Tag Archives: Cincinnati Arts Association

CINCINNATI, OH – Jim Brickman continues to wow audience members year after year with his intimate and beloved holiday tour. Performing live in one spectacular concert, JIM BRICKMAN: ON A WINTER’S NIGHT plays the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall on Sunday, December 30 at 2:00 PM.

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

The best-selling piano artist and his special guests will delight audiences with classic and contemporary holiday music, fan favorites, and songs from Jim Brickman’s latest CD, Believe. Dazzling solo piano, vibrant vocals, warmth, and humor make this an ideal winter season celebration.

JIM BRICKMAN
Jim Brickman has revolutionized solo piano with his pop-style instrumentals and star-studded vocal collaborations. With over seven million records sold, Jim’s signature songwriting style, original music, and unique performances have also brought him six Gold and Platinum selling albums, 30 charted adult radio hits, Grammy® nominations in 2003 & 2009, two SESAC “Songwriter of the Year” awards, a Canadian Country Music Award, and a Gospel Music Association Dove Award.

His best-known compositions include the chart-toppers “Valentine,” “The Gift,” “Love of My Life,” “Simple Things,” and “Peace.” In January 2012, Jim commanded the top three spots on the Top 10 of Billboard’s New Age chart for his albums Love, Romanza and All is Calm. His albums feature collaborations with such noted vocalists as Martina McBride, Gerald Levert, Lady Antebellum, Matt Giraud, Michael W. Smith, Kenny Loggins, Carly Simon, Herb Alpert, Collin Raye, Michael Bolton, Sara Evans, Donny Osmond, and Olivia Newton-John.

A native of Cleveland, Jim began playing piano at the age of five and studied music at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music. He founded his own advertising music company in 1980, writing commercial jingles for such advertisers as McDonald’s, Pontiac, and Kellogg’s.

Brickman has been a strong supporter of PBS, starring in four TV concert specials: Beautiful World (2009), Jim Brickman Live from Disney’s Magic Kingdom (2005), My Romance—An Evening with Jim Brickman (2000), and Love Songs and Lullabies (2002).

Other artistic endeavors include a popular weekly radio show, Your Weekend with Jim Brickman; two best-selling books, Simple Things and Love Notes; debuts at Carnegie Hall and the White House; and international touring from Spain to Thailand. His Jim Brickman Cruises have become an annual hot-ticket event.

Jim lends a hand to many charitable foundations for children, including Autism Speaks and UNICEF. A scholarship was recently established in his name at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

For more information about Jim Brickman and the On A Winter’s Night Tour, visit www.JimBrickman.com.

ANNE COCHRAN
Anne Cochran has had the good fortune to perform at Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden, and her now-classic single “After All These Years” was a Top 5 hit. She has been known to deliver a stirring “Star-Spangled Banner” at the NCAA Women’s Championship Basketball Final, perform at Hollywood’s CAMIE Awards, and co-host a breast cancer research gala benefit with comedian Bob Newhart. Anne has happily shared the stage with Jim Brickman, Collin Raye, Donny Osmond, Dave Koz, Tracy Silverman, Jeff Timmons, Kristy Starling, Wayne Brady, Michael Bolton, and Linda Eder. To savor Anne’s magic on CD, sample just-out Two of Hearts, a collection of beautifully-styled love song duets, performed with tenor Benjamin Utecht. For more information, visit www.annecochran.com.

LUKE MCMASTER
Luke McMaster has come full circle in the world of the music business. Formerly half of the acclaimed duo McMaster & James, Luke has experienced touring the world with acts like Chantal Kreviazuk, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera. Aside from touring, Luke’s natural gift for songwriting led him to Toronto, New York, and L.A. to work with a wide variety of international talent including Rihanna and Nick Lachey. In 2011, Luke relaunched his performance career and quickly began touring again. This fall, Luke will release his new CD, All Roads, a collection of brand new, original music featuring “Good Morning Beautiful.” For more information, visit www.lukemcmaster.com.

TRACY SILVERMAN
Tracy Silverman has redefined the violin with his instantly-recognizable trademark sound. Lauded by the BBC as “the greatest living exponent of the electric violin,” the Juilliard graduate’s groundbreaking work with the six-string electric violin has forever transformed violin playing, much as Hendrix did with the electric guitar. Tracy appears on many of Jim Brickman’s CD’s and DVD’s and has orchestrated Jim’s music for full symphony. Tracy has appeared on numerous national TV and radio programs such as NPR’s Performance Today and CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood, and is a faculty member at Belmont University and at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music in Nashville, where he lives with his wife and 4 children. For more information, visit www.tracysilverman.com.

CAA APPLAUDS ITS GENEROUS Sponsors

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

“CAA PRESENTS” SPONSORS: Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati, Heidelberg Distributing, Coldwell Banker West Shell, Macy’s, Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA, Inc., Ultimate Air Shuttle

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS: CityBeat, Cincinnati Herald, Millennium Hotel Cincinnati, Furniture Fair

Jim Brickman: On A Winter’s Night Media Partner: WARM98-FM

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CALENDAR INFORMATION

• WHAT: Jim Brickman: On A Winter’s Night with special guests Anne Cochran, Luke McMaster, and Tracy Silverman
• WHEN: Sunday, December 30, 2012 – 2:00 PM
• WHERE: Aronoff Center – Procter & Gamble Hall
• PRICES: $75.00 • $45.00 • $42.50 • $38.50 (additional ticketing fees may apply; prices subject to change)
• INFO: Jim Brickman is not only the best-selling solo pianist of our time, but he has become a staple during the holiday season for over a decade! The two-time Grammy®-nominated, platinum-selling pianist and songwriter will wow audiences from coast to coast with his On A Winter’s Night tour as he weaves together holiday favorites of new and old, plus all his hits in one spectacular concert! Joined by vocalists Anne Cochran and Luke McMaster, and electric violinist Tracy Silverman, Jim brings a night of dazzling solo piano with the warmth and humor of the season for one of the country’s favorite annual concert events.

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now

• www.CincinnatiArts.org
• (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
• Aronoff Center Ticket Office
• Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4157

CINCINNATI, OH – The record-breaking PBS-TV music specials, 50 Years of Doo-Wop, were so well received that they created a new showcase and new audiences for veteran Doo-Wop artists. Now these original artists, whose combined sales number over 200 million records, are back on the road performing live, and will dance into the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall with The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show on Friday, November 16, 2012 at 8:00 PM. The family-friendly show will treat concertgoers to the songs they danced to at sock hops, while allowing younger audiences to discover that Doo-Wop is feel-good music no matter what your age.

Tickets are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], or the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Group discounts are available by calling (513) 977-4157.

The impressive list of those original artists who will be part of the Cincinnati Ultimate Doo-Wop Show are: Jimmy Beaumont & The Skyliners (Since I Don’t Have You, Pennies from Heaven, This I Swear, It Happened Today), The Marcels (Blue Moon, Heartaches, Summertime),The Edsels (Rama Lama Ding Dong, Love is True, Diamonds & Pearls), The Volumes (I Love You, Gotta Give Her Love), Stormy Weather (Street Corner Serenade), The Blue Suede Orchestra (Buzz, Buzz, Buzz), and very special guests, The Motown Experience, a world class group assembled from members of The Contours, The Miracles and former members of The Temptations (Do You Love Me?, Oo Baby Baby, My Girl).

The name Doo-Wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and areas of greater Los Angeles, including El Monte and Compton. Built upon vocal harmony, Doo-Wop was one of the most mainstream, pop-oriented R&B styles of the time.

As a musical genre, Doo-Wop is a type of vocal group harmony with the musical qualities of many vocal parts, nonsense syllables, a simple beat, little or no instrumentation, and simple music and lyrics. It is ensemble singing with single artists appearing with a backing group. Solo billing usually implies that the individual is more prominent in the musical arrangement.

African-American vocal groups such as The Ink Spots and The Mills Brothers, both from Cincinnati, had record hits during the years of World War II that set important precedents for the genre. The Ink Spots had a string of record successes in 1939-40, both in the USA and in Britain, with “My Prayer,” “Bless You,” and “Whispering Grass,” and The Mills Brothers followed suit in 1943-44 with “Paper Doll,” “You Always Hurt The One You Love,” and “Till Then.”

These were generally slow songs in swing time with simple instrumentation and close four-part harmony reminiscent of the barbershop quartet – which The Mills Brothers once had been. The subject of the lyrics was generally love and relationships.

The term “doo-wop” is first known to have appeared in print in 1961 in the Chicago Defender, when fans of the music coined the term during the height of a vocal harmony resurgence. The phrase has been attributed to the radio disc jockey Gus Gossert, but Gossert himself said that “doo-wop was already being used [before me] to categorize the music in California.”

CAA APPLAUDS ITS GENEROUS Sponsors

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

“CAA PRESENTS” SPONSORS: Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati, Heidelberg Distributing, Coldwell Banker West Shell, Macy’s, Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA, Inc., Ultimate Air Shuttle

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS: CityBeat, Cincinnati Herald, Millennium Hotel Cincinnati, Furniture Fair

The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show Media Partner: WDJO-FM

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CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT: The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show
WHEN: Friday, November 16, 2012 • 8:00 PM
WHERE: Aronoff Center for the Arts – Procter & Gamble Hall
PRICES: $67.50 • $56 • $45 • $35
INFO: The record-breaking PBS-TV music specials, 50 Years of Doo-Wop, were so well received that they created a new showcase and new audiences for veteran Doo-Wop artists. The original artists who will be part of the Cincinnati Ultimate Doo-Wop Show are: Jimmy Beaumont & The Skyliners, The Marcels, The Edsels, The Volumes, Stormy Weather, The Blue Suede Orchestra, and very special guests, The Motown Experience, a world-class group assembled from members of The Contours, The Miracles, and former members of The Temptations.

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now

• www.CincinnatiArts.org
•  (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
•  Aronoff Center Ticket Office
•  Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4157

The Best-Selling Author, Humorist and Contributor to This American Life
Live at the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall on Saturday, November 3

David Sedaris, author of the previous bestsellers Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and regular National Public Radio contributor will be appearing for one night only at the Aronoff Center’s Procter & Gamble Hall on Saturday, November 3 at 8:00pm.

Celebrating the release of his new title, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, a book of acerbic, outrageously funny fables, featuring animals with unmistakably human failings, which hit bookstores September 2010, author David Sedaris will visit Cincinnati for an evening of engaging recollections and featuring all-new readings.

Tweaking the familiar until it warps; David Sedaris mines poignant comedy from his peculiar childhood in North Carolina, his bizarre career path, and his move with his lover to France. Including his last release, the New York Times #1 Bestselling book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris’ wickedly witty observations of the ordinary-bizarre is always sure to deliver insights and laughs. One of six children in a second- generation Greek family, he grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1977, he dropped out of Kent State University to hitchhike around the country. Aside from working as an elf, Sedaris has worked a number of charmingly quirky jobs such as a house painter, an apple picker, an aide in a mental hospital, a creative writing teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, and an apartment cleaner.

Sedaris made his comic debut recounting his strange-but-true experiences of being a Macy’s elf, reading his “Santaland Diaries” on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition in 1992. His sardonic humor and incisive social critique have made him one of NPR’s most popular and humorous commentators. In 2001, he was named Humorist of the Year by Time magazine and received the Thurber Prize for American Humor.

Tickets go on sale to the public beginning Friday, July 20 at 10am. Ticket prices range from $40-$53 and are available in person at the Aronoff Center Ticket Office, by phone at (513) 621-ARTS [2787], or online at CincinnatiArts.org.

THE OVERTURE AWARDS
NEXT POP STAR COMPETITION
Winner Announced:
Jake Kolesar, Walnut Hills High School

CINCINNATI, OH – Jake Kolesar, a fifteen-year-old ninth-grade student at Walnut Hills High School, was selected as the winner of a $500 award at the Cincinnati Arts Association’s inaugural Overture Awards Next Pop Star competition at the Aronoff Center on Saturday, June 2. A talented guitarist and singer-songwriter, Jake played and sang one of his original songs – Floating – during the competition.

Next Pop Star is designed for talented high school students who perform popular music. The competition was developed in response to the need for a non-classical program to complement The Overture Awards’ more traditional art disciplines, and to encourage students who enjoy singing, but do not study privately and are not involved in classical music or musical theater.

“We were very pleased with the results of our first Next Pop Star competition,” said Steve Finn, CAA Director of Education and Community Relations. “We reached a group of students who were totally different than the students who compete at The Overture Awards, and we are optimistic that this new program will grow significantly over the next couple of years. Jake is a talented singer-songwriter, and this competition was a perfect match for his skills.”

Earlier this year, Jake was selected as the winner of the Billy Elliot Dream Award Essay Contest – a collaboration between Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Arts Association’s Overture Awards, and Local 12 WKRC. Jake took a unique approach to the essay contest by writing and singing one of his original songs (instead of writing an essay) that impressed the panel of judges.

Jake, who lives with his family in Mt. Lookout, recently completed his freshman year at Walnut Hills High School, where he is active in the choral and musical-theatre programs. He spends most of his free time writing and performing his music, which he hopes to pursue professionally. This year, Jake started performing at local coffee shops and farmers markets, and with The Queen City Balladeers. Next month, he will be performing on the acoustic stage at the Bunbury Music Festival. Jake is a huge fan of Bob Dylan and Shakespeare, and when not writing songs or doing something musical, he likes to play basketball with his friends. To sample Jake’s music (including his original song Floating, which he sang in the Next Pop Star competition), visit his You Tube channel at www.youtube.com/jakekolesar.

“I would like to thank the Cincinnati Arts Association for the wonderful opportunities that they have given me this year,” said Jake. “Between the Billy Elliot Dream Award and the Next Pop Star competition, my musical dream has moved one step closer to reality. I also greatly appreciate that CAA has chosen to accommodate not only students who have worked very hard studying opera or ballet, but people like me who may work just as hard in their room instead of in the studio.”

Upon receipt of his monetary award, Jake chose to donate $100 back to CAA “in the hope that CAA will continue to give opportunities to students of the arts.”

The three Next Pop Star finalists were Mariah Southers, a freshman at Conner High School who sang a country/western song; Jacob Turner, a senior at Walnut Hills High School who performed an original rap composition; and Emily Wyant, a junior at Ohio Virtual Academy who also performed a country/western song. The three finalists each received a $100 award.

The Overture Awards Scholarship Competition – the largest locally run arts scholarship competition in the country – provides a $2,500 scholarship to six area high school students with 18 finalists each winning a $500 scholarship. Students 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. During 2012, more than 520 students competed for $24,000 in scholarships.