for our country that inspired a generation of activists, and we feel these two plays still have many lessons to teach us about how we as a country react to, respond, and view national tragedies like this.”
Tickets are $13 for adults and $11 for students. They are now available, and can be purchased at: https://sites.google.com/view/whhstheatredepartment/tickets.
CONTENT WARNING: Verbal descriptions of violence, assault, death and use of sexual orientation slurs.
This production and the entire WHHS Theatre Season is graciously sponsored by the Walnut Hills High School Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund.
THE LARAMIE PROJECT
Featuring cast members Katie Berich, Norah Boehm, Charles Burdsall, Andrew Canter, Nate Caudill, Arrow Coker, Elijah Cook, Aida Doumbia, Kyra Doty, Noa Jaffee, Christian Jordan, Josie Leanza, Caroline Lovelace, Adah Mosher, Hoyt Noble, Larena Peart, Khara Rosebrook, Jonathan Rubin, Clark Sayre, Lauryn Shafer, Jude Shotwell, Wolf Singer, and Nola Stowe.
Directed by Mike Sherman
Assistant Director by Laylah Torain
Technical Direction by Helen A. Raymond-Goers
Production Stage Manager- Abbie Kershner
Assistant Stage Manager- Richie Bell
Costume Designer- Diabou Fall
Hair and Makeup Designer- Lizzy Rebber
Co-Props Designers- AJ Frecker and Oran Wilkins
Props Manager- Oran Wilkins
Lighting Designer- Sophie Glenn
Scenic Designer- Ryan Peerless
Sound Designer- Maya Busche
Mistress Electrician- Maya Busche
Head of Marketing and Publicity- Lizzy Rebber
THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER
Featuring cast members Corrine Adams, Andrew Canter, Theo Davis, Kyra Doty, Morgan Felsburg, Clare Graff, Izzy Lachey, Clark Sayre, and Wolf Singer
Directed by Mike Sherman
Assistant Director- Emma Dalton
Production Stage Manager- Abbie Kershner
Assistant Stage Manager- Maya Busche
Costume Designer- Katie Berich
Costume/Hair and Makeup Assistant Designer- Lizzy Rebber
Hair and Makeup Designer- Corrine Adams
Lighting and Scenic Designer- Ryan Peerless
Mistress Electrician- Maya Busche
Props and Set Decoration- Morgan Felsburg and Wolf Singer
Props Manager- Oran Wilkins
Sound Designer- Oran Wilkins
Head of Marketing and Publicity- Lizzy Rebber
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Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 