The CSO and Pops Announce Free Digital Season For 2020

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Cincinnati Pops have announced detailed plans for seven Live From Music Hall concerts to be digitally streamed for free this autumn in lieu of live, in-person performances. The concerts are being recorded at Cincinnati Music Hall in accordance with strict safety protocols and will be broadcast throughout the fall on Saturday evenings at 8pm. The live-streamed programs will be free on the Orchestra's website and social media channels and will also be simulcast for a live, socially distanced audience in downtown Cincinnati on large screens in Fountain Square and Washington Park.

Since the COVID 19-related cancellation of the Orchestra's planned spring, summer and fall concerts at Music Hall, the organization has addressed budget shortfalls through a three-pronged plan of expense cuts and salary reductions for staff, executive and artistic leadership; special fundraising; and a draw from the organization's cash reserves. Further, the staff has realigned around digital innovation and a newly announced DE&I plan to position for long-term growth. The streamed events are made possible due to a one-year agreement with the Orchestra's musicians that allows greater scheduling and work rules flexibility made necessary due to restricted public gathering guidelines and increased safety measures.

Music Director Louis Langrée will conduct four CSO programs, September 26, October 24, November 21 and December 5. Program highlights include soprano Angel Blue singing Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915; the Catalyst Quartet joining the Orchestra for Jesse Montgomery's Banner; Augustin Hadelich performing a violin concerto of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges; Anthony McGill as soloist in Anthony Davis's You Have the Right to Remain Silent; and Awadagin Pratt performing a Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K.414/385p. Western & Southern is the CSO Season Sponsor.

"We are living through challenging times, but music has the ability to elevate us, heals us and unite us," said Louis Langrée. "We have chosen repertoire this fall that reflects our current sensitivities and sensibilities and we have invited guest artists who are not only great musicians but important voices in our collective consciousness."

Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell will conduct three Pops programs. October 3 focuses on American jazz "classics" from early ragtime to a new reduced orchestration Rhapsody in Blue with Aaron Diehl as soloist and a celebration of Charlie Parker's 100th birthday with saxophonist Sharel Cassity and vocalist Adia Dobbins. October 31 is Halloween and autumn-themed with highlights including movie music from Psycho, Us, and a Harry Potter suite; tunes celebrating Dia De Los Muertes; and, Pops Principal Guest Conductor Damon Gupton will narrate The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And, on December 12, a special digital version of the beloved Holiday Pops will center around the theme Home for the Holidays. PNC Bank is the Pops Series Sponsor.

"In reprogramming the fall season, we've done a deep dive into amazing musical wonderments from Hollywood, popular classics and the panoply of American pop that can be performed on a more intimate scale," said John Morris Russell. "We've discovered hot tunes from the Jazz Age and smoldering classics from the Be-bop era, eclectic music for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, and a charming collection of exquisite Holiday gems. And, we're really excited about two world premiere orchestrations--The Legend of Sleepy Hollow we commissioned from James Stephenson III and a new reduced scoring of Rhapsody In Blue from Tim Berens. We can't wait to share it all with Pops fans around the corner and across the globe!"

In addition to its virtual presence, the CSO and Pops is increasing its robust schedule of neighborhood and community events with the expansion of CSO In Your Neighborhood, pop-up concerts throughout Greater Cincinnati featuring small ensembles of CSO musicians.

"To achieve this re-creation of our season required greatly increased flexibility in scheduling and work rules, and we are grateful to our musicians for understanding the need to incorporate these into a new one-year contract," said CSO President & CEO Jonathan Martin. "Both COVID and societal issues around inclusiveness and equity have forever changed the CSO's landscape. In addition to mitigating the financial implications caused by concert cancellations, our three-pronged financial stability plan includes a realigned staff structure around our elevated priorities: our presence in the digital space, and our rededication to a CSO that fully serves our community."

The ability to produce the seven Live From Music Hall events as well as ongoing CSO In Your Neighborhood concerts is achievable due to a newly ratified one-year contract extension with the CSO's musicians. Modifications to the contract include a 10% across-the-board wage reduction; much greater scheduling flexibility; the ability to deploy smaller groups of musicians for community and education activities; a hiring postponement for current vacancies in the Orchestra complement; and, increased presence of CSO/CCM Diversity Fellows as extra and substitute musicians. Additionally, in tandem with similar initiatives being undertaken by the CSO board and staff, the contract specifies the creation of a task force to review hiring, contracting and compensation practices to ensure fairness and equity.

"This agreement opens the door for adjustments that all Orchestras may need to consider given the uncertainties of COVID and its long-term implications. It represents a decades-long tradition of collaboration based on the understanding that the Cincinnati community has supported its symphony orchestra since 1895," said Paul Frankenfeld, President of the Cincinnati Musicians' Association, Local 1 AFM and CSO Associate Principal Viola. "We thank the orchestra committee and particularly co-chairs Ted Nelson and Jennifer Monroe for their thoughtful consideration of what was best for the musicians and for our community. We thank our attorney Barbara Jaccoma for contributing to our ongoing conversation since 2001. And, we thank the Board and management for continuing to honor the contract by providing our current salary and benefits despite the suspension of all concert activity since March 12."

"I'm proud of the creative way our artistic leaders, musicians and staff have worked over the past several months to keep the Cincinnati Symphony in the hearts and minds of our loyal audiences. If there is anything we've learned from this experience, it's that the post-COVID world we eventually operate in will be different, and so we have taken this opportunity to better position ourselves for what lies ahead," said CSO Board Chair Rob McDonald. "Music and art and are vital to our well-being, and, thanks to unwavering support from sponsors and donors, Live From Music Hall will help us continue to make meaningful connections with our audiences, our community and well beyond Cincinnati this fall."

In addition to the Orchestra's longstanding support from the Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund,

ArtsWave, the Ohio Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, the CSO is sponsored by Western & Southern Financial Group.

"Western & Southern is committed to the arts in Cincinnati and is proud to support the CSO's innovative digital concerts this fall. Like everyone at the CSO, we look forward to returning to Music Hall, but until then, we are glad to make these live streams possible," said John Barrett, Chairman, President & CEO of Western & Southern.

Since mid-March, when the pandemic forced the suspension of large public gatherings, the CSO and Pops have remained connected with local and global audiences through the creation of new digital content and physically distanced pop-up concerts and events with musicians from the Orchestra under the CSO In Your Neighborhood umbrella. This fall, in addition to the seven large-scale concert events, the CSO will continue to create and curate original content for its social media platforms and for Orchestra at Home, an array of performances and aggregated resources on cincinnatisymphony.org. Orchestra at Home provides links to virtual concerts on May 16 and July 4 as well as other live streamed experiences produced since the beginning of the pandemic; performance and educational videos by CSO musicians (including a series of world premieres catalyzed by The Fanfare Project); education programs supplementing and supporting home learning and schools as they acclimate to adjusted teaching environments; and a collection of archived CSO and Pops videos, podcasts and recordings.

Educational programming will support schools, educators and students in the region with free Young People's Concerts, in-school programs and educator professional development activities available virtually. And, Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras will provide modified in-person activities and supplemental virtual activities available to all students.

Subscribers to the CSO or Pops' 2020-21 season who have tickets to fall 2020 concerts have been contacted directly by the Box Office with their options. Questions can be directed to the CSO Box Office at (513) 381-3300.

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