Tag Archives: Cincinnati Arts Association

North American Premiere

Sunday, February 19, 2017 – 7:00 PM
Aronoff Center – Procter & Gamble Hall

Pre-show performance at 6:30 PM by Cincinnati Dayton Taiko
Otto M. Buding Lobby (Loge Level)

The World’s Supreme Taiko Drumming Troupe Brings Unparalleled Artistry and Athleticism to 22 American Cities, Celebrating a Sensational 35 Years

“Indeed, if there is such a thing as perfection in music, Kodo comes as near to it as any group in the world.” – Boston Globe

“Superlatives don’t really exist to convey the primal power and bravura beauty of Kodo.” –   Chicago Tribune

CINCINNATI, OH – The Cincinnati Arts Association is proud to present Kodo – the world’s foremost professional taiko company which has singularly played the most important role in popularizing modern taiko drumming. The acclaimed company, direct from Japan, will present its newest program, DADAN, in North America for the first time. The much-anticipated tour will play the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall on Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 7:00 PM. The event is part of CAA’s 2016-17 Season.

Tickets are $50, $40, and $30, and are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Group discount tickets for 10 or more are available by calling (513) 977-4157.  HALF-PRICE STUDENT DISCOUNT:  available in person at the Aronoff Center Ticket Office with a valid student ID (limit 2 tickets per student)

A pre-show performance by Cincinnati Dayton Taiko is scheduled for 6:30 PM in the Otto M. Buding Lobby (Loge Level). Cincinnati Dayton Taiko (CDT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Japanese style taiko drumming through performance and education.  CDT performances are based on a traditional foundation, but emphasize the fun and community spirit of taiko.

Forging new directions for the traditional Japanese drum, Kodo will bring a display of their raw athleticism and rhythmic mastery back to the U.S. with this cutting-edge and ever-evolving production, featuring the men of Kodo in a bold portrayal of the essence of drumming through this vibrant living art form.
Simultaneously raw and refined, DADAN was created by artistic director and Japanese “Living National Treasure” Tamasaburo Bando. Simply meaning “Drumming Men,” DADAN features only the company’s young male members and is unique among Kodo’s programs in its absence of singing, dancing, flutes, and female performers. Instead, this production exclusively uses taiko drums of all shapes and sizes, as well as other forms of percussion.

The climax of DADAN features a succession of compelling solos, and with each new drummer’s relentless and rhythmic pounding of the hirado o-daiko (big low drum), the reverberations build to soul-stirring heights. The solos then crescendo into a round of rousing ensemble pieces, completely immersing the audience in sound as they watch the taiko soar to new levels. More than any other piece in the Kodo repertoire, DADAN simultaneously challenges the limits of the player’s physical, technical, psychological, and spiritual talents.

DADAN saw its world premiere in Tokyo in September 2009, and its foreign debut at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France, with four sold-out performances in 2012. The production toured across Japan in 2012 and was showcased twice at the “Earth Celebration” annual international performing arts festival on Sado Island. Tours of Spain and France followed during 2014, and in October 2015, DADAN was performed in Hong Kong – a first in Asia outside of Japan. The South American debut took place in March of 2016 in Brazil, and the 2017 DADAN performances will be its first North American tour.

For a preview of DADAN, click here.

About Kodo
In Japanese, the word “Kodo” holds a double meaning. It can be translated as “heartbeat,” the primal source of all rhythm. If read in a different context, however, Kodo can also mean “children of the drum,” which reflects the group’s desire to play the drums with the simple heart of a child. Since the group’s debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981, Kodo has given 5,800 performances in 49 countries on five continents (this figure includes 3,900 performances under the “One Earth” banner). The ensemble also participates in a wide range of projects and events, which includes headlining major international festivals, contributing to motion picture soundtracks, and collaborating with a wide variety of global performing arts leaders.

Kodo’s members, staff, and apprentices live in Kodo Village, a 33-acre, self-contained section of the Ogi Peninsula on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan, isolated from the rest of the island’s residents. Since 1971, Sado Island has been the home to Kodo, some of the most disciplined performers in the world, whose work and artistry transcends borders, genre, and time. In this beautiful natural environment, Kodo developed their extraordinary compound, devoted to creativity, education, and exchange, which includes a central office building, a rehearsal hall, residential building and guest house, a workshop, a recording studio, and the legendary Kodo Apprentice Center.

For more information about Kodo, visit www.kodo.or.jp/index_en.html.

About Tamasaburo Bando
Tamasaburo Bando is a leading Kabuki actor, and the most popular and celebrated onnagata (actor specializing in female roles) currently on stage. His theatrical directing credits include Romeo & Juliet and Kaijin Besso, and he has directed the films Gekashitsu, Yume no Onna, and Tenshu Monogatari. Bando accepted the invitation to become Kodo’s artistic director from 2012 through 2016, and was recognized as an Important Intangible Cultural Property Holder (“Living National Treasure”) in Japan. In 2013, he was decorated with the highest honor – Commander – of France’s Order of Arts and Letters.

Cincinnati Arts Association SPONSORS 

Season Sponsors: AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), FIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), FURNITURE FAIR, LOCAL12 WKRC, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Heidelberg Distributing, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Macy’s, Pepsi, Skyline Chili, TriHealth, Ultimate Air Shuttle, Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management 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 1.4 million students.  www.CincinnatiiArts.org

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Aronoff Center for the Arts
March 27, 2017 – 7:30pm

Tickets Go On-Sale Friday, Dec. 16 at 10am

Cincinnati, OH – Theresa Caputo, from TLC’s hit show, Long Island Medium, will be appearing live at the Aronoff Center on Monday, March 27 at 7:30PM. Theresa will share personal stories about her life and explain how her gift works. She will deliver healing messages to audience members and give people comfort knowing that their loved ones who passed are still with them, just in a different way.

Tickets go on-sale Friday December 16 at 10:00AM and can be purchased at cincinnatiarts.org, (513) 621-2787 [ARTS], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Tickets start at $39.75 (plus applicable service charges) and are subject to change. Purchasing a ticket does not guarantee a reading.

“The Experience” brings Theresa face-to-face with her fans, as she lets spirit guide her through the audience. A video display ensures everyone in the venue has an up-close-hands-on experience regardless of seat location.

“The experience isn’t about believing in mediums. It’s about witnessing something life-changing” says Theresa Caputo. “It’s like Long Island Medium live, witnessing first-hand spirit communication.”

The highly-rated show Long Island Medium follows Theresa’s life as a typical Long Island wife and mom with one very big difference…she can communicate with the dead. Since she cannot “turn off” this gift, messages from departed loved ones can come through at any time, which lead to spontaneous readings with those she encounters. The new season of Long Island Medium is scheduled to premiere Sunday, February 19, 2017 on TLC.

Theresa has appeared on such programs as “Jay Leno,” “Jimmy Fallon,” “Steve Harvey,” “Live with Kelly and Michael,” “Dr. Oz,” & “The Today Show.” Theresa’s second book titled “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” was released in September 2014 and debuted at #9 on The New York Times Best Seller List. Her first book titled “There’s More to Life Than This” debuted in the fall of 2013.

Theresa has been a practicing medium for over fifteen years. She helps individuals find closure by delivering healing messages. For Theresa, this is not just her job… this is her life.

Learn more about Theresa at www.theresacaputo.com.

CINCINNATI, OH  – The Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is pleased to present the Griffin Theatre Company’s production of Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI by Ryan Smithson, adapted for the stage by William Massolia, on Friday, December 9, 2016 at 8:00 PM at the Aronoff Center’s intimate Jarson-Kaplan Theater.  The show is part of CAA’S 2016-17 Season.

Tickets are $30 and are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office.  Group discount tickets for 10 or more are available by calling (513) 977-4157.

The Griffin Theatre Company returns to the Aronoff Center for a second year with a show about the impact of war. Ryan Smithson was a typical 16-year-old high-school student until 9/11. “I’d thought about joining the military the moment I saw the towers fall,” he relates in this profoundly moving theatrical production based on Smithson’s acclaimed memoir. Smithson enlisted in the Army Reserve the following year and, a year into the Iraq war, was deployed to an Army engineer unit as a heavy-equipment operator. His poignant, often harrowing account, especially vivid in sensory details, chronicles his experiences in basic training and his tour of duty in Iraq.

“Only after we have been completely destroyed can we begin to find ourselves,” Smithson says of his basic training, offering an unflinchingly honest portrait of the physical and psychological brutality of that experience. His account of his tour of duty in Iraq is no less compelling. He lucidly recounts the intensity of battle and the pain of losing comrades. For Smithson, the war is a source of personal enlightenment, and this one-man play is a remarkable, deeply penetrating exploration of duty, patriotism and sacrifice.

To enhance the theatrical experience, the performance is followed by a post-play discussion.   

Griffin Theatre Company
The mission of the Griffin Theatre Company is to create extraordinary and meaningful theatrical experiences for both children and adults by building bridges of understanding between generations that instill in its audience an appreciation of the performing arts. The Griffin achieves this mission and vision through artistic collaboration, produces literary adaptations, original work and classic plays that challenge and inspire, with wit, style and compassion for the audience. The company is supported by an ensemble of Artist in Residence with a range of disciplines include acting, designing, directing and production.

Over the last twenty-five years the Griffin has provided a wide range of work including world and mid-west premieres of acclaimed scripts, critically lauded productions of Shakespeare and original adaptations of novels. Many of the Griffin’s 100 plus productions have appeared on Chicago area critics “Best of the Year” lists. The Griffin is the recipient of 46 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for theatre excellence in Chicago and numerous other awards and citations for its work. Last year the Griffin Theatre had the pleasure to perform its touring productions for over 100,000 young people and adults nationwide. 

For more information about the Griffin Theatre Company and Ghosts of War, visit www.GriffinTheatre.com. 

Cincinnati Arts Association SPONSORS 

Season Sponsors:  AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), FIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), FURNITURE FAIR, LOCAL12 WKRC, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:  21C Museum Hotel, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Heidelberg Distributing, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Hyatt Regency Cincinnati , Macy’s, Pepsi, Skyline Chili, TriHealth, Ultimate Air Shuttle, Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management 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 1.4 million students.

For more information, visit www.CincinnatiArts.org.