Strings and Things
Sujari Britt
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s 2021 festival presents Summermusik Under the Stars. This year they are taking that title to heat, with outdoor concerts to create a safe environment where patrons, orchestra members, staff and volunteers can feel as comfortable as possible.
Along with the musical lineup, Summermusik offers pre-concert talks with Eckart Preu, conductor, and artists and partners prior to each Mainstage event at 7 p.m.. New this year, “Prelude Talks” feature community panels discussing topics relevant to the evening’s programming and give the audience a chance to interact directly with the performers.
Many of the concerts examine the link between music, creativity and mental health. Throughout musical history many composers battled through isolation, anxiety and depression to compose some of their most beloved works.
Cello prodigy Sujari Britt, a Manhattan School of Music graduate who has performed for both President Obama and on the National Public Radio program From the Top, opens the season.
2021 Summermusik
For information and tickets visit www.ccocincinnati.org/events.
Restorative Strings
Sunday, Aug. 8, 4 p.m.
Coney Island’s Moonlite Pavilion, 6201 Kellogg Ave.
Cellist Sujari Britt presents the world premiere of her own composition “No One’s Driving,” reflecting on the impact of social isolation during the pandemic. Music director and pianist Eckart Preu and concertmaster Celeste Golden Boyer will perform one of the most famous melodies in music, Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise.”
The Fab Five + Friends
Tuesday, Aug. 10, 8 p.m.
Coney Island: Moonlite Pavilion, 6201 Kellogg Ave.
Nobody does The Beatles better than The Fab Five! Hear a classical twist on the music of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, The Beatles. A CCO string trio will be joined by guitarist and Beatles aficionado, Roger Klug, and his band, who will share fun facts about popular songs from the British Invasion.
Summer ZOOsik
Saturday, Aug. 14, 6 and 8 p.m.
Rain Date: Monday, August 16, 2021
Cincinnati Zoo–Wings Of Wonder Amphitheater. 3400 Vine St.
Take a walk on the wild side with the CCO wind quintet at SummerZOOzik! The musical safari will feature a wide range of animal-themed classical works from Saint-Saëns to Rimsky-Korsakov to Elton John.
Her Voice
Sunday, Aug. 15, 4 p.m.
Coney Island’s Moonlite Pavilion, 6201 Kellogg Ave.
From works by Reena Esmail and Jennifer Jolley, to a newly rediscovered work by Lilian Elkington, this concert will shed light on their talent as writers and musicians, with CCO principals flutist Rebecca Andres, trumpeter Ashley Hall, violinists Celeste Golden Boyer and Sujean Kim, and Heidi Yenney on viola d’amore.
Organic MicroBrass
Tuesday, August 17, 8 p.m.
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Pavilion
1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton
Beloved Cincinnati keyboardist Steve Schmidt and his Organ Trio take over the stage at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park’s covered pavilion, with brand new arrangements of jazz classics from “A Night in Tunisia” to “I Remember Clifford” reimagined by local jazz artist, composer and arranger Eric Lechliter.
Women in Musik
Friday, Aug. 20, 8 p.m.
Rain Date: Saturday, August 21 | 8:00 PM
Eden Park–Seasongood Pavilion, 1600 Art Museum Drive
Marking just over 100 years since the 19th Amendment gave women a voice at the ballot box, CCO looks at the voice women have in classical repertoire. Opening the program will be a work by violinist and composer Jessie Montgomery.
CCO2GO | CCO and Taft: 200 Years of the Taft Historic House
Sunday, Aug. 22 | 3pm
Taft Museum Of Art, 316 Pike St.
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra principal trumpeter Ashley Hall leads the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra brass quintet in an afternoon of music celebrating the 200th birthday of the Taft house.
On Sunday’s performance of Restorative Strings she presents the world premiere of her own composition “No One’s Driving.”
As the world struggles through mental and emotional crises, the Summermusik programs explore the healing quality of music as we come together to enjoy live music once again.