The Bells & Symphonie Fantastique
Program
Sergei Rachmaninoff The Bells
Hector Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
Artists
Matthias Pintscher conductor
Andriana Chuchmann soprano
Garrett Sorenson tenor
Joshua Hopkins baritone
May Festival Chorus, Matthew Swanson
director
Can you hear the bells? Rachmaninoff’s choral symphony The Bells — inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s poem of the same name — evokes the experience of bells ringing through the phases of life, and features Cincinnati’s own May Festival Chorus. Then, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique takes you inside the delirious fever-dream of a young artist driven mad by unrequited love. Fueled by opium-induced hallucinations, the visions culminate in a sabbath dance where the bells toll a haunting clamor
The Bells & Symphonie Fantastique
Program
Sergei Rachmaninoff The Bells
Hector Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
Artists
Matthias Pintscher conductor
Andriana Chuchmann soprano
Garrett Sorenson tenor
Joshua Hopkins baritone
May Festival Chorus, Matthew Swanson
director
Can you hear the bells? Rachmaninoff’s choral symphony The Bells — inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s poem of the same name — evokes the experience of bells ringing through the phases of life, and features Cincinnati’s own May Festival Chorus. Then, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique takes you inside the delirious fever-dream of a young artist driven mad by unrequited love. Fueled by opium-induced hallucinations, the visions culminate in a sabbath dance where the bells toll a haunting clamor
Missa Solemnis
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
7:30 Saturday, November 22, 2025
St. Peter in Chains Cathedral Basilica, Cincinnati, OH
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis may be the greatest piece never heard. Its musical, technical, and endurance challenges make it incredibly difficult for the chorus. Completed in 1824 (the same year as the 9th Symphony), the totally deaf composer would never attend a full performance of what he regarded as his best work.
The KSO tackles Beethoven’s epic solemn mass Missa Solemnis Op. 123 with a professional choir and soloists.
I Heard A Voice from Heaven
CCM Chamber Choir and CCM Chorale
Joe Miller and Brett Scott, music directors and conductors
Featuring a selection of historical and contemporary psalm settings, including selections by Heinrich Schutz, Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Ives, Zanaida Robles and Stephanie Martin. The CCM Chamber Choir performs Howells’ monumental Requiem for acapella choir.
Handel’s Messiah
Program
George Frideric Handel Messiah
Artists
Cristian Mӑcelaru conductor
Lauren Snouffer soprano
Sasha Cooke mezzo soprano
Nicholas Phan tenor
Jonathan Lemalu bass
May Festival Chorus, Matthew Swanson
director
The trumpet shall sound. Join the CSO, the May Festival Chorus and an all-star cast of soloists for Handel’s Messiah. Music Director Cristian Mӑcelaru conducts one of his most cherished works, featuring joyful movements like the famous Hallelujah Chorus that have become forever and ever holiday traditions. This is the Messiah experience of the season!
Feast of Carols
FEAST OF CAROLS
CCM Chamber Choir, CCM Chorale, UC Choruses and Cincinnati Youth Choir
Featuring guest choirs from Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts, Elder High School, Walnut Hills High School and Anderson High School
Joe Miller, Brett Scott, conductors with guest conductors Stirling Finkbine, David Allen, Anthony Nims, and Stacy Haney
Featuring guest ensemble Seven Hills Brass
Bring family and friends to CCM to welcome the 2025 holiday season with festive choral favorites performed by CCM’s, UC’s and CYC’s fabulous choirs and outstanding guest choirs. Each performance features CCM ensembles with a special guest choir:
School for Creative and Performing Arts (2 p.m. Dec. 6)
Elder High School (5 p.m. Dec. 6)
Walnut Hills High School (2 p.m. Dec. 7)
Anderson High School (5 p.m. Dec. 7)
Handel’s Messiah
Program
George Frideric Handel Messiah
Artists
Cristian Mӑcelaru conductor
Lauren Snouffer soprano
Sasha Cooke mezzo soprano
Nicholas Phan tenor
Jonathan Lemalu bass
May Festival Chorus, Matthew Swanson
director
The trumpet shall sound. Join the CSO, the May Festival Chorus and an all-star cast of soloists for Handel’s Messiah. Music Director Cristian Mӑcelaru conducts one of his most cherished works, featuring joyful movements like the famous Hallelujah Chorus that have become forever and ever holiday traditions. This is the Messiah experience of the season!
OMEA Professional Learning Conference
Maxwell will present an Interest Session at the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference in 2026.
May Festival: An Eclectic Opening Night
Program
Anton Bruckner Psalm 150
Alexander von Zemlinsky Selections from Symphonische Gesänge
Margaret Bonds Selected Songs & Songs from Songs of the Season
To a Brown Girl Dead
Negro Speak of Rivers
Poème d’Automne from Songs of the Season
Winter Moon from Songs of the Season
April Rain
ECLECTIC MASS:
Selections from:
Carlos Simon Good News Mass and Sanctus
Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina Missa Assumpta est Maria
Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata No. 191
Margaret Bonds Credo
George Frideric Handel arr. Mounsey “Soulful Hallelujah”
Artists
Cristian Măcelaru conductor
Julia Bullock soprano
Jason Alexander Holmes preacher
Carlos Simon hammond organ
Matthew Swanson director
May Festival: The Water’s Journey
Program
Duke Ellington The River
Ralph Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 1, A Sea Symphony
Artists
Cristian Măcelaru conductor
Matthew Swanson director
May Festival: On Love and Lust
Program
Igor Stravinsky Les noces (“The Wedding”)
Carl Orff Catulli Carmina (“Songs of Catullus”)
Artists
Matthew Swanson conductor
Victoria Okafor soprano
Sara Couden contralto
Nicholas Phan tenor
Yannis François bass-baritone
Matthew Swanson director
Members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Ballet 2
Yoshihisa Arai choreographer
May Festival: Porgy and Bess: Festival Finale
Program
The Gershwins®’ Selections from Porgy and Bess® by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward and Ira Gershwin
William Grant Still Plain-Chant for America
Stephen Paulus Prayers & Remembrances
V. In Beauty It Walks
VI. Eternity
Leonard Bernstein “Make our Garden Grow” from Candide
George Frideric Handel “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah
Artists
Anthony Parnther conductor
Julia Bullock soprano
Alfred Walker bass-baritone
Matthew Swanson director
Jason Alexander Holmes director
Classical Roots Community Choir
La Rocca: Requiem for the Forgotten
La Rocca: Requiem for the Forgotten
Saturday, November 1, 2025 – 7:00 pm
St. Gabriel Church, 48 W Sharon Rd Glendale, OH 45246
Frank La Rocca’s Requiem for the Forgotten lifts prayers for the unseen—refugees, the unhoused, and all who bear silent burdens—through radiant choral expression. Drawing on Gregorian chant, sacred poetry, and the depth of liturgical tradition, La Rocca weaves ancient motifs into a contemporary setting that is timeless and profoundly moving. The work includes the powerful Hymn for Ukraine and concludes with an ethereal, unresolved Amen that invites quiet reflection.
Chorale and Chamber Music of Jennifer Higdon
CHORAL AND CHAMBER MUSIC OF JENNIFER HIGDON
CCM Chamber Choir and CCM Chorale
Joe Miller and Brett Scott, music directors and conductors
Musica Nova
Kevin Michael Holzman and Nick Photinos, music directors
Featuring selections from Jennifer Higdon’s Southern Grace and somewhere i have never travelled for choir, piano and vibraphone, as well as chamber works Zaka, The Space Within, Book of Brass and Piano Trio. Presented as part of the college’s Jennifer Higdon Festival.
CCM Emerging Artists Recital Series
Maxwell Trombley will conduct the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Chamber Singers on Friday, October 3rd in the Werner Recital Hall. The program includes selections from Haydn’s St. Nicholas Mass.
Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy
The Cincinnati Pops and May Festival Chorus journey into the heart of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises.
Artists
Arnie Roth conductor
May Festival Chorus
Matthew Swanson director
What's Interesting
Legendary conductor Arnie Roth will lead the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and May Festival Chorus performing classic works by Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, Masayoshi Soken, Yoko Shimomura and other great FINAL FANTASY composers from throughout the FINAL FANTASY series.
This special concert includes music from FINAL FANTASY XVI, with HD video created by SQUARE ENIX specifically for this tour, as well as beloved music and video from FINAL FANTASY XIV and the entire FINAL FANTASY series. Don’t miss out on an immersive and captivating journey into the heart of one of gaming's most beloved franchises.
Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy
The Cincinnati Pops and May Festival Chorus journey into the heart of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises.
Artists
Arnie Roth conductor
May Festival Chorus
Matthew Swanson director
What's Interesting
Legendary conductor Arnie Roth will lead the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and May Festival Chorus performing classic works by Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, Masayoshi Soken, Yoko Shimomura and other great FINAL FANTASY composers from throughout the FINAL FANTASY series.
This special concert includes music from FINAL FANTASY XVI, with HD video created by SQUARE ENIX specifically for this tour, as well as beloved music and video from FINAL FANTASY XIV and the entire FINAL FANTASY series. Don’t miss out on an immersive and captivating journey into the heart of one of gaming's most beloved franchises.
Mozart Requiem
BEYOND THE NOTE
CCM Concert Orchestra, CCM Chamber Choir and CCM Chorale
Aik Khai Pung, music director and conductor
Joe Miller, music director and conductor
The CCM Concert Orchestra is joined by CCM Chorale and Chamber Choir to present two monumental works which, despite being partially unfinished by their composers, have become titans of the symphonic repertoire.
SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8 in B minor “Unfinished”, D. 759
MOZART: Requiem K. 626
VOCES8 Scholars
Maxwell will perform as a member of the Voces8 US Scholars in the Hasley Chapel of St. Andrew Methodist Church in Plano, TX.
Bach "Mass in B Minor"
After 19 years of inspiring performances, Joe Miller, Director of Choral Activities, bids farewell with a monumental performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor. A fitting tribute to his extraordinary career, this masterpiece, with its soaring choruses, virtuosic solos, and intricate counterpoint, is a testament to the enduring power of music and the human voice. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Joe Miller before he takes his final Spoleto bow.
Spoleto Festival Chorus Concert
Elevate your spirit with the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus, comprised of hand-selected choristers from across the country. This extraordinary ensemble fills the stunning space of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church with the power and beauty of choral music. Experience a diverse program of inspiring works, including mainstay works of the classical repertoire from Director of Choral Activities Joe Miller.
Spoleto Festival Chorus Concert
Elevate your spirit with the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus, comprised of hand-selected choristers from across the country. This extraordinary ensemble fills the stunning space of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church with the power and beauty of choral music. Experience a diverse program of inspiring works, including mainstay works of the classical repertoire from Director of Choral Activities Joe Miller.
Massenet "Thaïs"
Jules Massenet’s lush score is the centerpiece of this immersive opera experience placing the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra and Chorus on stage alongside the cast. Conducted by Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Music Director Timothy Myers, the romantic French music, crowned with the famous Méditation for violin and orchestra, is unmitigated by pit walls, resulting in this profound new concert-staged production. Soprano Nicole Heaston, from Spoleto’s 2023 Vanessa, portrays the enigmatic Thaïs. Alongside her, baritone Troy Cook embodies the conflicted Athanaël. Together, they will guide you through a captivating tale of love, lust, and spiritual awakening.
Massenet "Thaïs"
Jules Massenet’s lush score is the centerpiece of this immersive opera experience placing the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra and Chorus on stage alongside the cast. Conducted by Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Music Director Timothy Myers, the romantic French music, crowned with the famous Méditation for violin and orchestra, is unmitigated by pit walls, resulting in this profound new concert-staged production. Soprano Nicole Heaston, from Spoleto’s 2023 Vanessa, portrays the enigmatic Thaïs. Alongside her, baritone Troy Cook embodies the conflicted Athanaël. Together, they will guide you through a captivating tale of love, lust, and spiritual awakening.
Duruflé “Requiem”
Maxwell will perform the Duruflé Requiem with the Beyond Choral Ensemble.
Duruflé “Requiem”
Maxwell will perform the Duruflé Requiem with the Beyond Choral Ensemble.
John Rutter “Gloria”
Maxwell will conduct John Rutter’s Gloria at First Congregational Church of Kalamazoo.
ACDA National Conference
Maxwell will present an Interest Session with his colleague, Kyra Stahr, at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference.
Michigan Music Conference
Maxwell will present an Interest Session at the 20th Annual Michigan Music Conference in 2025.
NAfME Webinar
Maxwell will present a Webinar with his colleague, Kyra Stahr, for the National Association for Music Education's Learning Center.
FMEA Conference
Maxwell will present an Interest Session with his colleague, Kyra Stahr, at the Florida Music Education Association Professional Learning Conference.
Community Messiah Sing
Maxwell will conduct Part One of Handel’s Messiah at First Congregational Church of Kalamazoo.
Master’s Conducting Recital
Maxwell Trombley presents his Graduate Conducting Recital on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 PM in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. Featuring Campus Choir and Chamber Singers, the program includes works by Johann Adolph Hasse, Carrie Magin, Pärt Uusberg, Craig Hella Johnson, and more.
This recital brings together timeless choral masterpieces and modern compositions, celebrating the depth and richness of choral music that reflects on celestial wonder and the beauty of our natural world.
Florida ACDA Conference
Maxwell will present an Interest Session with his colleague, Kyra Stahr, at the Florida American Choral Directors Association Fall Conference.
CMU ACDA Student Chapter Meeting
Maxwell will present an Interest Session at Central Michigan University’s American Choral Directors Association Student Chapter meeting.
MSVMA Summer Conference
Maxwell will present an Interest Session at the Michigan School Vocal Music Association Summer 2024 Professional Development Conference.