Purchase Tickets

CSI embarks on its third staged song project, co-produced with CCM Opera, featuring the creative and cinematic music of Evan Mack. Two unique works journey through the myriad of human experiences, from thrill, longing, hope, disappointment, fame, nostalgia, and acceptance, brought to life through theatrical flare.
Arrive early to explore Cincinnati’s oldest Vaudeville house, grab a custom cocktail, and settle in for an entertaining evening like no other!
Bitter and Be Grey (World Premiere)
Music by Evan Mack / Poetry by Kathleen Kelly, Ogden Nash, and Alice Cary
American Sputnik (Piano-Vocal Premiere)
Music by Evan Mack / Libretto by Mark Cambell
Program subject to change without notice.
Bitter and Be Grey
One evening while enjoying a drink with something in it, my better half introduced me to the Ogden Nash poem of the same title. Clearly, this needed to be a song. I contacted Evan Mack and we were off. Evan encouraged me to consider a cycle. Over the coming months, we contemplated options. There is a dearth of literature, both operatic and song, that accommodate, let alone feature the mature female artist. I wanted to celebrate what one gains as an experienced artist without apologizing for what wanes. I wanted humor and a little salt.
Enter Kathleen Kelly. She and her husband, Paul, sat on their front porch in Texas and wrote “Packing Up”. I provided Kathy with an inventory of quotes from companies, directors, conductors and managers listing why I was problematic to cast. The result is
“Der Vorsingenwalzer” (with Apologies to Various Strausses)*. “Evening Pastimes” by Alice Carey is the lovely wise bow with which to wrap this gem of a cycle.
*Most lyrics are direct quotes. For a nice donation to CCM/CSI, I’ll name names. If you recognize yourself if a quote, for a larger donation, I’ll omit yours.
-Amy Johnson
American Sputnik
In 1958, when the young pianist Van Cliburn returned to the U.S. from Moscow after winning first prize in the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, a reporter congratulated him on being a success. The young pianist famously demurred, “I’m not a success. I’m a sensation.”
In American Sputnik, a fictional monologue for baritone and small ensemble, Van Cliburn begins to discern the difference between being a success and a sensation. Told in three parts— “Arrival,” “Competition” and “Return”—the famous pianist from Texas narrates his exciting journey to Moscow, the overwhelming pressure he faced in competing for first prize, and his triumphant flight home. Along the way, he reviews the influences that led him to this life-changing moment: his relationship with his mother who taught him piano, his troubled adolescence in a small town, his experience at Juilliard with renowned teacher Rosina Lhévinne, his discovery of Moscow and his love for Russian composers, the importance of maintaining discretion about his sexual orientation, and astonishment about his sudden stature as a cultural hero. While American Sputnik takes place during those heady few weeks in Moscow, it is ultimately about the power of music to overcome boundaries.
Parking
Metered parking is available in the area surrounding the venue.
Accessibility
Liberty Exhibition Hall is on the second floor of the building. To reach the hall there are stairs or a chair lift with a 150 pound weight limit. The building entrance is on street level with one small step to get in the door. All doors are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair.
Nearby Dining Options
Darou Salam - Senegalese restaurant serving West African cuisine
Melt Revival - Café and Restaurant serving sustainable food
Bridges - Nepali Cuisine
Northside Yacht Club - Gastropub with unique cocktails

No results found