May
Festival season is upon us here in Cincinnati. This historic, annual festival was
founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest and most prestigious choral festivals
in the Western Hemisphere. Their annual festival consists of two weekends of
outstanding concerts backed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and
internationally-acclaimed guest artists. This year, they even throw in a few
extra concerts (see below for the full schedule of what to expect!)
Did
you know that in the mid-1800s, German immigrants who resided in Cincinnati’s
Over-the-Rhine community had a deep appreciation for the arts? They ended up
forming singing groups and invited similar choirs in nearby towns to join them
in a song festival. This eventually grew to be an annual gathering that took
place in various Midwest cities. In 1870 when it was Cincinnati’s turn to host,
it was decided that Saenger Hall would be built as a temporary structure to
house the festival. This building was constructed where Music Hall now stands
but was not an ideal setting for the festival since it was built with a tin
roof!
In
1873, renowned conductor Theodore Thomas happened to be traveling through
Cincinnati on tour with his New York-based orchestra and noticed that the
city’s residents had great musical potential. He decided to work with local
arts-advocates Maria Longworth Nichols and George Ward Nichols to create a
large music festival that wasn’t tied ethnically to the current “Saengerfest”
held at Saenger Hall. This was the beginning of the May Festival. It started as
a 108-piece orchestra and 800-person choir that came together biannually, and
eventually sparked the building of Music Hall in place of Saenger Hall, in
order to provide a better facility for the festival. The third May Festival was
the first to take place inside the new Music Hall in 1878. At the time, it was
the largest concert hall in America.
Since
the May Festival’s conception, it has remained one of the nation’s most eminent
choral festivals, attracting internationally-acclaimed artists to join them in
their annual performances. So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets now at
mayfestival.com. Not able to attend? WGUC is recording the Friday and Saturday
performances and will broadcast them on Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. in October!
2019 May
Festival Concert Schedule
Friday, May 17, 8 p.m., Music Hall
Juanjo
Meno, conductor; Roomful of Teeth; Rod Gilfry, baritone; May Festival Chorus;
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
BRAHMS:
Schicksalslied
VAUGHAN
WILLIAMS: Toward the Unknown Region
MARK
SIMPSON: The Immortal (U.S. Premiere)
Saturday, May 18, 8 p.m., Music Hall
Sir
James MacMillan, conductor; Lauren Michelle, soprano; May Festival Chorus;
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
POULENC:
Gloria
JAMES
MACMILLAN: Seven Last Words from the
Cross
Friday, May 24, 8 p.m., Music Hall
James
Conlon, conductor; Morris Robinson, bass; Sarah Vautour, soprano; Taylor Raven,
mezzo-soprano; Richard Trey Smagur, tenor; Donnie Ray Albert, baritone; May
Festival Chorus; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Cincinnati Youth Choir
MAHLER:
Das klagende Lied
BOITO:
Prologue from Mefistofele
MUSSORGSKY:
Prologue and Farewell Scene from Boris
Godunov
Saturday, May 25, 7 p.m., Music Hall
Juanjo
Mena, conductor; Berit Norbakken Solset, soprano; Carlos Mena, countertenor;
Werner Güra, tenor; James Newby, baritone; Hanno Müller-Brachmann,
bass-baritone; May Festival Chorus and Youth Chorus; Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra
BACH:
St. Matthew Passion
Extra Concerts:
Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m., Woodward
Theater
Roomful
of Teeth
Sunday, May 19, 7 p.m., Music Hall
Juanjo
Mena, conductor; Sir James MacMillan, conductor; May Festival Chorus
FREE
COMMUNITY CONCERT
Thursday, May 23, 7 p.m., Patricia
Corbett Theater – University of Cincinnati
Craig
Hella Johnson, conductor; Vocal Arts Ensemble
CRAIG
HELLA JOHNSON: Considering Matthew
Shepard
