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Filtering by: “Mainstage”
Northern Lights
Nov
7
Mainstage

Northern Lights

  • Saturday, November 7, 2026
  • 7:00 PM 8:00 PM
  • Cincinnati Public Radio (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Following last season’s highly acclaimed concert Norden, Fulbright Scholar and celebrated soprano Alisa Jordheim brings us another jewel of a program from the North. Featuring stunning songs in Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Danish, we’ll once again be transported from the Queen City to the quiet passion of the Nordic region.

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Mack Attack!
Sep
12
Mainstage

Mack Attack!

  • Saturday, September 12, 2026
  • 7:00 PM 8:30 PM
  • Liberty Exhibition Hall (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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!

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Liebeslieder Salon
Feb
8
Mainstage

Liebeslieder Salon

  • Sunday, February 8, 2026
  • 3:00 PM 4:00 PM
  • Cincinnati Public Radio (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

A delightful cadre of artists shines in solo and ensemble songs celebrating the season of love. The all-German program recalls an era of intimate salon concerts shared amongst close friends and pays homage to Cincinnati’s deep cultural roots.

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Norden
Nov
8
Mainstage

Norden

  • Saturday, November 8, 2025
  • 7:00 PM 8:00 PM
  • Cincinnati Public Radio (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS
Stream Live

Friends of CSI enjoy priority booking two weeks before general tickets go on sale, as well as complimentary pre-concert Wine Notes receptions. Become a Friend today.

  • Journey through the rugged beauty and quiet mystery of the Nordic landscape in this effervescent program. Songs in Norwegian and Swedish capture the region’s stark natural contrasts, folk traditions, and introspective lyricism—hallmarks of the uniquely Nordic aesthetic. From icy fjords to sunlit midsummer nights, these songs echo a culture shaped by nature and nuance.

  • Curated by Alisa Jordheim, Fulbright Scholar and Fellow of the American Scandinavian Foundation

    Bo Linda Två Sånger
    Tor Aulin Fyra Serbiska Folksånger
    Jean Sibelius Norden / Var det en dröm? / Säv, säv, susa / Flickan kom ifrånsin älsklings möte
    Edvard Grieg Ku-Lok / Haugtussa, Op. 67

    Program subject to change without notice.

  • Enjoy curated wine pairings at a pre-concert reception by our friends at Hart & Cru. Complimentary access for the Friends of CSI, or available as a ticket add-on when booking.

  • “What a fun and unique experience! 10/10!” -2025 Audience Member

    We look forward to welcoming you as an audience member at our live broadcasts. Below are a few helpful tips to ensure a great experience:

    • Audience members must be arrived and seated 15 minutes before the advertised start of the concert. Latecomers may be seated at the discretion of CSI and Cincinnati Public Radio staff.

    • Get ready to enjoy a unique experience as we’re guided by an on-stage host who provides interesting insights before each group of songs.

    • Yes, you can clap! Even though the concert will be live on the radio, our on-air host will explain that the broadcast includes you - a live studio audience - and that we’ll be applauding to celebrate the wonderful artists and their performances like at any concert.

    • Please note that audio and video recording will take place during the concert.

    • As a courtesy to performers and fellow audience members, please turn off all cell phones before the concert begins.

Meet the Artists

Alisa Jordheim, soprano
Alisa Jordheim, soprano
Kayleigh Decker, mezzo
Kayleigh Decker, mezzo
Christina Lalog Seal, piano
Christina Lalog Seal, piano
Samuel Martin, piano
Samuel Martin, piano
Brian O'Donnell, host
Brian O'Donnell, host

Artists subject to change without notice.

Just a taste from the program…

 
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Grown from a Miracle
Sep
6
Mainstage

Grown from a Miracle

  • Saturday, September 6, 2025
  • 7:00 PM 8:15 PM
  • Cincinnati Public Radio (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The launch of Cincinnati Song Initiative’s tenth season brings us together with familiar stories of passion, pain, longing, nostalgia, and ecstasy. From cool, dew-filled mornings to warm summer Tennessee evenings, this evocative program features iconic twentieth century American giants alongside some of the greatest English and American composers of the next generation.

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Dayenu
Apr
6
Mainstage

Dayenu

  • Sunday, April 6, 2025
  • 3:00 PM 4:00 PM
  • ARCO (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Cincinnati Song Initiative, in partnership with the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center and the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, presents the second of two installments celebrating Jewish culture and history. Experience the story of Passover like never before through vibrant multi-genres, new works and arrangements, and the soulful and diverse Jewish musical traditions of the holiday.

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Harmonies of Heritage
Apr
5
Mainstage

Harmonies of Heritage

  • Saturday, April 5, 2025
  • 7:30 PM 8:30 PM
  • ARCO (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Cincinnati Song Initiative, in partnership with the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center and the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, presents the first of two installments celebrating Jewish culture and history. Harmonies of Heritage explores rarely-performed classical songs in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino languages for a powerful and unique evening of music.

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Goethe: Aus den Büchern
Feb
2
Mainstage

Goethe: Aus den Büchern

  • Sunday, February 2, 2025
  • 3:00 PM 4:00 PM
  • The Mercantile Library (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

CSI's second program dedicated to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - and the final in its German poets series The Belletrists - explores songs taken from the books of the great writer. The world of Wilhelm Meister offers notes of innocence, suffering, and longing, while The Book of Suleika brings out the interplay of passionate earthly love and transcendent, spiritual desire in a blend of Eastern and Western literary traditions.

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Goethe: Unbounded
Nov
3
Mainstage

Goethe: Unbounded

  • Sunday, November 3, 2024
  • 3:00 PM 4:00 PM
  • ARCO (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Experience the magic of song in a concert celebrating the poetry of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of the most revered figures in literature. Often exploring the interplay between nature, the human spirit, and the quest for personal fulfillment, Goethe's text reflect a deep journey of self-discovery and emotional depth.

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To the Woods
Apr
21
Mainstage

To the Woods

  • Sunday, April 21, 2024
  • 3:00 PM 4:30 PM
  • ARCO (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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An Afternoon with Will Liverman & Myra Huang
Jan
14
Mainstage

An Afternoon with Will Liverman & Myra Huang

  • Sunday, January 14, 2024
  • 3:00 PM 4:30 PM
  • Memorial Hall (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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The Belletrists: Josef von Eichendorff
Nov
5
Mainstage

The Belletrists: Josef von Eichendorff

  • Sunday, November 5, 2023
  • 3:00 PM 4:30 PM
  • The Overlook at Eden Park, Cincinnati (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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Under Your Wing
Sep
24
Mainstage

Under Your Wing

  • Sunday, September 24, 2023
  • 3:00 PM 4:30 PM
  • ARCO (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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Americana: What Shall We Remember?
May
7
Mainstage

Americana: What Shall We Remember?

  • Sunday, May 7, 2023
  • 4:00 PM 5:30 PM
  • The Mercantile Library (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Tickets

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.

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Unforgettable: The Golden Age of the Great American Songbook
Mar
18
Mainstage

Unforgettable: The Golden Age of the Great American Songbook

  • Saturday, March 18, 2023
  • 7:30 PM 9:00 PM
  • Liberty Exhibition Hall (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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!

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Narrative of a Slave Woman: Songs of Suffering, Hope, and Freedom
Jan
15
Mainstage

Narrative of a Slave Woman: Songs of Suffering, Hope, and Freedom

  • Sunday, January 15, 2023
  • 4:00 PM 5:30 PM
  • ARCO (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Purchase Tickets

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.

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Cincinnati songSLAM
Jan
14
Mainstage, Digital

Cincinnati songSLAM

  • Saturday, January 14, 2023
  • 7:00 PM 9:00 PM
  • Liberty Exhibition Hall (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Register for Free!

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!

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The Belletrists: Friedrich Rückert
Nov
6
Mainstage

The Belletrists: Friedrich Rückert

  • Sunday, November 6, 2022
  • 4:00 PM 5:30 PM
  • The Mercantile Library (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Buy Tickets

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.

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To the Distant Beloved
Sep
24
Mainstage

To the Distant Beloved

  • Saturday, September 24, 2022
  • 7:30 PM 9:00 PM
  • Presbyterian Church of Wyoming (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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Let it Be New
Jun
26
to Jul 31
Mainstage, Digital

Let it Be New

  • Sun, Jun 26, 2022 4:00 PM Sun, Jul 31, 2022 5:30 PM
  • Google Calendar ICS

Cincinnati Song Initiative presents the commissioned songs from the 2021-2022 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) composer mentorship program mentees.

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Americana: Carrying Gravity
May
7
Mainstage

Americana: Carrying Gravity

  • Saturday, May 7, 2022
  • 7:30 PM 9:00 PM
  • Presbyterian Church of Wyoming (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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An Evening with Jeanine De Bique & Jonathan C. Kelly
Mar
30
Mainstage

An Evening with Jeanine De Bique & Jonathan C. Kelly

  • Wednesday, March 30, 2022
  • 7:30 PM 9:00 PM
  • Woodward Theater (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Buy Tickets

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.

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Winter Song Festival: Cincinnati songSLAM
Jan
23
Mainstage, Digital

Winter Song Festival: Cincinnati songSLAM

  • Sunday, January 23, 2022
  • 7:00 PM 9:00 PM
  • Liberty Exhibition Hall (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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!

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Winter Song Festival: The Andrée Expedition
Jan
22
Mainstage

Winter Song Festival: The Andrée Expedition

  • Saturday, January 22, 2022
  • 7:00 PM 8:30 PM
  • ARCO (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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The Belletrists: Heinrich Heine
Dec
5
Mainstage

The Belletrists: Heinrich Heine

  • Sunday, December 5, 2021
  • 4:00 PM 5:30 PM
  • Calvary Episcopal Church (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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The Great American Songbook
Oct
2
Mainstage, Digital

The Great American Songbook

  • Saturday, October 2, 2021
  • 7:30 PM 9:00 PM
  • Liberty Exhibition Hall (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The dynamic Amy Burton and John Musto help bring Cincinnati roaring back to live performance with selections from The Great American Songbook.

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Let it Be New
May
16
Mainstage, Digital

Let it Be New

  • Sunday, May 16, 2021
  • 4:00 PM 5:00 PM
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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A World of Song: Celebrating Latinx Voices
Apr
11
to May 2
Mainstage, Digital

A World of Song: Celebrating Latinx Voices

  • Sun, Apr 11, 2021 4:00 PM Sun, May 2, 2021 9:00 PM
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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A World of Song: On Belonging
Feb
21
to Mar 14
Mainstage

A World of Song: On Belonging

  • Sun, Feb 21, 2021 4:00 PM Sun, Mar 14, 2021 8:00 PM
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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Winter Song Festival: Elena Villalón & Samuel Martin
Jan
10
to Jan 31
Mainstage

Winter Song Festival: Elena Villalón & Samuel Martin

  • Sun, Jan 10, 2021 4:00 PM Sun, Jan 31, 2021 8:00 PM
  • Google Calendar ICS

CSI welcomes a familiar face back to Cincinnati for a special spotlight performance. Former Associate Artistic Director and 2019 Metropolitan Opera Council Grand Finals winner Elena Villalón appears with Artistic Director Samuel Martin in an adventurous program featuring songs both beloved and off the beaten path.

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Winter Song Festival: Cincinnati songSLAM
Jan
9
to Jan 11
Mainstage

Winter Song Festival: Cincinnati songSLAM

  • Sat, Jan 9, 2021 7:00 PM Mon, Jan 11, 2021 7:45 PM
  • Google Calendar ICS

The second Cincinnati songSLAM goes digital! Support brand new art song by voting for your favorite performance of the night! Help award $1,500 in cash prizes all while being part of history as we showcase some of the best up-and-coming composers of song.

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