Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Announces 2018-19 Season

Fresh off a year that saw five weeks of successful international tour dates and two Grammy nominations, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra ( CSO ) and Music Director Louis Langré e announced the Orchestra's highly - anticipated 2018 - 19 season at the recently renovated and widely celebrated Cincinnati Music Hall. In addition to the 20 - concert program subscription s eason, the CSO will present a one - night - only, all - orchestral gala performance on September 22 with Mr. Langrée on the conducting podium that kicks off the fall arts season in Cincinnati. This gala concert is an all - French program that includes audience favorites by Ravel, Debussy, and Dukas. The 2018 - 19 season not only showcases great orchestral repertoire, exciting new works, and acclaimed artists from around t h e globe but also features seven CSO musicians as featured soloists.

" We are thrilled to share a diverse array of music at the beautifully renovated Music Hall during our 2018 - 19 season, " said Mr. Langrée. " Cincinnati truly has one of the world's premier concert venues and an orchestra making music at the highest level. T here is something f or everyone in this season, and I look forward to sharing many wonderful experiences with the community we serve. "

The 140 - year old Cincinnati Music Hall re - opened in October of 2017 following a $ 143 million renovation, drawing international attention. Cincinnati has been called out recently as a destination city thanks to the CSO, Music Hall and Cincinnati's vibrant arts scene in BBC Music Magazine and The New York Times.

" The Orchestra is a vital part of Cincinnati's cultural landscape and the City's ' cultural allure ' is being celebrated across the country and around t he world, " said Mr. Langrée. Joshua Bell returns for subscription series opener also featuring Rite of Spring With a career spanning more than 30 years, Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated violinists of this era. He returns to Cincinnati for the subscription series opener on September 28 and 29 to perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Mr. Langrée conducting. The program opens with Stravinsky's Fireworks and closes with Rite of Spring, which the CSO first performed in 193 1. The " Beethoven Revolution " rages on The 2018 - 19 season marks the second year of the CSO's three - year Beethoven symphony cycle dubbed the " Beethoven Revolution. "

All led by Mr. Langrée, the CSO performs the second, third and ninth symphonies as part of the season. Beethoven's revolutionary Symphony No. 3, Eroica, is t he finale for the February 23 and 24, 2019 program that opens with the composer's Egmont Overture and also features Thomas Adés ' Violin Concerto : Concentric Paths with Leila Josefowicz as the featured soloist. Joshua Bell, Photo : Lisa Marie Mazzucco Th e CSO will perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 on March 30 and 31, 2019, with Jonathan Bail e y Holland's Halcyon Sun and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 with Esther Yoo as the featured soloist, making her CSO debut. Beethoven's iconic Symphony No. 9 is t he focus of the Orchestra's annual One City initiative in November.

" Beethoven started a musical revolution that pushed the boundaries of orchestral music and opened a world of musical possibilities, " said Mr. Langrée. The CSO's One City brings back Beethoven Ninth Symphony The CSO introduced One City, One Symphony in 2012 when Mr. Langrée was the Music Director Designate.

The annual, region - wide initiative brings the community together by exploring a theme through music, and in that inaugural One City, One Symphony, Beethoven's iconic Ninth Symphony inspired a robust community dialog around brotherhood. For 2018, the initiative returns with a shortened name, One City, and comes full circle by bringing back Beethoven ' s Ninth on November 9 and 10. Joining Mr. Langrée and the CSO will be the May Festival Chorus, members of the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir, made of church choir members from throughout the region, soprano Angel Blue, mezzo - soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, tenor Rodrick Dixon and bass Das hon Burton for the timeless " Ode to Joy " finale.

Composer - in - Residence Jonathan Bail e y Holland The One City program on November 9 and 10 opens with a world premiere commission for chorus and orchestra by Jonathan Bail e y Holland, who is also serving as the CSO's Composer - in - Residence for the 2018 - 19 season.

This piece will be a response to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Mr. Holland, whose Stories of Home premiered at Music Hall's Grand Opening performances this past October, will have a pre sence in Cincinnati throughout the season and participate in community engagement activities.

Jonathan's music resonates with Cincinnati audiences and the musicians of the Orchestra, " said Mr. Langrée. " The One City program will include his fifth CSO com mission and we're delighted to engage with him as Composer - in - Residence. " Danill Trifonov comes to Cincinnati The Times of London has declared Daniil Trif o nov ( dan - EEL TREE - fon - ov ) " without question the most ast ounding pianist of our age. " He is a gl obal phenomenon and Mr. Trifonov's engagement to perform Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto with Mr. Langrée and the CSO on May 3 and 4 of 2019 is a special opportunity for Cincinnati audiences. The program also includes Gluck's " Dance with the Futures " and " Dance of the Blessed Spirit s " from Orphée et Eurydice, Arvo Pärt's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, and closes with Stravin sky ' s Symphony in C.

Exciting debuts Other exciting CSO debuts during the 2018 - 19 season include conductors Kirill Karabits leading Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 on November 24 and 25 and Richard Egarr leading and performing in an all - Baroque program that includes Vivaldi's The Four Season s, on January 11 and 12, 2019. Guest conducting debuts also include Joshua Weilerstein le ading Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Suite, Sir Mark Elder leading Janá? ek ' s Sinfonie t ta, and Donald Runnicles leading a highly - anticipated performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 on February 8 and 9 of 2019.

The 2018 - 19 season also marks the CSO debuts pianist Yevgeny Sudbin performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, violinist Benjamin Beilman performing Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, pianist Sergei Babayan performing the Shostakovich Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra, aforementioned violinist Esther Yoo, and vocal soloist Eric Greene for the Mozart Requiem and vocal soloist Dashon Burton performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Electric violinist Tracy Silverman will perform John Adams ' The Dharma at Bi g Sur, which the composer wrote for Mr. Silverman.

Accompanying this will be visuals created by Adam Larsen, who recently collaborated with the CSO on the three - year Pé lleas Trilogy. This October 5 and 6 all - American program i s conducted by Christopher Rountree, also making his CS O debut, and also features John Adams ' The Chairman Dances, Copland's Billy the Kid Suite and Barber Essay No. 1. Friends returning Among the guest artists returning to perform with the CSO are conductors Hannu Lintu leading Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, David Robertson leading the Mozart Requiem, John Stogårds leading Sibelius ' Symphony No 5, and Matthias Pintscher, who most recently led the CSO in the 2017 MusicNOW Festival performances.

Violinist Joshua Bell returns for the subscription series open er on September 28 and 29 mentioned previously and pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk, who performed with Mr. Langrée and the CSO for the Great Performers series at New York's Lincoln Center in 2016 and for the Orchestras acclaimed tour of Asia in 2017, returns to perform Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 on November 24 and 25 with Mr. Karabits conducting. Legendary pianist Yefim Bronfman returns to perform Brahms ' Piano Concerto No. 1 on November 30 and December 1 with Mr. Langrée conducting, and Kirill Gerstein performs Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. on January 4 and 5, 2019 with Karina Canellakis re turning to conduct. Karna Canellakis,

Other Cincinnati favorite s returning are previously mention ed violinist Leila Josefowicz, pianist Peter Serkin performing the Stravinsky Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments, percussionist Colin Currie performing Kalevi Aho's Sieidi, cellist Alisa Weilerstein performing Matthias Pintscher's Un despertar, as well as vocal soloists Angel Blue, Jennifer Johnson Cano and Rodrick Dixon performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Nicole Cabell, Kelley O'Connor and Nicholas Phan performing the Mozart Requiem. Musical America's Instrumentalist of the Year for 20 18, violinist Augustin Hadelich also returns to Cincinnati to perform Barber's Violin Concerto, and Ravel's gypsy inflected Tzigane on March 15 and 16 of 2019 with Mr. Langrée on the podium. Augustin Hadelich, Photo : Paul Glickman

The aforementioned March 15 and 16, 2019 program opens with the new critical edition of Gershwin's An American in Paris. Mr. Langrée conducted the CSO in the official, critically acclaimed world premiere of this new edition in Paris at La Sein e Musical e in September of last year, closing a succe ssful three - week European tour.

" Conducting the world premiere of this new critical edition of An American in Paris in Paris was one of the highlights of my musical life, and I am thrilled to bring this great American work home to Cincinnati, " said Mr. La ngrée. The concert program closes with Varèse's Amérique s. Mr. Langrée added, " We open the concert with an American's musical exploration of France and close with a French composer's musical exploration of the U.S. - with a French conductor leading an American orchestra. It was just meant to be. "

The 2018 -19 season finale features Mr. Langrée conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 5 on May 10 and 11, 2019. The CSO performed the U.S. premiere of this mainstay of t he orchestral repertoire in 1905.

" When Mahler's Fifth Symphony was first performed in Cincinnati, it was, of course, contemporary music, " said Mr. Langrée. " It speaks to our tradition of being a place of experimentation, which is reflected in this exciting season, and sets the stage for the Orchestra's 125 th anniversary in 2020. "

The program opens with CSO Concertmaster Timothy Lees performing Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, Turkish. CSO musicians featured as soloists The CSO is an ensemble of acclaimed soloists in their own right, and during the 2018 - 19 season, seven members of the Orchestra take center stage.

In addition to the aforementioned Mr. Lees, Principal Oboe Dwight Parry and Principal Harp Gillian Benet Sella will be performing on the September 22 season - opening gala concert with M r. Langrée. Principal Violist Christian Colberg will perform his own Viola Concerto with Mr. Langrée on the podium in a program that also includes Telemann's Don Quixote Suite and R. Strauss ' Don Quixote.

Both Principal Cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn and Mr. Colberg are also featured i n Strauss ' Don Quixote for this October 20 and 21 program. Principal Flute Randolph Bowman will be featured on the all - Baroque program with guest conductor Richard Egarr on January 11 and 12, 2019, and Principal Trumpet Robert Sullivan will be featured in Shostakovich's Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra on February 1 and 2, 2019 with Joshua Weilerstein conducting. The full chronological season listing is attached.

The CSO's Opening Night Gala on September 22 features Mr. Langrée conducting an exciting all - French program that includes the following : Dukas ' The Sorcerer's Apprentice ; Debussy's Danses sacrée et profane ; Guillaume Connesson ' Flammenschrift ; Fauré's Pavane and the composer's " Sicilienne " from Pélleas et Mélisande ; and Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2. Tickets to the Gala dinner are sold separately. Classical Roots : On Friday, March 8, 2019, the CSO's annual celebration of African - American musical heritage, featuring the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir, returns to Music H all. Additional details will be shared at a later date.

Cincinnati Pops : The CSO also performs and presents a subscription series as the Cincinnati Pops. Details for the Pops season will be announced at a later date. Parking Several public parking options are available surrounding Music Hall, located on the Cincinnati Bell Connector line. Subscribers can purchase guaranteed parking in the Washington Park Garage for $ 15 per concert and donor s of $ 1,500 or more to the CSO Annual Fund receive free parking in the surface lot next to Music Hall for each performance. Valet services will also be offered on a first - come, first - serve basis. Handicap Parking is available in the Town Center ( CET ) and W ashington Park garages. For more details about parking at Music Hall visit cincinnatisymphony.org / parking.

Subscription packages go on sale beginning Friday, January 26, 2018. CSO series subscribers who purchase twelve or more concerts receive their choice of " Le Gala D'Ouverture, " One City : Beethoven's 9 th, or " Trifonov Plays Beethoven " for free on a first - come, first - served basis. Subscribers purchasing 18 concerts are to receive one ticket to two of those concerts for free. Subscribers also receive priority seating at the best prices, free unlimited ticket exchanges, the option to purchase guaranteed, pre - paid parking, access to a child care rebate, among various other exclusive benefits.

The CSO subscription concerts are organized into three series packages based on concert dates. For additional details regarding which series include which programs, visit cincinnatisymphony.org / subscribe. Single tickets for the subscription series go on sale to the general public Jul y 30, 2018. Subscription packages start at $ 84 while single tickets will start at $ 15 for most concerts, which includes a 3.5 % facility fee. This fee ensure s a dedicated fund for the ongoing maintenance of Music Hall for future generations.

The French conductor Louis Langré e has served as Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center in New York. He has worked with many other orchestras around th e world including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestre de Paris, Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Philharmoniker, NHK Symphony, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Santa Cecilia in Rome, Sao Paulo, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Budapest Festival orchestras. Festival appearances have included Wiener Festwochen, Salzburg Mozartwoche and Whitsun, BBC Proms, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. He has held positions as Music Director of the Orchestre de Picardie ( 1993 - 98 ) and Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège ( 2001 - 06 ). Louis Langrée's recordings have received several awards from Gramophone and Midem Classical, and his 2016 recording with the CSO, Concertos for Orchestra, received two Grammy nominations. He was appointed Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2006 and Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 2014.

The CSO is one of America's finest and most versatile ensembles. With a determination for greatness and a rich tradition that dates back 123 years, the internationally acclaimed CSO has performed the American premieres of works by the likes of Debussy, Mahler, Ravel and Bartók, and commissioned important compositions that have since become mainstays of the classical repertoire including Aaron Copland's iconic Fanfare for the Common Man. With new commissions and groundbreaking initiatives like the Pélleas Trilogy, LUMENOCITY, One City and the MusicNOW Festival collaboration, the Orchestra is committed to being a place of experimentation. As Cincinnati's ambassador, t he Orchestra has toured extensively, most recently to Asia and Europe in 2017, and sold millions of recordings ar ound the globe. As Cincinnati's own, the Orchestra elevates the City's vibrant cultural s cene not only through CSO and Cincinnati Pops performances but also by serving as the official orchestra for the Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati May Festival, and Cincinnati Opera.

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