To the Woods
The science is conclusive: our planet is warming to alarming degrees, and only we have the power to slow its effects. Be inspired to take action through the visceral words of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Henry David Thoreau, and UC poetry professor Felicia Zamora in this powerful Earth Day program.
The Fellowship of the Song: American Song Workshop
The Fellowship of the Song’s first song workshop explores American music by Dominick Argento, Lori Laitman, John Musto, and Tania León. Available to auditors for in-person attendance, live-streaming, and unlimited replays until June 26.
The Fellowship of the Song: Exploring the Unexplored
Soprano Toni Marie Palmertree and pianist Ellen Rissinger shed light on under-programmed song repertoire by both beloved and lesser-known composers. Available to auditors for in-person attendance, live-streaming, and unlimited replays until June 26.
The Fellowship of the Song: French Song Workshop
The Fellowship of the Song’s second song workshop explores French music by Lili Boulanger, Claude Debussy, and Francis Poulenc. Available to auditors for in-person attendance, live-streaming, and unlimited replays until June 26.
The Fellowship of the Song: Fellows' Opening Concert
The ten fellows of CSI’s inaugural The Fellowship of the Song take the stage for the first of two scintillating programs.
The Fellowship of the Song: Spanish Song Workshop
The Fellowship of the Song’s third song workshop explores Spanish music by Enrique Granados, Xavier Montsalvatge, Fernando Obradors, and Joaquín Turina. Available to auditors for in-person attendance, live-streaming, and unlimited replays until June 26.
The Fellowship of the Song: German Song Workshop
The Fellowship of the Song’s fourth and final song workshop explores German music by Johannes Brahms, Hugo Wolf, and Erich Korngold. Available to auditors for in-person attendance, live-streaming, and unlimited replays until June 26.
The Fellowship of the Song: Fellows' Closing Concert
The ten fellows of CSI’s inaugural The Fellowship of the Song take the stage for the second of two scintillating programs.
Let It Be New
Cincinnati Song Initiative proudly presents the world premieres of ten commissioned songs from the 2023-2024 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) composer mentorship program mentees.
CSI Mobile: The Hartt School
CSI joins forces with The Hartt School at the University of Hartford to create a multi-day festival of American song, with a spotlight concert featuring the songs of Lori Laitman.
Norden: Exploring Scandinavian Song and Diction
You’ve probably heard of iconic Scandinavian composers Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius, and Carl Nielsen, but how many of their songs have you heard in concert? Though among the most beautiful and coloristic works in the repertoire, songs by Scandinavian composers are less frequently represented on song recitals in America. Guided by Dr. Alisa Jordheim, a Fulbright Scholar and Fellow of the American Scandinavian Foundation, we explore this stunning repertoire and introductory approaches to diction for performers.
Fauré/Debussy Cage Match!!!!
You know them, you love them, and now you choose between them! Our first-ever Song Connect event explores iconic settings by Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy of two poems: Mandoline and Claire de lune. What makes them similar? What sets them apart from each other? And whose settings will emerge victorious? Come with your unwavering opinion or get ready to be swayed through conversation and listening during the event. Either way, it’s bound to be a great time!
An Afternoon with Will Liverman & Myra Huang
Will Liverman, the multi-talented baritone, composer, and producer who knows no creative boundaries, joins the inimitable pianist Myra Huang for a one-time-only experience here in Cincinnati. Join these two dazzling artists for a varied and poignant journey through song.
The Belletrists: Josef von Eichendorff
In the third program of its series The Belletrists, Cincinnati Song Initiative explores an array of settings from the Romantic literary giant Josef von Eichendorff. Themes of wandering, the passing of time, and nostalgia permeate this program that explores German culture, poetry, and music.
Under Your Wing
The Mainstage season opens with a unique opportunity to explore the human condition through song. In partnership with the Cincinnati Music & Wellness Coalition, world-class artists share musical stories of life, love, struggle, and triumph, all through the lens of physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
CSI Mobile: Oberlin Conservatory
CSI heads up the road for a residency at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Artists will work with students on their own song studies and present a contemporary all-American program free and open to the public.
Let it Be New
Cincinnati Song Initiative presents the commissioned songs from the 2022-2023 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) composer mentorship program mentees.
Americana: What Shall We Remember?
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Three artist-storytellers bring a program of varied American song to life. Nostalgic calls from the past, fused with jovial, reflective, and empowering stories of today help provide a path forward for the journey ahead.
Beautiful Small Things
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Cincinnati Song Initiative presents LYNX Project in Beautiful Small Things, a concert celebrating the newly released album of music from the Amplify Series. The Amplify Series is a project in which the words of nonspeaking autistic poets are set to music by classical composers. From 2016-2020, the poets for this project were all residents of Cincinnati, OH and members of the Cincinnati Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) community.
Unforgettable: The Golden Age of the Great American Songbook
CSI and Queen City Cabaret team up to present a delectable program of Golden-Age tunes from the Great American Songbook. Featuring selections from the 1930s through 1960s, take a trip with some of Cincinnati’s greatest cabaret personalities and explore all this era has to offer!
Narrative of a Slave Woman: Songs of Suffering, Hope, and Freedom
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Cincinnati Song Initiative presents the internationally-performed lecture recital Narrative of a Slave Woman, providing arguably the most comprehensive journey in contextualizing the words of Spirituals with the very real-world stories they tell from the darkest chapter of this nation. Join distinguished artists LaToya Lain and Casey Robards for this profound journey that places the Spiritual - and everything it stands for - in the spotlight.
Cincinnati songSLAM
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We’re back with the fourth annual Cincinnati songSLAM! Don't miss your chance to award $2,000 in cash prizes to your favorite teams premiering brand new songs! Hosted this year by the Queen of the Cincinnati Poetry Slam herself, DuWaup!
The Belletrists: Friedrich Rückert
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In the second program of its series The Belletrists, CSI explores a wide array of settings from the iconic Friedrich Rückert. Additionally, enjoy exclusive access to a pre-concert lecture by distinguished musicologist Susan Youens as a member of CSI Digital.
To the Distant Beloved
CSI’s seventh season opening concert takes us on a journey of love separated by distance. Songs in Italian, German, and English guide the way through the emotional highs and lows, ultimately leading to peace and contentment with an experience felt by so many in this world.
Let it Be New
Cincinnati Song Initiative presents the commissioned songs from the 2021-2022 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) composer mentorship program mentees.
Americana: Carrying Gravity
CSI’s sixth season finale encapsulates the profound human stories of everyday people. Moments of joy, anger, love, fear, death, power, and so much more make for a riveting evening of music.
An Evening with Jeanine De Bique & Jonathan C. Kelly
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Cincinnati Song Initiative and Cincinnati Opera proudly present Jeanine De Bique and Jonathan C. Kelly in a stunning program ahead of the Trinidadian soprano’s Carnegie Hall debut.
CSI Mobile: Houston, TX
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CSI heads to the Lone Star State in collaboration with the Houston Saengerbund, the city’s oldest musical society.
Winter Song Festival: Cincinnati songSLAM
We’re back with the third annual Cincinnati songSLAM! Don't miss your chance to award $2,000 in cash prizes to your favorite teams premiering brand new songs!
Winter Song Festival: The Andrée Expedition
Andrée’s arctic balloon expedition of 1897 was an effort to reach the North Pole in which all three Swedish expedition members – Salomon Andrée, Knut Frænkel, and Nils Strindberg – perished. In 1982, American composer Dominick Argento composed the tour-de-force song cycle depicting this harrowing journey.
The Belletrists: Heinrich Heine
In the first program of its new series The Belletrists, CSI explores a wide array of settings from the influential Heinrich Heine. Additionally, enjoy exclusive access to a pre-concert lecture by distinguished musicologist Susan Youens as a member of CSI Digital.
The Great American Songbook
The dynamic Amy Burton and John Musto help bring Cincinnati roaring back to live performance with selections from The Great American Songbook.
Let it Be New
In its largest commissioning project to date, Cincinnati Song Initiative will commission a single song from each of the ten composers taking part in the inaugural National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) composer mentorship program.
Coffee Convos: The NATS Composer Mentorship Program
Ellen Rissinger and François Germain, the co-founders of The Diction Police, share their new interactive handbook of French diction for singers, “Chantez!”
Composers & Cocktails: Shawn Okpebholo
CSI sits down with Shawn Okpebholo and gets to know him over his favorite cocktail.
A World of Song: Celebrating Latinx Voices
In the final installment of A World of Song, and the culmination of CSI’s three year project Alma de España, four dynamic artists explore some of the greatest Spanish-language song from Latin America.
Coffee Convos: Celebrating Latinx Voices
Join artists from A World of Song: Celebrating Latinx Voices in a discussion surrounding the program and artistic vision of the performance.
A World of Song: On Belonging
The captivating Fleur Barron and Myra Huang explore the profound complexities of Asian identity, culture, and a sense of home. Presented in partnership with Wear Yellow Proudly, an Aural Compass Projects initiative.
Coffee Convos: On Belonging Roundtable
Join artists and administrative team members from A World of Song: On Belonging in a discussion surrounding the program and artistic vision of the performance.