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
Mozart’s Mass in C Minor
Mozart’s Mass in C Minor is a dazzling masterpiece that resonates powerfully with America’s 250th anniversary. Premiered in 1783—the same year the British monarchy formally recognized the independence of the Thirteen Colonies—this work shares a historical moment with the birth of the United States.
Written as a personal expression rather than to fulfill a commission, the Mass was inspired by Mozart’s return to Vienna from Salzburg, where he sought professional freedom, and perhaps as a gift for his accomplished soprano wife, Constanze. Praised by Gramophone as “far more vocally oriented than the Requiem,” it showcases a breathtaking interplay of voice and instruments—a display of epic proportion.
Amanda Quist conducts her first performance as Music Director of the Festival Chorus, continuing the ensemble’s cherished traditions through her unique musical lens and deep commitment to choral excellence.
In this landmark performance, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra and Chorus bring Mozart’s visionary work to life. As Spoleto Festival USA celebrates America’s 250th anniversary, Mass in C Minor offers audiences a chance to reflect on freedom, creativity, and the enduring power of human expression, bridging Mozart’s artistry with the spirit of 1783.
Spoleto Festival Chorus Concert
Conducted by Amanda Quist, Music Director of Spoleto Festival USA Chorus
In her inaugural season as Music Director of the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus, Dr. Amanda Quist leads Storytelling—a program that honors legacy while looking toward the future. Through works by American composers and others who explore identity, memory, and belonging, the concerts celebrate the power of the human voice to connect, reflect, and inspire. Set within the soaring Gothic interior of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, one of Charleston’s most acoustically and architecturally stunning spaces, the Festival Chorus invites audiences to experience music as a shared act of community and renewal.
Spoleto Festival Chorus Concert
Conducted by Amanda Quist, Music Director of Spoleto Festival USA Chorus
In her inaugural season as Music Director of the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus, Dr. Amanda Quist leads Storytelling—a program that honors legacy while looking toward the future. Through works by American composers and others who explore identity, memory, and belonging, the concerts celebrate the power of the human voice to connect, reflect, and inspire. Set within the soaring Gothic interior of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, one of Charleston’s most acoustically and architecturally stunning spaces, the Festival Chorus invites audiences to experience music as a shared act of community and renewal.
Spire Choral Conducting Institute Concert
Each year, Spire Chamber Ensemble invites emerging choral conductors and vocal scholars to participate in the annual Choral Conducting Institute, where young musicians travel from around the world to focus on building skills as choral artists. This immersive program culminates in a final performance that is free and open to the public.
The 2026 Institute, led by faculty Ben A. Spalding (Spire Chamber Ensemble and Baroque Orchestra) and renowned Spire singers, offers conductors the rare opportunity to conduct members of the Spire Chamber Ensemble, one of America’s renowned professional choral ensembles comprised of some of the finest musicians in the United States. Conductors will receive 90 minutes (three separate sessions of 30 minutes) of podium time with members of the ensemble and direct feedback from the clinicians and singers. Designed for school, church, community, and graduate conductors, this institute will hone in on the crucial skills of specific gestural communication, efficient rehearsal techniques, and deeper musical understanding each score presents. The world-class singers of Spire will provide real-time responsiveness full of subtleties of expression that are invaluable to anyone aiming to grow on the podium, all while being surrounded by a supportive and like-minded community. Conductors and auditors will additionally engage one another in daily roundtable discussion and interest sessions. Vocal Scholars participate in workshops covering career development, professional choral singing skills, networking, and more.
Berkshire Choral International: British Mavericks
Beth Willer, Director of Choral Studies at the Peabody Institute, leads music by two ground-breaking British icons. Dame Ethel Smyth’s exuberant, almost operatic Mass in D was a work ahead of its time — as was Smyth herself. Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, orchestrated by Imogen Holst, is a kaleidoscopic expression of faith with a twist. The fearless individuality of both works offer a showcase for bold and joyful choral singing with full orchestra.
Lang: Little Match Girl Passion
Conducted by David Castillo Gocher and Krista Cornish Scott, The Little Match Girl Passion reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s tale through the lens of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. With spare textures and emotional intensity, Lang offers a searing meditation on suffering, compassion, and hope.
Lang: Little Match Girl Passion
Conducted by David Castillo Gocher and Krista Cornish Scott, The Little Match Girl Passion reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s tale through the lens of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. With spare textures and emotional intensity, Lang offers a searing meditation on suffering, compassion, and hope.
Musica Sacra Spring Concert
Join us on Sunday, April 26, 2026, as we present the final concert of our 60th Anniversary Season!
April 26, 2026
3:00 pm
Felix Mendelssohn
Lobgesang Symphony
Our Lady of the Visitation
3172 South Rd
Mack, OH 45248
L. Brett Scott, Music Director
Rachel Feldman, Apprentice Conductor
This concert is free of charge and open to the public. No ticket is required. Donations are gratefully accepted.
German Masterworks
CCM Chorale
Brett Scott, music director and conductor
Featuring guest conductor Andreas Hermann, Artistic Director of the Munich Philharmonic Choir and Professor of Conducting at the Munich Academy of Music
Co. Hermann leads Chorale in a selection of German masterworks old and new, as the culmination of his residency at CCM.
Resurrection: Easter Oratorio
Event Details
The Bach Ensemble Orchestra and Chorale,
Carlton Monroe, conductor
Bach Cantata BWV 34, O ewiges Feuer
Bach Easter Oratorio, BWV 249
⸻
Johann Sebastian Bach – Easter Oratorio, BWV 249
Bach’s Easter Oratorio is a jubilant and dramatic portrayal of the Resurrection. Originally premiered in 1725 and revised over the years, this work offers a celebratory tone with vivid instrumental writing, festive choruses, and expressive arias. It begins with two exuberant sinfonias and unfolds through the voices of four soloists, each representing biblical figures in a reflection on the empty tomb and the triumph of Easter morning.
Nefes: An Evening of Breath
Nefes: An Evening of Breath
Co-presented by Ensemble O₂ and the Wyoming Fine Arts Center
Ensemble O₂ is fiscally sponsored by the International Foundation for Contemporary Music.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Nefes — Turkish for “breath” — explores the power of breath to sustain, steady, and transform. Centered around the Mass for Double Choir by Frank Martin, this choir concert weaves together sacred and contemporary works inspired by breath as both physical act and spiritual force.
Held in the beautifully resonant Masonic Theatre, this event promises to be a special evening of beautiful music.
ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP
Ömer Aziz Kayhan, Conductor and Founder
ADMISSION
Tickets are free with a pay-what-you-can donation ($10 suggested). Registration strongly encouraged - click below to claim your seat.
Westminster Choir College ACDA Student Chapter Meeting
Maxwell will present an Interest Session at Westminster Choir College’s American Choral Directors Association Student Chapter meeting.
Transmutation
CCM Chorale
Brett Scott, music director and conductor
A concert of works by contemporary Dutch composers, including the world premiere performance of the choral cycle Transmutation by composer Diederik van der Laag.
VOCES8 Scholars Concert
The VOCES8 US Scholars will perform in concert with the members of VOCES8 during their US tour, and with the Houston Chamber Choir, featuring guest conductor Jason Max Ferdinand.
For more information, visit: https://voces8.com/concerts
VOCES8 Scholars Concert
The VOCES8 US Scholars will perform in concert with the members of VOCES8 during their US tour.
For more information, visit: https://voces8.com/concerts
Motets of J. S. Bach
Participating in Cincinnati’s Early Music Festival, Collegium Cincinnati will perform four of J. S. Bach’s landmark motets mixed in with solos from our phenomenal instrumentalists. Do not miss this rare opportunity to hear some of the greatest choral pieces ever written in one concert.
OMEA Professional Learning Conference
Maxwell will present an Interest Session at the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference in 2026.
CCM Emerging Artists Recital Series
Maxwell will conduct the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Chamber Singers on Friday, January 30th in the Werner Recital Hall. The program includes music by William Byrd and Ily Matthew Maniano.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.