The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announced today that American Public Media (APM) will be broadcasting performances from select programs from the Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season. These performances feature the partnerships between the CSO and two of its 2011-2012 Creative Directors, composer Philip Glass and pianist Lang Lang. Based on the programs’ repertoire and artists, the CSO is making two performances available for APM’s Performance Today and/or Classical 24. Performance Today is America’s most popular classical music radio program, with more than 1.3 million weekly listeners on more than 260 stations around the country. Classical 24 is a nationally syndicated classical music service dedicated to live classical music programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The first program, performed at Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall September 30-October 1, 2011, featured Mr. Glass’ Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra. The CSO’s own Patrick Schleker, Principal Timpanist, and Richard Jensen, Associate Principal Timpanist, performed as soloists in the high-energy work. Also on the program, under the direction of conductor Julian Kuerti, is Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, commissioned by the CSO in 1942, as well as Rachmaninoff’s stirring tone poem, The Isle of the Dead, and Stravinsky’s epic The Firebird Suite (1919).

The second program to air was first performed at Music Hall January 27-28, 2012. International superstar pianist Lang Lang plays Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the CSO under the baton of Jun Märkl.

These pieces will air on APM at the end of May. Exact dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

These particular programs were chosen by APM and the CSO in order to demonstrate the remarkable partnerships the Orchestra has enjoyed with its Creative Directors during the search for a new Music Director. The CSO will engage three more Creative Directors in the 2012-2013 season: internationally revered conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (who also served as a Creative Director for the 2011-2012 season), acclaimed saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon. On April 24, the CSO announced Louis Langrée as its next Music Director. Mr. Langrée’s tenure officially begins with the 2013 season.

The Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras announces the unveiling of a new mobile app now available in the iPhone App Store and Android Market. The app allows users to purchase tickets, obtain program information, access video and audio content, follow the Orchestra’s social media feeds, view nearby dining options and more. Functioning as a web-based app, it allows for streamlined usage of the CSO’s current site, while providing additional interactive content.

“We wanted to create a mobile app that expanded beyond simple ticketing functions and allowed for a more interactive user experience,” said Chris Pinelo, Vice President of Communications for the CSO and Pops. “With the mobile app, our patrons will be able to RSVP to concerts and events via Facebook, spread the word about their favorite performances and repertoire, and engage with other fans – all from their mobile devices,” he said.

From the app’s home screen, users can then navigate to either the CSO or Pops portion of the site. A full list of upcoming concerts and events is available, each with links to purchase tickets or RSVP to the event via Facebook. Each concert has options to listen to audio previews of the repertoire or visit the websites of guest artists, as well as GPS navigation options to the venue.

The app’s “Discover” tab gives users the option to view recent events, featured videos previewing upcoming concerts, view in-depth information on the musicians and conductors and download music. The social media component of the app provides links to the Orchestra’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube feeds. A “Buy/Give” tab provides the option to view seating charts, purchase tickets or make a donation straight from the mobile device. Information including nearby dining options, seating charts, directions, parking and ticket exchanges is also available, making planning-on-the-go more convenient and efficient.

Several orchestras and arts organizations boast mobile apps, but the CSO opted to create a custom designed version to better suit the needs of its patrons and its unique role in the Cincinnati community. The Orchestra plans to create a version for tablets as well.

Every year, the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra takes the stage with the musicians of the world-renowned Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for a Side-by-Side Concert at historic Music Hall. Pops Conductor John Morris Russell will lead the combined orchestras in Stravinsky’s challenging and history-making The Firebird Suite. The program begins with another piece of epic proportions – “Siegfried’s Rhine Journey” from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung under the baton of William White, conductor of the CSYO and CSO Assistant Conductor. Then violinist Jackie Tso, a high school sophomore and winner of the 2011-2012 CSYO Concerto Competition, takes center stage performs the solo role for the final two movements of Bruch’s sweeping Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, also conducted by Mr. White.

The annual CSO/CSYO side-by-side concert gives audience members and students the rare opportunity to see and hear their peers performing next to professional musicians and as soloists with one of the nation’s top orchestras in this annual highlight of the CSYO season. Little can be more inspiring than the spectacle of over 200 musicians on stage playing some of the world’s finest music together under the direction of such respected conductors as Mr. Russell and Mr. White.

The CSO thanks Coney Island for its generous sponsorship of this concert. The Artist Sponsor for this performance is the George Margaret McLane Foundation. The side-by-side concert has been endowed by the William R. Schott Family. These concerts are also supported by a gift in memory of Kate Magrish Foreman.

Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra

A vital part of Cincinnati’s musical culture since its beginning in 1964, the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO) is the city’s premier ensemble for talented high school orchestral musicians.

The orchestra was founded as the Cincinnati Youth Orchestra by Max Rudolf, who was Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at that time, and area music educators. The first conductor of the CSYO was Sigmund Effron, CSO concertmaster, who led the orchestra until 1970. Since that time, the musicians of the CSYO have had the opportunity to work with notable conductors including Paavo Järvi, John Morris Russell, Keith Lockhart and Jesús López-Cobos. Under the auspices of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the CSYO is dedicated to encouraging talented young musicians and provides outstanding instrumental students the opportunity to perform repertoire not always available to them in their school music program.

The student musicians not only make the CSYO an outstanding ensemble, but, because of the level of musicianship and discipline required for the CSYO, increase the strength of their respective school music programs. The strength, creativity, and dedication learned through the CSYO experience equips our students to excel at a variety of careers after they leave us. Upon graduation from high school, CSYO students not only become musicians and arts leaders; they become engineers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, scientists, and business leaders. Each season, the CSYO provides these experiences to approximately 95 student musicians representing more than 30 area schools in southwestern Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southeastern Indiana each season.

This season, the CSYO’s 48^th, marks the first for William White’s as CSYO Conductor and as Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Visit www.cincinnatisymphony.org/csyo for more information about the CSYO.

Jackie Tso, violin

Jackie Tso, 14 years old, is a sophomore at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. She began Suzuki violin studies at the age of four. She was a member of the Starling String Project at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music from 2005-2011. Currently, she is a student of Almita and Roland Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicageo in the Academy program. Her previous teachers include: Heidi Flanders, Kurt Sassmannshaus, Kun Dong, and Jan Sloman. She has attended The Great Wall Music Academy in Beijing, China, The National Arts Center Young Artist Program in Ottawa, Canada and the Meadowmount Music School for the past six summers. She has played in master classes for Pinchas Zukerman, Vadim Repin, Ida Kavafian, and Joel Smirnoff.

Jackie had her debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra when she was eight years old at its Young People’s Concert in 2005 and was invited to play again in 2009. She made her debut with the Santa Fe Concert Association Orchestra in 2009 and was invited to play with them again on their Christmas Eve concert, 2011. She has also played with the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, the Seven Hills Sinfonietta, the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and the Beijing Broadcast Symphony Orchestra. Jackie is currently the concertmaster of the CSYO which she joined in 2010 and is the 2011-2012 CSYO Concerto Competition first place winner.

Jackie won 2^nd place in the concerto competition of the Great Wall Music Academy in 2007 and was the winner of the Young Artist Competition of the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra in 2009. She was the winner of the 2011 Overture Scholarship Awards competition and has also been invited to participate in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition 2012 in Beijing, China. She was chosen as one of the “Most Interesting People” by Cincy Magazine in 2009 and, aside from violin, she loves to spend time with her dog Nelly and with her friends. Read more

Internationally Acclaimed Conductor Louis Langrée Named Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Music Director

• Appointment comes after comprehensive 27-month search
• Langrée begins his tenure as the CSO’s 13^th Music Director in the 2013-14 season

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) today named Louis Langrée as Music Director starting in the Orchestra’s 2013-14 season. Mr. Langrée, an acclaimed conductor who has led riveting performances on five continents, is entering his 10^th season as Music Director of the prestigious Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center in New York. In Cincinnati he will succeed Paavo Järvi, whose decade-long tenure concluded in May of 2011, and a long line of celebrated music directors who have led the CSO over the Orchestra’s 117-year history, beginning with Frank Van der Stucken in 1895.  Past music directors include Leopold Stokowski, Eugène Ysaÿe, Fritz Reiner, Max Rudolf, Thomas Schippers and Jesús López-Cobos.  Mr. Langrée will be the CSO’s thirteenth Music Director and the first to hail from France.

“It is a great honor to have been offered the position of Music Director of this prestigious orchestra,” said Mr. Langrée. “I am sure that our creative journey together will be very stimulating for all of us and am eager to share this deep and wonderful experience with the community in Cincinnati and beyond.”

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is one of America’s finest and most respected ensembles. The fifth oldest symphony orchestra in the United States and the oldest orchestra in Ohio, the internationally acclaimed CSO has sold millions of recordings around the world, toured extensively nationally and internationally, been featured in radio broadcasts reaching 2.3 million listeners this year alone, and plays a leading role in the cultural life of Greater Cincinnati.

“We are thrilled and honored to have Louis Langrée as our next Music Director and are confident he’ll take this already amazing orchestra to new heights,” said CSO President Trey Devey. “The CSO represents the musical cornerstone of Cincinnati and plays a critical role throughout the region. In Louis, we’re gaining a thoughtful and passionate musical leader who will engage our musicians, our audiences and the Cincinnati community.”

Mr. Langrée will serve as principal conductor, and also serve as the Orchestra’s artistic director, programming concerts, and overseeing musical personnel.  He will be a community arts leader and advocate. Mr. Langrée’s contract is for four years starting in the 2013-14 season, and the CSO is the only major North American orchestra with which he’ll serve as music director during that period. He will also have official duties as Music Director Designate starting immediately.

“Louis Langrée is a consummate musician and I’ve been especially impressed with the chemistry he has with our orchestra members,” said CSO Concertmaster and Music Director Search Committee Member Timothy Lees. “His ability to achieve exceptional performances was clear from his very first appearance with us.  He will fulfill the vital role of CSO Music Director by bringing exceptional leadership qualities, an energetic artistic vision and the ability to communicate that vision clearly. I enthusiastically look forward to working with him.”

Extensive search process completed in 27 months

This appointment comes after a far-reaching and comprehensive international search process that began in January of 2010. The Music Director Search Committee was chaired by CSO Board member and former General Manger of classical public radio station WGUC Ann Santen, and included musicians from the Orchestra, members of the CSO management team, CSO Board members, and members of the at-large community. Throughout the process, audience members and Orchestra musicians were surveyed regularly, and Ms. Santen moderated forums in the spring of 2010 with musicians, Board members, staff and audience members to gain input on the ideal candidate.

“Throughout the search process we heard from many stakeholders, and we used their input to identify the right person to lead the CSO,” said Ms. Santen. “We have an outstanding orchestra with musicians who can do anything a conductor asks them. From the first rehearsal it was clear that Louis Langrée knew how to ask it, and the players responded. In addition to being a superb musician and an elegant conductor, Louis has compelling programming ideas and a real passion for engaging the community. He is a perfect fit for Cincinnati and as the CSO’s Music Director he will be a tremendous addition to the community.”

Other members of the Music Director Search Committee were: CSO musicians Richard Jensen, Timothy Lees, Christopher Philpotts and Robert Sullivan; CSO Board members Trish Bryan, John Palmer, Randy Randolph, Karl Ronn, Melody Sawyer Richardson, Nancy Walker and Sheila Williams; community-at-large members William Friedlander and Sandra Rivers; management team members Naimah Bilal, Robert McGrath; and CSO President Trey Devey.

“It was an honor to be part of this process,” said CSO Board Chair Melody Sawyer Richardson. “We really owe a debt of gratitude to Ann Santen and my devoted fellow committee members for all of their hard work over the past 27 months. This was an extraordinary undertaking, and on behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to welcome and congratulate Music Director Designate Louis Langrée.”

Louis Langrée in Cincinnati

Mr. Langrée made his CSO debut in March of 2011 at Cincinnati’s Music Hall, conducting Brahms’ “Tragic Overture”, Schumann’s Cello Concerto and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. Cincinnati immediately fell in love with the conductor, with the Cincinnati Enquirer reviewer writing, “Langrée’s fastidious yet emotional direction explored the intricate details and the soaring phrases of this microcosm of Brahms’ orchestral writing style [“Tragic Overture”]. The ability to harness emotion and reason in elegant fashion is a rare but necessary quality for a world-class conductor. Langrée showed he is such an artist.”

“It was a terrific debut for Louis Langrée in March of 2011,” said CSO Principal Trumpet Robert Sullivan, who also served on the Search Committee. “We were relatively early in the search process, but immediately recognized his excellent rapport with the players of the Orchestra both on and off the podium, which produced some of the finest concerts of the season.”

Following that acclaimed first experience in Cincinnati, Mr. Langrée was invited back in August to conduct the CSO in a special performance featuring Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 at Corbett Auditorium, located at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Janelle Gelfand wrote, “Clearly, there was chemistry happening on the stage. The musicians responded to his direction with crisp playing, and wind soloists and horns played with character…. The finale was electric. Langrée pulled back in the sweeter moments, yet he kept the undercurrent of tension, always communicating the joy as well as the drama of Beethoven’s music.”

“I performed on the Jupiter Symphony and had the privilege of sitting in the audience for Beethoven’s Seventh,” said CSO Percussionist and Associate Principal Timpanist Richard Jensen, who also served on the Music Director Search Committee. “Some conductors look right past you as a musician in the orchestra and that’s not the case with Langrée. On the podium, he’s in the moment with you as a conductor and really connects with the players. From the audience side, he and the orchestra gave a very exciting performance with clarity and passion.”

Mr. Langrée will lead two CSO programs in the 2012-13 season as Music Director Designate. On November 9 and 10 he conducts a program with pianist Cédric Tiberghien featuring music by Franck, Messiaen and Saint-Saëns, and then on November 15, 17 and 18 he conducts Schoenberg’s A Survivor in Warsaw followed by Beethoven’s triumphant Symphony No. 9 and it’s “Ode to Joy” finale with the May Festival Chorus.

“Louis Langrée is a conductor and artistic leader with real depth,” said CSO Principal English Horn Christopher Philpotts, another member of the Music Director Search Committee. “We’re eager to join him on this creative journey exploring familiar classics and exciting new repertoire in the coming years.”

Making it possible

The Orchestra received critical support for the music director search from The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation. This support made it possible to scout the world’s finest conducting talent, bring exceptional conductors to Cincinnati and create opportunities to engage with these conductors both on and off the podium.

“We recognize how important the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is for our city and region, and how important a music director is to the CSO,” said Tim Maloney, President & CEO of The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation. “This Orchestra is Cincinnati’s global cultural ambassador and a great source of pride for the community. We were proud to have supported this process and join with all of Cincinnati in congratulating and welcoming Louis Langrée.”

Mr. Langrée will be officially “launched” as CSO Music Director at the beginning of the 2013-14 season at historic Music Hall. Details will be announced at a later date.

During the search process, the CSO innovatively engaged five different Creative Directors to assist in the programming for both the current 2011-12 season and the 2012-13 season.

“We planned both the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons without a Music Director, and I really must thank our Creative Directors Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Lang Lang, Philip Glass, Branford Marsalis and Jennifer Higdon for their valuable collaborations in programming these seasons,” said Mr. Devey. “I also want to thank the entire Cincinnati community for not only maintaining a great level of support through this search process, but actually attending more concerts. I know Louis Langrée is excited to be part of a community that treasures the arts.” Read more

On Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 2 p.m., the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra sees the return of its wildly popular “Classical Roots” concert to Music Hall for the second year in a row. This year, Pops Conductor John Morris Russell is slated to conduct the full Orchestra, along with a Community Mass Choir prepared by area church music leaders. Tenor Rodrick Dixon, who has earned critical and popular acclaim in Cincinnati with performances at last season’s Classical Roots concert, appearances with the Cincinnati May Festival and Cincinnati Opera, as well as his “Hallelujah Broadway” performance with the Cincinnati Pops in August, is serving as the concert’s creative chair in addition to performing on the program.

Last year’s “Classical Roots: Lift Ev’ry Voice” concert completely sold out the 3,400-plus-seat hall. “Classical Roots” is a celebration of African-American music traditions, and this season focuses on the journey from African melody to the American spiritual and gospel traditions we are familiar with today. The concert includes elements from the classical repertoire, as well as traditional and contemporary African-American spiritual and gospel components.

Highlighting the program is a new Classical Contemporary Gospel arrangement for Solo, Chorus and Orchestra composed by the multi-Grammy Award winning Gospel Artist Pastor Marvin L. Winans, who will introduce the work from stage during the concert. The Orchestra and Chorus will also perform works by Quincy Jones such as, “God is Tryin’ to tell You Something,” the Reunion/Finale from The Color Purple, the main theme from Roots, and Soul Bossa Nova. The program also includes an arrangement of Handel’s world famous “Hallelujah” Chorus from Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, “Dry Your tears, Afrika” from Amistad by the incomparable John Williams as well as spirituals from H.T. Burleigh, Thomas A. Dorsey and Morton Gould.

Other talents include the performances of the Bi-Okoto Drum and Dance Theater and School of African American Cultures and the Triumph Dance Company of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Soprano Jacqueline Echols and bass James Walton are also slated to perform as soloists.

“When we created the ‘Classical Roots’ series a decade ago, I had no idea that it would blossom into the regional celebration of music and culture that it has become,” said Maestro Russell. “Our first concerts were nurtured by congregations in churches, big and small throughout our community, and now we proudly fill Music Hall with music of hope and joy performed with our own Orchestra. It is an honor to usher in the next decade of ‘Classical Roots’ concerts, and I am thrilled to be working with Rod Dixon to create programs that continue to uplift and inspire,” he said.

Under the leadership of CSO Board Chair Melody Sawyer Richardson and Board Director and Co-Chair for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Paul M. Booth, a Clergy Advisory Committee representing area Black churches is providing guidance and support with the planning of the concert. Several music leaders are preparing the Community Mass Choir, which boasted over 150 members last year: Eric Oliver, Zion Baptist Church; Geneva K. Woode, Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church; Brenda Screws, Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church; and Deborah Shipps, Church of the Resurrection.

“’Classical Roots’ has become a must-see signature, premier community event combining the talent of the CSO and the community chorus,” said Mr. Booth. It is a powerful, moving presentation of the rich culture, heritage and history of African-American experience through music,” he said.

“The Classical Roots Concert of 2011 had a memorable effect on our community,” said Ms. Woode. “Thanks to the dedication and commitment of the mass choir, its directors, guest artists, clergy and orchestra, I once again anticipate this dynamic, creative artistry to come together again in 2012,” she said.

Tickets for this concert are just $20 for adults, $8 for students and $50 for VIP. They can be purchased by visiting or calling the CSO Box Office at (513) 381-3300 or visiting www.cincinnatisymphony.org. Read more