Cincinnati Song Initiative Unveils Tenth Anniversary Season
CINCINNATI, OH - Cincinnati Song Initiative reveals the events and artists for its tenth anniversary season. The 2025-2026 lineup features three signature Mainstage events as part of CSI’s new partnership with Cincinnati Public Radio, as well as traveling Mobile concerts and free digital events to engage a global audience.
“It brings immense joy to celebrate the launch of CSI’s tenth anniversary,” says Founding Artistic Director Samuel Martin. “To welcome such a roster of world-class artists, as well as new and returning audience members in an exciting live-broadcast format with Cincinnati Public Radio, is a thrill beyond anything we could have envisioned when our first season launched a decade ago.”
The Mainstage series features inspiring songs from around the world and exhilarating music by some of the most iconic American composers. As always, a blend of classic repertoire mingled with new - and even brand new - creates a tasteful mix that includes something for every audience member.
Grown from a Miracle: September 6, 2025
Norden: November 8, 2025
Liebeslieder Salon: February 8, 2026
In regard to the groundbreaking live-broadcast format for CSI’s Mainstage concerts, Jenell Walton, Vice President of Content at Cincinnati Public Radio says, “Cincinnati Song Initiative has an impressive history of bringing their unique programming to venues around our area and the country. As the only classical music station in greater Cincinnati and a proud partner with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, and May Festival already, we’re excited to add CSI to our broadcast schedule starting later this year. We believe our listeners will enjoy the exceptional music performed and have the chance to hear it live as it happens.”
The tenth Mainstage season brings new ways for audience members to connect in ways beyond music. Along with providing world-class song performances, CSI has teamed up with Hart & Cru to host exceptional pre- and post-concert wine tasting receptions, expertly curated by their sommeliers to match each concert’s unique cultural theme. It’s the latest example of one of CSI’s most notable attributes that has marked its first decade: collaboration with other organizations and small businesses.
“The goal with our concerts,” Martin explains, “has always been to create a welcoming environment for everyone, whether you’re a seasoned classical music enthusiast, a curious newcomer, a student or young professional, or a visitor to Cincinnati looking for a unique experience. With our refreshed events - sixty-minute concerts from start to finish, fun social time during our expertly curated wine receptions, and a stunning atmosphere at the Scripps Family Center for Public Media - the 2025-2026 season will serve CSI’s mission to connect communities through song in wonderful new ways.”
CSI Mobile, the organization’s traveling division, returns once again to partner with The Hartt School at The University of Hartford for its annual Festival of American Song. Closer to home, CSI teams up with the Red Door Chamber Series and members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for Where we Abide, an enchanting evening of vocal chamber music.
Entering its sixth year, the annual Let It Be New digital concert brings to life the world premieres of brand new songs by participants of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Mentoring Program for Composers. By producing this concert, CSI platforms talented emerging composers from around the world and provides them with valuable exposure among audiences, as well as organizations and individual artists in a position to program their music in the future.
At the center of the season lies the roster of world-class singers and instrumentalists who bring CSI’s tenth season of song to life. Ranging from beloved returning artists to highly anticipated newcomers, the diversity of the season’s repertoire is matched only by the variety of artistic personalities audiences can experience.
The Ten for Ten Campaign
To celebrate the start of Cincinnati Song Initiative’s second decade, the Ten for Ten Campaign seeks to raise $10,000 to support the artists who make the music happen. Thanks to the generosity of longtime supporters Lori Laitman and Bruce Rosenblum, every gift will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. That means each donation goes twice as far in sustaining world-class live song performance in Cincinnati and amplifying its reach through Cincinnati Public Radio.
About Cincinnati Song Initiative
Cincinnati Song Initiative’s first decade has seen dozens of concerts connect diverse audiences with world-class artists in communities throughout the country. Dedicated to the promotion and innovation of the intimate genre of song, CSI creates memorable experiences that welcome seasoned arts enthusiasts, curious newcomers, and everyone in between. Garnering national attention since its earliest days, CSI is a recipient of Ovation TV and Spectrum’s Stand for the Arts award, which recognizes organizations that empower the community, build strategic partnerships, drive engagement through volunteerism, and deliver creative programming.
An organization led exclusively by artists, Cincinnati Song Initiative constantly reimagines how classical music can connect best with communities in the immediate present. With the launch of its 2025-2026 tenth anniversary season, CSI proudly joins forces with Cincinnati Public Radio at its brand new home in Evanston to live-broadcast its Mainstage concerts. Complete with a studio audience and an on-air host to contextualize the music, this new era will retain the up-close-and-personal nature of CSI’s live song events while reaching exciting new audiences in an effort to maximize the organization’s accessibility and impact.
